Stadtsafari 2010

participatory youth project initiated by nomadisch grün/prinzessinnen gärten
07-11.2010



Stadtsafari 2010 was a participatory youth project within the framework of the ExWoSt scheme of the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development. The project was conceptualized and initiated by nomadisch grün (g)Gmbh - the makers of Prinzessinnengärten, a well known urban gardening project in Berlin, Kreuzberg.

The idea was to find a way of involving young grown-ups actively into the shaping of their neighborhood, their city - to show that the city is something they can involve in actively. The catalysator or tool for interaction and involvement was a mobile youth club in the shape of a self build container made in the measurements of a standard office container made out of a wooden frame structure.

              

In order to connect to young people in the neighborhood of Moritzplatz in Kreuzberg, Berlin, we contacted both formal and informal institutions such as schools, sport clubs, theater initiatives, a skater group, the street university and many more.

                                                         photo: m.clausen

The project team:
Bianca Schemel, Documentation
Christobal Muhr, Construction Expert
Esra Cosansu, Junior Guide
Florian Walter, Construction Expert 
Inci Güler, Cultural Coordination and Programming
Jascha Vogel, Construction Expert
Jonathan Aikins, Junior Guide
Julia Schumann, Assistant
Julian Arons, Construction Expert
Marco Clausen, Manager nomadisch grün
Martin Schwegmann, Project Leader
Mary Njeri, Junior Guide
Okan Akogul, Junior Guide
Philipp Farmer, Construction Expert
Rob Andjelkovic, Junior Guide
Robert Shaw, Manager nomadisch grün
Rosmarie Köckenberger, Project Leader
Sasun Sayan, Junior Guide

Quartier für Vielflieger - Nests for the Frequent Flyers

http://quartierfurvielflieger.blogspot.com/

by Secil Yaylali and Anne Deschka, from May to October 2010, in Berlin/Kreuzberg*

Quartier für Vielflieger/Nests for frequent Flyers was a participatory public art project realized in 2010 the neighborhood Kreuzberg in Berlin.We invited inhabitants of the area to show their hospitality to migratory birds by building individual bird houses.

In Turkey and its neighboring countries, bird houses enjoy a century-long tradition. These tiny but highly decorated houses were constructed on the facades of public buildings as one of the typical architectural features. Within the striving urban life they should protect birds from adverse weather conditions and hungry cats. Inhabitants of those shelters often are migratory birds, which spent each winter in warmer regions. As temporary guests people welcomed them in a friendly way - a carrying human gesture towards the free migrants of the sky.

Also around the Kreuzberg- Kottbusser Tor, people - like migratory birds - are sharing the experience of departing and arriving, and the experience of being dependent on sharing the hospitality of other human beings.

According to old tradition from Turkey, we wanted to show the hospitality to the frequent visitors of the area. We also wanted to build a link between people and some associations in the area. We structured the project in 3 phases;

1) We made -one day events- by 5 local associations to inform more participants about the 2nd phase. We had an origami, water marbling, participatory drawing workshop and a lecture about the Turkish birdhouses and an excursion in Kreuzberg to be able to see which immigrant birds live in the area. This process also created a link among local associations in the area.

2) The second phase was the core of the project. It integrated 2 different workshops. One was a birdhouse-building workshop and the other one was a sound-editing workshop. The birdhouse-building workshop was a week long workshop and we organized 3 different groups of participant where participants could build their own birdhouses according to their own designs. The sound-editing workshop was a 1 week workshop that participants learnt about sound experienced with it.

3) In the end, a symposium, a film screening and an exhibition took place. The exhibition showed the products (the birdhouses-sound pieces) and the documentation of the project. In the symposium there was a screening of documentary movies about home land and a discussion about migration and hospitality. We also presented our publication in the end of the events.

The birdhouses were placed around Kottbuser Tor, Kreuzberg.

Events: Origami & Marbling (Ebru), participatory painting Workshops, Excursion, Lecture about traditional birdhouses, Birdhouse-building Workshops, Sound-editing Workshop, Symposium & Exhibition in Kreuzberg Museum

* in collaboration with 13 artists, 2 NABU Volunteers, a social worker, an architect, a social anthropologist and around 150 active participants in Berlin Kreuzberg

a new quarter in the heart of berlin

urbanistic survey for former berlin wall area,
commissioned by the district Berlin Mitte


type: urbanistic survey, invited competition
date: april to october 2008
content: development of a strategy and possible housing typology for a new quarter on the former no man´s land of the Berlin wall in Berlin Mitte (Centre) in the area of alte Jakobstraße and Alexandrienen Straße (near Metro Spittelmarkt)
status: completed, 3rd place
workgroup: KUNSTrePUBLIK, Urban Passion, ifau


In an urbanistic survey, commissioned by the municipality of Berlin/Mitte, we were invited to develop a new utilization and building concept for an area within the margins of the former death strip of the berlin wall between alte Jakob Straße, Alexandrinen- and Stallschreiber Straße. Within an interdisciplinary team of artists and architects we first organized interviews and talks with local inhabitants and external experts in an specially created vehicle. These talks formed a decisive basis of our proposal.




invited experts:

Klaus Overmeyer, landscape architect, urban catalyst studio, expert for bottom up planning

Horst Pfander, stattbau.de & Selbstbau Kreuzberg, expert for self-organized building

Winfried Härtel, Wohnprojekte-Berlin.info, expert for house builder groups

Berthold Becker, JonesLang LaSalle - Asset Management, expert for real estate development

Ralf Chille, TPA-berlin.de, Agentur für Quartiersmarketing, expert for place branding

Dr. Michael LaFont, id22, institute for creative sustainability, expert for alternative urban development

Christophe Kotanyi, AG-Kleinstlandwirtschaft und Gärten in Stadt und Land, expert for guerilla gardening and temporary uses

Alex Toland, Wrietzener Freiraumlabor Berlin, expert for guerilla gardening and temporary uses

The expert talks with their fruitful discussions created substantial input for our concepts.

Our key concepts:
-development in phases, small parcels,
-openness of identity = the possibility of experiments
-necessity of a program jump start, an initial spark
-connected, and accessible green spaces with individual use


The mix of "formal" and "informal" uses should be given in order to start right away with a diverse multiplicity of players in order to give the place a rather unique profile.
What do we mean by formal and informal uses? Formal once are those which are rather permanent and need high investment such as housing. Less permanent and less investment intensive uses like gardening, temporary workspaces, cultural venues we see as informal uses. Less permanent refers to the character of the spacial intervention following the use. Nevertheless we regard these uses as very important to shape the original character of the quarter.


In order to give smaller investors the chance to build and
also to get a better mix of users, our concept foresees relatively small parcels and the development in phases, in order to avoid a permanent building site. The aim is, to complete intact parts. That makes a long development phase bearable.

Concerning a possible architecture for the area we developed relatively flexible floor plan solutions which facilitate multi family uses. We try to keep the green spaces as big, connected and accessible as possible within the tight framework of the task.

Istanbul - City in Change

Urban Passion worked on a movie about the current urban transformation processes in Istanbul. In recent years radical urban renewal projects are under way, which threaten great parts of the inner city population by demolition of their homes and eviction.

Unfortunately we weren´t able to finish it. No TV Station we offered it to was interested. We work on!

Watch the trailer now! (only in German) or visit www.changeistanbul.blogspot.com

Upload your City

Martin Schwegmann moderiert zusammen mit Tore Dobberstein vom ZfzK (Zentrum für zeitgenössische Kultur) aus Halle/Saale den videoblog www.uploadyourcity.com in Florenz auf dem Festival della Creatività 2007. www.festivaldellacreativita.it

Schaut vorbei!!

Martin Schwegmann is moderating together with the ZfzK (centre for contemporary culture) from Halle/Saale the videoblog www.uploadyourcity.com in florence at the festival of creativity 2007. www.festivaldellacreativita.it

Have a look!

Winning entry below:

"TORTEN UND MENSCHEN"
KLUB7 and DUNJA KOPI
FASHION-COLLECTION 07
MUSIK BY MIKEOKAY (KLUB7)

Malmö Islands - A new symbol for Malmö

competition 2007 by malmö form and design centre

winning entry - 2nd roundproject group:

peter bjerg, social innovation consultant, dk, metapol.dk
viviana de micheli, design student, it
martin schwegmann, architect, de
richard sjögren, entrepreneur, se
liv zetterling, artist, se

The task was to create a new symbol for the southern Swedish city of Malmö. What could that be we asked our selves and started thinking: Turning Torso, the just finished Highrise by the spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, times three?


No- we looked for unused potentials of the city and found them in its waterfronts, which are many places unused or not leading to street life, not connecting the spatial potential to vitalizing function.

So we came up with a catalyst, an easy to implement and easy to adapt solution: Floating Islands in a honeycomb shape.

These islands should have a special status, a free zone, were certain rules are not applied or are changed and tested. The island like a pirate island, where opening hours, tax and insurance matters can be treated differently for a period of legal adventure.

Malmö Islands would be a synonym for a progressive, daring urban development agenda of an upcoming local metropolis. It has the potential of a political showcase, the malmö model. Many cities in europe face similar challenges in dealing with their post industrial waterfronts. High prize development is just one possible answer.

Viral and humming cultural uses do seldomly stem from this type of development. Malmö Islands would be the possibility of integrating high culture and alternative drive.