Berlin has completed its first major architectural competition for the historic core of the German capital, marking a potential turning point away from bland investor architecture and modernist experiments toward more citizen-friendly urban design. The Social Democratic Party (SPD) is being credited with rescuing Berlin's cityscape through a new approach to urban planning that prioritizes both quality and livability.
The competition results for the Molkenmarkt district represent a significant victory for Berlin's current architectural leadership. Petra Kahlfeldt, the city's Building Director, faced harsh criticism even before taking office, with a group of prominent architect colleagues writing an open letter at the turn of 2021-2022 accusing her of planning to pursue reactionary architectural policies. The local Association of German Architects participated in what many saw as a transparent political game against her appointment.
However, the need for a change in planning policy should have been clear to all involved, regardless of their architectural political positions. The results from the era of former Building Director Regula Lüscher and her superior, Urban Development Senator Karin Lompscher, had been deeply unsatisfactory. During their tenure, left-wing idealistic dreams were pursued, but the harsh reality produced mainly faceless and expensive investor architecture that contributed to Berlin becoming increasingly alien to its citizens and losing its appeal to tourists. The Europa Quarter north of the main train station stands as the most striking example of this misguided development, whose consequences can be observed in many other German cities as well.
It was then-Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey who initiated the course correction in planning policy. Kahlfeldt's appointment as Building Director was the personnel expression of the political will toward greater craftsmanship and solidity. Kahlfeldt finds herself in agreement with her superiors regarding her role - Andreas Geisel was succeeded in April 2023 as Urban Development Senator by Christian Gaebler, who announced after taking office that he wanted not only to create as much housing as possible but also to develop design ambitions in the process. The goal, he stated, was to create lively neighborhoods where residents could feel at home.
By that time, Kahlfeldt had already begun reorganizing the plans for Molkenmarkt after a failed urban planning competition. Her quite robust approach, which effectively overturned the competition results, could be justified by the significance of the subject matter. Molkenmarkt represents the historic core of Berlin, which was destroyed three times in the 20th century: first, the Nazis demolished parts of the old city to build their Gau Forum there, though this never materialized; then Allied bombers continued the work of destruction, which was completed by GDR traffic planners who laid an eight-lane thoroughfare across the area.
The opportunity to redesign this special place had to be seized. Gaebler and Kahlfeldt developed a framework plan for the area, seeking a middle path between two irreconcilably opposed camps. On one side stands the Foundation for Central Berlin, which advocates for a largely complete restoration of the historic, very small-scale cityscape, preferably built by private developers. On the other side are proponents of a green collection of modernist standalone buildings designed as an ecological-social model district.
Instead, a fairly densely built classical perimeter block development was decided upon. Medium-sized plots are intended to enable a varied appearance, while the design freedom of architects is constrained by conservative rules written by their Frankfurt colleague Christoph Mäckler. These rules concern aspects such as roof pitch, permissible materials, and the proportion of window openings in facades. A diverse mix of uses including residential, office, commercial, and cultural offerings is mandated to bring life to the district, with building sizes and the arrangement of various uses conceived from the perspective of streets and alleys and their respective traffic volumes.
The architectural competition for the first three building plots of the so-called Block B has now been decided. This block is located directly opposite the Red City Hall at the corner of Grunerstraße and Molkenmarkt. The initiators can be satisfied with the results, as they have achieved the hoped-for diversity within unity. The first prize for the so-called Lot 3, which holds special significance due to its prominent corner location at Grunerstraße and Molkenmarkt, was awarded to a joint venture of the firms Eckert Negwer Suselbeek and Baumeister and Dietzsch (both Berlin). Their design provides for a high arcade along Grunerstraße for the corner building, which is also emphasized by the number of floors, with the corner highlighted by a diagonally positioned dome. The two buildings that adjoin to the south are also planned to have heavily detailed facades with notably high ground floors, crowned by steep roofs.
To the east, Lot 1 follows, where a joint venture of the firms Hild und K, Happel Cornelisse Verhoeven, and Modersohn Freiesleben (Munich, Rotterdam, and Berlin) prevailed. In this case too, a corner house with an arcade sets an accent. Lot 2, which will be less prominent due to its location in the block interior, was won by Euro Duplex Architekten, Gort Scott, and Kim Nalleweg Architekten (Hamburg, London, and Berlin).
Much depends on the extent to which the competition ideas will be reflected in the executed buildings. The projected construction costs are an average of 4,800 euros per square meter, significantly above the 3,850 euros previously cited by the management of the developer, the municipal housing company WBM, as the upper limit, especially considering that half of the apartments are to be planned with rent controls. In revising the designs, aesthetic desires and financial possibilities must be brought into alignment.
Quite apart from the historical significance of the area, it would also be regrettable from a business sustainability perspective if the design shifted toward cheap mass housing construction. At least, measured against how fiercely the development of Molkenmarkt had been disputed before, hostile reactions have so far been absent. Archaeological excavations are currently still ongoing at Molkenmarkt in Berlin's historic center, representing the careful attention being paid to preserving the area's historical legacy while moving forward with modern development plans.
