AEG Turbine Factory

An undated photo shows the entrance to the AEG plant on Brunnenstraße and the General Electric Power Conversion in Berlin. (Photo: Stiftung Deutsches Technikmuseum, Historical Archive Berlin)

The AEG turbine factory in Berlin-Moabit is regarded as a leading example of modern industrial architecture.

The groundbreaking novelty of the AEG turbine factory building, which was built in 1909, becomes clear when one considers its history and development. At the time, large buildings and production halls were usually designed by civil engineers and renowned architects were called in to design the facades. These facades were designed as a beautiful backdrop, without any reference to the function of a building. The steel-framed building of the AEG turbine factory in Moabit, which was designed by Peter Behrends, is thus considered the pioneer building of modern industrial architecture.

Groundbreaking Industrial Architecture

For the first time ever, the public facade of an industrial plant showed the building's naked construction. Its steel trusses lie with their joints uncovered in front of the glass facade, which slopes slightly inward, following the inner supports. The six-fold broken gable of the end wall reflects the building's inner construction. Seemingly, the gable rests on the glass front, the principle of load-bearing and loads is inverted by the recessed ashlar corner pillars. Meanwhile, the massive, structurally unnecessary corner pylons give the front a heaviness that should inspire confidence - both in the people who live there and in the outside world. The building's architecture itself became an advertising medium.

Information

• Address:
  Berlichingenstr. 1
  10553 Berlin
  City map
• Please Note: The AEG turbine factory is currently not open to visitors.
• Architect and Style: Peter Behrens, Classical Modernism