By Jurgen Tietz and Detlef Jessen-Klingenberg

Berlin Tegel TXL is the airport of short distances and an icon of Modern architecture. With its striking hexagonal shape and concept of check-in counters right at each gate, Tegel has made air travel history. Indeed, Berliners are passionately nostalgic about Tegel, since it served as the window to the wider world for the once-isolated island of West Berlin. At the same time, this airport represents the launch of architects Gerkan, Marg and Partners' success story. Together with Klaus Nickels, the then recently graduated Hamburg architects won the 1965 competition for building the new airport, which opened in 1974. Numerous historical and contemporary photos, together with drawings, have been taken from the gmp Architects' archive to illustrate the Tegel Gesamtkunstwerk, its vibrant colour scheme and overall design, from the structure as a whole right down to the check-in counters with their rounded edges.