Bauakademie

The Bauakademie (Building Academy, also known was the Schinkelsche Bauakademie) in Berlin, Germany, was a higher education institution for the art of building to train master builders. Founded on 18 March 1799 by King Frederick William III, the institution originated from the construction department of the Academy of Fine Arts and Mechanical Sciences (from 1704), which emphasized the aesthetic elements of the art of building while ignoring the technical. Thus, the governmental Upper Building Department ("UBD") decided to establish an entirely new building educational institution named "Bauakademie". In 1801, the institution was incorporated into the UBD. An iconic building in the history of engineering and architecture for its red brick facade, the Bauakademie was designed by German architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel between 1832 and 1836. Its red brick façade was considered an early basis for modernist architectural styles. In 1945, the building was destroyed during World War II. Despite the fact that reconstruction efforts had already begun, it was demolished in 1962. Following the decision by the German Bundestag in 2016, a Federal Foundation for the Building Academy was established in 2019 to facilitate the rebuilding of the building. History The building of the Building Academy (Bauakademie), built between 1832 and 1836 (later known as Schinkel's Bauakademie), is considered one of the forerunners of modern architecture due to its hithertofore uncommon use of red brick and the relatively streamlined facade of the building. Designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, it was built near the Berlin City Palace and accommodated two royal Prussian institutions: the State Construction Commission (Oberbaudeputation), of which Schinkel was the director, and – first of all – the Building Academy (institution), which in 1879 gave birth to the Royal Technical Higher School (Königlich Technische Hochschule Charlottenburg) – the forerunner of the Technical University of Berlin. For nearly 50 years (1885–1933), the Bauakademie became the home of the "Königlich Preussische Messbild-Anstalt" renamed to "Staatliche Bildstelle" in 1921. This institution, under its director Albrecht Meydenbauer, became the first world-wide office professionally working with photogrammetry and establishing an archive of historical buildings based on photography. By 1920, approximately 20.000 glass-negatives of the format 30x30 cm and 40x40 cm had been collected in Germany and abroad.