Browsing by Subject "Memory"
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Publication Restricted ADAPTIVE REUSE STRATEGIES FOR CONTENTIOUS BUILDINGS(2025) Al-Nahas, Nura; Stone, Sally; Ebert, Carola; Interior Architecture/Interior Design (MA) (Two-Year); Berlin International University of Applied SciencesExamining how historically loaded architecture can be reinterpreted without denying its past, this master’s thesis focuses on the example of wartime bunkers. Commonly perceived as reminders of the violence and trauma, these concrete structures oftentimes remain abandoned. Nonetheless, their mysterious presence and their unique spatial qualities evoke something captivating in the eye of the contemporary. Rooted in the dilemma of how to engage with architecture that originates from a sinister past, this research investigates how a reinterpretation of a bunker’s genius loci can inform the transformation and identity of contemporary spaces. Structured as a journey through four thematic “chambers“, this thesis first provides an understanding of contentious buildings, using bunkers as a particular of loaded heritage. Considering bunkers as a challenging site of intervention, leads in the second chamber to an analysis of their spatial, material, and typological nature, and explores their transition from wartime structures to cultural sites, supported by case studies of reimagined Berlin bunkers. A third chamber works out design strategies for building with the history, that transform the spatial identity, emotional atmosphere, and cultural potential of contested spaces, particularly bunkers. It includes an interview with a contemporary musician, Pablo Mirò, reflecting on creativity in isolation. In the final chamber, the master’s project “Shelter for Culture” is presented, which turns a Berlin Hochbunker into an expressive space for artists, without erasing its history. Rather than neutralizing the past, this master’s thesis proposes that meaningful transformation results when architectural interventions are grounded in the spirit of a place. Leaning on concepts such as the palimpsest and architectural memory, it proposes that new spatial identities can coexist with previous narratives, even with sinister ones. Layered, instead of replaced. Thus, bunkers become more than just relics of war; they become sites of a dialogue between past and present.Publication Restricted Before We Leave(2025) Al Shemaly, Leen; Lemke, Katharina; Graphic Design and Visual Communication (BA); Berlin International University of Applied SciencesThe relationship between memory, photography, and cohabitation in Berlin’s Wohngemeinschaften (shared apartments) is examined dynamically in this thesis. How shared memories are formed by people amidst the fleeting nature of city life is demonstrated through qualitative interviews and photo analysis. As time goes on, rituals, shared objects, and casual photography become important ways to strengthen social and emotional ties. This turns ordinary places into rich archives of living experience. These results are built upon in the design project Before We Leave, which uses two different types of photography and a material book design to depict life in a WG. This highlights how fragile and strong shared urban histories can be. This work helps us better understand how memory, materiality, and visual culture come together in modern city life. It makes room for fresh ideas to help people feel a sense of belonging in unstable housing situations. to one another, in the face of constant transformation.Publication Restricted Restoring Human-Centered Interior Design through the Vernacular Language of Ornamentation(2025) Milosevic, Tihana; Stone, Sally; Köknar, Sait Ali; Interior Architecture/Interior Design (MA) (Two-Year); Berlin International University of Applied SciencesThis thesis argues for the potential of ornamentation to restore human-centered design within contemporary interiors. It begins with the description of industrialization and modernist ideology that have replaced handmade qualities which are historically rooted in unique cultures which lead to a loss of beauty, identity, and emotional connection in the built environment. With the theories of Christopher Alexander, Christian Norberg-Schulz, and Peter Zumthor, the research sheds new light on the relationship between people, places, and design, ultimately emphasizing perception, beauty, and the genius loci as fundamental parts of meaningful spaces. Furthermore, two case studies, Adolf Loos's Villa Müller and Petra Blaisse's Casa da Música, illustrate the contrasting effects ornamentation has on human experience. This builds the foundation for the introduction of aemulatio as design strategy that connects tradition and modernity by transforming imitation into innovation. Instead of rejecting history, the concept of aemulatio allows ornament to evolve organically which enriches spaces in the sense of complexity and cultural continuity. Finally, the design project applies this principle to the interior of an Alpine farmhouse and therefore demonstrates how vernacular ornamentation can coexist with contemporary needs. In summary, the work argues that ornamentation is not an aesthetic excess but a living language that reconnects human beings with their environment through beauty, memory, and wholeness.Publication Restricted The House That Remembers: Rebuilding Memory in the Wake of War(2025) Ali, Mariam Yaser; Staudinger, Lukas; Wilson, Roger; Architecture (BA); Berlin International University of Applied SciencesThis thesis explores how architecture can become a vessel for memory in the aftermath of war. Focusing on the personal loss of my grandfather’s home in Syria, it examines how design can respond to the destruction of home, and help reconstruct both physical space and collective identity. Through theoretical research and a design case study, the work proposes spatial strategies that resist erasure, preserve memory, and offer pathways for return. It argues that rebuilding is not only about shelter, but about honoring what was lost—and creating spaces where the past can coexist with healing and hope.