RAW Site Berlin

Holzer Kobler Architekturen produced the urban development study together with Atelier Loidl for the site of the former Reichsbahnausbesserungswerk Berlin (RAW) on behalf of Kurth Immobilien GmbH on the basis of a dialogic workshop. The area bordering Revaler Strasse to the north, Warschauer Strasse to the west and the railway property to the south, is comprised of a large wasteland of sealed open spaces, war ruins and historic buildings dating back to the turn of the century as well as other older buildings.

Following the closure of the railway repair plant, various cultural and sports facilities, concert halls, clubs, galleries and restaurants were established on the site. Urban Catalyst held a "dialogue workshop" for the urban development study with the support of Holzer Kobler Architekturen and successfully completed it at the end of 2018. The basis for the B-Plan procedure was created by means of a "citizen participation process" and direct negotiations between the current users and the owners. The project study, which envisages a transformation of the area by means of renovating the existing buildings and adding new ones, was designed in accordance with the expectations of the future users. The guiding principle of the urban design was to preserve the characteristic DNA of the site in relation to its surroundings and to intensify it with heterogeneous new buildings of similar utilisation. The building volumes were conceived in such a way that the RAW site can continue to be experienced in its uniqueness with intermediate usage of spaces, niches and networks, while at the same time attaining the necessary densification.