The Berlin strategy for
future development of large housing estates
- statement of position (date: 1997/98)
Monica Schümer-Strucksberg
With its large housing estates, Berlin is the largest pilot project to renovate Germany's industrial pre-fabricated slab-type housing construction. The renovation strategy started in 1991 for the slab-constructed housing stock (270,000 apartments with a population of over 700,000 in the east of the city - a further 360,000 people live in the west of the city in large- scale housing developments) is now becoming visible:
• 12 housing companies are being reorganised and housing services turned into customer- oriented service companies,
• 12 the surrounding residential environment is further developing, funded through a state subsidy programme now amounting to DM 400 million,
• 12 the ongoing "cure for the slab prefabs" with a state subsidy programme already totalling DM 1 billion,
• 12 supplementary new housing construction projects on the large-scale housing estates with some 2,000 apartments "in and around the prefabs", the completion of the infrastructure (school construction programme) as well as investment projects for the establishment and improvement of larger urban centres.
This project is to contribute to harmonising living conditions in the long-divided city. The planning projects and subsidy programmes are based on a strategy profiled in line with the experience gained from numerous projects, authorisation processes and accompanying research.
| Despite all their
deficiencies, the large housing developments on
Berlin's outskirts have outstanding potential for
sustainable development: • 12 Improving the buildings provides an opportunity to realise the latest developments in ecological construction within large building complexes. • 12 Renovation is possible at a quarter of the cost of new buildings.. • 12 Outstanding city train and subway connections to downtown Berlin ease the development's future integration into the city's functional network. • 12 The intact social mixture of residents can prevent slums and social conflicts from arising if living quality is improved with out delay,. (Source: Large Scale Estates Project Berlin-Hellersdorf: a sustainable strategy for industrially pre-fabricated housing developments: "best practice" nominated for HABITAT II. Publishers: Berlin Senate Department for Construction, Housing and Transport and Hellersdorf Housing Company |
The selected projects described below illustrate the major aspects of the overall housing estate development strategy.
| Strategy of Berlin's
state government for the development of
large-scale housing estates Basis • 12 Creation of communal housing companies in 1990 • 12 Analysis of the pre-fabricated slab buildings • 12 Analysis of urban construction, residential surroundings and social structure Aims • 12 To preserve and develop the entire housing stock • 12 To improve the image of the residential areas in the shortest possible time and upgrade various aspects of the surroundings and environment • 12 To integrate the housing developments into the city's functional network Action • 12 Urban planning, evaluations, competitions, scientific investigations, co-ordination committees, citizen participation and on-site offices • 12 Programme for residential environs • 12 Pre-fabricated block renovation programme • 12 Supplementary new housing construction "in and around the prefabs" • 12 Development of centres (Monica Schümer-Strucksberg in: German Seminar for Urban Planning and Economy (Ed.): Large new housing estates in the new Federal States - Commerce and Business. DSSW Publications No 17 Bonn 1995) |
The housing stock and construction materials
The stock of slab-constructed apartments is essential to Berlin, where there was a shortage of 100,000 apartments at the time of reunification. Allowing more mobile and wealthier tenants to force those not so well-off out of the pre-fabricated housing developments would be socially unacceptable and would cause high costs in the long run in other political arenas. The housing stock does indeed have the potential to be rehabilitated. A broad- based study of all construction series ("Slab Archive") registered the defects in different types of building and concluded that the long-term preservation of the all slab-constructed structures is possible for a quarter of the costs of comparable new construction - if the necessary investment capital is made available over a 15 year period.
The State of Berlin has set up a subsidy programme which, together with Federal funds, will enable the stabilisation of the construction materials of the total housing stock within 10 to 15 years. Rather than subsidise extensive single projects requiring large investments, the intention is to ensure the long-term management of the total stock by eliminating structural defects and stabilising the concrete substance. (In principle, therefore, improvements to roofs, windows, external walls- where insulation is necessary - and the entire pipe network are eligible for subsidies in each series.) This programme has been drawn upon in such a dynamic way that targets can be fully achieved.
One very important aspect has been to integrate the facade design into an overall urban planning context, and to promote harmonisation through agreements between the owners and the local authorities.
Supplementary new housing construction
The large housing estates in the east offer better preconditions for development than many large housing estates in states in the west: - because they are favourably located in open spaces and possess good connections to the local public transport system; - they cover a wide ground area which can be developed through new housing construction and integrated workplaces; - the structure of the population is socially balanced; - many residents have a strong desire to remain in their estate, a desire which is evidently stabilising and indeed increasing wherever major changes in the surroundings become apparent.
| The construction of new
housing can improve the urban spirit of the
settlements and contribute to providing
economically-viable housing situated to the needs
of the populace. Slab construction originally allowed only a schematic arrangement of individual buildings. New construction to complete corners, along streets, and on waste areas can improve the urban density of the complexes. The new buildings can provide space for urgently needed shops, medical and other services, public agencies, and also housing for groups with special requirements (senior citizens, handicapped people, large families, communal living arrangement, families with higher standards of living). Source: Project Large Scale Estates Berlin-Hellersdorf: a sustainable strategy for industrially pre-fabricated housing developments: "best practice" nominated for HABITAT II. Publisher: Berlin Senate Department for Construction, Housing and Transport and Hellersdorf Housing Company |
As a result of the increasing differences in income structures, part of the population have a growing desire for change with respect to the size of the apartment, its quality or new living arrangements, and greater demands are being voiced from within the housing developments themselves. It can be deduced from this that an additional 2,000 apartments will be required annually.
There is therefore already an urgent demand for supplementary new housing construction which can be used for the purposes of urban planning. As a consequence, the State of Berlin has reserved 10% of its housing construction subsidies for projects in and around the prefabricated slab estates. The supplementary housing construction projects present multi- faceted opportunities for mixed uses, combining areas for easy-to-reach facilities and services and small infrastructure agencies with improved apartments.
Only if new buildings are regularly constructed parallel to efforts to rehabilitate the current housing stock will it be possible for the homogenous age structure of the population to gradually transform in the medium term into a population age mix which is essential for stabilising the city districts. But public acceptance of the new supplementary buildings must be created. Our experience shows that consensus of interests is possible everywhere where careful, continuous participation programmes are conducted. This brings us to our third strategy element:
Integrated planning, participation and application processes
Construction of new buildings, preservation of existing stock and measures to upgrade residential surroundings are embedded in a highly integrated process of master-planning, public participation and project implementation. The co-ordination and management of all the related administrations, the involvement of the affected people and of experts and the packaging of complementary measures create a sense of responsibility and this generates efforts to carefully consider long-term targets. The cost of organising the participation and management process and also the planning and social support costs are recognised as eligible for subsidy within our programme outlined below.
Rehabilitation of the surroundings
Analogous to the investigations into the building substance, a comprehensive survey of the population structure, urban planning and infrastructure data and the free spaces was prepared for Berlin. A subsidy programme was developed on this basis, which provides for the rehabilitation of the surrounding areas in all (east) Berlin large housing developments over a period of 10 - 15 years with a subsidy of DM 400 million from the state budget. So far, 190 ha of private empty spaces have been improved, resulting in considerable changes in the city landscape, in the locality (the "address") and in the facilities for social, cultural and leisure activities.
Some example projects :
The residential surroundings start at the entrance to the building. Openness and quality reduce vandalism, the "address" is important to the residents. The entrance to the building and the surrounding area previously provided no room for social interaction, and there were no social or activity rooms for children and young people.
It became necessary to mobilise patrons to support initiatives and with the help of the housing companies to set up new rooms in cellars, ground floor apartments and new blocks of apartments. Tenants' terraces, gardens and semi-sheltered rest areas provide opportunities for development and communication.. Previously neglected courtyards now offer a variety of facilities for different age groups: water-sand corners, large play apparatus, outdoor seating, noisy ball-game playgrounds with noise- reducing surfaces. School playgrounds were ripped up and planted, facades covered with climbing plants and a extensive tree planting scheme have in the meantime considerably changed the appearance of the large housing developments.
| The following projects have
already been implemented in Berlin in the context
of the residential surroundings programme 1991 to
2005 • 12 228 ha private open spaces • 12 220 large courtyards • 12 364 playgrounds • 12 80 playing fields, 10 street ball areas • 12 18,545 newly-planted trees • 12 building entrance areas and waste collection sites were redesigned, tenants' terraces built and climbing plants planted to cover facades (Source: Senate Department for Construction, Housing and Transport 1996) |
"New architecture for housing and residential surroundings"
"New architecture for housing and residential surroundings" means consciously planning the large housing developments. The housing developments are the reality of urban housing in eastern German states and eastern Europe. It is imperative that they are maintained and improved if they are to become competitive residential areas and lively city districts looking to the future.
The dangers and also the potentials of these estates are so great that it is always worthwhile carrying out a serious ecologically- based cost-benefit analysis. Even for the medium term, the amount of resources needed to replace prefabricated slab-type buildings with new ones is much greater than the renovation of the existing stock. The work needed to rehabilitate buildings and open spaces permits the application of advanced low-input technologies and the use of regenerative energies. It becomes possible to promote the multiple use of small areas and to expand the amount of facilities available within easy reach, making a mixed town with short journey distances. The Berlin Strategy applied to the large scale development of the district of Berlin- Hellersdorf, whose development efforts have been nominated for "best practice" for HABITAT II, demonstrate in an exemplary manner that these do not have to remain noble theoretical demands and that environmentally-relevant potential can be used to gradually eliminate existing defects
Large scale housing developments in east Berlin with ongoing development of existing estates.
| Phase 1 Documentation
Registration and documentation of the existing structures (location, construction types, age, number and sizes of apartments, social and urban planning data) Phase 2 Registration of Damage Registration of typical damage and construction inspection of all construction series and ages. Collection of planning and construction documents. Making the material public "Slab Archive" Phase 3 Development of Technical Solutions Development of applicable technical solutions to eliminate damage and defects in all construction types and ages. Development of plans for measures and their costs. Making the material public. Phase 4 Determining the Costs Calculation of the costs and time schedule for the renovation of Berlin's entire stock of such buildings. Publication of the results. Phase 5 Renovation Catalogue Development of a renovation catalogue. Development of financing, sponsoring and support process for the entire stock. (Drawing up guidelines, setting priorities.) Phase 6 Political Decision Political decision by the administration and parliament on the renovation of the entire stock of slab buildings and on support for the measures (Budgeting and financial planning) Phase 7 Setting Priorities The owners set priorities for working on their respective properties. Co-ordination with the regional master plan, with new construction projects, and with residential area measures. Informing and participation by the public. (Advisory councils, forums, etc.) Phase 8 Design Consulting Design consultations (urban planning and design) in regional councils with the owners, administrations, planners and architects. Phase 9 Implementation Informing and participation by the tenants. The owners implement the measures. Phase 10 Evaluation Accompanying evaluation, control-checking the methods and conditions. The evaluation results are analyzed for future use. |
Planning and execution of the concrete-slab rehabilitation in the east Berlin large-scale housing developments