©AG Sonnenberg
The former depot of the city's municipal cleaning service on the southern Sonnenberg offers plenty of space for new, creative ideas.
Characterising history
The premises were built around 1923 and were actively used until 1994 to house the vehicle fleet, administration and as a maintenance and storage area. In addition, large infrastructure areas without existing buildings characterise the site, which has a total area of 12,000 square metres.
©Kapok Architekten
The new gateway to Sonnenberg
The development scenario has the task of making a previously closed area visible to the outside world, opening it up to the public for discovery and inviting them to linger.
A total of five buildings with a usable area of around 6,000 square metres will undergo low-threshold refurbishment by 2025 in order to preserve the character of the site and leave plenty of scope for use. The basis for the entire development of the site is the development scenario by the architectural firm KAPOK Berlin, which was approved by the city council in spring 2021 and has identified the potential of the site.
A colourful mix
The Sonnenberg area has the potential to integrate a diverse and dynamic mix of uses. This is made up of workshops, studios, music rooms and spaces for exhibitions and events.
The area of the Stadtwirtschaft is divided into three separate courtyards, with each courtyard being assigned specific activities by creative professionals:
1. creative courtyard (Kreativhof): serves as a creative exchange between users of the area and visitors.
2. production courtyard (Produktionshof): Provides space for productive manufacturing processes and individual experimentation.
3. event courtyard (Eventhof): Enables flexible use for events, temporary events and performative use.
The courtyards are externally characterised by gatehouses (P) and display façades (F).
In addition, space is provided for communal activities, such as the neighbourhood canteen ('Kiezkantine') or a district warehouse, which is available to both tenants and the neighbourhood. There are also facilities for children, hobbyists and business start-ups within the Stadtwirtschaft.
Integration of participation formats
Throughout the entire process, the area will be designed with various participation formats for citizens to involve the neighbourhood. The ‘Stadtwerkstatt’ has already been created for this purpose, as a place for open workshops on site and neighbourhood development or curated events.
Want to get involved too? Take a look at all the formats and get in touch with us.