Tempelhof Design Studio

2% MOREBerlin

Intro

The Tempelhof airport closed all operations on October 30, 2008. The site area of 899 acres is located in the very heart of Berlin, the capital of Germany. According to the proposal, the whole airfi eld is able to provide a living space for approximately 60.000 inhabitants. That is 2% of today’s Berlin population. 2% MORE.

Tempelhof was fi rst offi cially designated as an airport on October 8th 1923. The terminal build-ing, designed by Prof. Ernst Sagabiel was built in 1934 and became one of the largest buildings of the world. It is advantageously located in the center of the city, surrounded by high-density ur-ban structure from all four sides. The distance between the airport and the historical Museen Insel (Museum Island) is no longer than 5 kilometers.

The Berlin Airlift was one of the most important events in the history of the airport. In 1948, a part of Berlin became an island of the west within the Eastern Bloc. While the Soviet authorities blocked all traffi c by land and water. The air corridors were the only access to the city of Berlin. For eleven months the aircraft was the only way of supply inhabitants of the city with tons of food, coal and other necessary items. The last aircraft touched down at Tempelhof on September 30th 1949.

Both runways were incorporated in the plan to commemorate the history of the airport. Even though the plan is to fi ll the site with a dense urban structure within next 6o years, the runways will always stay visible as scars on the face of the Berlin city.

Mission Statement

The main goal of the proposal is the full integration of the newly designed quarter into the exist-ing urban environment.

Integration: new quarter as a part of Berlin’s city ecosystem, integration into existing urban en-vironment, interconnection between the new and the existing (public transport system, housing vs. commerce, new vs. existing facilities), acceptance of positive infl uence and protection from nega-tive infl uence of surrounding areas

Development: no strictly commercial or residential areas, which will be empty during certain times of a day, quarter which will be functional not only in the next few decades, places designed for sequential development

People and Environment: acceptable scale of spaces, a large amount of green areas, intercon-nected public spaces, safe-feeling, places attractive for strolling, sitting, watching other people, easy orientation, character and atmosphere, presence of historical importance of the space

The Plan

Road network The traffi c on the site is organized according to the two main arteries running north-south and east-west. In the central portion of the site these go underneath the park to avoid traffi c in close proximity to the calm area. The secondary street network is derived on one hand from the surrounding structures and on the other from existing shapes and roads on the airfi eld. Above these standard city elements are the two runways. The use of the runways is explained further in the text below.

Bicycle and pedestrian network Sidewalks are designed for convenient use for both pedestrians and cyclists. The width is approximately 5 meters. There is a secondary pedestrian and bicycle network proposed. This independent network connects the main plazas and cuts straight through building blocks. This structure is designated with red color paving for easier orientation .

Public transportation Proposed is one new U-Bahn line, running from the north-east Berlin south to the Tempelhof and further south to connect the distant quarters to the city centre. On the Tem-pelhof site are two new stations – in the central and in the southern part of the site. The south station provides connection to the S-Bahn. There is a large Park and Ride structure proposed in closed proximity to the south station. The second part of the public transportation are the buses. Proposed is one new bus line running from the south U-Bahn station to the north. Some existing bus lines, which terminate in the surrounding area are extended to connect the Tempelhof site with the existing network.

Buildings & Uses As the main point of interest, the former Tempelhof terminal building is turned into a university. The second signifi cant element is the stripe of offi ce buildings running along the southern highway. It creates a noise barrier to the site. The facades facing the highway attract the drivers. The rest of the site is organized according to mixed use principles. There are proposed 8 kindergartens, 3 elementary schools and 2 high schools. Most of the retail-oriented buildings are in close proximity to main streets. The retail is in the street level spread all over the site.

Public open spaces There are series of open spaces of different character of the site. In the fi rst layer are the former runways, which are turned into pedestrian friendly areas used for strolling. First they serve for commemorating the history of the site (“Why do they have such giant paved strips in Berlin?”). Second for temporary open air exhibits of giant sculptures and large format photography. In the second layer is the series of plazas interconnected with independent pedes-trian paths. As these paths cut through the blocks, they open a third level of open spaces. Some of the inner courtyards become accessible. To support this accessibility there are some public build-ings proposed in these courtyards. For example kindergartens, small libraries, cafés, art-galleries etc. The parks are also part of the public open spaces layout. Proposed are four main park struc-tures – the Transition park, the University park, the City park and the Linear park. The Transition park in the west creates a smooth transition from the existing to the new. The character is formal. The University park provides an escape from the city for students, families and for all people not only from close surrounding. It is a large wooded area with open meadows and one central plaza. The park is suitable for a mix of different uses – picnic, running, studying, sports, stroll-ing, open air concerts, etc. On the other hand the City park is very formal with its strict pattern of paths. It is designed for people to take a coffee break and for more formal gatherings. The last park in this series is the Linear park, running through the business quarter from east to west. The park copies part of the original egg shape of the site. As a long strip it provides place for differ-ent activities to happen. We can fi nd a bicycle trail there, sculptures suitable for climbing, play-grounds for kids and adults and much more.

Phasing Phasing is most obvious in the phasing diagrams. Basically, the development starts along the edges and goes with the infrastructure further to the core of the site. The time span is proposed for the next 50 years and should be fl exible. Some places, blocks, areas do not have to be developed at all to not cause a heart-attack to Berlin.

The Idea

Intro The next step after developing the master plan for the whole discontinued airport was a closer focus on one particular area and further development of it. In this case it is the southern edge of the site, which combines many signifi cant and unique features. The fi rst and most im-portant fact is, that this area lies directly at the borderline between the existing and proposed environment. Second, it is an important transportation hub with a crossing of a newly proposed U-Bahn line (running north-south) and existing “ring” S-Bahn line. Next the chosen site is creating an imaginary south gate to the proposed urban area and particularly to the southern commercial quarter.

Goals The goal is to achieve a clear urban environment, pedestrian and human friendly area with signifi cant and easily recognizable elements, which on one hand are not disturbing and on the other hand will give an unique unmistakable look to the area. The design is focused on the inte-gration and unifi cation of all the units on the site (building, stations, bridge) but at the same time clear distinction between functions of each other. Another important idea is the sensitive behavior towards the natural conditions, using or reusing natural resources according to current needs of the development.

Initial thoughts and ideas The basic issue was straightforward from the beginning. The lowest level railway, the next level subway, the top level street. The main problem was not how to get people to the site, but how to keep them on the site for longer time than it is actually necessary to transfer from railway to subway. How to create an attractive space out of crossing of two rail lines. On top of that the space is partially sunken. The lowest platform is about 14 meters below the street level. The next challenge appeared immediately – bringing the light down under-ground.

The most important move was the establishment of the 10 by 10 meters grid of columns.

In the very beginning there was a broadminded idea of all these interchangeable units and func-tions, which will be customized during the years (decades). All the items will be connected by the basic element – the grid. That provided a perfect base for the intended fl exibility. By studying the project more in depth this solution started to be more and more detached from the real world and started to loose its potential. Mainly because of the clear boundary between the city struc-ture and the underground structure without any connection.

Instead the process changed direction to incorporate the two adjacent buildings with the space of the transportation hub. The process started to connect the sunken area with the proposed urban environment. This move was the most important in the whole development evolution because of avoiding separation of the two realms – the urban environment and the station.

Design development One of the best describing words of the development process is: simplifi ca-tion. Simplifi cation of the whole system of elements was suggested from the beginning by propos-ing the strong grid system. Basically all the elements of the project came sooner or later to the phase of direct relationship to the fundamental grid. After looking at all other possible design solutions the return to the original grid became more and more apparent.

Two basic functions – transportation and attraction determine the activities in the area. Trans-portation function is provided by commuters on their way to work and home (some of them might work in the proposed building, some might not), also by residents occupying the top two levels of the designed building. The attraction function could be divided into two groups – seasonal and long term. Long term attractions are fi rmly anchored and incorporated into the lower levels of the building (publicly accessible street level and underground – subway level).

“Form does not follow the function.” Roman Koucky, Elementary Urbanism Book 2.0

The whole project is meant to be as fl exible and adaptable as possible. Unifi ed by means of the translucent roof structure, it offers a space for changing environment. The simple scheme of the plaza allows introducing a wide range of activities and a high level of adjustment. The grid system and column system of the building helps creating open or enclosed spaces according to current needs.

The basic scheme of the area has been defi ned in the earliest phases of development. Two rail lines crossing in right angle in two levels underground. The adjacent high-rise building became part of both stations and the most important entry point as well. The whole concept was literally covered with one roof structure. One one hand it has the typical function of every other roof – protection from weather (in this particular case from rain), on the other it is supposed to provide unifi cation and clear identifi cation of the site. To express the direct relationship between the build-ing and the underground area, the roof fl uently changes direction from horizontal to vertical and becomes the double skin facade of the adjacent building.

The light roof structure creates a kind of space with a smooth distinction between what is inside and what is outside. Imagine yourself standing at the platform and waiting for the train, even though there is a roof above your head protecting you from different weather conditions (direct sunlight, rain), you are in direct visual connection with the outdoor space, without any solid barrier.

The direct visual connection is one of the basic principles, which has been determined in the fi rst steps and never changed. The aim is to achieve a visual connection between spaces with different grades of activities. More active spaces become an attractive focal point for observers who might not want to participate in action.

“Wherever there are people – in buildings, in neighborhoods, in city centers, in recreational areas, and so on – it is generally true that people and human activities attract other people. People are at-tracted to other people”. Jan Gehl: Life Between Buildings

The visual connection between different places in the project brings in the task of the connection between the major levels – between the street (highest) and S-Bahn (lowest) level. The lowest level, sunken 14 meters underground might naturally become an unattractive dark area. There-fore the importance of bringing light and life underground is more than desirable. Introducing an easy access, overall openness, and visual connection helps the spatial orientation. The roof struc-ture is designed to cover only as much area as necessary. The facade of the adjacent building was designed to refl ect the sunlight and to bring it underground. Literally.

Conclusion The project underwent a lot of changes since the fi rst days. Most of them were minor and naturally led to a clear defi nition and to developing details in smaller and smaller scale. Some ideas had to be given up to bring the proposal as close to the reality as possible. Especially in terms of a budget and build ability. The process was focused on simplifi cation according to needs of the occupants, was meant to be fl exible and adaptable.

The Life

Natural character of the area The whole site served as an airport for more than seventy-fi ve years. That causes one major issue, which cannot be left behind – the soil contamination. The further developed area is at the edge of the whole site, not in close proximity to the runways, so the pollution is not as high as in the most exposed areas of the Tempelhof site. The solution of this issue is involved in the concept of long-term development. It has been taken into account that the process of healing of the soil by means of a suitable planting scheme must start as soon as pos-sible and be continuous during the development time.

Air The design concept allows natural air fl ow for most part of the design elements. This effect will be achieved through the elaborated system of the light roof which transforms fl uently into the double skin facade.

Water The most of the rainwater from the roof of the building and from the roof sheltering the plaza will be fi ltered and collected into underground storage tanks. Then the water will be used for watering the planting system on the site. Rainwater will be collected from each roof unit sepa-rately (through the hollow supporting column) and then drained to the common drainage system underground. The planting system is designed to minimize the wasting of rainwater thanks to the ratio between the paved and lawn area.

Noise One of the main issues resulting from the character of the site is the volume of the traffi c noise. The main source of noise will be the S-Bahn railway. The impact of the U-Bahn subway will be a little lower. Since there is no possible way how to deal with the source of the noise, some sec-ondary elements must be added to eliminate as much noise as possible. The noise level decreases as it gets further and further away from its source. The factors attributing to the weakening are: the absorption by air, the distance from the source and in this particular case the most important solid sound barriers.

Since from the basic concept the character of the entry plaza is to be a large open space par-tially covered with a light structure, there is a need to develop a more elaborated noise reduction barrier system which will be fully incorporated into the design. This system includes for example: noise reducing panels on the garage structure, planting scheme, choice of paving materials. The roof material EFPE is very light and its ability to refl ect sound is minimal, which is an advantage for the plaza space, since the noise will not be refl ected back and will not create echo effect. It is a disadvantage in case of the double skin facade. The only noise protecting layer of the building is then the primary thermo-insulating facade.

Greenery was incorporated in the project from the very beginning and creates an integral part of the proposal.

As mentioned above, trees became a part of the primary tree system to help shape the whole surface of the sloping plaza. They not only complete the grid in places where it is not necessary to have supporting columns, they also bring a wide range of other well-known benefi ts other than the composition. They provide a visible green nurture for people’s eyes and make the whole vast area more user-friendly. It can be said that the trees invite people to spend a little bit more time than is necessary, sit, relax and enjoy a close proximity of nature in a more or less technical environment. The plane tree has been chosen as an ideal representative in terms of appearance, size and other qualities. The population of plane in Berlin is about 6% and it is the 4th most spread tree species.

Different kinds of grasses cover the terraced plaza in most of it’s part. Again, the most obvious reason is to bring the nature down to the transportation hub, to the place where it will be least expected and bring the moment of positive surprise and joy for occupants of the plaza and also to the passing passengers on the trains. Basically two types of grass are suggested – some terrac-es will be covered with tall-grass, other with short cut lawn to provide place to walk or sit during warm sunny days.

Kamila SamkováStudio ADS 8 prof. Ulf Meyer

CAPD KSU 2008 - 2009

The Time

Openness of the proposal introduces a high level of potential for future adjustment and develop-ment. The area involved in the current design is focused on a close part surrounding the station. There is a possibility to extend it further from edges along the S-Bahn rail, if desired. The entry plaza then becomes a central node not only for the part north from the site, but for the strip run-ning east-west as well. The function of that development will differ according to needs, it could be for example a linear park connecting two stations, or a low-rise mixed-use development, or an amusement park with a really big Ferris wheel.