From country house to monument: the restoration of the Mies van der Rohe house 2000–2002

Lecture by Simone Faust (District Office of Lichtenberg)

After decades of alteration and structural decline, the Lemke House faced the challenge of a fundamental restoration at the end of the 1990s. The basis for the conservation-oriented restoration planning (1997–2000) consisted of a comprehensive architectural and conservation survey, a structural damage analysis, and two public workshops. Lively discussions on modern design approaches and the contradictions between original and contemporary building standards led to a preservation concept that ensured the long-term safeguarding of the structure.

Today—more than two decades after the completion of the work—this concept provides an opportunity to look back, reflect critically, and look ahead: What lessons can be drawn from that process? And how can the Lemke House be carefully preserved and further developed in the spirit of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for decades to come?

The lecture is held in German.

A cooperation between the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation and the Mies van der Rohe House Berlin