Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Am Tacheles District

AM TACHELES, one of the last major gaps in Berlin’s Mitte district, is now to be closed after many years. As an architectural highlight of the suburb of Spandau, the Friedrichstrassenpassage, which was opened in 1908, once linked Friedrichstrasse and Oranienburger Strasse. After the area lay fallow for a number of years and was eventually acquired in 2014 by an investment fund associated with Aermont Capital, the project developer pwr development is now constructing a district based on an urban planning concept by the internationally renowned architects at Herzog & de Meuron, which picks up on the area’s history. At the same time, the historical connection is being incorporated and reinterpreted. With the completion of the project, a patch of land that has lain fallow for decades is set to become an extraordinary piece of the city. The core of the concept, based on the historical urban fabric, is the creation of an open, contemporary and lively district designed for various purposes and featuring high-quality architecture.

With AM TACHELES, an extraordinary area for living, working, shopping, art and culture is taking shape over 85,000 m2 of total usable space in the heart of the German capital. Alongside Herzog & de Meuron from Basel, project developer pwr development is also working with Berlin-based architects Grüntuch Ernst and the Brandlhuber + Muck Petzet studio. The Swiss architects are acting as the creative directors and ensuring that in spite of the variety of building typologies, AM TACHELES will evolve into a harmonious, balanced ensemble. They are being supported in the planning by Aukett + Heese, as well as RKW Architektur and Vogt Landschaftsarchitekten.

Ten eye-catching buildings will make up AM TACHELES, of which seven are very individually designed residential buildings and three office premises that will create work environments full of inspiration and possibility. Retail and hospitality outlets will line the public spaces and the historical passageway, while the Bernsteinplatz will form one of the largest plazas in the Mitte district.

Behind a historical façade, the former Kunsthaus Tacheles will once again become a venue for culture. High-grade office buildings will cover approx. 41,500 m2, while 12,000 m2 is earmarked for retail spaces around the squares and the public thoroughfares. The tenancy process will begin with the groundbreaking ceremony. On top of this there will be around 275 homes of various types and sizes measuring from 25 m2 to 250 m2. Sale of these homes will begin in early 2020.

Herzog & de Meuron are also responsible for planning the district’s biggest building on the site of the former Friedrichstrassenpassage, which formed an important link between Friedrichstrasse and Oranienburger Strasse at the start of the 20th century. This connection is being recreated and will form one of the most exciting urban spaces in Berlin. Herzog & de Meuron will also take care of the respectful and careful renovation of the Kunsthaus Tacheles, and the Swiss architecture firm is also planning further office and commercial developments as well as residential buildings.

The district will be completed by various buildings being planned by Grüntuch Ernst Architekten and the joint studio of Brandlhuber + Muck Petzet.

Pierre de Meuron explains the urban planning concept: “We are using the existing buildings that have stood the test of time to consolidate the block once again. The fragment will regain its body, but purely as a structure – an internal alleyway that recreates the crucial link between Friedrichstrasse and Oranienburger Strasse. In future, the Tacheles building will be integrated and revitalized with its planned cultural purpose, and the depth of the area’s history will become tangible again, yet progressive and further developed at the same time. The remaining part of the block, too, draws its inspiration from the historical urban plans, with our aim being to respect the context and to find a form that is simultaneously unmistakable and new.”

Sebastian Klatt, Managing Director of project developer pwr development GmbH, explains the project: “We will create an attractive mix of different types of housing and are increasing the residential proportion significantly with 35 percent more than in the previous planning. On the 25,000 m2 site, an open public district is developing with various possible uses, eye-catching and cosmopolitan architecture and three public squares. We want to breathe new life into the area and establish a unique location for culture, trade and housing. AM TACHELES will be a modern and open urban district that combines unique architecture with historic structures.”

Some important milestones were reached for the development of the district in 2019, with the last of the eleven planning permits issued at the beginning of the year. For the overground high-rise-construction, the renowned Hochtief Infrastructure has been brought on board as the building contractor.

Furthermore, a project loan of more than EUR 601 million has recently been agreed with a bank consortium consisting of DZ HYP (lead arranger), Berliner Sparkasse, Deutsche Hypo, NordLB and Investitionsbank Berlin, so the project is now fully financed.

The first structural preparations were begun on the site in early 2016 with the clearing of residual structures and rubble from the land by the company Eggers Umwelttechnik, followed by the digging of construction trenches by the firm Stump, Implenia and Keller, all of which has now been completed. August 2018 saw the start of shell construction at the basement level by Köster, and on the overground levels by Hochtief Infrastructure. According to current plans, the first building will be ready for occupation in early 2022 and the final building probably by early 2023.

THE FORMER KUNSTHAUS TACHELES

The former Kunsthaus Tacheles is heritage-listed and is being carefully renovated by Herzog & de Meuron with preservation of and respect for the traces of the past. The former Kunsthaus Tacheles is to be reestablished as a cultural venue and given a new lease of life. Project developer pwr development is currently holding intensive talks about an international museum concept, including restaurant and event facilities. pwr development will inform the general public as soon as these talks are concluded.

ABOUT PWR DEVELOPMENT

Investment Manager Aermont Capital, which emerged from Perella Weinberg and operates Europe-wide, acquired the Tacheles site in June 2014 with the Perella Weinberg Real Estate Fund II.

In order to guarantee the best possible realization of the AM TACHELES development plans in situ, pwr development was founded as a German project development subsidiary based at Hackescher Markt. pwr development boasts a team with many years of experience in the full range of project development and thus guarantees professional realization of the development plans.