A quarter of a century after the eastern German Democratic Republic opened its borders to the West, the once looming legacies of the socialist state are slowly disappearing from sight and mind. East Berlin is almost unrecognizable as the former capital that was characterized by un-renovated 19th-century buildings, concrete towers, and the ruins of World War II in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
As Berlin firmly establishes itself in brighter, more affluent times, the city is receiving a facelift and new façades for its prefabricated buildings, the architectural remains of the GDR. But in which contexts is it worth it? With rising rents, limited success in renovation, and a high number of buildings that are still functioning well, is a cultural legacy — and a community — being erased too soon?
Konrad-Wolf-Straße 45/46. Photos courtesy GPU GmbH, Dernbach
Plattenbauten, or large-panel prefabricated buildings, were East Germany’s response to the poor inheritances of Soviet Socialism and World War II. When conventional methods, such as bricklaying, failed to keep pace with the effort to rebuild cities and meet housing demands, the GDR began exploring methods of prefabrication in the 1950’s. Composed of large concrete slabs cast in a factory and assembled on-site, Plattenbauten provided a fast, cost-effective and resource-efficient solution to the GDR’s severe lack of housing.
The building types afforded by large-panel prefabrication — the WBS 70, P2 and WHH GT 18/21, to name a few — popped up in huge settlements and entire city or city districts across East Germany,filling in major gaps in central Berlin. They were considered to be desirable and high quality compared to the poorly equipped, outdated, or simply lacking buildings of the time.
But after German reunification in 1990, prefabs suffered a setback. New areas of Germany opened up to the East and in Berlin, the influx of money and interest brought new building projects and well-appointed renovations to the city center. Prefabs came to be seen as depressing, ugly and uniform — by some.
Q99. Photos courtesy GPU GmbH, Dernbach
In central Berlin, prefabs do not face the high vacancy rate that they do in other areas: Tenants praise their thoughtfully planned, well-lit interiors, affordability, and cultural value. They are some of the few sites connecting present-day Berlin to the city that existed here 25 years ago, both socially and aesthetically.
Located in Berlin-Mitte between the famous landmarks of Rosenthaler Platz, Alexanderplatz, the Spree River and Friedrichstrasse, the Spandauer Vorstadt has become one of the most popular destinations in Berlin. Today it is known for its bohemian culture, which emerged out of the squatters’ scene that evolved here in the 90’s. And, according to a column in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung earlier this year, 20% of its buildings are Plattenbauten, characterized by a unique style of large-panel construction that use variation in form and surface material to create a cohesive yet interesting streetscape.
These buildings belong to the late architectural period of the GDR, in which greater attention was paid to context. Prefabricated buildings were individualized to reflect the history and architecture of their environments. In contrast to the ‘building types’ that were implemented uniformly in the 60’s and 70’s, building projects in the 80’s represented increasingly unique architectural works. The prefabs in the Spandauer Vorstadt and much of Berlin-Mitte belong to the so-called “Lückenbauten,“ which filled the many gaps in streets ravaged by bombs.
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“Prefabricated buildings aren’t sexy,” Lutz Lakomski, a West German entrepreneur whose firm, GPU, retrofits old commercial prefabs, told Der Tagesspiegel in 2013. But Berlin needs cheap housing and Lakomski’s projects are one solution.
GPU purchases large, vacant commercial sites at low cost and converts them into affordablehousing, often including social services such as daycares and assisted living communities for those suffering from dementia.
Q99 exemplifies one of the most effective retrofittings of East German Plattenbauten. Photos courtesy GPU GmbH, Dernbach
Lakomski told Der Tagesspiegel that the sites are particularly well-suited for conversion due to their “easy, effective architecture” and long hallways, which allow interior spaces to be simply divided into smaller units. Their solid construction quality and sturdy frameworks of reinforced concrete with few load-bearing walls allow floor plans to be easily customized at a low renovation cost. By updating the façades with brighter colors and sleeker contemporary materials, buildings that once detracted from their environments have become community assets.
But GPU’s projects are located in peripheral or high-traffic areas of Berlin, where demand is relatively low, and repurpose commercial sites that have long been decommissioned. They tackle a problem that is exacerbated by retrofitting initiatives in the city center: Gentrification is leading to population displacement due to a dearth of affordable housing in Berlin.
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Since 2013, the Wohnungsbaugesellschaft (or Housing Association), Berlin-Mitte (WBM), which inherited most GDR properties in the Mitte after German reunification, has been undertaking an ambitious project to renovate several prefabricated buildings in the Spandauer Vorstadt. These properties, comprising 319 apartments in six complexes spanning several units in the streets Gipsstrasse, Rosenthaler Strasse, and Auguststrasse, have involved updates to the bathrooms, floor plans, and façades of the buildings.
In Rosenthaler Strasse, originalfaçades of pebbles-in-concrete with brick detailing were fitted with sleek neutral-toned metal panels that successfully update the aesthetic with minimal impact on the preexisting form, including preserving original window arrangements. A framed portion of the original façade, featuring artistic tile work, serves an an homage to the building’s history.
Auguststrasse and Rosenthaler Strasse views of the Auguststrasse-Rosenthaler Strasse complex in December. The complex is set to be renovated by the Housing Association (WBM) Berlin-Mitte. Photos by the author
On Auguststrasse, an uncompleted project has added insulation and a stucco façade to a mixed-materials prefab. The colors are bland and ill-chosen, making apparent reference to original brickwork and marking off the ground from upper levels with a transition from darker to lighter beige, but the building adds little to the overall aesthetic of the neighborhood.
Across the street, its as-yet unrenovated counterpart provides evidence of earlier times. Its mix of brick and tile detailing, ground-level panels of pebbles-in-concrete and lighter upper-level panels of both smooth and textured concrete cohere into a unique ensemble. Over the holidays, tenants hung Christmas decorations in the windows — miniature Santa’s scaling the building — a far cry from the prim and minimalist displays along the rest of the street.
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A virtual tour on Google Maps offers glimpses of a wholly different Spandauer Vorstadt than the high-end neighborhood that one will find today. The empty lots that still comprised half of Rosenthaler Strasse when the images were captured in July 2008 have since been filled with contemporary high-end buildings. The large red prefab at number 71 is just coming out of construction. The garish paint job of the risqué CCCP Bar is still visible near the entrance, but the upper levels are matte black now, and the quality details of its renovation promise to meet luxury market demands.
Along the next block, one of the few unchanged prefabs is visible across the street at Rosenthaler Strasse 3-7. It is the same complex that has the address Auguststrasse 44-46, around the corner. Observing the whole ensemble, it becomes clear how the diversity of structures and materials reflects the ornamental style of the nineteenth-century period buildings that can be found in the neighborhood’s relatively narrow lots.
The buildings host a veterinary clinic, a waxing salon, and a driving school that boast colorfully outmoded signs and window displays. They are some of the very few remaining businesses that were here long before Google Street View. But this block is also set to be renovated, forcing current tenants out and rents up.
Earlier this year, a controversy emerged when the Mini-Markt, one of the few supermarkets in the area, was evicted due to the WBM’s retrofit projects. The Mini-Markt complained that it would not be able to return after renovations due to the four- to six-fold increase in the property’s rental value — from €10 per square meter to an astronomical €40-60 per square meter — but it reopened several weeks ago after negotiations with WBM. Nonetheless, the grocers have expressed doubts as to whether they will be able to remain in business with the rent hike.
On Linienstrasse in Mitte, a row of renovated prefabs — nearly unrecognizable as GDR originals — faces out onto an occupied squat and cemetery on Linienstrasse. Tenants once hung a sign with the words “Rettet die Platte!” or “Save the prefab!” from the squat. Photos by the author
Renovating prefabricated buildings in Mitte and other central districts is forcing long-term tenants to leave their homes in search of new ones within a highly competitive market. Some owners have even used multiple renovations to routinely evict tenants and exponentially increase rents. Large retail chains and international investors threaten to overwrite the history and vibrancy of a community.
It would be nice to see something different happen at Rosenthaler Strasse 3-7 and Auguststrasse 44-46, a complex of important cultural value. Its popularity with tenants speaks to its function, and internal work could be kept to a minimum without requiring permanent evictions and steep rental hikes. New pipes, new windows, and a thorough cleaning could go a long way while preserving the memory of a recent era. Renovations should enhance its aesthetic, as opposed to concealing it.
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25 years have passed since Berlin said goodbye to East and West. But a reunified Berlin should not merely be a Western one: without the GDR, the city would not be what it is today. To displace its residents and conceal its architecture would be to efface a rich cultural history, one that may look ugly to some, but whose edifices should serve as reminder and remnant to both newcomers and longtime residents alike.