Material Memory: Ministry of (De)Construction

Reuse and Research Hub for Berlin

The Ministry of (De)Construction reimagines the partially demolished former Ministry of Construction as a counter-monument - one that embodies continuity rather than erasure. Situated on Berlin’s Museum Island, the project critically responds to the ideology of Critical Reconstruction, which shaped the city’s post-reunification urban policy through selective demolition and idealised historicism. Rather than erasing the past to recreate an imagined former identity, the proposal embraces deconstruction as an act of renewal, treating demolition not as an endpoint but as part of an ongoing architectural process.

Central to the project is a civic agenda: to create a platform for public engagement, reflection, and dialogue about Berlin’s future. The new structure emerges from the ruins of the old, built using salvaged prefabricated elements and reclaimed materials, assembled through reversible dry construction techniques. It positions itself as a living archive of material memory—a building that evolves with the city, accumulating layers instead of overwriting them.

In doing so, the Ministry of (De)Construction challenges conventional narratives of heritage and permanence. It proposes a new monumentality - one defined not by fixed form, but by process, reuse, and transformation - offering a model for sustainable and reflective urban regeneration.