Counterpreservation: Architectural Decay in Berlin since 1989 (Signale: Modern German Letters, Cultures, and Thought)

Sandler concludes with a brilliantly argued case for the worldwide significance of counterpreservation as a conceptual force that challenges the fundamental tenets of historic preservation as it is practiced in the West today.

Sandler imagines how architecture might grapple with the concept of transience, creating buildings that show the futility of hanging on to the past.... Any good contemporary reading of Berlin must come to grips with the city's relationship to its own decay. Sandler's accessible, smart book deserves a place on the reading list for the thoughtful kind of Berlin tourist, for student study abroad groups, and for those writing about the many rises and falls that have happened in the capital city of what has come to be known as 'The Berlin Republic.'

Sandler sees a categorical difference between counterpreservation and the fascination with ruins and ancient monuments inherent in some traditional conservationist approaches.... In general Sandler's book stands out for her perspicacious perspective, which is also related to the fact that she looks at the city from the perspective of an outsider.... A must-read for any student or scholar interested in Berlin's history and the fascinating ways in which the past manifests in the city's urban fabric.

Daniela Sandler's Counterpreservation is an intriguing and important addition to the literature on Berlin's architectural, historical, and memorial landscape, offering valuable new insights that will advance the theoretical discussion. The book is replete with careful, engaging descriptions of recent projects in this ever-changing city, and the author convincingly uses these cases to generate a broader philosophical sensibility. The book's compelling detail and vivid imagery powerfully convey the texture of the Berlin that I know. After reading Sandler's book, I find myself haunted anew by the comings and goings of the Berlin landscape, the vanishings and the persistence and the imaginings.

This is a beautifully written book. The passages describing specific sites in Berlin are among the most eloquent architectural writing I have encountered. Daniela Sandler has a superb style in explaining the theoretical stakes of her argument, as well. The concept of 'counterpreservation' that Sandler introduces in this study of `architectural decay' in Berlin implies a reversal of valences: if ruins suggest collapse and disuse, counterpreservation indicates vitality and reappropriation. The book will certainly be of interest to scholars working in architectural history, memory culture, German Studies, and related fields. Many culturally informed readers who are drawn to Berlin and want to understand its urban dynamic will also find this book an informative read.