Berlin’s architecture is shaped by building codes of the past. Over the centuries, various governments and administrations have issued their own regulations for buildings. These have taken into account not only technical but also aesthetic aspects and thus shaped the cityscape. The focus is primarily on the regulations of the 19. The city’s urban sprawl in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a result of industrialization and increasing population density.
In the center of Berlin you will find many buildings, which refer to the past building regulations through their architecture. The Wilhelminian period is particularly present here, but other styles are also represented. However, the influence of the earlier building regulations is particularly evident in the residential districts on the outskirts of the city, where many houses were built in identical styles.
In this study, we want to look specifically at which legislation was formative for Berlin’s cityscape in the past and how it affects today’s architecture. We will focus on the regulations of the Grunderzeit and examine how they influenced the builders of the time and how this imprint is still reflected in buildings today.
Historical building regulations in Berlin
Berlin is considered a city with a rich heritage of building regulations and ordinances. Building codes of the past have helped shape Berlin’s cityscape and give it its special character. Many of the historic building codes are still in place today and dictate how new construction and renovations must be done.