This Is What Schönefeld Nord Will Look Like: On Friday, the winning team of the urban and open space planning competition presented their design.
As the sky poured heavy rain over Schönefeld, flooding basements and construction sites and revealing one of the municipality’s current major issues, planners and architects were already contemplating solutions and, not least, the future of Schönefeld at the House of the Dialogue Forum on Mittelstraße. After the jury’s decision concluded the urban and open space planning competition for Schönefeld’s largest development area on Hans-Grade-Allee the previous Monday, the winners publicly presented their designs early on Friday evening. Jury Chairman Uli Hellweg described it as a good day for the municipality, echoing the enthusiasm of Schönefeld’s Mayor Christian Hentschel, who had praised the design in his welcoming speech. Hentschel described the winning design as bold, innovative, and exciting, stating that it would serve as the foundation for further planning of the area located to the left and right of the main road. He expressed his firm belief that the award-winning entry was exactly what people who currently live here, as well as those who will live here in the future, are looking for.
Central elements of the concept, designed by the team led by Professor Christa Reicher from the architectural firm RHA Reicher Haase Assoziierte GmbH in collaboration with their partners, Carla Lo Landschaftsarchitektur and Lindschulte Ingenieurgesellschaft GmbH, include urban density and diverse city greenery.
The green network consists of two main east-west connections. The first is the landscape-oriented connection from the Rudow Altglienicke park to „In den Gehren,“ with Mauerpark to the north. The second is the central recreational axis running south of this, which develops from the Bayangolpark towards the east. These two overarching green corridors are connected and intersected by various north-south axes with different functions. In the central area, a large open space is created, which will house central recreational and social facilities around the gymnasium and also provide space for major sports uses, according to the design explanation.
The center at Rathaus Schönefeld will extend eastward along Hans-Grade-Allee towards the train station. A „spine“ principle will be established with a new focus around the train station, providing central supply functions.
The heart of the concept, as explained by Holger Hoffschröer, managing partner of RHA, consists of neighborhood districts, each with its own unique atmosphere. Each district will have its own center and direct access to green spaces and infrastructure. To manage traffic early on, neighborhood garages will be created within each district, which will also include sharing and supply services. According to the award-winning team, it was crucial to develop the area sustainably and in harmony with its surroundings, alongside providing a high quality of life. Therefore, the starting point was the existing conditions, with the central element being the open space.
This was exactly what led the jury to award this design. Jury Chairman Uli Hellweg praised that the design particularly met the requirements and expectations for the area, as well as the wishes of the municipality. He commended the authors for their exceptional ability to integrate existing building structures into a new overall vision for Schönefeld North. The different qualities of open spaces are appropriately dimensioned and designed, promising high-quality living experiences, according to the evaluation. „With this design, Schönefeld steps out from the shadow of the airport and becomes a livable city south of Berlin,“ said Hellweg.
Schönefeld’s building administration now faces a significant task. Although there is no building permit for the district yet, some ongoing procedures and development plans need to be revised, said Building Commissioner Kathrin Sczepan. One of the most pressing decisions for the town representatives will be the approval of the development plan for Planstraße E as the main access axis, which will also involve relocating the high-voltage power lines currently crossing the area. Additionally, the Dahme-Spreewald district plans to construct a five-stream gymnasium in the Planstraße area, which will be needed by the start of the 2025/26 school year.
