AIREXCHANGE
AIR FLOW AND EXCHANGE For the consideration of the cold air budget at intra-urban locations, the southwestern part of Tempelhof Airport with a 500 m long section along Tempelhofer Damm was selected Fig. 8. The former Tempelhof Airport shows, due to its size and location within the city of Berlin, a high relevance for urban climate and a significant local contribution for the reduction of summery thermal stress in the adjacent settlement area. With regard to the air exchange rate, two areas with relatively high hourly air exchange rates of over 30 per grid cell are recognizable in the airport area, including its apron area, and the intersection of Tempelhofer Damm and the A 100 freeway. Despite the high air-exchange rate, even in terms of broad
extent, the generation of the topographically generated wind over the apron area is impaired by the air terminal both at 10 PM and at 6 AM. Due to its low surface roughness, the street and rail track located in the southwest of the former airport, allows the cold air from the Tempelhof field to flow to a western direction. The range of this flow amounts, starting from the Tempelhofer Damm, to approx. 700 m (cf. Fig. 8). At this time, it is juxtaposed to an eastward cold-air flow from the allotment-garden colonies of the SchĂśneberg South Terrain, whereas both topographically generated winds extend up to the AlboinstraĂ&#x;e. By 6 AM, the latter topographically generated wind from the allotment-garden area has come to
a virtual standstill, while the range of the topographically generated wind starting from Tempelhof Airport has doubled to approx. 800 m and penetrates up to 400 m to the south to Tempelhofer Damm. Table 3 summarizes the results for the grid cells located along the considered segment. It can be observed, that the calculated values decrease slightly over the course of the night. This is ascribed to the fact, that the temperature level within the developed areas is decreasing and thus reduces the thermal gradient as a "driving mechanism" for air exchange processes.
EARTH The surface of the Tempelhof field is very unique in its vastness and almost complete flatness. There are only several places which bulge out of the plain. The former training ground for the US military soldiers has diverse structure and attains almost park - like character with several hills and high vegetation. On the southern part, the field slowly rises above the level, to a height of approximately 1-2m. The gentle slope is almost unnoticeable, but is enough to hinder the view of the airport building on the other side. Along the western border with the Neukeolln neighborhood, another slope marks a slight change of the landscape. It covers walkway running behind it with a row of trees and serves as a nice view-point of the field.
QUESTIONSANALYSISINSIDE MARKETSPACE
One of the possible programs that could be developed is a market place along the side of the northern wing of the airport building. It could serve as an extension of the Marheinekehalle, but also a space for the residents to come and sell their goods. Food markets are not very developed in Berlin, the most famous one is the Turkish market at Kottbuser Tor. Flea markets around Berlin enjoy great popularity among the people. The most famous one is Mauerpark in Prenzlauer Berg. There is therefore a possibility of using the space temporarily and with little modification to function as market place.
POPULAR MARKETS BERLIN
ATRRACTION
The north-west part of Tempelhof field, which connects through Columbia Damm to Kreuzberg, has the highest potential of developing public program that will attract people for everyday use. It is conveniently located in respect to the city and the area in front of the building is large enough to develop a program. The transitory space needs to fulfill two roles - one of attracting people and stimulating the life on the street, and the other of serving as a gateway to the programm happening inside/behind the building. As such, the space needs to work with both the neighborhood north of it, but also the potential use of the vast field south of it. One of the ways would be to implement greenery and water surfaces and convert it to a recreational area. One issue is the lack of public program on Columbiadam.
RECONFIGURINGPROGRAM EVENT SPACE 60% The airport building is not used permanently for a single purpose. The original function determined the structure and the design, which limits the suitability for other purposes. One type of program has so far been very successful with making use of the specific space - large-scale temporary events. The Tempelhof airport has been a venue hosting fashion tradeshow Bread & Butter, which attracts over 500 exhibitors, thousands of purchasers and up to 100,000 visitors. Another event from the design industry called Qubique was organized there in 2013 as “next generation trade show for furniture and design”. International trade fair Michelin Challenge Bibendum in 2011 attracted more than 150 companies and organizations; 300 vehicles; and 6,000 experts, decision-makers, researchers, university professors, and journalists from over 80 countries. Annualy, Connecticum job fair connects during 4 days 400 employers with 18,000 visitors. Besides these, the vast range of different spaces is suitable for various exhibitions, festivals, or prestigious corporate events such as gala dinners or award ceremonies. The current offering of spaces can accomodate from 20 to 3,800 visitors based on the location.
PERMANENT 10% Today, there are several programs that reside in the airport building premanently. They range in scale and type, which again confirms the adaptability of the spaces. The largest occupant is currently the Police presidium, which takes up a major part of western wing. This comes in addition to the main police station on the other side of Tempelhoferdamm and the police station on Columbiadamm. Some smaller occupants are a dance school, Sigmund Freud private university, Silver Wings club and club La vie ein Rose.
PLANNED 5% Tempelhof is emerging as a creative public area in down town Berlin. Starting in 2013, it is intended that both young startup and established creative economy enterprises will move into the rooms of the former American officers’ hotel, which have stood empty over a long period of time. Some 9,000 m2 of space are available, with representative office and event rooms in the socalled H2rd wing on “Platz der Luftbrücke”, and simple office and community areas along the “Ehrenhof” (forecourt) – the entrance area to the former airport building. The development of this historic location will take place jointly with the new users. An onsite operator will support the young companies, for example, with the necessary office services to be used on a common basis. The hitherto still closedoff building will be opened to Berliners and their guests. A restaurant and terrace leading to the green inner courtyard are planned on the ground floor, while a visitors’ centre with a spacious café will be created at the “Ehrenhof”. Here in the future, visitors will be able to learn about the development of the Tempelhofer Freiheit and the historic airport building. The visitors’ centre will also serve as the meeting place for the public tours of the building that will take place on a regular basis.
UNDERSTANDINGFORM
SYMMETRY GROWTH DEFORMATION
In order to get a full understanding of the airport buiding, it is helpful to perform several excercises in which the building becomes a living structure that can be molded and disected to different shapes. Through these excercises, a deeper, underlying composition is exposed, which helps us understand the relationship and dialogue between the components.
SCALE When we loook at the main airport building and its part facing north-west, we discover a structure that is created on the ideas of symmetry and centrality. Individual parts reflect each other within, creating a unified and composed whole. This composition then lends to replication and repetition, which could be potentially scaled up infinitely. Kurfurstendamm
Champs-Élysées
Central Park
The scale of Tempelhof is truly extraordinary and it is best understood when compared with large - scale developments in other cities. The length of 1.2 km is enough to cover the distance from the Arc of Triumph to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s square on Champs-Elysees in Paris, France. The building, which is currently the fourth largest structure in the world would similarly take up a huge portion of Central Park in New York, spanning twelve blocks in its original form.
Two large open spaces surround the airport building and establish an interesting dialogue between them. Both serving as transition spaces, the concrete apron is significantly larger than the main courtyard. Even though before this disparity was a result of the differing purposes, now, when the airport no longer serves airplanes, both can be treated equally. Division and separation are both ideal treatments of these spaces, given the need to bring them from the machine to human scale.
Arguably the most characteristic component of the airport building is the arc with hangars, offices and main terminal. Its simple form dictates the reading of everything that surrounds it and the field, as well as the entry piece are subdued to the background. Strong but delicate, the form still does not feel oppresive.
UNDERSTANDINGEXPRESSION INDIVIDUALITY
The entrance and the first part of the building welcomes visitors with a strong assertion. The airport building emanates dominance and power, all in a style which is unlike anything else. In that sense, it serves as a reminder of the airports individuality and presence.
DISCOVERY/TRANSITION
In the front and to a much greater extent in the back, one can find vast openness in the form of entry plaza, or concrete taxi apron. The buildings surround a 90-meter-long front courtyard, which leads to the monumental lobby building. This structure in turn leads to the 18-meter-high, longitudinally oriented terminal building. These spaces are especially important, as they separate the building from its surrounding, protecting and shielding it from a random intrusion. A visitor is forced to approach the airport through this intermediary space and as he comes closer, he starts discovering the sheer size and details. It is this feeling of discovery that stays with him after he enters the airport.
FLEXIBILITY
In comparison to the rest of the building, the sleek interconnected system of showrooms and offices is rather hidden in the monumental structure. It still, despite its mere height of three stories, offers an unusually large floor area and usable space. This contrast of hidden structure, yet one that spans 1,230m creates a feeling of agility and flexibility of the building, easening the otherwise rigid form.
BOLDNESS The complex's remarkable curved shape owed a debt to earlier designs, including competition proposals for earlier Tempelhof buildings and for the Munich-Oberwiesenfeld airport in the 1920s, as well as the Hamburg-Fuhlsbßttel Airport lobby building built between 1926 and 1928, designed by Friedrich Dyrssen and Peter Averhoff. Characteristic of the architecture of Tempelhof Airport is the ambivalence of its borrowings from both modernism and monumentality. The visible side also presents entry porches, arcades, the block-like arrangement of the windows, and sculptures and reliefs with a representative character. However, the buildings are supported by what was then a highly modern reinforced concrete skeleton, concealed by the heavy stone façade. This all results in a bold and imposing appearance, a true masterpiece of architecture.
RHYTHM
The buildings are completed by the 1,230 meter arc of the hangers and terminals, punctuated by stair towers like fortifications. These stair towers separate individual sections and give rhythm to the elongated curve. The stair towers reinforce the imposing feeling as they announce the program that never came to completion - the idea to use the airport roof as grandstand for large meetings of up to 100,000 spectators.
SUPPORT
All becomes modern when facing away from the city toward the airfield; here, the pure steel construction of the hall's arc becomes visible. The 380-meter-long terminal in its middle, and the adjoining hangars on either side were covered with a technically advanced, column-free cantilevered roof. It is truly breathtaking to see the void created under the steel roof, which is almost floating in the air. Only the repeating steal columns, tucked away to allowe for maximum space, remind us of the support of the whole construction.
EXPRESSIONSYMBOL
EXPRESSIONPROMENADE CREATING MULTI-PURPOSE URBAN SPACE The large space within and outside Tempelhof offers both covered and uncovered areas, which makes it very versitale and adjustable to any uses. The concrete apron itself could be split into several regions, each of which would be dedicated to a different purpose. Inside, a part of the hangars would be converted into a usable working space, created from stacked containers.