Panel Discussion

• Kiki Blofield – Bar 25
• The old pump building has now been renovated to the performing arts centre
• Connected to the river
• 5 minute walk from the Holzmarkt
• No cohesive community plan
• Many have had a stab at it, but no one has succeeded
• Look up: Media Spree

Berlin Wall in a Nutshell:

• Division to stop people escaping from the East into the West
• West Allies
• United States, British, French
• Anyone caught in the deathstrip would be shot on site
• So many people escaping to the West, people thought that the East was empty
• Building hotels on the deathstrip now

Holzmarkt:

• Holzmarkt found a Swiss retirement company to buy the land
• 99 year lease
• Three sections to Holzmarkt
• Parks
• Mixed village – i.e. hairdresser, supermarket etc.
• Flexible living / working spaces
• Buy into it for 25,000 Euros
• This is a lot of money in relation to wage in Berlin
• Bar 25 allowed back into Holzmarkt

Kreuzberg:

• Large Turkish community
• Poor especially with the wall up

Friedrichshain:

• Industrial area – heavily bombed during World War II
• A lot of potential to rebuild / renovate

Neukolln:

• Hipster / bohemian influence 

• Consider the people who’s daily job would be the theatre
• Wide range of users
• Do not design for one demographic
• All about community
• Berlin is the ‘party’ city
• Lots of younger people / tourists in the area

River:

• A lot of sediment / dirty
• Shallow
• Runs east to west
• Try and do some more research into river