From this week until 30 April 2013, the revised zoning plan for the Hines high-rise at Alexanderplatz is on public display at the Senate Department for Urban Development. This is the final step in public participation, following the citizens' consultation in 2011.
What has changed
The legally binding zoning plan dating from 2000 was based on architect Hans Kollhoff's masterplan from the early 1990s. It envisaged an office tower at a different location on the square. At the request of US developer Hines, the plan was amended in two respects: the tower is to stand on a plot to the north and is expected to reach 150 metres in height. And instead of offices, it will most likely contain apartments.
This change of use has a concrete background. According to the Senate, the project is intended to help meet the demand for new housing projected for the next twelve years. Market data for the borough of Mitte shows that demand for housing in central locations significantly exceeds supply.
Architecture competition in the autumn
After the public display period ends, an international design competition is to follow. The Senate and Hines say they attach high importance to the competition in order to meet the "urban and architectural standards of this central square in the heart of Berlin." Results are expected to be presented in late autumn 2013.
Infrastructure costs and context
Hines has committed to contributing to the costs of social and public infrastructure linked to the project. That is standard for a development of this scale but still relevant: it shows the developer is not only building but also sharing the follow-on costs for the neighbourhood.
Whether the tower actually becomes Berlin's tallest residential building depends on the next planning steps. The fact that a developer is switching from office to residential use at one of the city's most prominent locations, however, says a great deal about current demand in the Berlin apartment market.
