The demolition of the Palast der Republik and the debate on the preservation of the International Congress Center* (ICC) demonstrated a lack of appreciation for Berlin’s post-war architecture, whose qualities are often not apparent to laypersons. Instead of attempting to explain the subtle merits of individual buildings, the project made use of the narrative of the “Double Berlin” to make the uniqueness and worthiness of protection of the twofold post-war modernity in East and West Berlin comprehensible. The competition of ideologies in the divided city fostered the emergence of institutions and architectural ensembles that were mirror images of each other, such as Humboldt-Universität and Freie Universität, Fernsehturm and Funkturm, Zoo and Tierpark, Stalinallee, and Hansaviertel. With the goal to place these double structures under the protection of UNESCO’s world heritage list, the project aims at moving the debate away from the slippery slope of architectural quality to the field of a political-cultural evaluation of the buildings and at mobilizing a broad alliance of experts and citizens. Read more