Berlin’s attractiveness is unabated, and the city has been continually growing for years. A great need for new residential buildings arises from this - in urban planning dimensions and sustainably planned for a liveable city. A new residential quarter with a high quality of life should arise in the north of Berlin, in Bernau - with a primary school with three classes for each grade, as well as sports facilities, three kindergartens, a public park and restaurants, cafés, retail stores and offices. The visualised planning involves a suggestion of the architect and client and should initially be understood as pure conceptual planning.
One main area of focus is on the compatibility of green spaces and residential buildings. Characteristic for the planning of the entire facility is a broad green area running between the northern and southern boundaries. Smaller gardens with courtyards incorporated into the residential facilities should serve as play spaces for children and places for residents to spend time.
The conceived of large scale of this urban vision convinces with many details tailored to the needs of the future residents of the around 3,200 apartments to be built in stages. The new urban quarter plans to also keep its gates open to a broad public. An additionally prescribed bicycle path creates another access option for the public.
The central promenade is interrupted by several squares with varying designs. Elementary school and free-standing kindergartens dominate the organic structuring of space and shape the sequence of squares.
Organic spatial structures and green lung
Although the planning of the city district is in the hands of only one architectural agency, a uniform architecture, for example, does not dominate. Instead, its impact is revealed in the design of squares and courtyards, as well as in the tiering of outdoor spaces, where the park is the largest and the courtyard is the smallest unit. Also underlined is the diversity created by connecting streets, the visual axes of which are broken in order to generate surprising moments.
Design with tradition
The diverse design of the urban quarter is comparable with the residential building group in Niederschönhausen by Paul Mebes, which creates a balanced mix of green spaces and living space through its characteristic green courtyard facilities, which link the individual rental buildings.
Category
Urban quarter
Location
Bernau
Planning
As of 2019
Project management
G. Pesenti
Cooperation
U. Felici Giunchi
Client
Van Caem Projects
