Abstract
Hans Scharoun (1893-1972) is a German architect best known for Berlin Philharmonic Concert Hall (1956-1963). Despite the fact that Scharoun is an accomplished modern organic architect, he has often been cited as an. Expressionist architect, partly due to his involvement in the Glass Chain (Glaserne Kette). Scharoun's works are thus presented as products of fantasy and irrationality epitomized in the Philharmonic. A careful examination of his design however reveals an advanced functional quality of modern organic architecture. Scharoun's design requires more merit than one might think as his designs are not in violation of form in favor of expressiveness, but an elaborate expression of functional form. Expressionist quality in his design is a permanent feature of his work, not the Expressionist hangover. This paper also claims that Expressionism was conceived of as having no objectivity when German Gestalt theory was fused with the arrival of Neue Sachlichkeit. Works of Scharoun in this regard deserve a careful attention for a better understanding of the modern organic architecture.
