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English version will be available soon. Meanwhile, please find the key facts about Schumacher Quartier below.
©Tegel Projekt GmbH/macina
Berlin is growing and needs affordable housing. After the closure of Tegel Airport a new, smart residential district will be developed on its grounds. Schumacher Quartier closes the historic gap in the western sector of Kurt-Schumacher-Platz. Schumacher Quartier will provide upwards of 5,000 homes for more than 10,000 people, together with the corresponding amenities such as schools, daycare centers, shopping facilities, and lots of greenery. A further 4,000 homes are planned for the neighboring districts of Cité Pasteur and TXL Nord.
As it will be a sustainable and socially diverse area, Schumacher Quartier will make an important contribution to the strategy for housing construction and urban development in the German capital. In a Charter all partners involved have agreed upon seven guidelines for the development of Schumacher Quartier:
- Urban living spaces
- Housing for everyone
- Urban green space and public areas
- Open educational landscape
- Climate-friendly and water-sensitive urban development
- District with environmentally-friendly mobility guaranteed
- Communication, participation, and transparency
In the immediate vicinity of Schumacher Quartier an innovation park for urban technologies will be developed on an area of 202 ha: Berlin TXL – The Urban Tech Republic. The green technologies of the future that are developed and produced in the Urban Tech Republic will be used in Schumacher Quartier.
The total area of Berlin TXL (residential area, innovation park, and landscape park) covers a total surface area of 5 km2, which is about five percent of the metropolitan area of Paris.
Project area Berlin TXL – Schumacher Quartier
- 46 ha of project area (of which 29 ha on the former airport grounds)
- More than 5,000 residential units for more than 10,000 residents
- Floor area ratio (FAR): 2.5 with individual high points
- Location: between Kurt-Schumacher-Platz (in the east), airport tunnel (west), Sternstraße housing development (north), Kurt-Schumacher-Damm (south) Neighboring districts: Cité Pasteur 18 ha, TXL Nord 30 ha with a total of 4,000 residential units
Utilization concept
- The new “Berlin mix” offers areas for housing, retail, services, and non-disruptive business activity.
- There will be more than 5,000 residential units of different types:
- 50% multi-story residential construction (predominantly rental apartments) by state-owned housing construction companies – prospectively degewo, GESOBAU, Gewobag
- 40% various residential types, built by cooperatives and private construction groups
- 10% student housing
- Share of subsidized rents: approximately 35-40%
- In addition, there will be two schools as well as sports and youth facilities on an education campus.
- The range of facilities is complemented by six daycare centers.
Schumacher Quartier as Smart City
- Model project: Schumacher Quartier is the project of reference in Berlin for climateadapted and water-sensitive urban development.
- Mobility concept: Schumacher Quartier becomes a car-free district with its own bicycle lanes and bicycle highways. District garages on the outskirts serve as mobility hubs with provision for public transportation, bike- and car-sharing, and e-mobility. In addition, the innovation park will be connected to the regional network for cycling and public transportation.
- Energy concept: A low-energy network, unique in the world for its size, supplies Berlin TXL with sustainable heating and cooling. The result is a digitalized marketplace for thermal energy with prosumers, who both consume and produce energy.
- FUTR Hub: A networked digital infrastructure will be built in Berlin TXL with the FUTR Hub high-performance IT platform. Urban data will be integrated into the FUTR Hub for smart environmental monitoring, traffic, and energy and rainwater management, as well as intelligent control systems for technical infrastructure, and the processes for facility management at the site will be mapped.
- Sustainable construction: The aim is to be certified according to the criteria of the DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council). Moreover, with Schumacher Quartier the largest timber-constructed district in the world will become a reality.
- Biodiversity as a planning principle: Animal-Aided Design means that Berlin TXL becomes a habitat and refuge for a wide variety of animal species.
Open space concept
- In Schumacher Quartier and the immediate vicinity there will be around 30 hectares of public green spaces, playgrounds, and public squares, for example a district park for the residents.
2/4 - Close to 200 hectares of the “Tegeler Stadtheide” landscape west of the Schumacher Quartier will become part of the already existing local recreation area on the other side of the former airport grounds, giving residents of Berlin a large, new recreational space in close proximity to nature. Grün Berlin GmbH is the company responsible for its development.
- A landscape park forms the transition between the Urban Tech Republic and the adjacent Schumacher Quartier district to the east.
Participatory planning process
- 2008: Green light given for public discussion on the future of the airport grounds in Tegel.
- 2009 to 2012: The idea for the innovation park results from a workshop process – proposals are drafted by six international teams comprising architects, city planners, and landscape designers, which are then further developed together with experts, administration, and stakeholders from Berlin’s general public.
- June 9, 2011: The Berlin Parliament approves the goals of the zoning plan and the landscape program.
- 2013: The master plan is adopted by the Senate of Berlin with binding effect.
- From 2016: The increasing demand for housing space in Berlin gives rise to further development of Schumacher Quartier.
- 2017: The outline for urban planning is further developed in four SQ Labs together with experts at state and regional level into a framework that serves as the basis for further planning for the residential district.
- 2016/17: An integrated urban development concept (ISEK) is developed with broad participation from the public in which more than 80 measures are launched linking Schumacher Quartier to existing city spaces and complementing the social and green infrastructure.
- 2018: The development plans for parts of the Urban Tech Republic and for the Schumacher Quartier are presented in public in November.
- 2019: Decision is taken on the landscape planning competition for the district and landscape parks.
- 2020: An information center is being set up on site following the closure of the airport.
- Interested members of the public can participate constructively in public site conferences from the beginning of the plans.
Implementation timeline
- August 2021: Acquisition of the grounds by Tegel Projekt GmbH
- Beginning 2022: Installation of site logistics, construction roads and start of civil engineering works; allocation of land
- 2027: Completion of the first residential buildings and of the education campus
- Completion of the district is by the mid-2030s
Site development by Tegel Projekt GmbH
The State of Berlin has commissioned Tegel Projekt GmbH with the development and management of Berlin TXL – the Urban Tech Republic, and of Schumacher Quartier. The state-owned business employs 76 people. Their tasks include planning for the construction of buildings and for the technical, transport and energy infrastructure, construction and site management, as well as space marketing and communicating with the general public about the project.
