Astrology and Places: Sony Center and the tradition of tents in the history of architecture in Berlin
Sony Center is a Japanese geomancy building with a huge tent roof made from white propellerlike sails and a surprisingly smooth and easy atmosphere. The construction site is right next to Potsdamer Platz where the Berlin Wall used to be.
Aquarius, the sign of the sky is the main indicator for outdoor experiences, travels, sleeping and housing. Therefore it is the first sign to be considered as an indicator for tents. The astrogeographical constellation of the site of Sony Center falls in the air sign Aquarius which also stands for the high and open roof. The 2nd coordinate is in the water sign Cancer which stands for cave or womblike atmospheres and is the main sign for authenticity in the architecture of modernity. The constellation is valid here for radius/field level 4 which describes the building itself.
In the history of Berlin tents are associated with the street “In den Zelten” (in the tents) from where the Revolution of March 1848started. The exact location where the original tents used for political discussion in 1848 stood has both coordinates in the rebellious sign of Aquarius for radius/field level 4:
The “house of the cultures of the world” (nicknamed: “the pregnant oyster”) – a present of the United States to the people of Berlin built in 1957 and the new federal chancellery building occupy the street today. After the removal of the old “Tempodrom” (1985-1998) – a white tent concert hall, another tent was installed on the the site in between the chancellery and the house of the cultures of the world: the “Tipi”.
The new Tempodrom was built as an attempt to copy the great success of the old Tempodrom in the street “In den Zelten”. But the project was misused as an alibi for politicians who claimed to support the traditional West Berlin underground culture and the whole project ended in a severe case of corruption. Both astrogeographical aspects of the site are not in Aquarius the sign of underground culture and of tents but in the earth sign Capricorn which rather stands for solidity of buildings and for traditional hierarchies in cultural activities. The laying of the foundation stone took place on May 21 2000. The concept for the design of the new Tempodrom is a stylized version of a big top with a roof consisting of white panels of reinforced concrete.
The “Wrapped Reichstag” project realised by the bulgarian artist Christo who wrapped the Reichstag building in a white tent also made use of this symbolism. The fascist nazi regime had set fire to the Reichstag in 1933 in order to destroy the parlament and later accused bulgarian socialist politician Georgi Dimitroff for the attack.
The Olympic stadium in Munich built for the 1972 Olympics made use of the tent motif too. This was important because Munich was the town of the origin and headquarter of Hitler`s party and movement.
The concept for the “Allianz Arena” the new football stadium in Munich is also a sequel to the historical line of tent structures even though a classical tent structure can not be recognised anymore. The arena facade is constructed of white etylene foil air panels inflated with dry air.
