Architectures of Science : The Berlin Universities and Their Development in Urban Space

In Berlin, science, architecture, and the city are interwoven in a unique way: what was originally a single palace in the historic centre gradually developed to become a comprehensive academic landscape, in which three large universities today shape the city. Taking multiple perspectives onboard, this architectural guide asks how the growth of Berlin as a metropolis has been linked to the development of science and how its various disciplines have been able to realise their demands for buildings to carry out research and teaching and to hold scientific collections. In five chapters, the authors guide readers through various locations in Mitte, Charlottenburg, Dahlem, Adlershof, and Buch and show how questions about the representation and functionality of buildings, their conversion, or even their relocation to the outskirts of the city were reconciled with the expansion of infrastructure and contemporary ideas about urban planning. The book's critical and detailed look at the architectures of science, the genesis of which it traces over more than two centuries, sheds new light on Berlin's university landscape. At the same time, it allows readers to rediscover the political and social zeitgeist in the buildings of science. In cooperation with Gabriele Metzler (concept) and Konrad Angermuller (design) and with additional contributions by Nils Exner and Sascha Morawe.