Giant art project transforms East Germany housing blocks An enduring reminder of the communist era, the vast, concrete "Plattenbau" tower blocks which surround cities in eastern Germany are usually considered to be more eyesores than works of art. Yet in the city of Halle, 170 kilometres (around 100 miles) southwest of Berlin, a new urban culture project hopes to promote social cohesion by transforming architectural sins into monumental masterpieces.