“Eisfabrik Berlin is cool!” consists of two main parts. A spatio-temporal mapping of the site (on the left) and an explanatory booklet that works with the mapping. Eisfabrik Berlin is an ice factory that was established back in 1896 and now it is bounded and interlocated into a complex critical spot of the city with alternative scenenarios of inter-communal relations. Superposition of this old factory’s rich layered elements produces an inevitable “cool” space. Its constant attitude against the capital gestures, unique history, autonomous communities, co-existance with its surrounding and silent presence sums up to a total cool portrait. In this era of wild neo-liberal interventions, the only choice that Eisfabrik Berlin has is to be cool in order not to get buried under the capitalist weight and lose its endless potentianls. Eisfabrik Berlin should strive to keep it cool and enrich ideas by its presence.
WHAT IS EISFABRIK BERLIN?
Eisfabrik Berlin is an ice factory that was established back in 1896, around the tıme of the peak of the industrial era. As it was just built to be a factory to provide ice to the city, it could not keep up wıth the pace of rapidly changing demands. Even though it lost its original function, this great building has been a host to many other functions.
WHERE IS EISFABRIK BERLIN?
Berlin city is thought to be a mega machine. A machine has a theorotical part which is a inter-woven structure of functions and a corresponding material integration to make it “work“. Every other function in a city is assigned or emerged to take place in certain spaces at certain times. This complex structure should be read in a spatio-temporal manner in order to reach to a total understanding of Eisfabrik. This is why it is crucial to locate Eisfabrik in space and time in the cool city of Berlin.
WHAT IS AROUND EISFABRIK?
With an infinite number of temporal layers, Eisfabrik Berlin is bounded and interlocated into a socio-spatial space. The immidiate area of this building is a rich scene of inter-communal relations. This is why Eisfabrik can be examined in an architectural mindset only by considering its widely varying surroundings.
WHAT IS COOL?
Coolness is multiple sets of varying attitudes, being and appareances that are considered to be resistent, alternative, rare, unexpected, self-controlled and unique. The only authority that is able to assign this connotation to a subject can only be a human being. Due to its subjective nature, it is highly dependent on the community in question. The understanding of cool changes through ages and places, which makes it even harder to define what cool actually is.
WHY ARE INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS COOL?
An industrial building with the infinite potential for transformation can be a great spot for any community that adopts it. These kinds of spaces are full of surprising tensions between the past and the future; the land and the people. Thus, the presence of such complex structures can only be brought about by a strong cool attitude and be the result of one.
WHY IS EISFABRIK BERLIN COOL?
Superposition of this rich layered old factory’s temporal and spatial elements produces an inevitable “cool” space. Its constant attitude against the capital gestures, unique history, autonomous communities, co-existance with its surrounding and silent presence sums up to a total cool portrait. In this era of wild neo-liberal interventions, the only choice that Eisfabrik Berlin has is to be cool in order not to get buried under the capitalist weight and lose its endless potential. Eisfabrik Berlin should strive to keep it cool and enrich ideas by its presence.
Eisfabrik Berlin is cool because it is;
AGAINST MAINSTREAM
Eisfabrik Berlin is a contradictory structure against the mainstream building strategies, hosting alternative communities and being functionless in a well-programmed city
+ deviation away from the standard uniformity
+ alternative living scenarios and subcultures
+ presenting the unexpected
+ against mass production
+ deviant from the extensive regulations
Eisfabrik Berlin is cool because it ;
RESISTS THE REPRESSION
Eisfabrik is located in a highly contravertial area of gentrification. Its silent presence carries a monumental value for the out-of-norm communities.
+ government control over the area
+ ability to remain calm under stress
+ keeping a passive attitude
+ illegal ways of existing
+ tension between the governor and the place
+ rebel against consumerism and neo-liberalism
Eisfabrik Berlin is cool because it is;
SELF-MOTIVATED
Communities that adopted Eisfabrik practiced an autonomous lifestyle and earned their unique value away from a higher authority’s supervision.
+ self-governing
+ autonomy
+ detached from authority
+ preserving its own spatial elements
+ ends up with a unique outcome
Eisfabrik Berlin is cool because it ;
CO-EXISTS
Eisfabrik exists in the middle of building that have varying social and spatial motivations, however they are able to maintain a co-existing tone.
+ relative coolness
+ nonchalance attitude towards the others
+ comparison between communities
+ tension between the contradicting places
+ coolness as a social distinction
Eisfabrik Berlin is cool because it is;
RARELY-KNOWN
As an abandoned industrial building, Eisfabrik is uncanny and uninviting. Access may only be possible via a connection to an exclusive community.
+ knowing the unknown
+ access to classified information
+ knowing the former usage
+ exclusive communities
+ intentionally slow information flow
