Water City Oberhavel, Berlin 1998

The urban development project “Water City Oberhavel” was decided in 1989 to eliminate the housing shortage in West Berlin. In terms of ecological urban redevelopment, the previously industrially used area was to be redeveloped for mixed use. With Norbert Hensel, Kleihues realised two directly adjacent projects which are separated from each other by Hugo-Cassier-Strasse on the southern bridge. The northern, closed building block tapers towards the Havel and is designed with two narrow openings to the waterfront. In its closed form, the block of flats goes back directly to the typical block edge development revitalised by Kleihues, but without building a relationship with the waterfront.