Berlin Central Station by gmp

While we prepare a comprehensive report on the largest railway station in Europe, Hamburg architect Meinhard von Gerkan won a case two days ago at the Berlin Regional Court against Bahn AG (German Railways Inc.). The subject of the dispute was the method of execution of the ceiling structure of the lower floors of this Berlin main station. Instead of the planned vaulted ceiling construction, Bahn AG as the builder unilaterally imposed a simpler structure. Von Gerkan filed a lawsuit against this, and the Berlin Regional Court ordered Bahn AG to dismantle the already constructed ceiling structures of the main station and to execute new ones according to von Gerkan's plans. The civil chamber described the changes made by the railways as a "deep distortion" of the architectural design and a violation of the architects' copyright. The railways, on the other hand, argued that they were led to this decision by escalating costs. The outcome of the appeal would have been uncertain, and the railways additionally missed the deadline for it. The subsequent repairs are expected to take place over the next three years and will cost an additional 40 million euros (1.2 billion CZK). The chairman of the German Federal Chamber of Architects stated regarding the ruling that it "strengthened the construction culture" in Germany. Link>
p.s. On the same day as the victorious court ruling (November 28, 2006), the architects received the Renault Traffic Design Award 2006 for the construction of the main Berlin station.