Urban Voids

The winning entry of the 1991 Europan Competition, Berlin Voids is a giant puzzle of different apartment types. Located in the void left by the Berlin Wall, the project catalyzes a new neighborhood rooted in social awareness and security. The puzzle ignites curiosity and community… What is your neighbor’s house like? And their neighbors? La entrada ganadora del Concurso Europan de 1991, Berlin Voids es un rompecabezas gigante de diferentes tipos de apartamentos. Ubicado en el vacío dejado por el Muro de Berlín, el proyecto cataliza un nuevo barrio arraigado en la conciencia social y la seguridad. El rompecabezas enciende la curiosidad y la comunidad… ¿Cómo es la casa de tu vecino? ¿Y sus vecinos? With The Berlin Wall torn down and East and West Berlin reunited, the government proposed an infill site in the nineteenth-century Prenzlauerberg district (a former Russian checkpoint next to the old Wall zone) as the location for the 2nd European housing competition. The programmatic requirements of 284 homes and 30.000 m2 are intended to revive the area and catapult it into a shared and (re)united future. This raised the question of how to treat the original building envelope. If demolished, the proposal would continue the East Berlin legacy of inhuman low-rise blocks; a new high-rise building would allow Berlin to enjoy the density of the capital city but turn its back on history. MVRDV’s proposal is a provocative combination of both approaches: a vertical neighborhood packed with archetypal housing typologies and public functions. Con el Muro de Berlín derribado y Berlín Este y Oeste reunidas, el gobierno propuso un sitio de relleno en el distrito de Prenzlauerberg del siglo XIX (un antiguo puesto de control ruso junto a la antigua zona del Muro) como ubicación para la segunda competencia europea de vivienda. Los requisitos programáticos de 284 viviendas y 30.000 m2 pretenden reactivar la zona y catapultarla hacia un futuro compartido y (re)unido.