Designing for Berlin: How a Soviet-zone academy shaped the face of a city

The exhibition “Designing for Berlin” focuses on a central aspect of design: the education of designers. It is presented in collaboration with the Werkbundarchiv – Museum der Dinge and the weißensee academy of art berlin, which celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2026. Found-ed in 1946 in north-east Berlin, within the Soviet occupation zone, the academy reflects the city’s post-war history with all its ruptures and transformations. The institution’s profile has been shaped by modernist designers such as Herbert Hirche, Mart Stam and Selman Selmanagić. Their pedagogical approaches, including a shared foundation course, a close connection to professional practice and interdisciplinary work, continue to define design education at Weißensee today. “Designing for Berlin” brings together historical and contemporary works from the fields of product design and graphic design. It touches on artistic foundations, design processes and professional practice,