Construction on the "Loisenblock" project, a shipbuilding site, is set to commence once more.
The Luisenblock area, situated between Friedrichstraße station, Schiffbauerdamm, Luisenstraße, and Stadtbahntrasse in Berlin-Mitte, is set to undergo a significant transformation. This urban development project, which includes the protected historic building of the former GDR General Prosecutor's Office, has been the focus of much discussion and planning over the years.
In 2009, architectural firm Kusus and Kusus proposed a plan to extend the 'Band des Bundes' designed by Axel Schultes, which would have filled the Luisenblock area. However, the building plan procedure for the 'Luisenblock Ost' area was halted in 2020 due to a lack of political majority for the design by Kusus and Kusus. The design was criticized for years due to the potential demolition of historic buildings and a historic office building at Schiffbauerdamm 19.
In 2021, a compromise was found for the restart of the 'Luisenblock Ost' project, initiated by the chairman of the building commission of the Bundestag, Wolfgang Kubicki (FDP). The urban planning competition for the eastern part of the Luisenblock, approximately 16,000 square meters in size, is scheduled to take place and be decided by the summer of 2022, with further participation events planned until then. 15 architecture firms will participate in this competition.
Meanwhile, the temporary timber-framed Bundestag offices built on the western part of the site are not intended to remain for more than 15 years. The Bundestag intends to build 105,000 square meters of gross floor area for offices in the Luisenblock Ost area, with an additional 15,000 square meters for other uses.
The state of Berlin wants to prioritize connecting paths through the block to the elevated railway arcade, lively ground floors, affordable housing, and commercial areas to avoid a government location. To this end, the Federal Office for Real Estate ('BImA') and trade union Verdi agreed to exchange properties, with Verdi receiving a plot for a new building directly on the Spree instead of the old building whose facade is to be preserved.
Citizens have expressed a desire for affordable housing, attractive riverside paths, activation of spaces under the S-Bahn overpass, and development of bike infrastructure on the new site. Interested parties can submit their suggestions for the Luisenblock project until January 31, 2022, via a specific website.
It is assumed that at least 140 million euros will be necessary to develop the Luisenblock Ost area accordingly. The exact architectural firm currently developing the expansion of the Federal Ministry of Finance, which is not directly related to the Luisenblock project, has not been explicitly named in the available search results. Staab Architects are designing the expansion of the Ministry of Finance, but this fact is also not directly related to the Luisenblock project.
Further projects in Mitte can be found on a specific website, but this fact is not directly related to the Luisenblock project. The public participation event for the project revealed that citizens have a strong interest in the development of this significant urban area in Berlin-Mitte.
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