Mathias Højfeldt Nielsen: 2014

Program Sheet

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Between 1936 and 1939, Prora was build on the Island of Rügen in the Northern part of Germany.

The intention was to create an enormous vacation-complex with the capability to house approximately 20.000 young people of Nazi-Germany. With the slogan “Kraft durch Freude”, the complex was really a machine in disguise with the purpose of preparing the youth for the upcoming war.

The project was never fully completed due to the outbreak of World War 2. When the war ended, the complex became the property of the USSR. For some 40 years, Prora was used as military facilities such as training ground, barracks, etc.

When the Wall came down in 1989, USSR retrieved from Germany and Prora was left abandoned.

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Today, the mega-structure is partly in ruins and the building tells the stories of time passing.

When first arriving from West to the abandoned building, the massiveness of the structure is astonishing. Prora consists of five identical blocks (eight originally) on a 4,5 km strip parallel to the sea some 150 meters to the East.

Between the sea and the building there is a “wall of trees”. These woods are running parallel to the building and from the seaside, this forest disables all visual connection to the massive body of Prora. The forest is so dense and tall that the grand building vanishes from the sight of your eyes.

During the many years of abandonness, nature has begun to take control.

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The effectivity of the initial idea and the expression of the building is still standing clear when walking around inside the structure. The seriality and continuity is to be seen everywhere in the building. Each floor is divided into a hallway to the West and the housing part to the East and the sea.

The hallway is significant due to its fascinating seriality. Windows, door openings, and beams are dividing the long hall into sections of identical pieces. Though, the first impression leads you to believe that everything is homogeneous, the uniqueness appears when observing each of the openings along the hall. The light inflow, the reflection, and the absorption of light breaks up the seriality in a very subtle manner.

When standing and looking down the long hall, you wonder what actually takes place behind these openings placed on that serial strip. Can the content of these openings be as unique as the light inflow ...

Prora is ready to be transformed.

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In cooperation with UdK in Berlin, the Institute of Music wishes to move parts of their facilities to the location of Prora. The design should content;

• housing units for 12 artists

• sanitary and service in connection to the housing

• recording studios

• rehearsal spaces. Both individual and group.

• concert stage

• library

• common area/lounges

Prora’s location close to the wide ocean and the green nature is ideal when designing a new location for these musicians.

The primary intention of the design is to create a place for the 12 musicians to go and rehearse, record, and reflect on their studies. The nature and the vast landscape surrounding the site is offering the students a place to dwell deep into their own world of music without any major interruptions.

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The act of transformation is based on references to the principles of a parasite.

A parasite is characterized as an organism (new structure) that lives in or on a host (existing structure) and benefits from this relation. The parasitic relation is an symbiosis meaning that both the parasite and the host benefits from the intervention. Without the parasite, the host would lack meaningful character and vise versa.

The parasitic transformation was chosen because of its possibilities to allow new spaces and atmospheres to evolve and appear when the parasite meets the existing structure. The interest is indeed based on the question asking how the parasite reacts when engaging with the host and how does the existing building react in response.

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The intervention is placed in the courtyard situated in the middle of one block to obtain the longest view possible of the hallways when moving around inside the design.

One of the core intentions of this design is to preserve the fascinating hallways and the qualities implemented in these. As mentioned previously, the hallways are both homogeneous and unique at the same time.

The qualities of the hallways will be worked upon. In the transformation, the subtle differences throughout the hallways, will be engaged. Without interfering with major physical interventions, the idea of not knowing what actually is going on behind each opening and the connected growing curiosity when walking down the hallways will be a main point of interest when the parasite redesigns the space surrounding the hallways.

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The parasite originates from the nature. This is not only symbolic speaking but in the design, this will be illustrated in a physical manner.

With references to the geometry and math in nature’s forms and shapes, the parasite’s formal language is designed.

The parasite consists of a spinal-cord, skeleton, skin, and tentacles. The spinal-cord is a custom made beam which functions as the load-bearing structure. To this spinal-cord, the tentacles are attached. The tentacles are functioning as a mean of generating a tensile structure/hanging structure supporting the Western part of the parasite. The skeleton is constructed with the principles of irregular modules in a diagrid. The skeleton is attached to the spinal-cord leaving the skeleton load-bearing in an internal system only supporting the skin and itself. The skin is constructed of panels in between the skeleton functioning primarily as light breakers generating a unique inflow of light to the spaces connected behind and to the hallway.

The overall idea with the parasite is to have a structure that originates from inside the forest and moves up towards the existing building. The roots of the parasite will be underground showing traces of its body on ground level as it is approaching the existing structure. These traces will be read in the landscape as small pavilions functioning as single-space rehearsal rooms for the musicians. The pavilions will not only benefit the 12 students as a media for rehearsal and reflection close to the nature but they will, too, function as musical elements in the forest, letting out sound to the by-passers creating a musical experience in the forest.

The parasite approaches the existing building and the exterior language changes drastically when in contact with this new structure.

The parasite is infiltrating the existing building. The skin is wrapping around the original structure.

Towards East and the nature, sections of the existing facade is being sucked out and partly demolished/eaten by the parasite. The skin and skeleton are intruding the building from the East pushing its way towards West through and around the structure. In the attempt to wrap around the whole structure, the parasite looses its power and effectivity. When meeting the very strict and massive structure of Prora, the parasite starts a transformation in its formal language. The further towards West it reaches, the more domesticated and cultivated it becomes. The parasite is being influenced by the existing structure.

On its way through the building, the parasite’s skeleton and skin breaks through the interior of the existing structure, removing walls and replacing them with attachments from the parasite generating new spaces and rooms specific to acoustical performances. The new walls consist of the original skeleton but a new skin transformed into a sound-proof material.

The parasite’s internal movement in the existing structure continues from the rooms out into the hallways towards the Western facade. When meeting this facade, sections are being pushed out and the existing structural beams in the ceiling are extended in the same direction.

In the hallway, the parasite has left traces of its path revealing parts of the structure in the floors and ceiling. The parasite exposes the skeleton of the existing building by devouring the skin of the original building. This transformation establishes visual communication between the different floors and at the same time functions as new light inflows.

When the parasite has reached the Western facade, it has run out of efficiency and lost its strength in its attempt do wrap around the entire existing structure which explains the changing formal language. The parasite goes from a form with references to the nature, to a form characterized by the domistication of the original building.

The extended spaces, both on the Eastern and Western part of the building, caused by the parasite’s intervention will be utilized by specified programs in accordance to the musicians needs. The parasite is a space generator.

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This act of transformation has been developed with the consultation of Anders Precht, my assigned team mate. Our two projects are not meant to be understood as having any physical connetions, nor have they been developed in this manner. Our partnership is established only to have a sparring partner whom to share thoughts, ideas, and process with.

From the point of departure, we both had the same initial interests in Prora. Our common ground was based on our fascination of the (as previously mentioned) hallways - the serialty that is interupted by a subtle uniqness. Furthermore, our interest aligned when we discussed how it would be possible to establish a greater cconnection between the nature in the close context and the existing building.

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