AIA Continental Europe - Reichstag German Parliament Building Project
Event Description
The presentation will cover a brief history of the Reichstag Building. We start from its original function as the seat of the German Imperial Diet from 1894 to 1933. Through its partial destruction in the fire of 1933 and World War II. Abandonment as a ruin adjacent to the Berlin Wall during the Cold War. A 1964 reconstruction to turn it into a conference hall. And finally, its conversion to the seat of the reunited German Government Bundestag from 1995 to 1999.
Robert Schmid will present the Conceptual Design through to Detail Planning and Construction of the conversion. The focus will be on the Design and Construction of the new-build Parliamentary Chamber, Party Faction Level, Roof Terrace Level and Dome Construction.
CES: Estimated 1 LU for AIA Members
Speaker
Dipl Ing Robert Schmid, AIA, RIBA
Moderator: Sophia Gruzdys, AIA, Past President, AIA Continental Europe; Architect, Associate Professor at USC
Robert Schmid is a Licensed Architect in the United States with more than 25-years of experience as a Senior Project Architect and Project Manager. He is a dual United States and European Union-German citizen and is fluent in both English and German language. He has lead design teams both in the US and internationally on a broad range of building types including High-rise and Mid-scale Residential and Office, Large-scale Hospitality projects including Convention Centers, Mixed-use projects including Retail and Public Spaces, Institutional Buildings, an Art Museum, a Performing Arts Theatre, and an Artist’s Studio.
In 1995 Robert was selected by the firm of Sir Norman Foster to be one of the three Team Leaders responsible for developing and documenting the design of the Conversion of the Reichstag Building to the seat of the newly reunited German Bundestag. The Team led by him was responsible for the full building Structural Design, new-build Party Faction Level, Roof Terrace Level as well as the design of the Dome Construction and Roof Café.
Moderator: Sophia Gruzdys is an Architect and Associate Professor at USC. She earned her Master of Architecture with distinction from Harvard Graduate School of Design
Sophia has taught multiple levels of design studios and seminars at USC, Cornell University, and Yale, and served as the director of Undergraduate Studies in Architecture.
Her research interests include urbanism and design and architectural representation. She maintains an active professional practice and her work has been recognized by the Boston Society of Architects, HGTV, among others. Prior to establishing her practice, she was a project architect for I.M. Pei and Partners involved with the design of public buildings including the Rock’n Roll Museum in Cleveland.
Sophia is active in roles that bridge U.S. and European design interests and has organized international conferences and educational tours for architects. She contributes articles for “Architectural Record” and writes about European urbanism for “Alto Standing Living” and “Living Archaeology in Rome” of Roma Tre University.
Sophia is a registered architect in New York State, Ohio and was the 2022 President of the AIA Continental Europe Chapter.
