Brunnert und Partner, Stuttgart

Between 1995 and 2003, the Stuttgart architectural office of Brunnert und Partner was primarily occupied with airport planning. They were guided by the self-assigned objective of developing alternative conceptions via the interrogation of the given terms of reference. The exhibition title "Rethinking Airports” is a logical outgrowth of this approach. The design and development of the Leipzig/Halle airport is a focal point of the this display. The basis of the commission was the special purchase of the competition contribution in a open national procedure in 1994. On the basis of plans and models, all phases of development will be presented, from the master plan concept to the execution of the central building with integrated parking garage, check-in area and mall. It is important to emphasize the bridging connection between the two runways served by the central building, and the close connection between street, rail, and air traffic achieved by the integrated train station lying along the ICE line that runs below.

On the strength of their experiences with the Leipzig/Halle airport, the office has also taken up the Berlin situation, which forms the second thematic focus of this exhibition. The result is an alternative conceptual point of departure for a Berlin "city airport,” one that appends an essential element to previous planning approaches for a large-scale airport at Schönefeld, thereby producing a completely new quality. The use of the existing Tempelhof airport building as a dispatch terminal in the city, which would be linked via an internal, subterranean airport train line with air traffic in Schönefeld, set before the city gates, is an alternative that also solves a series of additional structural problems while simultaneously making possible a substantial reduction in the total required investment. The Berlin project is currently under discussion with representatives of the airport investors. The opening of this exhibition marks the conclusion of these interviews.

Speaking at the opening will be:
Kristin Feireiss, Berlin
Claus Käpplinger, Berlin