Tuesday, June 24
Autonomous cars on Tempelhofer Feld? Berlin Senate reveals six development concepts
A forest, a library, a water slide? Yesterday, the Berlin Senate revealed the six “winning” designs selected as part of its “International Urban and Open Space Planning Ideas Competition for Tempelhofer Feld”.
The project remains controversial in Berlin, as it invites architects to envision developments that were emphatically rejected in a 2014 public referendum. Nonetheless, both parties in Berlin’s current governing coalition—the SPD and CDU—support developing the park, and jointly commissioned the competition. They may, however, be slightly disappointed with the results so far.
A citizens’ jury of 275 Berliners, selected at random, was tasked with choosing from proposals submitted by international architecture firms. Of the six selected designs, only two propose any peripheral development of the space.
The others focus on reshaping the landscape—planting a forest around the park’s edge, or creating “groves” of tree-ringed playgrounds and sports facilities.
Some entries propose repurposing existing buildings, such as converting the main hall of the former airport into a library or adding a water slide. One design even suggests constructing a new S-Bahn station. Other ideas include new transport concepts like autonomous vehicles to shuttle people across the field, or a dedicated tram line to serve the park.
There is no commitment to implement any of the proposals, and the competition is not legally binding. Critics from other parties argue the project not only serves to launder developers’ ambitions but also came at a public cost of €3 million.
Julian Schwarze, urban development spokesperson for the Greens, said: “This is a slap in the face to the Senate, which tried to legitimise development through a competition,” while Michael Efler of Die Linke called the project a “waste of taxpayers’ money”.
This is not the end of the process. The six selected designs will be discussed in public dialogue workshops starting in mid-July, and the concepts will be exhibited from September.
