Harzer Straße, Berlin
Around 600 people are housed in 8 renovated buildings in Berlin-Neukölln. Integration projects and cultural events are scheduled on a regular basis.
Status | Number of residents |
Modular units | Building method |
Country | Living space per person (m²/person) |
Architect | Commissioned by |
Construction firm |
Aachener SWG began renovating the buildings in September 2011. This necessitated disposing of 150 cubic meters of trash and installing large-scale recycling containers. Marx [the architect] dismantled the “mattress camp” and examined rental contracts to figure out whether those paying rent truly lived in the buildings, or were only extorting the residents in exchange for a mattress. The goal was to stop the exploitation. Because not only had the property fallen into deep neglect, but a kind of legal vacuum prevailed there, which apparently the district of Neukölln had no means to counter. Only after this initial process could the process of renovating the eight houses to structural and energy-efficiency standards begin. Paco Höller, together with ten of his students, painted the courtyard.
After nearly twelve months of work, the renovation of the building complex was finished in summer 2012 and the buildings were given a white plaster coat. The facades and roofs were insulated, new bathrooms and windows were installed, stairwells were renovated, and the piping and heating was replaced. The pathways are now paved and lead into a courtyard that resembles a small park, filled with flowerbeds and junipers. 600 people (220 of whom are children) now live in 137 apartments between 30 and 140 square meters large. Apartments that become unoccupied are sold on the open market. New leases to non-Roma residents are currently given priority, in order to ensure an ethnic and social mix that will finally clear the buildings of their “ghetto” reputation.
(Excerpt from project description)
