Research Institute for Hydraulic Engineering and Shipbuilding (1903/1974)

Icon of Pop Architecture – Under the auspices of Emperor Wilhelm II, a structure containing a flow channel was built on Berlin’s Schleuseninsel (“lock island”) in 1903. It was used to test the design of warships. In 1974 the site was given a spectacular addition by architect Ludwig Leo: a large pink pipe running through the blue lab building. Water is circulated through a large tank. Ships up to nine meters long can be placed inside it using an elevator, to test how they react to the current under realistic conditions. The laboratory is now used by the Technical University of Berlin to study numerical fluid dynamics.