Philological Library, Free University of Berlin, Germany

Philology is the study of languages and how they develop. A philological library is concerned with the history of literature and words. The Philological Library of the Free University of Berlin, Germany is meant to encourage thinking and research, so it was designed in the form of a human brain. Since it opened in 2005, enthused visitors have nicknamed it The Berlin Brain. Designed by the noted architectural firm Foster + Partners, the four-story bubble-like building is made of aluminum and glazed-panels, allowing in much light. One of the architects, David Nelson, explained to ArchDaily.com:

We realized that students would spend hundreds of hours in the library and wanted to provide them with the perfect environment to study – one which was animated by natural light and air.

The Free University was established in 1945, to indicate a fresh start from the many years of Nazi German laws and destruction. Today almost 40,000 students are enrolled there, at Berlin’s biggest university. The library can hold some 800,000 books on open shelves, with desks for over 600 readers. As the architects describe the project:

A translucent inner membrane filters daylight and creates an atmosphere of concentration, while occasional transparent openings allow glimpses of sunlight. The bookstacks are located at the centre of each floor, with reading desks arranged around the perimeter. The serpentine profile of the floors creates a pattern in which each floor swells or recedes with respect to the one above or below it, generating a sequence of generous, light-filled spaces in which to work… Water pipes embedded in a chilled concrete interior structure act as thermal stores to heat and cool the re-circulated air, regulating the interior temperature, and leading to substantial energy savings.

The translucent interior that diffuses daylight is naturally ventilated for more than half of the year, which saves in energy cost for lighting and ventilation. During the daytime, the library uses natural light. The designers’ goal was to consume over one-third less energy than usual buildings of this size and purpose. When the building officially opened, the architect Norman Foster proclaimed:

Our new library has been designed to enable generations of students to study in an building that is filled with natural light and air – and is an exemplar of environmentally progressive design. It was a privilege to restore the university’s famed modernist campus, designed by heroes of mine on the admirable principles of democracy and open communication.

The library shelves are painted grey to harmonize with concrete ceilings and wall-to-wall-carpeting, following the theme of the brain, also known as grey matter. Since the architects chose an open structure, noise is an issue, and staff and visitors are aware of the need to keep extra sounds to a minimum. In a 2004 article, Klaus U. Werner and Monika Diecks, two librarians at the Free University, noted that the new building cannot be expanded or extended. Yet their library acquires about 10,000 books annually, and they estimated that by 2014, the library would be full. To prevent this situation, the librarians resolved to transfer duplicates to the main university circulating library. Since the new building combined the libraries of ten different faculties with some subjects in common, such as classical studies; medieval Latin literature; Germanic studies; Dutch language and literature; English language and literature; French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese; Slavic; South American studies; and comparative literature. There were many duplicates in the collection.

Thailand and Germany

In 2013, His Excellency Mr. Rolf Peter Gottfried Schulze, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Thailand, told The Big Chilli:

There are 600 German firms in Thailand. Within the European Union, Germany is by far the biggest trading partner of Thailand. We are approaching a trade volume of 10 billion euro this year – this is my forecast for 2013 based on the first months of this year. There’s hardly a week that I don’t participate in the opening of a German factory here…We have 30,000 Germans who live permanently in Thailand. They gave up their home in Germany and migrated to Thailand.

Over 700,000 German tourists visit Thailand every year, overwhelming the Bangkok embassy and consulate, so honorary consuls are active in Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and Phuket to help with any problems that visitors may have during their stay in the Kingdom. In terms of trade, the ambassador observes:

Thailand has a slight trade surplus that makes us a very attractive partner here. Germany imports a whole range of Thai products like automotive parts, gems, information technology components, hard disk drives, fishery products, agricultural and aquatic products, garments, footwear and other items. On the other hand, Germany exports to Thailand automobiles, machinery, chemical products, electronics, kitchen and other equipment. German firms like Mercedes-Benz and BMW in Thailand are investing in assembly plants for luxury cars and training employees, which creates value for Thailand. [A Thailand-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA)] will be a win-win scenario for both sides. This future agreement will be beneficial to both EU member states and to Thailand…The FTA will lower or completely abolish import tariffs, meaning products coming in and out of Thailand will be cheaper, as they are with products coming from countries with which Thailand already enjoys FTAs with, including Japan and Korea. The FTA will increase EU capital into Thailand as well. Now Thai products enjoy preferential tariffs on goods exported to the EU, but Thailand has been categorized by the World Bank as a higher middle-income country (meaning that per capital income per year in Thailand is more than US$6,000). Thailand is no longer a developing country, and therefore [in 2014] will automatically graduate out of the generalized system of preferences of the EU. Unless there’s a trade agreement, Thai exports to the EU will become more expensive and less competitive. I think that this is strong incentive for the Thai government to move ahead with the FTA negotiations speedily. From our contacts, we know that the Thai government is aware and prepared to approach negotiations in a constructive spirit.

Vocational training is also being shared between Thailand and Germany. In 2012 and 2013 agreements were signed to launch a pilot project. Three German corporations and the Thai Ministry of Education offer professional training, following the German curriculum. After three years of studying in classrooms and on-the-job, students receive a certificate from the German-Thai Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and are assured jobs from one of the German companies involved in the agreement.

Cultural exchange.

Apart from the Goethe-Institut on Soi Sathon 1, Thung Maha Mek, Sathon, Bangkok, the Christian German School Chiang Mai also offers German-language education. German universities have memoranda of understanding with around 150 Thai universities, more than any other ASEAN country. Over 40,000 Thai tourists visit Germany each year and 20,000 Thais live there on longer stays. Ambassador Schulze admits that he enjoys the high-priced Blue Elephant Restaurant but also recommends the Old German Beerhouse Restaurant in the Klong Toey district of Bangkok on Sukhumvit Soi 11, within the Grand President Bangkok Hotel.

More Thai-German exchanges.

Sport seems to be one easy forum for international exchange. The Thailand national Football team has had a number of German coaches, including Günther Glomb, Peter Schnittger, Werner Bickelhaupt, Burkhard Ziese, Peter Stubbe, Dettmar Cramer, Siegfried Held, and Winfried Schäfer, although none stayed in the job for very long. Wiradech Kothny, born in 1979, is a Thai-German fencer who won bronze medals in the individual and team sabre events at the 2000 Summer Olympics, competing for Germany. At the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, he competed for Thailand. The German footballer Sasa Disic has played for the Thailand Premier League side Pattaya United, and Bjorn Lindemann has played for Nakhon Ratchasima in the Thai Premier League. Religion is another field where exchange seems natural. Eckhard Bangert, born in Hesse in central Germany in 1939, became a Buddhist master with the name Bhikkhu Pāsādika. In the Pali language, Pāsādika means kind.If you wish to be kind to Germans when speaking Thai English, avoid the common mistake of confusing German and Germany. German is a person or language, and Germany is the country. So do not say as some people do in Thai English:

I want to go to German for my vacation.

The correct way to say this is:

I want to go to Germany for my vacation.

Art is another successful area of exchange. The German architect Karl Siegfried Döhring (1879-1941) combined traditional Thai and European designs in many strikingly beautiful buildings, including a residence for HM King Chulalongkorn in Phetchaburi, a palace for Prince Damrong, a palace for Prince Dilok and, for Queen Sukhumala Marasri, the sixth wife of HM King Chulalongkorn, a residential building in the palace of her son, Prince Paribatra Sukhumbandhu. He also designed the former Thonburi Railway Station, the Phitsanulok station, and the Bangkok Noi Railway Station. These fine designs are still admired today.

(all images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and the Philological Library, Free University of Berlin)