The new Spreepark Berlin will be sustainable. From development and planning to construction and subsequent operation. Happold developed an integrated sustainability concept for this purpose. To top it all off, Spreepark Berlin is the first public park in Germany to receive a certificate from the German Sustainable Building Council.

The old Spreepark in Berlin is being renovated in a special way. It will become a unique park whose relics from the past will be transformed into a new, sustainable future. The use of the old treasures is being rethought and linked to the themes of art, culture and nature. Accordingly, Spreepark Berlin is on the verge of a careful and forward-looking new development in the areas of ecology, economy and social affairs. In addition, it also sets high standards for technical quality, process quality and location quality.

Old rides become stages

With the newly developed Spreepark Berlin, the urban population of Berlin is regaining a place that offers local recreation, but at the same time allows art and culture to be experienced in public space. Based on the extensive participation of Berliners and inspired by its past, an important public open space is being created in the Treptow-Köpenick district. Here, old buildings and amusement rides will become stages for culture and art, with a program offering special experiences.

The concept developed together with the residents is being implemented step by step. The experts from Buro Happold are responsible for the sustainability, coordination and implementation and thus for an important component of Berlin’s urban development.

Extensive dialog leads to sustainability concept

The sustainable development of the Spreepark in Berlin takes into account the habitat requirements of local animal and plant species, among other things. Existing buildings will also be repurposed and an innovative traffic concept introduced to support the mobility transition. The new Spreepark Berlin will also have a comprehensive rainwater management system. And the use of renewable energies will result in both climate-related and economic benefits in the future.

Furthermore, the socio-cultural component in Berlin’s Spreepark is also receiving attention. It is based on the extensive dialog with citizens in a multi-year participatory planning process.

Spreepark Berlin: opportunities for gradual realization

The sustainability concept for Spreepark Berlin was developed by the employees of Buro Happold together with Grün Berlin. They have linked concrete specifications for the various dimensions of sustainability. This includes accompanying coordination and work aids for the various project participants. They all ensure quality in the verification procedure of the German Sustainable Building Council , both in planning and in construction and operation. The gradual completion of the new Spreepark in Berlin provides the opportunity to incorporate further sustainable ideas and requirements into the development process.

The sustainability concept in Berlin’s Spreepark is the result of close, participatory collaboration between planners, architects, engineers and artists. Representatives from the Senate Department for the Environment, Mobility, Consumer and Climate Protection, the district of Treptow-Köpenick, Grün Berlin and, of course, the city’s citizens were also involved. This exemplary, joint approach is creating a new kind of park. It will take into account all the pillars of sustainability and make them tangible for visitors.

Various dimensions of sustainability

Six dimensions form the cornerstones of the sustainability concept at Spreepark Berlin. On the one hand, this pays attention to the myth of the park in the sense of a holistic approach. On the other hand, it takes future (climatic) challenges into account today and counteracts them adaptively.

For example, one goal is to use recyclable materials as sustainably as possible and to establish material cycles. With this in mind, the concept provides for rainwater management in order to save drinking water. In addition, standards have been set for the selection of building materials, which simplify the consideration of various sustainability issues in the planning process.

Innovation and technology at Spreepark Berlin

Innovation and technology also play an important role at Spreepark Berlin. They are key components that will help to achieve the climate targets by 2050. Accordingly, the sustainable energy concept aims to reduce energy requirements through various measures. These include an intelligent lighting network with LEDs, the supply of heating and cooling via decentralized heat pumps and efficient energy generation. Photovoltaic systems on large roof areas are intended to generate up to a quarter of the annual electricity requirement.

In addition, individual measures for the use of the park will be integrated into an overarching, interdisciplinary environmental education concept. This will pursue important educational objectives, but also initiate further sustainable changes. It goes without saying that diversity and accessibility are taken into account. Public reporting on sustainability issues is also an elementary part of the experience.

Early and holistic

The early and holistic concept of sustainability for the Spreepark has created an important basis. This helps to incorporate the objectives into the planning via specifications and to ensure their implementation in the execution and operation of the park. A sustainability coordinator has been appointed to support this process in the long term. It will support the Spreepark Berlin team and help to realize the ambitions that have been set. The conditions of the location are seen as a strength and the aim is to treat the existing site with respect.

The certification of Spreepark Berlin by the German Sustainable Building Council is an important element of quality assurance. As none of the existing certification systems take into account the special features of parks, a catalog of criteria for the certification of parks was developed on the basis of the new Spreepark. This concept thus sets a standard for the future development of sustainable parks.

Something old has recently returned to the park: Spreepark Berlin Ferris wheel.

October 27 has been World Audiovisual Heritage Day since 2005. The day was proclaimed by Unesco on the 25th anniversary of the “Recommendation on the Protection and Preservation of Moving Images”. Since 2007, the day has also been officially celebrated annually in Germany. The six-day film heritage festival organized by the Deutsche Kinemathek provides information about the latest restorations The World Day of Audiovisual […]

October 27 has been World Audiovisual Heritage Day since 2005. The day was proclaimed by Unesco on the 25th anniversary of the “Recommendation on the Protection and Preservation of Moving Images”. Since 2007, the day has also been officially celebrated annually in Germany. The Deutsche Kinemathek’s six-day film heritage festival provides information about the latest restorations

World Audiovisual Heritage Day on October 27 was proclaimed by Unesco in 2005 to mark the 25th anniversary of the “Recommendation on the Protection and Preservation of Moving Images”. Since 2007, the day has also been officially celebrated annually in Germany. Over the last 100 years, mankind has created a vast audiovisual heritage of sound recordings, films and videos. Audiovisual archives tell stories about the lives and cultures of people from all over the world. They represent an invaluable heritage that is an affirmation of our collective memory and a valuable source of knowledge as they reflect the cultural, social and linguistic diversity of our community. The day aims to raise awareness for the preservation of historical documents. In Germany, the Deutsche Kinemathek is in charge of the World Cinema Day.

For the fifth time in a row, the Deutsche Kinemathek is organizing the film heritage festival, which this year takes place in Berlin from 27 October to 1 November under the title “Film Restored”. Over six days, 21 films from 15 countries that have been produced, preserved and restored thanks to European collaborations will be shown on the big screen. The program includes the latest restorations made possible by the cooperation of European archives. Among them are also some silent films that can be shown again for the first time in many decades. The film program will be complemented by workshop reports, lectures and panel discussions with European guests, in which various aspects of European cooperation will be examined from scientific, legal and practical restoration perspectives.

The festival will open on October 27 with the digital premiere of “Kuhle Wampe”, a classic of political film. Directed by Slatan Dudow in collaboration with Bertolt Brecht and Hanns Eisler, the film was banned by the Nazis shortly after its premiere. Thanks to the collaboration between the Deutsche Kinemathek, the British Film Institute and the Cinémathèque suisse, the premiere version from 1932 has been reconstructed.

The restoration of the scandalous production “Extase/Ekstase” (CZ/AT 1933) and the British melodrama “Love, Life and Laughter” (UK 1923), which was thought to be lost, were also made possible by the joint efforts of European archives. The lively exchange and cooperation between the archives has particularly promoted the reappraisal of the silent film era, around 80% of whose film production is considered lost. For this reason, this year’s festival will focus on silent films, which will be accompanied by live music during the screenings. One highlight is the elaborate restoration of Gerhard Lamprecht’s drama “Der Katzensteg” (DE 1927), which unfolds against the backdrop of the wars of liberation at the beginning of the 19th century and is thus also thematically deeply rooted in European history.

With the National Socialist dictatorship, Europe was shaken by profound upheavals from 1933 onwards. The forced exile of many German filmmakers led to various transnational production relationships: G.W. Pabst, for example, initially stayed in France from 1933, where he shot the Cervantes adaptation “Don Quixote” (FR 1933). Cinematographer Eugen Schüfftan also worked in exile, including in Switzerland with the emigrant Leonard Steckel on “Die Venus vom Tivoli” (CH 1953). The film tells the story of an acting troupe that was thrown together from all kinds of countries by the war and the desire to leave the old Europe. The end of the Second World War in 1945 marked a turning point in the history of Europe. On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the end of the war, four films at the festival are dedicated to this “zero hour”. With contributions from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia and Croatia, the program also pays tribute to the cinematographies of some Eastern European countries that have been members of the European Union since 2004.

The Film Heritage Festival will take place in compliance with all pandemic-related hygiene measures. For this reason, participation is limited. Online offerings with film streamings and introductions will complement the events at Kino Arsenal. In addition, the Kinematheksverbund Cinema Prize will also be awarded virtually this year.

Further information on the program can be found at: https://www.deutsche-kinemathek.de/de/besuch/festivals-symposien/filmrestored05