AEG’s Turbinefabrik in Berlin by Peter Behrens turned 100 in 2009. It is so to say one of the “few examples anywhere of an industrial building that is still performing its original function, with almost no modification, after a century” - which is impressive given the troubled history of the city, from war destruction to hype reconstruction.

Impressively enough it marked the advent of a minimalist industrial aesthetic. As well as being built out of the material that would be so dear to modernism to come: steel, concrete and glass, the design also gives up on decorativism but keeps the monumentalism and timelessness of times past.

The other juicy part of all this is that Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier were all apprentices of Herr Behrend during the time the Fabrik was being built. And the first two worked on this project. May this have molded their minds into their depurated aesthetics and straight-to-the-point designs?

It’s always delicious to be reminded of the history of architecture in terms of all the connections and interferences among its characters. ;)

See source in nytimes