BE-U | Behrens-Ufer, Berlin

Location

Like many industrial and work sites of the 20th century, the site of today’s BE-U | Behrens-Ufer was designed and realised as a place of optimised production processes and efficient workplaces. The aspect of design and representation was only realised in the new building of the National Automobile Company (NAG) by means of architecture. The open spaces of the site were entirely determined by functional aspects and formed a traffic or functional space. From the very beginning, the character of the open space was characterised by large sealed areas and numerous infrastructures such as railway tracks. As the area of today’s BE-U has been used continuously since its construction, the open spaces have largely remained purely functional and traffic areas. In the course of development, a mosaic of materials, surfaces, open remnants and laid green spaces grew. As use and maintenance declined, however, (urban) nature gradually reclaimed the open space of the Behrensufer in places, primarily on disturbed, open areas and at break points or in joints in pavements.

Our idea is to take into account not only the history but also the present of the site. The existing building with its materiality and character forms the starting point for the future of the BE-U. In addition, the area will be given back its pre-industrial, pre-Behrens dimension of ‘natural space’ – a time when the ‘beautiful meadows’ on the banks of the Spree were still an excursion destination in the countryside.

The new green layer of the BE-U is a multi-layered, multidimensional space. As a natural space, it fulfils fundamental ecological functions (see biodiversity concept). It offers flora and fauna a wide variety of habitats and contributes to intelligent rainwater management in the neighbourhood. Furthermore, in combination with the historic ensemble of buildings, not only is a new address with a high recognition value being created, but also an experience space on the everyday walk through the green BE-U and along the banks of the Spree. In addition, various places for people and animals to meet, retreat and relax will be created in the green layer. The concept of the green layer develops spatially across all areas: Bank – ground-level open space – façade – roof area.

Open space

The two great advantages of the Behrens-Ufer are already in the name: On the one hand, the historical ensemble of buildings of the Peter Behrens Building, and on the other, the direct location on the banks of the Spree. Both aspects form the basis of the open space concept. The aim is to connect the landscape and natural space with the architecture. The different spaces are linked, made accessible and made tangible, historical traces are emphasised and new visual relationships are created. The open space will become the flagship of the Behrens-Ufer.
The open space, conceived as a green layer, represents a multi-dimensional structure – both spatially and in terms of content.
In addition to the existing areas of the street level (industrial park) and the shore (riverside park), both the vertical façades and the roof level (roof park) of the neighbourhood are linked by an ecologically sensitive open space design. Each area is given its own spatial character.

Design

In addition to the new, partly publicly accessible green spaces next to and on top of the new buildings, the ground-level industrial park is the most striking area, as this is where the history of the BE-U is materialised. The materials used as surfacing over large areas (industrial concrete slabs, in-situ concrete, mastic asphalt, slag paving stones and various natural paving stones) characterise the robust materiality of the open space. Remnants of the old railway tracks structure the existing pavement mosaic in several places like inlays. The design concept envisages creating unsealed areas for flora and fauna as well as rainwater retention in the new, large concrete pavement areas by polygonally cutting, moving and removing individual clods, analogous to the almost completely sealed existing area. In addition, historical materials such as paving stones will be reused as a kind of ‘historical window’ in individual removed sections. Furthermore, recycled broken slabs in other areas are intended to emphasise the post-industrial character of the site while allowing nature to gradually make its way along these broken edges.

The selection of the BE-U’s multi-layered vegetation goes beyond the purely aesthetic component. In addition to the ecological aspects (habitat, food), the climatic dimensions (shade, retention and evaporation, microclimate) are at the centre of the planning. The balanced combination of succession areas that are close to nature and therefore far removed from people, and recreational areas that are designed in detail and intensively maintained for people to relax, creates added value for the BE-U | Behrens-Ufer as a visionary production and work location.