Construction on the "Loisenblock" project, a shipbuilding facility, resumes
The Luisenblock area, situated between Friedrichstraße station, Schiffbauerdamm, Luisenstraße, and the Stadtbahntrasse in Berlin-Mitte, has been a contentious urban development project for years. Critics have voiced concerns over the potential disappearance of protected historic buildings and the demolition of a historic office building at Schiffbauerdamm 19.
However, a new chapter seems to be unfolding for the Luisenblock Ost, a 16,000 square meter site that includes the protected historic building of the former GDR General Prosecutor's Office. After years of discussions, a compromise was found in 2021, spearheaded by the chairman of the Building Commission of the Bundestag, Wolfgang Kubicki (FDP).
This compromise appears to have majority support and involves adding another 15,000 square meters for various uses, with at least 140 million euros expected to be necessary for development. The state of Berlin aims to connect paths through the block to the elevated train arcades, create lively ground floors, provide affordable housing, and space for commercial premises.
The Luisenblock project will be divided, with the eastern part undergoing a new urban planning competition. This competition will be held and decided by the summer of 2022, with submissions for suggestions accepted until January 31, 2022. The search results do not provide explicit information about the architecture firm responsible for the design of the expansion of Luisenblock Ost during this period.
The urban planning competition will involve 15 architectural firms, and further participation events are planned until then. Another significant aspect of the project is the agreement between the Federal Office for Real Estate ("BImA") and trade union Verdi, which involves a property swap. The Verdi old building, part of this agreement, is also included in the Luisenblock site.
Meanwhile, the western part of the Luisenblock currently houses timber-framed Bundestag offices, which are temporary and will not remain for more than 15 years. The architectural firm Kusus and Kusus had designed a structural continuation of the "Belt of the Federation" in 2009, which would have filled the Luisenblock area. However, the building permit procedure for their prize-winning design was halted in 2020 due to lack of political majority and disagreement between project parties.
The division of the site raises questions about the feasibility of the urban planning concept of the federal government, as the section of Luisenstraße that has now been developed separately would have been the connecting piece to the rest of Luisenblock Ost. The Bundestag intends to build 105,000 square meters of gross floor area in the Luisenblock Ost, with a focus on office space.
The public has shown a clear desire for affordable housing, an attractive design of the riverside paths, revitalization of spaces under the S-Bahn overpass, and development of bike infrastructure on the new site. As the competition for Luisenblock Ost unfolds, these wishes will hopefully be incorporated into the final design, breathing new life into this long-contested urban development project.
