Nettelbeckplatz, Berlin
- ©
World Habitat Awards
Nettelbeckplatz, Berlin - ©World Habitat Awards
Nettelbeckplatz, Berlin - ©World Habitat Awards
Nettelbeckplatz, Berlin - ©World Habitat Awards
Nettelbeckplatz Berlin
Status
completed
City
Berlin
Main actors
City Government, Private Sector, Community / Citizen Group
Project area
Neighborhood or district
Duration
2015 - 2019
The renovation of a 1970s cooperative social housing complex with 163 apartments adopted an experimental approach to address today’s challenges with intelligent building solutions, energy efficiency and affordable rents, as well as accessibility and social improvements. The project transforms and extends the existing settlement to a co-living project with a lively mixture of households and intergenerational exchange.
Originally published by World Habitat and reproduced here with its permission. LINK
Sustainable Development Goals
World Habitat Awards
This project was awarded the 'World Habitat Awards' in 2024 in the following category: Bronze.
City
Berlin, Germany
Size and population development
In 2019, the municipality of Berlin had a population of 3,669,491 inhabitants, making it the most populous city in the European Union (EU). The larger metropolitan area has about 5 million inhabitants.
Population composition
According to estimations, about one third of Berlin’s population was foreign born or has a migratory background. These inhabitants originate from other parts of the EU—such as Poland, Italy or Bulgaria—as well as from countries outside of the EU, such as Syria, Vietnam or the United States of America. The largest non-native population comes from Turkey: In 2019, more than 107,000 Turkish nationals were registered as inhabitants of Berlin.
Main functions
Berlin is the capital and largest city of Germany. As a city-state it is also one of the country’s 16 Länder, as the federal states are called in Germany. Situated approximately 112 miles (180 km) south of the Baltic Sea, the city lies in the wide glacial valley of the Spree River, which runs through Berlin’s centre. The city extends over an area of 891.7 square kilometres and stands at an average altitude of 34 meters above sea level. After the reunification of Germany and East and West Berlin in 1990, the unified Berlin was re-established as the country’s capital (replacing Bonn, the former capital of West Germany). In 1999, large parts of the Federal Government and the German Bundestag finally moved back to Berlin. Berlin is a city of great historical significance, which becomes evident considering the amount of historical landmarks that visualize the city’s history. Some of the most important landmarks include the Brandenburg Gate (built in 1793), the Reichstag Building (which dates to 1884), remnants of the Berlin Wall (taken down on the 9th of November 1989) or the Holocaust memorial (inaugurated in 2003). Berlin is also a famous cultural hub, known for its world-class museums, theatres, operas and concert halls as well as its vibrant club scene and street art. Finally, the Brain City Berlin is a leading location for science and research. It is home to a number of prestigious universities such as the Freie Universität Berlin, the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin and the Technische Universität Berlin, with more than 35,000 students each as well as renowned research institutions and think tanks.
Main industries / business
As the fourth largest economy of the world, Germany has a wide array of prestigious industries. Berlin is home to a diverse mix of economic activities: state-owned enterprises, creative industries, automotive manufacturers, (digital) media corporations, high-tech and telecommunication companies as well as multiple digital pioneers that flourish in the city’s vibrant start-up scene. Tourism is constantly growing and brings about 14 million visitors (2019) to the city every year.
Sources for city budget
Berlin draws its budget for public expenditure largely from taxes, federal transfers, fees, fines and operating revenues. It is spent not only to provide high quality public services, but also to boost the city’s private sector, civil society engagement and cultural life.
Political structure
The city-state Berlin is governed by the Berlin Senate, which is comprised of 10 senators, and the Governing Mayor. As the capital of Germany, Berlin hosts the Bundesregierung (federal government), the Bundestag (federal parliament) and the Bundesrat (the parliamentary chamber of the 16 Länder). Each of the 16 Länder has a representation in Berlin. On many political issues, the Länder have co-legislative powers vis-à-vis the Federal government. Moreover, Berlin hosts embassies from more than 120 countries from around the world.
Administrative structure
Berlin is administrated by the Senate and its 12 districts or boroughs (Bezirke). The Senate is the city’s central administration, in charge of city planning, public policy, and the regulation of public and private spheres. The district administrations have some decentralized public functions, with reasonable differences between the various localities.
Website
Housing cooperative Berliner Bau- und Wohnungsgenossenschaft von 1892 eG (known as 1892), manages almost 7,000 affordable homes in Berlin. Many of the cooperative’s homes are in old buildings, which need to be modernised to extend their life cycle and upgrade conditions for residents.
The Nettelbeckplatz housing estate was built by the cooperative in 1975 in the working-class neighbourhood of Wedding. It consisted of six buildings containing 150 flats with large balconies. The estate was designed around a green courtyard with playgrounds and recreation areas and was home to a vibrant mix of people.
By 2014, however, Nettelbeckplatz was no longer seen as a local landmark and the community had lost its vitality. More than 40% of the estate’s residents were now over the age of 65 (13% were over 80). The surrounding area was suffering from social and drug-related problems, and residents did not feel safe.
1892 knew it needed to refurbish the estate whilst keeping rents affordable. It saw this as an opportunity to improve energy efficiency and accessibility and reinvigorate the community by diversifying the tenant population. The cooperative came up with a plan to transform and extend the buildings, adding 58 new homes and shared facilities without reducing the green spaces.
1892 planned the renovation with Tafkaoo architects and a team of engineers and landscape designers. Residents were involved in meetings and were individually interviewed to discuss their ideas for the renovation and any fears they had about its outcome.
Information was also gathered on the building’s energy consumption and thermal comfort. This research showed the buildings had relatively good quality façade insulation and that the homes were warm inside. This meant expensive new external insulation was not needed. Instead, energy-saving improvements focused on insulating the basement ceiling and roofs, replacing windows, insulating heating pipes, replacing old elevators with new energy-saving models, and using LED lighting in common areas. Solar panels were also installed on the roof to generate electricity.
Older people made up a large proportion of the community at Nettelbeckplatz – 70% of residents had been living there since the estate was built in 1975 – and alterations to improve the accessibility of entrances, floors and elevators were a key part of the renovation. A new assisted living cluster with 10 bedrooms and shared spaces was built for older residents who need extra support (like cleaning and meal preparation).
Another important aim of the renovation was to increase the diversity of the community by attracting a mix of young people, couples and families to the estate. Eight studio flats were created specifically for students, while existing common areas where renovated and furnished to encourage residents to socialise with each other (including a gym, table tennis room and community room).
The space for this (and the senior-cluster) was created by enclosing the open ground floors of the buildings. Meanwhile, a new highly energy-efficient building was constructed on top of the estate’s partly demolished garage. This means all the new accommodation sits within the footprint of the original design, leaving the estate’s green spaces intact.
The new seven-storey block contains 44 apartments, of which 16 are accessible for people with disabilities. The new apartments range in size from 46sqm to 118sqm. They have large balconies and storage space.
The ground floor of the new building contains four commercial spaces (including a launderette and cafe) and common areas, such as a meeting room, guest room, multifunctional space and accessible toilets. The conserved underground level of the garage provides 26 car parking spaces for residents.
The total cost of the renovation between 2015-2019 was €19,800,000 ($21,400,000 USD). This money was spent as follows: 11% on the new student flats, assisted living unit and shared spaces; 32% on the refurbishment works and solar panels; 57% on the new building and courtyard.
The cooperative created a mixed finance model to fund the work. In addition to traditional long-term bank loans (30%) and equity (32%), it issued savings bonds to all cooperative members. The response from members was very positive and the organisation managed to raise 30% of the budget (€5,900,000 / $6,300,000 USD) in this way.
A further 30% of the cost was borrowed through bank loans, which were partly subsidised by the German Development Bank (KfW). The project also received 6% in grants from the City of Berlin for the senior and student apartments – a relatively low amount of public funding for this kind of project in Germany, which offers generous incentives for energy-efficient retrofits. However, the cooperative felt that a major investment of public funds would have required a more ambitious renovation and inevitably meant rent increases in the long term, going against its wish to maintain affordability for residents.
The results of the project have been disseminated and the partners continue to promote these strategies throughout Europe.
The project was selected for the City of Berlin’s Award for Experimental Housing Innovation (SIWA) with a grant of €1.2M ($1.3 M USD) from the German Senate and won Housing Europe’s European Responsible Housing Initiative (ERHIN) Award 2019 in the category ‘More than a roof’.
Social impact
It was important to 1892 to keep rents at affordable levels after the renovation. Real estate speculation and gentrification have caused a housing crisis in Berlin and there is a shortage of affordable homes in Wedding, much like other areas of the city centre. 1892 has more than 18,500 members, who are mainly existing tenants and people hoping to rent an affordable home. Prospective tenants for new apartments and student flats at Nettelbeckplatz were invited to apply over the summer 2019. Demand exceeded the availability of homes.
New members pay €300 ($323 USD) to buy a share in the cooperative. When they sign a rental contract, they must buy additional shares proportional to the size of their apartment. Tenants also pay monthly rents, which are below the local rental index. At Nettelbeckplatz there are two different levels: €9.50/sqm/month ($10.2 USD) in the new building, and €6.50/sqm/month ($7 USD) for the renovated homes. In some cases, the City of Berlin pays subsidies directly to the cooperative, which offers further reductions to low-income households, students, and seniors.
The fact that all residents are members of the cooperative means they share its core values, reinforcing social bonds and a sense of community. This is reflected in the low turnover of apartments. As cooperative members, students can stay in their homes after finishing their studies.
Environmental impact
The new solar panels at Nettelbeckplatz means residents now access a ‘tenant electricity’ price, which is 10% lower than the market rate. The improved windows, insulation of the roof and heating pipes further reduced tenants’ energy bills by around €120 ($129 USD) per year.
Residents have also been supported in understanding their energy consumption habits, through the capturing of energy use before and after the renovation. This process has encouraged some to become ‘green neighbours’ by changing or making better use of domestic appliances and giving each other tips on more environmentally friendly ways of living.
Nettelbeckplatz is home to tenants from different income groups, but mainly low- and medium-income households. Before starting the project, 1892 had identified that the share of Nettelbeckplatz residents over 65 years was over 40%, and people aged 80 years were above 13%. Many of them required accessible conditions or assisted living alternatives to be able to stay in Nettelbeckplatz. The adaptation of the building and dwellings to this reality was a central element to the project, to accompany this growing part of the cooperative’s members whilst bringing in younger families and students.
While the renovation of Nettelbeckplatz is complete, 1892 is monitoring renewable electricity production and energy savings at the estate and continues to work with tenants who commit to becoming ‘green neighbours. It hopes to use the lessons learned at Nettelbeckplatz in its other apartment blocks and is planning a similar extension on a building in south Berlin that will provide 20 new apartments and a 150-kW solar power plant.
Through 1892’s involvement in the DREEAM project, Nettelbeckplatz will also help shape energy-efficiency renovations at similar housing estates across Europe that emit high levels of CO2.
When the cooperative began its renovation in 2014, it wanted to address three key issues: climate change, affordability, and residential segregation. It has proved that old buildings can be made more energy efficient without destroying their character and that new homes can be built without losing green spaces. But, above all, the renovation has created a more socially diverse community and given more people on low and middle incomes a comfortable and affordable place to call home.
External links / documents
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