Isn’t it remarkable how architecture can redefine a city? Here we are at Haus T. This building is an unmistakable residential complex in Berlin Schöneberg. It stands proudly between the Berlin Zoo and Tauentzienstrasse.
Haus T is more than just a building. It’s a statement. It’s a sculptural address that combines the best aspects of its location. Striking, two-story-high oriels offer superb views towards Tauentzien and the Zoo.
The oriel is a classic architectural design element. Haus T reinterprets it for the 21st century. It provides fitting perspectives and inspiring visual relationships. Light and spaciousness redefine urban architecture. This street unites greenery with bright lights, shopping, and relaxation.
The Haus T project consists of a nine-story apartment building. It comprises 65 apartments. There are also two commercial units on the ground floor.
Berlin’s unceasing activity is reflected in new facades around the Memorial Church. History has been carefully preserved here. The ensembles that arose during Germany’s reconstruction are now listed buildings. They are complemented by new high points. These express City West’s self-confidence.
People claim this is the heart of the city. It’s beating faster than ever. Living here means being in the vibrant city center. Restaurants, cafes, and shops are all around. Continental Europe’s biggest department store, KaDeWe, is nearby. The Zoo boasts the most species in the world. There are also more overground and underground train lines than anywhere else in the capital.
But there’s also another Haus in Berlin that has a very different story. This Haus was a run-down office building in the former west. It was meant to be demolished. But then art took over. It became TheHaus, the biggest urban art exhibition ever.
TheHaus featured 10.000 m² of art. 165 artists transformed five floors. The rooms were fully scanned and turned into NFTs. These NFTs can be collected and explored with AR and VR technology. TheHaus was created to be destroyed. Now it’s back on chain forever.
You could collect up to 70 rooms on five floors to join the metaverse. Completing a whole floor earned you the matching hallway or stairwell NFT. These were not for sale. Connecting your wallet with the AR/VR player gave full access to your NFT.
TheHaus on Chain offered a one-of-a-kind experience in AR and VR. An oversized, teeth-baring monkey head grew out of the floor in one room. It formed the center of Gogoplata’s Comicverse. Criminal-minded characters scattered around the walls. They seemed ready for subversive urban action.
In another room, Amazon-style goddesses shone and struggled in a black and white underworld. They dealt with unknown beasts and mystic forces of nature. A larger-than-life pair of grey feet rested in another room. It resembled the human form but with extreme proportions.
One room even featured an original section from Berlin’s underground public transport system. Inspecting BVG employees were puzzled. It was soon unmasked as a clandestine action by the Berlin artist group Rocco and his brothers.
So here, standing before Haus T, we see a building that embraces modern living. But let’s not forget the other Haus. It was a canvas for urban art that now lives on in the digital world. Both represent Berlin’s spirit of innovation and creativity.