The SCA field school took a tour of both the House of Statistics (Haus der Statistik) and Haus der Materialisierung to learn about the significance of the buildings and how they have been preserved as cultural, political and artistic spaces and as historical landmarks in Berlin. Built in 1968 - 1970 the building was part of the socialist modernization of Alexanderplatz in the 1960s/1970s driven by the government of former Germans Democratic Republic to establish a modern socialist quarter in East-Berlin. It served for the administration of former GDR’s statistics and hosted on the top floors some of the departments of GDR’ state security (STASI).
After the falling apart of GDR in 1989 and the reunion of both Germanies the building's functions declined and since 2008 it stood empty. Yet, in 2015, the Haus der Statistik model project has been initiated and developed by the so-called Koop5 group who is interested in creating space for art, culture and social affairs in the city. The Endangered Berlin Studio Houses are a group of dedicated artists invested in preserving the building and its heritage significance while also interested in cultivating the spaces of the building as a site for artistic collaboration, workspace, and educational purposes. As the main building is now under construction, students were introduced to some of the adjent projects by Dariya Kryshen, for example the container settlement for Syrian refugees, ABA’s temporary space in the building, and the Haus der Materialisierung. Haus der Materialisierung is organized as an association that is interested in climate-friendly and sustainable works by initiatives of local artists. Artists, theorists, and educators who are working there prioritize sustainable resources in their self-organized workshops.  

For more information, visit Haus der Statistik and Haus der Materialisierung.

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