Classic For The Architectural Collection

The city authorities approached the choice of the architect from the point of view of the architectural history of the city. In Potsdam, the capital of the state of Brandenburg, there are many remarkable monuments of late Baroque and Classicism, but there are almost no significant buildings of the 20th century - except for the "Einstein Tower" by Erich Mendelssohn. Therefore, to add even more value to urban development, the expert commission decided that one of the classics of modernism should be invited, best of all, a Pritzker Prize winner. It is also necessary that the candidate has experience in the construction of public buildings, paying special attention to the relationship between the building and the surrounding landscape. Niemeyer is required to create an "original piece of architecture", while the detailed design is going to be entrusted to one of the European architects. This enterprise seems to the city fathers to be especially relevant in connection with the fact that Potsdam claims the title of the European Capital of Culture - 2010.