Under the title “Hommage à Rosa” (“Homage to Rosa/Homage to Pink”) an entry was submitted in January 2017 for art-for-architecture for the new office and event building of the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung (Foundation). The street in which this planned new building lies is Strasse der Pariser Kommune in the Berlin district of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg – directly next to a station, the Ostbahnhof.
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supports as
the basic principle
for the façade
design
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(photo montage)
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The new building has both a practical and above all a communicative function. It is intended to convey a message and, in connection with this, provide a monument for the pioneering thinker Rosa Luxemburg. This applies to the people who work here and to the visitors, who are intended to identify themselves more closely with the building. This also applies to the broader public, to passers-by, especially to those in passing trains, for whom a conspicuous signal is given.
Homage to the woman after whom the foundation was named is a personal tribute and at the same time a political statement. We honour Rosa Luxemburg and follow her ideas. Moreover, we express sympathy by making a charming play on her name. The colour pink (German: Rosa) is closely linked to the revolutionary colour red, and also enhances the signal effect of the building with its natural red brick.
Meaningful and comprehensible as the colour concept is, the formal concept goes even deeper. A dynamic design principle based on the diagonal communicates optimism and the spirit of a new start. It makes a call, it rouses. The formal language could truly be the written and oral language of Rosa Luxemburg. Furthermore, the style of the forms relates to the revolutionary art movements of her age: Constructivism and Suprematism. To conclude: Rosa Luxemburg speaks to us from her era through this building – yet looking forwards, so that we can relate her to the desires and problems of our present-day society. The message is disseminated to all four points of the compass and is perceived from far away.
The concepts of form and colour tie the façade design closely to the architecture. The material of the façade already has a tendency to red. The diagonal supports, which emphasise the letter X (Luxemburg), are directly integrated into the design as a basic principle and basic element. Through the integration of the art concept, the message of the façade is made the message of the whole building.
The façade design is implemented by numerous individual elements of thin, light-metal sheets, wet-painted and provided with UV protection, which are attached to the façade. The maximum extent of the façade design is 32 m in width and 16 m in height at the sides of the building, 13 m in width and 9 m in height at the ends of the building.