PLATTENBAU BERLIN

Made from prefabricated concrete panels, Plattenbauten rose from theruins of Berlin, providing a quick and inexpensive solution to t hesevere housing shortage faced by the city after World War II. Althoughcriticized in their day for their sterility and impersonal scale, theynonetheless became an integral part of the city. Drawn from hisextensive investigations into Berlins urban landscape, Jesse Simonstexts and photographs offer a convincing argument for the aesthetic andsocial value of buildings that were once described as eyesores.