David Chipperfield Architects with Wirtz International Landscape Architects have won an urban competition in Berlin to convert the abandoned industrial and production site Georg-Knorr-Park into a lively residential and commercial neighborhood.
Located in Berlin’s Marzahn district, the project situated on a 9-hectare site is surrounded by urban infrastructure, commercial industry and an ensemble of heritage buildings. Putting in place 1,400 affordable rental apartments and 90,000 square meters of office and commercial space, the intervention envisions a new type of neighborhood.
In fact, David Chipperfield imagined a composition of courtyard buildings and towers, integrated into the existing urban fabric of the industrial area. The project’s structure of courtyard buildings allows large areas to be divided into smaller urban zones. The generated grid, consisting of three different modules, gives endless possibilities for interior spaces.
Spread on 152,000 square meters, the new block creates a series of open arcades, positioned on the outside, “providing structural noise protection from the urban surroundings and allowing light and air into the apartments from both sides” and a space to meet for the community. Moreover, the project introduces three skyscrapers, echoing the neighboring towers in Marzahn-Hellersdorf.
The spacious inner courtyards are designed as unsealed areas with lawn landscapes and many trees, making an essential contribution to the pleasant climate of the neighborhood. The interaction between architecture and nature gives each courtyard its own character. -- David Chipperfield Architects
Almost car-free, the neighborhood is surrounded by a protective green belt, integrating public sports and playgrounds, as well as pedestrians and cyclists’ tracks. At the center of the intervention, a large courtyard generates a meeting space for the whole town, with a childcare center, restaurants, and cafés. Finally, the fifth façade, the green roof, provides space for sport or places to meet.
- Competition: 2019 – 2020
- Organizers: Berlin Senate Department for Urban Development and Housing
- Gross floor area: 250,000 m2
- Client: Laborgh Investment GmbH
- Architect: David Chipperfield Architects Berlin
- Partners: David Chipperfield, Christoph Felger (Design lead), Harald Müller
- Project architect: Lena Ehringhaus, Peter von Matuschka
- Competition team: Wolfgang Baumeister, Leander Bulst, Janis Kaisinger,Kristin Karig, Katrin Lembke, Annalisa Massari, Philipp Müller, Franziska Rusch, Maximilian Schäfer, Kawalpreet Singh, Nadine Söll, Charlotte Spichalsky; Grafik, Visualisierung: Konrad Basan, Kerstin Bigalke, Dalia Liksaite, Ken Polster, David Wegner, Simon Wiesmaier, Ute Zscharnt
- Landscape architect: Wirtz International N.V., Schoten
- Story: In collaboration with Shirin Sabahi, artist; Something Fantastic: Julian Schubert, Elena Schütz
- City planning: BSM mbH, Berlin
- Traffic planning: LK Argus GmbH, Berlin
- Acoustic consultant: Müller-BBM GmbH, Berlin
