The largest renovation project in the
Eberswalde history.

Check it out in this video!

The largest renovation project in the
Eberswalde history.

Check it out in this video!

A quarter becomes a whole

New windows are only beautiful if you enjoy the view outside.

That's why we started BRAND.VIER in April 2020 - the largest renovation project in Eberswalde's history. A cooperation agreement between the housing cooperative Eberswalde 1893 eG, the city of Eberswalde and the state of Brandenburg helps the love for the Brandenburg Quarter on the jumps.

This is Gisela

She has lived in the neighborhood for 40 years.

Your children grew up here. It was the best time of her life – and the best time in her neighbourhood. Never again has Gisela seen so many children playing between houses. Many people have gone. Vacancies were followed by dismantling. When Gisela looks down from her balcony, she can still see the wounds. But she also sees a lot of new things now. Because something is happening in the district. The first BRAND.VIER building with 43 apartments on Havellandstrasse is finished and fully occupied. The full record life is slowly returning. And the best thing is: daughter Heike and granddaughter Leonie have moved in there.

Gisela lives on Cottbuser Strasse.

In 2021 we will also renovate her house, together with three others.

Completely new floor plans are being created in the 168 apartments. 20 houses will follow in the next few years. Because we don't just renovate, but also wake up the whole district, we think in terms of quarters. 2020: Havelland district, 2021: Cottbus district, 2022: Oderbruch district. We are connecting seven quarters to BRAND.VIER - the largest renovation project in the history of our cooperative. Eberswalde is also seeing such a huge project for the first time. We rethink the record and redress the neighborhood. We heal the wounds and give the neighborhood its idea back. Everything people need to live is here.

Here in the action room
Oderbruch goes
it further

This includes 5 blocks at Oderbruchstrasse 2-16, Prenzlauer Strasse 27-33 and Prenzlauer Strasse 36-52
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37 new floor plans for the apartments.
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174 completely renovated apartments are being built here
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Apartments with 2-6 rooms are being built for more diversity in the district.
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87 apartments are accessible via an elevator
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The quarter from above.

Click on the individual quarters to find out more.

Folding map of the Havelland district
Folding map of the Cottbus district
Folding map of the Oderbruch district
€ P 2 1 3

20 miles later...

When the Minister of Infrastructure at the time visited the Brandenburg Quarter in 2017, it was more of a spontaneous affair. Our board members Volker Klich and Guido Niehaus took the opportunity to present their vision of BRAND.VIER - of a livable and lovable quarter - and thus to show an alternative to demolition.

Three years later we signed a cooperation agreement with the city of Eberswalde and the state of Brandenburg for 60 million euros and had already renovated and fully rented the first house at our own expense. In 2021 we will implement the first part of the cooperation agreement and renovate the Cottbus action area. There were numerous milestones between the minister's visit and the redevelopment of the Cottbus action area, which we immortalized in a tour of the district.

When the Minister of Infrastructure at the time visited the Brandenburg Quarter in 2017, it was more of a spontaneous affair. Our board members Volker Klich and Guido Niehaus took the opportunity to present their vision of BRAND.VIER - of a livable and lovable quarter - and thus to show an alternative to demolition.

Three years later we signed a cooperation agreement with the city of Eberswalde and the state of Brandenburg for 60 million euros and had already renovated and fully rented the first house at our own expense. In 2021 we will implement the first part of the cooperation agreement and renovate the Cottbus action area. There were numerous milestones between the minister's visit and the redevelopment of the Cottbus action area, which we immortalized in a tour of the district.

Our experts

Of course, we don't manage our BRAND.VIER project alone. We are accompanied by many experts who give us a helping hand. We interviewed her about the project.
Thomas Grewe
Thomas Grewe is Expert & qualified engineer for landscape use and nature conservation and advises us on the creation of new compensatory quarters for Bats and birds.
Thomas Grewe
Frank Jackenkroll
Frank Jackenkroll is more experienced Construction manager
on the Brand.Vier construction site.
Frank Jackenkroll
Frank Zimmerman

Architect Frank Zimmerman has renovated around 10.000 prefab apartments. Now he takes care of the Cottbus district.

Frank_carpenter_expert
Beatrice Reich
Beatrice Reich is former project manager
of the project BRAND.VIER (old)
Laura Lebski

Laura Lebski is Project manager at eZeit Ingenieure and tells us in an interview how we live emission-free can rebuild.

Catherine Lensky

Catherine Lensky, Architect at Senator, is already very familiar with our cooperative and with the Brandenburg Quarter.

Kathrin_Lensky_Expert
Udo Muszynski

Udo Muszynski – many as the maker of Good morning Eberswalde known. He tells why his open formats work in many different places. 

Udo Muszynski

Boomtown Eberswalde

Out of the rocket suits and into the loincloths. Now it's off into the jungle to Boomtown Eberswalde! Because our new 1893 apartment collection is here. It says this time "Boomtown Eberswalde Jungle Edition". A total of 174 apartments are being built and there is something for everyone, from 1-room apartments to 5-room apartments. Don't worry, you don't have to climb palm trees to get to your apartments: most of the apartments are barrier-free and can be reached by elevator. The traffic-calmed inner courtyard and tenant gardens of the ground floor apartments ensure a perfect view of the countryside. For more neighborliness, there are a total of three common rooms - all jungle dwellers can meet here. With a lot of luck you can even hear the monkeys from the Eberswalde Zoo. Expedition leader Konrad and his team are looking forward to exploring the jungle in the Oderbruchstraße with you.
To the jungle housing offers

Do you have any questions?

 

call us
like to:
0334 304 - 0

 

Kerstin Köhler

Team leader BRAND.VIER
kerstin.koehler@1893-wohnen.de

Sylvia Ulrich

Team BRAND.Vier
sylvia.ulrich@1893-wohnen.de

Marcel Dube

Team BRAND.Vier
marcel.dube@1893-wohnen.de

Do you have any questions?

Call us:

03334 304 - 0

Kerstin Köhler

Team leader BRAND.VIER
kerstin.koehler@1893-wohnen.de

Sylvia Ulrich

Team BRAND.Vier
sylvia.ulrich@1893-wohnen.de

Marcel Dube

Team BRAND.Vier
marcel.dube@1893-wohnen.de

News

#brand.four

BRAND.VIER partners

cooperation agreement partners

BRAND.VIER is a project of
Wohnungs­genossenschaft
Eberswalde 1893 eG

brand.vier@1893-wohnen.de

03334 304 - 0

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Thomas Grewe tells in an interview how new compensatory quarters are being created in the Brandenburg Quarter Bats and birds can be created.

“The location in the middle of the forest is good”

It's not just people who live in the Brandenburg Quarter. There's a lot going on, especially in the air. Some birds and bats have made themselves comfortable in the facades of the prefabricated buildings and are raising their offspring there. If we now gradually renovate, these neighborhoods will disappear. We create compensatory measures so that the animals do not suddenly find themselves homeless when they return home from their raids. Expert Thomas Grewe, qualified engineer for landscape use and nature conservation, advises us.

Dear Thomas Grewe, what species are we talking about in the Brandenburg Quarter? Who needs compensatory quarters here when we renew the facades?

When it comes to birds, it is the swifts that feel very comfortable in the Brandenburg Quarter. They build in cracks and crevices under the roof, in structural joints or under eaves sheets. The pipistrelle fits in a matchbox. She also finds accommodation on the old facades. Then we have the large noctule sailor. This is a species of bat that is becoming rarer. And the broad-winged bat also occurs.

At dusk we may see the bats buzzing around. But where are they during the day?

They love small cracks and crevices where they can hang very tightly - preferably with belly and back contact. They crawl behind the insulation. It is warm enough there even in winter. We differentiate between day quarters, nurseries and winter quarters.

Please explain the difference to us!

The bats live in the daytime roost from spring to autumn. At night they go on two hours-long forays. During the day they rest in their quarters - individually or in groups. Several females live in the maternity rooms. They give birth to their young and care for them. The animals move to their winter quarters to overwinter. It has to stay frost-free here. Cellars, attics or places behind the insulation are suitable for this.

Where do the animals that live in the Brandenburg Quarter hunt?

Hunting takes place wherever there is prey, i.e. insects. The location in the middle of the forest is favorable. Bodies of water are not too far away either. For example, the perch pits are within reach and the canals are not far away either. There is also overgrown wasteland and meadows. Bats sometimes travel longer distances at night to hunt.

What exactly is your job as a species protection expert?

According to the Federal Nature Conservation Act, 1893 must create compensatory and replacement measures if, for example, it renews the facade insulation or the roofs. Bats live in the old insulation. The swifts nest in cracks and crevices under the roof. We count the inventory in advance of construction work and suggest replacements for the quarters.

What do these replacement quarters look like?

There are different options depending on the animal species. We like to use the facade and gable walls for bat boxes and swift nesting boxes, but also for sparrow colony boxes. The tits get their boxes on trees in the courtyards. Black redstarts, on the other hand, like to go directly to the building. There are special boxes for that too.

And then they are simply attached to the new facade?

No, of course they have to be there before the old quarters are demolished. In a ratio of 1:3. If we have counted a pair, this pair must be given three opportunities to move so that the animals have enough alternative quarters that they can find promptly. And these boxes have to be attached to a nearby facade in winter. And before the breeding season, the old quarters must be disturbed or completely removed so that the animals can reorient themselves in time. We are supporting this and will continue to monitor how the new nesting options are accepted in the coming years. We also empty and clean the boxes at the same time.

What can our members do to make the animals feel comfortable?

The best protection is to accept the boxes and leave them alone. It is inevitable that feces will fall down from time to time. It is particularly important for the bats that the facade is dark at night. Of course, this is never entirely possible in a house with many apartments. But balcony radiation that just looks nice doesn't have to be the case.

Thank you very much for these insights!

Frank Jackenkroll is one of the experienced construction managers on our Brand.Vier construction sites.

“It pays off that the BRAND.VIER construction sites are planned for several years.”

Dear Frank Jackenkroll, you are an experienced construction manager and have already renovated a lot. What is different on the BRAND.VIER construction site?
Well, things have generally changed in the construction industry. There is now a high proportion of unskilled workers who do not have a technical qualification. They are still good people who learn quickly. It pays off that the BRAND.VIER construction sites are planned for several years. We now save a lot of time because the steps are right and everyone understands what it's about.

Give us an example.

Wall breakthroughs - they took forever in the first house on Havellandstrasse because we had to explain step by step how we wanted it to be. Because it needed to be corrected and so on. In comparison, we save 540 working hours on the 8.000 wall breakthroughs in the Oderbruch action area because all the steps are in place - from the breakthrough to the steel frames to the fire protection cladding.

The third construction site here in the Oderbruch action area is planned using lean management methods - i.e. very lean with a strongly timed trade process. Is that noticeable?

Yes, the organization of the construction site is good. Nevertheless, lean management is not optimal in the renovation of existing buildings because we are working with an object that is already there and which always surprises us. However, the Last Planner system, in which we discuss daily whether the weekly plan is being adhered to and where we need to take countermeasures, works very well. It creates equality and reliability between everyone involved. This creates more togetherness because we look for solutions together when things don't go well.

They are for the Senator. Project Management Service GmbH on the construction site. The company took over the construction planning and construction supervision. What role does the 1893 actually play? How is the collaboration going?

How we work together is actually special. The client – ​​1893 – is very heavily involved in the construction process. The BRAND.VIER team works almost independently of the cooperative, but works very closely with us as construction supervisors. We are a team together and that is very enriching. In their daily work it is simply noticeable that 1893 wants to develop something here and not just renovate it. I really enjoy supporting this commitment.

From what I hear, being a construction manager or construction supervisor is a very stressful job. Is that correct?

Yes, it's stressful. And it makes you sick if you're not careful. I've stopped taking things too seriously in recent years. When problems arise, we have to look for solutions. Everything else doesn't help. A 12-hour day is standard for me, but the craft was more strenuous. Compared to that, my everyday working life is relaxed.

Have you also worked in the trades yourself?

Yes, I worked as a heating engineer on large construction sites for many years and gradually worked my way up to construction management. But I'm not just a craftsman, I'm also a social worker. I studied that a long time ago. And I think that helps me in my job.

That's an interesting combination. Why do you think that social education helps you on the construction site?

Well, I deal with people all day long. There are often conflicts, but there are also enough opportunities to pay attention to interpersonal relationships and to see the person standing in front of you. It's important to me that I know the people who have been on the construction site with me for three years. Despite the time pressure, I also want to be grateful for the work they do. Saying thank you isn't asking too much.

You are a big fan of the 1893 coffee break, with which we say THANK YOU every Wednesday. Why is this one hour a week so important for working together on the construction site?

I think she keeps the peace on the site. It is the famous short route through which something can be clarified quickly. But it also offers the opportunity to just chat and make jokes. It takes the pressure off and creates a good atmosphere.
You also say that the BRAND.VIER construction site is doing important integration work.

What do you mean?

Many different nationalities work together here. This initially caused frowns and chatter. But everyone has now understood that everyone here is doing a good job. This creates respect and openness towards others. I consider this a great success.

You have been at the construction site almost every day for three years. How do you experience the Brandenburg Quarter and what do you want?

I think the conditions are good. There is already a lot, but there is still a lot missing. When I look through the lens of a social worker, I see that the social mix has to change, that life and clearly visible youth work have to come into the neighborhood. Otherwise there is a massive lack of retail here. Everyone who has responsibility here has to take care of this. The 1893 initiates many things, but also reaches its limits. It depends on the people who get involved. But I'm confident that something good will happen here.

Frank Zimmerman tells in an interview why BRAND.VIER can become a neighborhood for everyone.

For architect Frank Zimmermann, a prefab apartment is desirable if it is part of a functioning district.

We are renovating Cottbuser Strasse with zimmermann+partner architekten bda from Cottbus and Senator. The Project Management Service GmbH from Berlin. This is part 1 of a double interview with both offices.

Architect Frank Zimmermann renovated around 1990 prefab apartments between 2005 and 10.000. Then 15 years followed with large new construction projects. Now he's turning his attention back to slabs - in the Cottbus district, where we'll start with the renovations next spring. In an interview he tells us why BRAND.VIER can become a neighborhood for everyone.

Dear Frank Zimmermann, you have been brooding over the plans for Cottbuser Strasse for a few months.
What do your designs ultimately have to offer?
To put it simply, we have to make several offers out of one product. The apartments are all the same now. There are two, three and four room apartments. But conceptually they are all the same. We have to change that.

How can this work?
We can break up the room structure and get away from the many small rooms. It doesn't matter which part of the apartment I sleep in. Everyone can decide for themselves. If we design the floor plans to be more spacious and flowing, different types of apartments are created and thus the chance of a good mix of residents in the house. For example, we can try an en suite bathroom. It is directly adjacent to a bedroom. When we combine apartments, one apartment has two bathrooms. One classic, one as an en suite bathroom.

We have them to thank for the idea of ​​merging the house entrances. In Havellandstraße we already have two out of four entrances
made. What is behind this plan?
When we stand in front of the blocks on Cottbuser Strasse, we are standing in front of basement windows because they are on the ground floor. Somewhere in between we see small ones
Doors that are supposed to be the entrances. With a bell panel that is always the same, a letterbox system that is always the same and a lamp that is always the same above the door. That's uninviting. If we go into one of these doors, a dark and narrow, but very long corridor awaits us, which at some point behind a bend into the dark stairwell
leads. This is more menacing than livable. If we merge entrances, we gain more air and space for the entrance. If we combine this with a good rear exit, there is a lot of light and orientation on the ground floor. And we can arrange and design the things that are important, such as doorbells, mailboxes, bicycle storage or renters' storage in a completely different way.
And on top of that, 20 tenants meet instead of just ten before.
Exactly. This promotes encounters in the house and thus neighborhood and cooperative togetherness. Building also has a social responsibility. People should feel comfortable and safe. Light is an important part of safety. Where there is light, I feel safe. Not in dark corridors.

Why were the apartments in large housing estates once so popular and are no longer so?
What do you say as an architect?
A house is built at a certain time, which has its requirements. Prefabricated buildings were not only modern at that time because warm water came out of the wall and heat from the radiator. Also because they had a modern cut. Such an apartment belonged in a district that did a lot of work. The woman's role was no longer solely housewife and mother. She also went to work every day. In the concept of large housing estates, there were residential area restaurants where you should go to eat for relatively little money. Hence the small kitchen, in which only small meals should be prepared. And therefore the hatch for short distances and communication with the rest of the apartment.

There was also the residential area laundry that did the big laundry. What needed to be washed in the apartment no longer took up as much space. Childcare and everyday work were clearly regulated. Outside, between the houses and all around, there was a lot of free space. People didn't need that much space in their homes. In the small rooms they still had their retreats. A lot has changed since then.
But that's not why the houses are a long way from being obsolete. They are built densely and compactly in a way that nobody builds today. And because they are so compact, they leave plenty of space and freedom all around. I mean the spacious inner courtyards and street spaces. get that
the tenants to their apartment. The apartments are part of the whole settlement. It fulfills many things that are not possible in inner-city locations. Lots of light, air and sun, for example. space and freedom. There are also day-care centers, schools, leisure facilities and shopping facilities. We realize that we need to develop the whole neighborhood. The 1893 understood that very well.

What does this mean for the future of BRAND.VIER and prefabricated buildings in general?
Well, you know, the Gründerzeit houses were also unpopular in the 50s and 60s because people couldn't see all that flourish anymore. Today, as you know, things are very different. The houses in the Brandenburg Quarter are perhaps still a bit too young to become a cult. Elsewhere in Europe, where the first houses of this prefabricated construction method are being built, there are long waiting lists. Panel construction is becoming popular again because it has many advantages. And the apartments make no social distinctions. Everyone has the same requirements in terms of building fabric, equipment and what the settlement offers. There are only differences in the furnishings of your own home. And that's why a large housing estate like BRAND.VIER has the best chance of mixing things up. When the neighborhood works.


What a nice view. Thank you very much for the conversation.

Beatrice Reich
Our project manager Beatrice Reich explains what exactly is planned

We start!

Ms. Reich, what is behind BRAND.VIER?
In the next ten years we want to comprehensively renovate 23 houses and at the same time significantly improve the living environment.

Havellandstrasse 24 to 30 should start. When is the first construction noise to be expected?
We'll have to wait a little longer. I hope we can start in 2020.

Oh why so late? How far have the plans progressed?
We are very far. But a large part is still ahead of us. The next step is to submit the planning application. Then authorities, structural engineers and fire protection inspectors have to examine our plans. That can take a good quarter of a year. When we have the building permit, we put out a tender and wait for the offers from the construction companies. They have full order books. That doesn't make it easy.

Let's talk about the plans. You don't just want to renovate. This is very important to you.
Yes, that's right. We look at the whole area. And with the eyes of the people who will one day live there. How do they look around when they first come here? For example, they look at the streets. What impression do the systems make on the way to the new apartment? Next, look at the entrance area. How inviting and comfortable is it? Then use the staircase or the elevator. The next thing they look at is the bathroom, the layout of the apartment and maybe the kitchen. And the view from the window goes outside. What I mean by that: The outdoor facilities also make an apartment attractive. That's why we think BRAND.VIER beyond the houses in action spaces.

What are you planning in the Havelland action area?
Here we first have to look at what is really in our power and with whom we can work together. Anything marked B on the plan is ours. T are the properties of the TAG real estate group. SO stands for special fund. It belongs to a company that used to run a grocery store here. Everything that is not marked belongs to the city of Eberswalde.

It will therefore depend on the cooperation with the city of Eberswalde.
Exactly. We would like to see a so-called Charette process for these properties. This is a very large-scale citizen participation in which the planners filter out what the local people want.

What suggestions would 1893 like to make?
Starting from Brandenburger Allee, we would like to shut down part of Havellandstraße and turn it into a play street with lots of things to do for the children. The parking spaces for the houses that have long since disappeared can also give way. There are enough parking spaces directly in front of stairs 24 to 30 and in the area of ​​stairs 1 to 9. It also makes sense to redesign the orphaned parking areas on Flämingstraße. Just like the wild parking lot at the corner of Havellandstraße and Brandenburger Allee. We also think it is very important to strengthen the axis between Potsdamer Allee and Zum Schwärzesee along Kyritzer Straße. Incidentally, a sensible path concept also includes the beaten paths that have been created over the years. Let's see if they end up becoming the new main routes.

So it remains exciting to see how the residents want to use their living environment. Are you in charge of the renovations yourself? What are you planning there?
Of course, the building technology is of great importance. It has to be up to date. The same applies to all other building construction services. We have to upgrade the facade and windows energetically, replace doors, bathroom fittings, roof, stairwells and entrance areas. There really isn't anything we don't have to do.

Will the houses be recognizable in the end?
Yes of course. But the entrance situation will be different, for example. We plan to make two entrances out of four. We want to upgrade these two staircases with internal elevators.

What happens to the people who still live in the staircases? Are they temporarily leaving their homes?
no We want to renovate during ongoing operations, but check on a case-by-case basis whether this is really possible. This will be a huge challenge for craftsmen and tenants. We'll see how well we can do that. In any case, we will gain valuable experience that can flow into the renovation of the next houses.

Laura Lebski
Is a project manager and tells us in an interview how we can convert living spaces to be emission-free.

From ten to one!

By 2045 we want to produce, live, travel and live in Germany in a greenhouse gas-neutral manner. The emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide or methane warms our atmosphere and is considered to be the cause of climate change. The housing industry in particular has a lot to do because buildings need and waste a lot of energy. We got the eZeit engineers on our side. Laura Lebski is a project manager and tells us in an interview how we can convert living spaces to be emission-free.

Dear Laura Lebski, it is quite abstract that we should no longer cause greenhouse gases in our everyday lives. How can we imagine that better?
Maybe if we talk about a greenhouse gas budget per person. Everything we do and use requires energy. Much of this emits greenhouse gases, currently almost ten tons per person per year. By 2045 we need to get down to one tonne per person so that we only emit as much as can be bound on earth at one time. We currently emit about a quarter for living and our electricity at home. Our energy supply must therefore produce far fewer greenhouse gases.

But why all this?
Because we have to stop global warming. Too much greenhouse gas released heats up the atmosphere - with all the consequences that we know. It's too warm and too dry. On the other hand, we experience extreme rainfall, which in total tears away entire areas.

There is always talk of the 1,5 degree target. What does that mean?
This value is in the Paris climate agreement. The aim is for the earth not to become more than 1,5 degrees warmer than it was in 1990. Humans and nature can still adapt to the consequences of 1,5 degrees to some extent. However, experts assume that the value will level off somewhere between 1,5 and 2 degrees Celsius if we make an effort now. Then, of course, the consequences are more dramatic.

Greenhouse gases are produced everywhere. Which areas cause problems when living?
When it comes to living, we usually take care of the heating and cooling of the rooms and the provision of hot water. But we can and should make the framework bigger. Because, of course, the power supply for hallway lighting or film streaming also releases greenhouse gases. Mobility is a big topic. And the production of building materials such as insulating material also requires a lot of energy. Now, at the beginning of our collaboration, 1893 decides which goals it wants to pursue and which areas belong to it.

So the question is: to insulate because it saves energy, or not to insulate because the manufacture of the insulating material also releases greenhouse gases?
It is actually a matter of weighing up which measure is more effective in the end. To what extent do I invest in the building envelope or in the system technology? How can I not only conserve energy, but also conserve resources? We not only have a climate crisis, but also a shortage of skilled workers and building materials as well as struggles over the distribution of water, sand and rare earths. Industry must also make its processes greenhouse gas-neutral by 2045. The question of resources is therefore becoming more and more relevant.

What measures are there to save greenhouse gases in the home?
These are new systems for heating, cooling and water heating that work with renewable energies and are very efficient. They therefore produce more effect than old systems with less and more clean energy. Another major topic is insulating the building envelope so that as little heat as possible is lost. And we ask ourselves how we can generate renewable electricity on site. Tenants are also asked to save energy. For example, they influence their consumption when airing and showering.

How is heating changing?
We must provide the energy we need cleanly and use it in a way that makes a big impact. Heat pumps are very efficient in connection with surface heating, for example underfloor heating. In contrast, there are still reservations in the housing industry, because underfloor heating requires conversions and because it is unfamiliar at first. It reacts more sluggishly than the normal radiators that everyone is familiar with. But there are many ways to involve people and familiarize them with the new technology.

As early as 2030 – i.e. in eight years – 65 percent of greenhouse gases are to be saved. Is that even feasible for a housing company?
Of course, the conversion to greenhouse gas-neutral management is a task for decades. In addition to the question of funds, there is also a question of capacities in the trades, planners, suppliers and the housing companies themselves. But a lot can be achieved with smaller measures. Companies can insulate heating pipes or replace old pumps that consume a lot of energy with high-performance pumps. And if the company is renovating or replacing systems anyway, it invests in the right models right away.

what about the cost There are big investments to be made.
The funding landscape is well positioned. And there are many players on the financial market who want to invest their money in such projects and can thus help with the financing. The question of money is valid. In my view, the shortage of skilled workers is much more problematic.

And how does the renovation affect the operating costs?
One of our principles is that energy must remain affordable in the long term. A comparison with the old utility bill is difficult because the new one comes at a later date and because it is not known how expensive it would have been with the old energy supply and less insulation. Energy prices are currently subject to major fluctuations. This would be much less the case with local energy and heat generation with a PV system and heat pump, since renewable energy is available on site and does not have to be purchased. In this way we all remain more independent of the energy market. That's a good prospect these days.

The topic will not only accompany us, but will probably also determine it in the years to come. Thank you for agreeing.

Catherine Lensky
already knows our cooperative and the Brandenburg Quarter very well

BIGGER THROWS ARE NOW POSSIBLE AND NECESSARY

We are renovating Cottbuser Strasse with Senator.  Catherine Lensky, an architect at Senator, is very familiar with our cooperative and the Brandenburg Quarter. Because the redevelopment in Havellandstraße is also on their cap. The house there was even the same type of building. Many good signs for the start in spring 2021.

Dear Kathrin Lensky, what do you think of the word prefabricated building?
For me, these are assembly buildings, which were different in the GDR and the FRG. The GDR prefabricated buildings have the advantage that, in contrast to the FRG assembly buildings, they have been standardized. That makes it easy for us as architects to plan with them today. Because we know what to expect and what is possible.

You were already heavily involved in the great wave of renovations in the 90s. You did a lot of renovations back then, especially in Hohenschönhausen and Lichtenberg. What's different today?
The inventory in the Brandenburg Quarter is of course much older than what we found in the 90s. We are now forced to renew the entire building services including the heating systems. She is 40 to 50 years old in the Brandenburg district. In the 90s we renovated the pipes, the bathrooms and the building shell and of course painted the facade and stairwell walls. Floor plan changes were not included. The apartments were fully occupied. Today that is no longer enough. Also because the demands on living space have changed. Today we break up floor plans and create apartments for all age groups and apartment types, i.e. families, singles or shared apartments.

Why is this necessary?
In the Brandenburg Quarter there are almost only 3-room apartments with almost 70 square meters. This reduces the tenants to family apartments with one child. The floor plans are also not suitable for older tenants who need a 2-room apartment. It is often enough to turn a 3-room apartment into a 2-room apartment with larger rooms and larger bathrooms. Depending on the type of construction, we know exactly what is possible with prefabricated buildings and how much effort it takes to implement it.

1893 wants to turn its houses in the Brandenburg Quarter into real cooperative houses and has therefore commissioned architect Frank Zimmermann with a creative mind who focuses on encounters and togetherness. With his design planning, he creates facts that you must take into account in your implementation planning. How's that for you? A special situation?
We communicate more because the design architect isn't in the house like we're used to. But other than that it's a normal process. Some make designs. The others do the general planning. And in between there are many discussions. We all want the best result and have to move within a given framework. These are the structural requirements and of course the financial means that are available. Frank Zimmermann knows both just as well as we do. The difference to other projects is that the 1893 really aims to wake the district from its slumber. It has to, because nothing has happened here in the past 30 years. Bigger throws are now possible and necessary, which we are tackling together.

Where do you see BRAND.VIER in 20 years?
The neighborhood will be a popular place to live. I'm sure. Because it already connects many offers with each other in short distances. It offers a lot of space inside and outside and is well connected to the public infrastructure. Culture and creativity gain a foothold. When the modern apartments are added bit by bit, and when the outdoor facilities succeed in making the district a unit, life will return. The large amounts of funding that flow here show that not only the 1893 is convinced of this.

 

Many thanks for this beautiful view.

Udo Muszynski

Udo Muszynski
has perpetuated art and culture in the quarter.

ART AND CULTURE FOR EVERYONE

Udo Muszynski – many as the maker of Good morning Eberswalde well-known - dared to experiment with us in the gallery window in Brandenburger Allee in 2019. In 2020 she found a permanent home in the WERFT at Prignitzer Straße 50. Since then, mescal – Udo Muszynski's company – has also been a tenant there. Another good year later, the Helle Hour enriches the weekly market in the Brandenburg Quarter with culture. Organizer is again Udo Muszynski. In an interview, he explains why his open formats work in many different places.

Dear Udo, how did you actually open a gallery in the Brandenburg Quarter?
The trigger was the event "Behind the window", with which the 1893 said goodbye to a house that she wanted to dismantle. We suggested a small farewell with memories and encounters and for one evening a single apartment in the otherwise dark house. There were concerts, an installation with newspaper articles from 40 years of neighborhood history, a book of condolences and a eulogy every hour. People could remember, let out anger and sadness or just listen to the concert. This small format gave rise to the idea of ​​filling another house with life before it was demolished. The gallery window.

Why has the gallery established itself so well?
I think she filled a gap - in the neighborhood and in the whole city. Until then, there was no exhibition venue in Eberswalde that focused on photography and graphics. And that was what was offered in these small rooms on Brandenburger Allee. The gallery should primarily be a meeting place for the quarter – with exhibitions, concerts, readings, cinema and drinks. That worked.

You followed the gallery with your company a year later. Why?
With 1893, it quickly became clear that they wanted to keep the cultural offerings in the district. At Prignitzer Straße 50, the former leisure ship offered itself. We call it WERFT now. There are more spacious rooms and commercial areas. I had also realigned my company at the time and was looking for a common space with my people. The idea of ​​permanently locating the gallery here was exciting because we can open it on demand. It was and is a great win to bring everything together in one place. We have a lot of freedom here.

UAnd now the light hour with culture at the weekly market in the Brandenburg Quarter. A format similar to Guten Morgen Eberswalde in the city center. Was it necessary for Udo Muszynski to be here in the district to make the bright hour in the Brandenburg district possible?
No idea. In any case, it reminds me of the Eberswalde city center that reinvented itself in the mid-2000s. Well before the start of Guten Morgen Eberswalde, we staged the shell of the Paul-Wunderlich-Haus with cultural initiatives. A city center needs meeting place qualities.
Art and culture should also be a regular invitation. It was impressive how quickly the financing for the first editions was available at the Helle Hour. All four apartment providers shared the costs for this at record speed. We sense that many people are expecting something from this artistic impulse.

How do you look back on the past two and a half years in the neighborhood? What has happened in terms of art and culture?
I would call it confirmation and beginning. I am pleased that more and more people are coming to the daylight hour. This open format is for everyone. Not everyone dares to approach immediately. But that comes when we remain visible and reliable. So if we play at the same time in the same place every week. Then people feel that what is being played is for them. At Guten Morgen Eberswalde it developed in a similar way.
The distances between the artists and the audience were huge at first. Today, the same visitors naturally sit in the front row. Maybe the people who visit the Helle Hour now will come to the gallery or vice versa. That's developing. On the other hand, we are still at the beginning, not least because there are currently severe restrictions on encounter formats.

What people hear and see at Guten Morgen Eberswalde, at the Helle Hour and at events in the gallery, they usually don't know. It might not even be what they like. How do you explain that they still come back? 
They know that they see and hear a great variety. if If you don't like it, check it out during the week what is there and whether they like it more. Certain hearing and You also have to train yourself to see your habits first, or discover for yourself. It definitely does something with the people and we'll see that in the district as well.

Art and culture is a difficult business. In order to get financing going, detours are often necessary rob power. What would you do culturally here in the district if budgets for money, time and energy were not an issue?
(laughs and thinks about it for a while) Maybe we would be quicker with everything, could open the gallery more often, could hold more open events, develop the outdoor area more quickly into a meeting place. With a huge roof like in a WERFT, with lots of seating and a cultural pub. So that people just come to the site, meet each other and spend time together. I wouldn't change anything about the format itself. Art and culture is for everyone. This works best with open formats.

We look forward to this goal and the way to get there.
Thank you very much for the conversation.