Redesign of the Berlin whey market: two winners chosen in the competition and yet everything is still open
Redesign of the Berlin whey market
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Two winners in the competition chosen and yet everything is still open
The oldest market in Berlin is to get a new face. But even after the winners have chosen, it is not clear what the whey market will look like. Modern or traditional: two first places were awarded. By Georg-Stefan Russew
The planning competition for the redesign of the Berlin whey market has been decided. The Senate Department for Urban Development announced on Wednesday that the jury awarded the first prize to two planning teams.
According to this, the team of the Berlin architect Bernd Albers together with the Zurich landscape architecture office Vogt and the Danish team OS Arkitekter (Copenhagen) with the Berlin Czyborra Klingbeil architecture workshop won the competition. A total of ten teams took part in the tender.
Decision postponed despite award ceremony
Despite the jury’s decision, it is not yet clear how exactly the whey market will be redesigned, as two opposing designs have won. Experts explain this procedure to the jury with the fact that there were probably two equally strong designs and it was not clear which one was clearly ahead.
Consequence: The process is dragging on. The Senate Administration WILL now start a workshop process with broad public participation. The first citizens’ workshop is scheduled for February, the second for April. Citizens can submit their concerns, wishes and suggestions there. After the concepts have been revised in the coming year, the final evaluation should then take place.
Two opposing designs between modernity and tradition
Even then, the decision should not be easy, because the Danish winner chose a radically modern approach in his concept. OS Architekter prioritizes a climate-neutral and innovative district, where questions about alternative building materials and sustainable building structures have priority over aesthetic design.
The other winner – Bernd Albers’ office – sees the Molkenmarkt more traditionally, orienting itself more towards the well-known perimeter block development of the historic Molkenmarkt district. For example, Albers was involved in various projects in the federal capital, such as the Stresemann quarter on Potsdamer Platz.
The approach of the Senate Administration
The Molkenmarkt as the place where the Berlin city was founded was largely lost due to the destruction of the war and car-friendly urban redevelopment, according to the Senate Administration [molkenmarkt.berlin.de]. Numerous lanes and large intersections cut through the center of Berlin. The historical traces from the origins of the city have been erased or lie under the asphalt. The remaining traces are made permanent and secured in archaeological excavations.
According to the Senate Administration, the renovation of Grünerstrasse is to be carried out a piece of the historical center can be recovered [berlin.de]. The relocation of the street will create new areas on which a lively quarter with a diverse mix of living, business and culture WILL develop. Attractive cultural and retail offers as well as traffic-calmed areas create a quarter in which one likes to be, the Senate Administration demanded their goal.
Molkenmarkt and the surrounding area are a bottleneck in terms of traffic
In terms of traffic, the area around the whey market is a bottleneck due to the further construction phase that began in September. Roadways and other things on the south side of Mühlendamm and the Molkenmarkt are being rebuilt. In addition, the State Monuments Office continued its extensive archaeological excavations. Historical remains of the last 780 years are believed to be here. All of this leads to massive traffic restrictions in the area.