As Guest in Berlin’s New Centre – New Year’s Reception in the Europacity

Europacity New Year's Reception
The Europacity location community and the panelists (from left to right): Jan Friedrich (Bauwelt), Johanna Biesalski (SAP), Manfred Kühne (Senate Administration), Sven-Christian Frank (Adler AG), Stefan Forster (Stefan Forster Architekten), Sonja Bischoff (CA Immo), Martin Rodeck (EDGE Technologies), Marianne Mommsen (relais Landschaftsarchitekten), Hans-Joachim Paap (gmp Architekten), Ephraim Gothe (District Council), Thomas Bergander (Quartier Heidestrasse), and Simon Schoke (DWI Gruppe).

The Europacity grows and grows: Now the shell of QH CORE in the future Quartier Heidestrasse has celebrated its first New Year’s reception. The bauwelt editor Jan Friedrich moderated a podium discussion about the future of the new urban quarter next to the Berlin Central Station; the centrepiece of the evening. 

Podium speakers included Manfred Kühne, head of the department of urban development and projects in the Senate Administration for Urban Development and Housing, architects Stefan Forster and Hans-Joachim Paap, as well as landscape architect Marianne Mommsen. The lively discussion extended to topics like the extension of the Heidestraße to become a central artery of the quartier and the planned landscape architecture, including also critical voices: whereas the project’s leading architect, Hans-Joachim Paap von gmp, who praised the exemplary and continuous planning, Stefan Forster from Frankfurt am Main asked important questions as to how such attractive Berlin urban quarters like Charlottenburg, Wilmersdorf or Prenzlauer Berg could be reproduced.

For Marianne Mommsen the answer lay in the greening and maintenance of open spaces: “Europacity is being created in a very dense city. We are very pleased that we can design much of the open public space with greenery since we use it to connect the buildings.” Support came from Manfred Kühne, who spoke about the adjacent waterway—the Berlin-Spandau Shipping Canal, bordered by the Humboldt and Nord harbours: We have to resuscitate these waterways. That strengthens the positive image of Europacity, the quality of life and the quality of open spaces.” 

Thomas Bergander, managing director of Taurecon and Quartier Heidestraße GmbH, summarised the successful evening with a glance into the future: “Our first New Year’s reception shows that the Europacity location community is very effective representation interests to the public, government and local administration. The Europacity will be a modern urban quarter, exemplary for how people can live and work together, for the creation of new neighbourhoods. At the same time it is the vanguard of modern urban development, for example with issues such as mobility and digitalisation.“

 

Europacity New Year's Reception
The first Europacity New Year's reception took place on 28 January 2020 at QH CORE, Quartier Heidestrasse.
Europacity New Year's Reception
The panel discussion was hosted by Jan Friedrich featuring guests Manfred Kühne, Stefan Forster, Hans-Joachim Paap, and Marianne Mommsen.

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