Peace Bell, Frankfurt/Oder

The competition for the construction of a new tower for the historic Peace Bell in Frankfurt/Oder called for a new location: directly on the new riverside promenade in front of the Viadrina Museum. The design interprets the bell tower as a simple frame, while the historic Peace Bell remains the focal point of the view across the Oder River toward Poland. The bell’s ringing direction—from west to east and back—symbolizes the peace it heralds as a unifying element between the two countries. The tower consists of a steel structural framework clad in stainless steel sheets. The surfaces of the sheets are highly polished, the inner sides of the frames are mirror-polished, and the joints and weld seams are smooth: the bell tower appears as if cast from a single piece. The sky and water are reflected in the material, as are the viewers: with every change in vantage point, one’s own reflection changes. The above-ground portion reveals only a part of the structure. The steel structure rests on a 4-by-4-meter “tabletop” with a slab thickness of 1 meter and four “table legs” (bored piles) approximately 20 meters long. The bell tower is integrated into the new staircase, and the historic commemorative plaques have also been incorporated.

PUBLICATIONS AND AWARDS
2001 – Competition Entry, 1st Prize in 2012
“Gute Bauten Architecture Award” from the BDA Brandenburg – Finalist