The tube

At the beginning of the 1980s, the architect and work bundler Günther L. Eckert developed an architectural utopia: a huge tube above ground, spanning the globe, which was to provide living space for all of humanity. With a technically detailed design, Eckert wanted to prove that the whole of humanity could live in prosperity on the earth without further exploiting and destroying it. With the presentation of the "Tube", the Werkbundarchiv - Museum der Dinge opens up a space to reflect on architectures of the future. For this purpose, Eckert's concept is supplemented by historical as well as current utopias. This expandable collection shows that architectural-technical visions are at the same time political and social visions.

Unlike many utopian concepts, Eckert did not plan (N)somewhere or (N)sometime. Rather, he developed a closed loop from the tendencies inherent in technology. It was important to him that the construction, which looks like a spaceship, could be built in the here and now with the means and techniques available.

Eckert's ideas were not essentially aimed at the architectural-technical construct. Rather, he hoped that people could give up their "I" in favour of a "we" and agree on a project shared by all. The tube was conceived by him as a possible housing for such a human society determined by the "we".

In view of the climate crisis, the ever-increasing destruction of the environment and the habitable parts of the earth, it is not only urban planning and architecture that are challenged to design sustainable living spaces. What form could these take? Visitors are invited to contribute their ideas for tomorrow's life and living. The Werkbundarchiv - Museum der Dinge is taking its current situation - the termination of the museum's premises by an anonymous real estate fund - as an opportunity to devote itself to the Werkbund theme of the city, which the museum has so far not focused on to any great extent, in presentations, exhibitions, events and educational formats.

"The Tube. An Architecture for Conceivable Times" is the last presentation in the Kreuzberg museum rooms: on 5 November 2023, the museum will close its doors at Oranienstraße 25 after 17 years.

"The Tube. An Architecture for Conceivable Times" was curated by Michael Fehr. A publication of the same name has been published in German and English to accompany the presentation.