A new residential neighborhood is being built on Zwieseler Straße in Berlin-Karlshorst. To make way for it, an old chimney must be torn down.
On Friday, April 1, 2022, there was a lot of noise on the property at Zwieseler Straße 164. The developer, wvm Gruppe Berlin, cleared space for new housing in Berlin-Karlshorst by demolishing the old chimney on the site. Approximately 6.2 kilograms of explosives were needed to bring down the 23-meter-high chimney. The spectacle drew a crowd of residents and the local television station rbb.
What’s Being Built on the Site
On a plot of approximately 22,330 m², the wvm Group Berlin is developing a new residential neighborhood with about 300 apartments—30 percent of which will be publicly subsidized housing. A daycare center with about 50 spots and an underground parking garage with about 120 spaces round out the construction project. “Our goal is to develop a mixed-use neighborhood where we meet a variety of needs and foster social diversity in a pleasant environment,” says David Fischer, authorized signatory of the wvm Group Berlin.
A total of 15 buildings are arranged around a sheltered and landscaped courtyard, which is intended to serve as a gathering place for future residents to engage in various activities. The development is broken up by an interplay of hipped and flat roofs and varying building heights. The urban design concept was developed by the firm Nöfer Architekten.
Designed with sustainability in mind
Green roofs, provisions for charging stations in the underground parking garage, and a power supply using renewable energy are just a fraction of the sustainable planning concept that the developer wvm is pursuing for this project. “Sustainability is a key focus of our construction projects,” says David Fischer. “We are aware of our responsibility toward the environment and our society.”
Juliane Hein
Author