Concept
A model neighborhood
Planned with a focus on social considerations and sustainability: the Schumacher Quartier is committed to concrete measures in the areas of construction, energy, water and mobility, and sees itself as a model neighbourhood for urban development in Berlin.
©Berlin TXL Management GmbH/ rendertaxi
Over 5,000 new flats are being built in the Schumacher Quartier to accommodate more than 10,000 people, along with the associated shopping facilities and public amenities. Plans include an educational campus comprising a primary school, a comprehensive school, a youth leisure centre and six nurseries.
The Schumacher Quarter has been designed to accommodate a diverse urban community. A variety of building styles and uses, subsidised housing and a range of housing models all contribute to a vibrant and socially mixed neighbourhood.
Interactive map
Explore Schumacher Quartier.
Made for tomorrow
Thinking about tomorrow today: in the Schumacher Quartier, renewable resources such as wood, as well as reused and recyclable building materials, are being used, amongst other things. The planned heating and cooling supply is based on a low-exergy network that incorporates, amongst other things, geothermal energy, heat pump technology, waste heat recovery and other renewable energy sources. Rainwater management based on the ‘sponge city’ principle, a low-car mobility concept with mobility hubs, and measures to promote biodiversity are also part of the concept.
This creates a neighbourhood in which measures to ensure low-emission and climate-resilient development are taken into account right from the start. (References for this statement)
Good for the climate, good for everyone
What is good for the climate is also good for people: many measures aimed at climate-resilient neighbourhood development also contribute to a high quality of life: a low-car mobility concept, extensive green spaces and open areas, short distances and energy-efficient infrastructure characterise the new neighbourhood. Around 30 hectares of public green spaces, playgrounds and town squares create additional spaces for leisure and relaxation. (References for this statement)
Learn more about our conceptual elements:
Various districts are being built on the five square kilometer Berlin TXL site:
Schumacher Quartier
To the east of the former airport site and extending slightly beyond it, the 46-hectare Schumacher Quartier is being developed. This new residential district will provide over 5,000 flats for more than 10,000 people – complete with associated facilities such as schools, nurseries, sports facilities, shopping amenities and extensive green spaces and open areas
As a socially mixed neighbourhood, the Schumacher Quartier is set to make a significant contribution to the German capital’s housing and urban development strategy. In a charter, all the partners involved have agreed on seven guiding principles for the development of the Schumacher Quartier:
- Urban living spaces
- Housing for all
- Urban greenery and public space
- Open educational landscape
- Climate-resilient and water-sensitive urban development based on the ‘sponge city’ principle
- A neighbourhood with a low-car mobility concept featuring mobility hubs, car-sharing and bike-sharing schemes
- Communication, participation and transparency
Urban Tech Republic
The former airport buildings and the surrounding areas are being transformed into the Urban Tech Republic, a research and industrial park where technologies for the city of tomorrow are researched, developed, produced, tested and exported. Here, science and research meet industry and commerce, and start-ups meet investors. And everyone works together to find solutions for the cities of tomorrow.
The curated site is intended to attract companies specialising in these six core areas of urban technology:
- efficient and innovative energy systems
- low-emission and connected mobility solutions
- sustainable water and rainwater management
- Recycling and the circular economy
- the use of new materials for resource-efficient and circular construction methods
- The networked control of systems
The existing buildings have a gross floor area of around 200,000 m². The campus will cover 39 hectares, the commercial strip 70 hectares and the industrial park 82 hectares. The total area of the Urban Tech Republic covers 202 hectares.
Users of the Urban Tech Republic will include start-ups, students, academics and established companies. Two important anchor users have already been confirmed: the Berlin University of Applied Sciences and the Berlin Fire and Rescue Academy (BFRA).
Several dozen companies are already on site and are using rental space in the former airport buildings and experimental areas on the former airfield. Up to 1,000 companies can settle here in the future; up to 20,000 jobs are expected to be created.
Tegeler Stadtheide
On the site where aeroplanes once took off, Grün Berlin is developing and operating a unique leisure and recreation area for Berlin over the coming years. The Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protection has entrusted Grün Berlin with the task of implementing the necessary development and conservation measures for the Tegeler Stadtheide landscape. The 190-hectare site encompasses the protected transitional area between the new urban districts to the south and east of the former airport site and the existing landscape conservation areas of Flughafensee and Jungfernheide to the north and west. The aim is to create an open space that combines nature, living and working, whilst permanently safeguarding habitats for animals and plants.
Compared with the airport’s previous operations, the use of the site will change fundamentally. Before the airport closed, more than 70,000 people passed through the airport grounds every day. A mobility concept has been developed for Berlin TXL which focuses, amongst other things, on public transport, cycling, sharing schemes and a low-car neighbourhood.
Not in the short term. The site was closed when air traffic ceased. However, our Infocenter Berlin TXL in Building V is available for you to obtain information, visit exhibitions or take part in events, and you can also book the premises for your event.
To enable as many people as possible to discover this special place, guided tours of the site are available to book. The two-hour outdoor tours can be booked at https://museumsdienst.berlin. In addition, events are held in specific areas of the site.
Outside of these offers, the area is inaccessible and secured against unauthorized access. As soon as the respective construction phases are completed, the site will gradually become accessible to the public.
Grün Berlin GmbH is responsible for the expansive landscape area north and west of the Urban Tech Republic. Several new access points will also be created there in the future. Currently, the Stadt Natur campus already offers a number of guided tours and events on-site at the Tegeler Stadtheide.
Quite a lot. Apart from the huge landscaped area, which will be freely accessible, there will be a variety of attractive sports and exercise facilities: Playgrounds, multi-sports facilities and fitness and health points along running routes. A roller derby track, a street skate facility, a streetball facility, a bicycle course, a parcours and calisthenics facility and much more will be offered on the runway and taxiway surface. A bouldering facility, a grass ball sports area, an area for frisbee golf and an outdoor fitness area are planned for the park’s green spaces.
All sports and play areas in the neighborhood and landscape park will be designed with gender requirements in mind and as barrier-free as possible to support joint play. Shade roofs and seating, picnic tables and informal stands will be arranged in the sports and play areas to create a variety of meeting points.
Downloads on the topic
Schumacher Quartier – The Charter
With its principles and guidelines, the Schumacher Quartier Charter forms the basis for forward-looking neighborhood development. (Only available in German)
Quarter book part A
The neighborhood book summarizes which visions and concepts are to shape spaces and design in the new urban neighborhood. It is an introduction and guide so that the neighborhood can gradually take shape. Part A describes and records the key issues of the neighborhood. (Only available in German).
Quarter book part B
Part B formulates the design framework for the development of the neighborhood, acting as a “guide” and defining both rules and site-specific specifications for implementation. (Only available in German)
Urban development framework plan
Here you can find the urban development framework plan of the Schumacher Quartier.