Infrastructural entanglements: the Autobahnüberbauung Schlangenbader Straße in Berlin-Wilmersdorf

Abstract

This paper puts forward the Autobahnüberbauung Schlangenbader Straße development, constructed in Berlin-Wilmersdorf during the 1970s, as a compelling juxtaposition of architecture and urban infrastructure. To that end, it draws from both Science and Technology Studies (STS) and urban-architectural scholarship to unpack some of the intertwined technical, social, political, and aesthetic dimensions of urban infrastructures. Subsequently, it examines the role that architecture might play in integrating the diverse solicitations of these dimensions in the city. Positing the notion of ‘entanglement’ to characterise the unique form of infrastructural integration afforded by the Schlangenbader Straße complex, the argument proceeds to consider this integration from three different angles. First, it positions the development in relation to the emergence of West Berlin's urban motorcar infrastructure throughout the twentieth century, exploring its technical and socio-political aspirations. Second, it presents two sets of architectural imaginaries (dating from the 1920s and 60s, respectively) that articulated preceding — yet unrealised — narratives of mass transit integration and extended urban connectivity. Third, it scrutinises the specific infrastructural dimensions of the Schlangenbader Straße complex by identifying the main technical, social, and political aspects that informed its development and construction, delving into the roles and attitudes of key participants in the process. The conclusion reinforces the position of the Autobahnüberbauung Schlangenbader Straße as a socio-technical artefact, deeply ‘entangled’ with Berlin's urban infrastructure.