Bauakademie

Bauakademie
Schinkelsche Bauakademie
Interactive map of the Bauakademie area
General information
StatusReconstruction pending
TypeHigher education institution / Architecture museum
Architectural styleRed-brick Proto-modernism / Neoclassical
LocationWerderscher Markt, Mitte, Berlin, Germany
Named forKarl Friedrich Schinkel
Year built1832–1836
Completed1836
Demolished1962 (Destroyed in WWII, 1945)
Cost€62 million (reconstruction estimate)
OwnerFederal Foundation for the Building Academy
Technical details
MaterialRed brick, terracotta
Design and construction
ArchitectKarl Friedrich Schinkel
Known forForerunner of modern architecture; iconic red brick facade.
Website
bundesstiftung-bauakademie.de

The Bauakademie (Building Academy, also known as the Schinkelsche Bauakademie) in Berlin, Germany, was a higher education institution for the art of building to train master builders. Founded on 18 March 1799 by King Frederick William III, the institution originated from the construction department of the Academy of Fine Arts and Mechanical Sciences (from 1704), which emphasized the aesthetic elements of the art of building while ignoring the technical. Thus, the governmental Upper Building Department ("UBD") decided to establish an entirely new building educational institution named "Bauakademie". In 1801, the institution was incorporated into the UBD.

An iconic building in the history of engineering and architecture for its red brick facade, the Bauakademie was designed by German architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel between 1832 and 1836. Its red brick façade was considered an early basis for modernist architectural styles. In 1945, the building was destroyed during World War II. Despite the fact that reconstruction efforts had already begun, it was demolished in 1962. Following the decision by the German Bundestag in 2016, a Federal Foundation for the Building Academy was established in 2019 to facilitate the reconstruction of the building.