East / West prefabricated buildings

Prefabricated panel buildings dominate cityscapes throughout Germany, particularly in the East, but also to the West. They were and still are home to hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, and shape their everyday living environment. However, the buildings often have a poor reputation: they are said to be monotonous, grey, dreary, and house the structurally disadvantaged.

But there is no such thing as »the slab«. Rather, there are a wide variety of forms. And the residents and the condition of the buildings also vary greatly.

Technically speaking, »Plattenbau« actually refers to large-panel construction. The term »die Platte« is often used in a negative sense, but nowadays it is commonly used and catchy.

What characterizes prefabricated panel buildings? What are the arguments for and against them? We examine their development and reorientations with respect to this debate, and take a good look at them from inside and out. We focus particularly on two aspects: life in them and how they are constructed.

To this end, we consider the trends in East and West Germany together: from the beginning of prefabricated panel construction after World War II right up to the present day. And we ask what is likely to happen in the future.