Overview

• He died Friday in his hometown of Lübeck at age 84.
• Appointed in 1991, he served roughly 15 years as Berlin’s leading building policymaker during the post‑Wall reconstruction.
• He set parameters for street alignment, building heights and façades to favor local typology and everyday urban harmony over showpiece architecture.
• He guided central redevelopments including Potsdamer Platz, the government quarter and Alexanderplatz, while advancing large housing, schools, power plants and research facilities on the city’s edges.
• His approach drew fierce criticism from some architects, notably Richard Meier, even as sites such as Friedrichstraße, Gendarmenmarkt and Pariser Platz are cited as cohesive outcomes, with figures like Frank Gehry adapting within the rules.