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Manis Office
Manis Office
In 1979, Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza entered an IBA competition for a housing complex on Fraenkelufer Street. In the block’s backyard there was a gigantic partition wall 120 meters long. It was a typical Berlin firewall, a blind brick surface. After the war and the subsequent demolitions, these firewalls were uncovered and became part of the city's landscape. Siza made the crucial decision to preserve the wall, keeping the new buildings apart and in perfect harmony with it. While he almost won the competition, his proposal was never implemented. Later, a 120-meter-long building was constructed that completely covered the firewall. The memory of the war and the history of the city in conflict with the adjacent Berlin Wall.
Pencil drawing on the wall. Axonometric drawing of the prefabricated unit of the Berlin Wall (Stuetzwandelement), Scale 1:1. Symbols & Iconic Ruins, National Museum of Contemporary Art [EMST], Athens - Greece, 2021