Academy Discussion: On the question of the cultural reutilisation of the Galeries Lafayette department store in Berlin

The event is dedicated to the discussion about the redevelopment of Galeries Lafayette as the new home of the Berlin Central and Regional Library (ZLB), Germany’s largest public library. With its impending early closure at the end of July 2024, the consultation on the future of Jean Nouvel’s building has taken on particular urgency. The debate initiated by Berlin’s Senator for Culture Joe Chialo on the conversion of the department store seems even more reasonable based on the idea of the State Library, which needs alternative premises for the next 15 years due to refurbishment, using it in the interim.

The Academy Discussion takes up the Architecture Section’s discussions on how to counter the desolation of city centres and public spaces with new cultural offerings.

Introduction:
Manos Tsangaris, Composer and President of the Akademie der Künste
Anh-Linh Ngo, Architecture Publicist and Vice-President of the Akademie der Künste

Anh-Linh Ngo in talks with:
Joe Chialo, Senator for Culture and Social Cohesion
Dominique Alba, CEO of Ateliers Jean Nouvel
Volker Heller, Chair of the Board and General Director of Berlin Central and Regional Library (ZLB)
Regine Keller, Landscape Architect, Urban Planner and Deputy Director of the Akademie der Künste’s Architecture Section
Katharina Schultens, Writer, Director of Haus für Poesie, Member of the Akademie der Künste’s Literature Section