|
2004 The Arena am Ostbahnhof, the home of the Berlin ice-hockey team Eisbären, is in process of being built. An American investor is buying sports clubs all over Europe in order to build new arenas for them. All of the arenas serve a multifunctional and purely commercial purpose. Our class had the same conditions like the real project: Designing a multifunctional arena for 16 000 people on the actual site with specific programs like the headquarters for the ice-hockey team and a restaurant. My team designed a big glass cube which fits in the existing block structure and offers space for a public park in front of the arena. The immense interior space gave us the opportunity to freely arrange the separate sections with their individual architecture like the terraces (upper seats), rooms for the ice-hockey club, a restaurant and VIP-lounges. The idea was to break with the conservative urban structure. During the day and especially in the dark the cubes of the separate sections can be seen while creating the illusion of floating in the air. Aiming at improving the connection between the old neighbourhood and the new arena with its park we designed a public skywalk. As an extension of the skywalk we created a passage leading to the banks of the river Spree. To offer access to the banks we set back a part of the Berlin Wall. Thus, we created a transition while highlighting the memorial at the same time. The skywalk, being accessible 24h a day, leads through the arena and is connected to shops and restaurants which offers its visitors a stunning view into the arena. Consequently people can enjoy the architecture of the arena without buying a ticket. |