SIGN OF A CRUMBLING MYTH?

 

 

Cracks appear in Holo façade

 

 

Cracks spread in Berlin Holocaust memorial
Reuters Monday, 21 January 2008 / 9:34 am EST

By Sarah Roberts

BERLIN — The Holocaust memorial in Berlin is showing signs
of serious wear and tear just three years after its completion,
with cracks in more than half of its concrete blocks, according
to a study published on Monday.

Structural engineer Joachim Schulz conducted a survey of the
field of blocks located in Berlin's central Mitte district at the end
of last year for Germany's Cicero magazine.

Almost fourteen hundred of the 2,711 blocks that make up the
site are beginning to crack, he said in an interview published
in the monthly magazine's latest edition.

"Sixty percent of the cracks are minor faults and not really visible
but 40 percent are bigger than 0.2 millimeters and that's worrying,"
said Schulz.

Hindered by design and construction disagreements that attracted
global media attention, the memorial was completed in May 2005
at a cost of 27 million euros ($39.1 million).

Couldn't withstand the sunlight

The most controversial issue surrounding its design was the role
of Degussa — the company that supplied the anti-graffiti paint for
the blocks.

Construction was briefly halted in late 2003 after it emerged the
firm's parent manufactured the poison gas* used in Nazi death
camps.

Structural damage to the Holocaust memorial, which covers 19,000
square meters (205,000 square feet), was first recorded in January
2006 when 400-450 blocks were showing cracks.

Holocaust memorial director Uwe Neumaerker told Reuters on Monday the damage was due to sunlight: "We plan to begin repairs as soon as the temperature rises and the weather dries up, probably at the end of March."


A crack in one of the concrete blocks of the "Holocaust Mahnmal" memorial canbe seen in Berlin August 8, 2007. The Holocaust® memorial is showing signs of serious wear and tear just three years after its completion, with cracks in more than half of the concrete chunks, which could not withstand exposure to the Sun.

http://www.reuters.com:80/article/worldNews/idUSL2145284120080121

*Zyklon B, a prophylactic disinfectant used to prevent the spread of disease among camp personnel as well as internees. —Ed.