If I were to ask you to think about a work of architecture, what would be the first thing to cross your mind?
Is it an intricately crafted ancient Greek building equipped with huge symmetrical granite columns?
Or is it a giant skyscraper that towers over the sidewalk, reflecting the sky off of its clear glass walls?
It is safe to assume that whatever building or structure you conjured up in your mind is an example of what you consider to be either “good” or “beautiful” architecture. However, these terms are entirely subjective. Although basic fundamental principles of architecture exist, there are no defined criteria that are placed against an architectural work to determine if it is inherently “good.”
The typical person will determine whether or not they like a space based on how it looks and how it functions. Unlike most buildings that are designed to fit the inhabitants or users aesthetic and functional needs, the building I would like to talk about was created with a slightly different idea in mind.
Partially designed by Daniel Libeskind, a Polish-American architect, the Jewish Museum Berlin is the largest Jewish museum in Europe. Featuring both permanent installations and temporary exhibits, the Jewish Museum Berlin works to rebuild and preserve the Jewish history that was horrifically erased during the atrocities of the Holocaust.
Rather than designing the building in a way to aid in the museum visitors’ experience, Libeskind opted to use architecture as a means to fabricate feelings of invisibility, absence, and uncertainty; all of these being emotions associated with the Holocaust and the disappearance of Jewish culture.
Starting with the outside, the titanium exterior of the building features sharp zigzagging windows that crisscross in no discernible pattern. This facade inhibits onlookers from making out the individual floors in the building.
Moving inside, the floor plan consists of two lines: a visible zigzagging line and an invisible straight line. This, mixed with the harsh slivers of light coming through the windows, makes walking through the museum very disorienting. In addition to dead ends, the unique setup of the building also creates empty spaces, known as voids, as they lack air conditioning, heating, and artificial lighting.
After visiting the museum, many tourists claim to have felt frustrated, lost, and confused, much like how the Jewish people felt during Nazi occupation.
Many of the aspects and features of the building are also up for interpretation. Some see the crisscrossed window pattern as an abstracted Star of David, while others interpret the scarce streaks of light that scatter the museum to represent the glimmer of hope Holocaust victims had as they worked in concentration camps.
For these reasons, the Jewish Museum Berlin is often referred to as an “architectural metaphor.”
Even though the building’s design does absolutely nothing for functionality in terms of allowing people to effortlessly peruse museum exhibits, it does successfully make visitors consider feelings related to the Jewish Holocaust experience firsthand. Because of this, and the great amount of symbolism the building holds, I would consider it to be a “good” work of architecture.
Click here to learn more about the architecture at the Jewish Museum Berlin.
I have never heard about this museum but now I am fascinated. I like how you spoke about the structural design relating to the feelings that Jewish people felt during the Holocaust. I think it is cool the museum openly makes visitors see feel what it was like during that time, and does not try to sugar coat or glamorize the tragedy that happened for profit. I also like what your passion blog is about since I was not really exposed to the world of architecture in high school. I look forward to your next posts!
This is a really cool museum. I’ve never been, but I had to do a virtual walkthrough of the whole thing during my sophomore year of high school for one of my world history projects. Ever since then, I’ve been keeping up with the temporary exhibits that come and go through it. The shape of the building kind of reminds me of an advanced jail building and I think that is kind of what Libeskind was going for. It’s really cool that you chose to write about this musuem!
It is very powerful the idea that architecture and its function can influence perception. It can be an easily overlooked art form but it truly can create a change in environment and take you away from reality. I would very much like to visit this museum if I go to Berlin.
This museum is extremely fascinating. The Holocaust was such a horrific historical event that never should have occurred, but your post describes the reasons for which the museum was built in great detail. I think it is important that places such as this exist, because if society is never allowed to forget what happened to the Jewish population during World War II, then events as catastrophic will never happen again.