Symbolism and spatial memory

Abstract

This thesis investigates the role of interior architecture in mediating the relationship between memory, ideology, and the built environment, with a particular focus on contested heritage from the National Socialist era in Berlin. Engaging with theoretical frameworks such as Lefebvre’s concepts of absolute and abstract space, Alois Riegl’s notion of memory value, and Marianne Hirsch’s postmemory, it explores how architecture can both preserve and challenge historical narratives. The study critically examines adaptive reuse and counter-monuments as strategies that foster dynamic engagement with difficult pasts, emphasizing the importance of creating spaces that remain relevant across generations. These strategies are applied in a design proposal for the repurposing of the Finanzamt Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, a former Nazi-era administrative building, into a university campus for interior architecture and design. The intervention rejects the permanence and ideological rigidity embedded in the original structure by celebrating temporality, transparency, and adaptability through spatial and material transformations. The project reimagines the building as a site of critical discourse, education, and collective growth, transforming a symbol of oppression into a space that embodies inclusivity, plurality, and critical reflection. In doing so, it demonstrates how interior architecture can contribute to dismantling oppressive narratives and foster environments that balance historical accountability with contemporary cultural and ethical relevance.