Peter Behrens in Berlin und Brandenburg

From April 27th to May 25th, the exhibition “Peter Behrens in Berlin and Brandenburg” invites you to explore the architectural legacy of the pioneer of modernism in a new way. Using a variety of presentation methods, the exhibition and its multiple exhibits open up a stimulating discourse between the retrospective and the future possibilities of architecture.

The working title “Peter Behrens in Berlin and Brandenburg – Retrospective and Perspective” is a teaching and research project at the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences under the direction of Prof. Dr. Silvia Malcovati and Prof. Bernd Bess, in cooperation with Prof. em. Hartmut Frank from HafenCity University Hamburg and with the architectural photographer Maximilian Meisse.

The exhibits in the exhibition are the result of studies and research carried out over the last two decades at various German and Italian universities, particularly in the architecture course at the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences. Prof. Dr. Silvia Malcovati and Prof. Bernd Bess developed new, research-oriented teaching methods in the subject “Fundamentals of Architectural Design” with which students examined the works of Peter Behrens in Berlin and Brandenburg as part of project studies.
The analytical drawings, architectural models and systematic photo studies presented in the exhibition are the result of in-depth historical source studies and empirical field research. Their aim is to go beyond simply replicating or replicating existing buildings by Peter Behrens and to gain new insights. Learning research, documentation, inventory and presentation techniques using the Behrens buildings as an example gave the students the tools to take well-founded positions in the discussion about our architectural heritage. Given the need to rethink construction processes, this debate is becoming increasingly important.

Using various methods of architectural representation, the exhibition transports Peter Behrens' diverse work from the past to the present in order to use it for the future.
The exhibition in the breathtaking light hall of the Peter Behrens Building presents, in addition to the teaching and research project, designs and scenarios for the future development of the area by renowned architectural offices that are shaping the future around the Behrens Building. Thanks to the cooperation and support of the DIEAG group of companies, the exhibition was enriched with historical material about the Peter Behrens Building in Oberschöneweide. In addition to original graphics and design objects, models of all buildings realized by Behrens in the Berlin-Brandenburg area are shown, as well as drafts and scenarios for the future development of the area on the Behrens-Ufer.

Prof. Dr. Eva Schmitt-Rodermund, President of the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences: “Architecture is more than just buildings; it is a living testimony to our history, an expression of culture and identity. This exhibition focuses on the work of Peter Behrens and its significance for the Berlin and Brandenburg region. The exhibits not only represent stages of extensive research work on an extremely versatile and artistically gifted personality, they also show the results of students from two universities examining the work and designs of a great urban planner.”

The highlights of the exhibition are the keynote speeches and discussions on May 24, 2024 by Sergei Tchoban, architect and partner at Tchoban Voss, Dr. Hans-Dieter Nägelke, head of the Architecture Museum at the Technical University, and Dr. Antonia Brauchle, Head of Monument Protection Treptow-Köpenick.

Opening: 27.4.2024, 5 pm

Impulse lectures & discussion:
May 24, 2024 | 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sergei Tchoban | Tchoban Foundation
Dr. Hans-Dieter Nägelke | Architecture Museum TU Berlin
Dr. Antonia Brauchle | Treptow-Köpenick Lower Monument Protection Authority