This is the look of the new, trendsetting district
For the redesign of the area, Siemens and the City of Berlin had launched a competition for architects to develop an urban planning design. Such a design represents the building and spatial structure with possible uses and provides a direction for the redesign of the public space. Building on this, a construction plan will be developed.
Our first milestone was reached in January 2020: the high-profile jury decided for the competition winner in a two-day meeting!
We have reached another milestone in turning the historic industrial icon Siemens in Spandau into a place of the future in Berlin. A new, livable district will be created where citizens can live, work, learn and conduct research. We are bringing the neighborhood to us in Siemensstadt. We are bringing Berlin and the world to us.
17 ideas for the new Siemensstadt²
The exhibition on the urban planning competition Siemensstadt², which was on exhibit in the Mosaic Hall of the Siemens administration building until March 10, 2020, can now be visited online as a 360-degree tour.
Discover all 17 submitted designs of the urban planning competition virtually. Take a close look at the jury's assessment and the architects' ideas. Click through a picture gallery, wander through the Mosaic Hall and experience it up close - worldwide and always available.
A total of 16 judges (and their deputies) made up the top-class jury. In addition to internationally renowned architects and urban planners, representatives of the City of Berlin and Siemens were part of the team. The jury was advised by over 50 experts for a wide range of specialist areas.
In July 2019, Siemens and the state of Berlin selected and invited a total of 18 architecture and urban planning firms for the competition. The offices set up expert teams, including landscape architects and other experts in transport, infrastructure, monument conservation and sustainability. They got 3.5 months to create their designs.
The main topics were:
- Looking at the history
- Aiming for CO2 neutrality
- Trailblazing urban district
- Smart city of tomorrow
- Appeal beyond Berlin
On more than 200 pages, Siemens and the City of Berlin described the status quo, the project, its environment, the planning specifications and the exact task with texts, photos and plans.
The competition designs
The decision was not an easy one: tabula rasa or continuity? Monument protection or new skyscrapers? The architects approached the task in very different ways, and each of the designs had its fans on the jury. Nevertheless, the experts finally agreed unanimously: The Berlin office Ortner & Ortner Baukunst (with Capatti Staubach landscape architects, Berlin) wins the competition. Their design shows that history and future technologies belong together in the new Siemensstadt.