Berlin - Abu Dhabi
Großer Tiergarten und Khalifa City
Neumann Gusenburger, a renowned office for landscape architecture, has existed in its present constellation since 1994 under the direction of Dipl. Ing. Thomas Gusenburger and Prof. K. Neumann. With a staff of more than 20, it is among the largest practices in Germany.
The exhibition “Berlin - Abu Dhabi” juxtaposes two current projects that have allowed the landscape architects Neumann Gusenburger to intervene in two very different worlds.
The Tiergarten is to Berliners what Central Park is to New Yorkers, namely the most important contiguous park facility in a centralized location. With the restoration of the Tiergarten, this practice embarks on a journey into the depths of Berlin’s history, and into the structures of the Berlin Tiergarten, shaped by three centuries. While the Berlin Wall stood, the Tiergarten was positioned on the margins of West Berlin and accessed only from the west. With the opening of the Wall, the park stood again at the heart of the city, and was accessible again from all directions. Its present state hardly does justice to the high volume of visitors. Particularly in the prominent surroundings of Brandenburg Gate, the government district, and Potsdamer Platz, the park will now be restored to a fitting condition.
The federal state of Berlin has entrusted Neumann Gusenburger with the planning needed to restore the Tiergarten to its previous glory. In research extended over several years, the historical structures have been carved out and integrated into the current situation. The project will begin implementation in the immediate future.
An expedition of a very different kind leads into the burning heat and vast expanses of the United Arab Emirates. Arising from the desert sands alongside the capital Abu Dhabi is a new city for 150,000 residents. The office of Neumann Gusenburger is building an entire urban district there, commissioned by the municipal administration of Abu Dhabi.
From the beginning, verdant urban planning elements have shaped the new Khalifa City. A special feature is its effect from above at night: when visitors arrive in Abu Dhabi by plane, Khalifa City will be their first impression of the United Emirates. Only in the coolness of evening does public life truly come alive, lasting into the early hours of morning. The project has a special charm for Neumann Gusenburger. Abu Dhabi is often referred to as the “sleeping giant” of the Persian Gulf. In any event, it is at once the capital and the financial and economic hub of the United Emirates, whose oil deposits are the region’s largest.
The exhibition presents both projects on the basis of models, drawings, video projections.
Exhibition concept: Peter Sykora, Bri Newesely
Speaking at the opening will be
Kristin Feireiss Berlin
Project manager at Aedes: Ulla Giesler
