Summary (english)

unternull (german for „below zero“) – An underground swimming pool in a former motorway tunnel under Berlin’s Alexanderplatz

This is the online version of Eric Sturm’s architecture diploma project. Presented at the Berlin Technical University on September 23, 2000 with Prof. Arnold Reijndorp and Prof. Klaus Zillich.

Project description

unternull.de – An underground swimming pool in a former motorway tunnel under Berlin’s Alexanderplatz

Berlin-based architect and multimedia expert Eric Sturm (31) proposes the transformation of the motorway tunnel under the Alexanderplatz in the center of Berlin.

The project is to revitalize the huge square with a new underground infrastructure system. There will be an olympic pool, a restaurant (with underwater panorama), a bar and shopping facilities. Direct connections to parkings and public transport guarantee the implantation into the existing urban web.

Underground: swimming pool, restaurant, bar

On the ground level, only the glass cubes mark the dimensions of the underground building. Huge steel sails let the sunlight float into the swimming pool below the surface. On the steel sails, the sunlight – reflected by the water – shows the presence of the pool to the people passing by.