In light of the manifestation ‘Rotterdam Culture City’, OMI invites German architect Claudia Kromrei to reflect on postmodern Berlin. The 1980s were not only a flourishing period for architecture in Rotterdam, also in Berlin many internationally renowned architects developed their talents. Competitions and groundbreaking architecture manifestations gave architects the chance to actually implement their ideas and plans in the city.

During her talk, Kromrei focusses on this illustrious period in East- and West-Berlin. From the progressive housing construction of the Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA) to the brutalist Mäusebunker, the former laboratory for animal research. Kromrei zooms in on the concrete form of these – and other – buildings against the theoretical conceptual world of their designers. Then, with the film screening Battleship Berlin, we delve deeper into the debates surrounding Der Mäusebunker and the value of brutalist architecture. Preserve, renovate or demolish?

Architect Claudia Kromrei holds the position of Professor of Architectural Theory and History at the Hochschule Bremen (Bremen University of Applied Sciences) and also teaches at the FHS St. Gallen in Switzerland. Kromrei’s work extends beyond academia into research and publication, particularly in the areas of architectural theory and the history of architecture and the city. Her interest lies in exploring the interconnections between thoughts, language, and implemented buildings. She is the author of Postmodernism in Berlin: Residential Buildings of the 80s (2018) and Postmodern Non-Residential Berlin (2023). In both books, Kromrei explores the architectural diversity and complexity of Berlin’s postmodern buildings from the 1980s, providing insights into their design, conceptual motives, and the broader cultural and historical context in which they were created. 

Battleship Berlin (2021), a film by Nathan Eddy, is about the controversial Brutalist Mäusebunker, the former Laboratories of Freie Universität Berlin. This 40 minutes film tells the story of those who want to demolish the building and those fighting for an innovative and economically sustainable adaptive re-use of this uncompromisingly unique structure.