WoHo – Germany’s tallest timber building – is going to be built in Berlin-Kreuzberg © Mad Arkitekter
The district Berlin-Kreuzberg is diverse and unconventional. With their design for the residential high-rise on Schöneberger Straße, Mad Arkitekter want to give their interpretation of a typical block in Kreuzberg, in a vertical format. The Berlin-based company UTB Projektmanagement wants to build WoHo, which is to have 29 stories and rise up an impressive 98 meters. „We now have a strong result which reflects our attitude towards social mixing, orientation towards the common good and sustainability,” says client Thomas Bestgen, managing partner of UTB and juror in the design competition. The building is to rise up next to the Anhalter Bahnhof near Potsdamer Platz and will offer people space to work and live on 18,000 m² of floor space. 60% of this space will be rental and freehold apartments, 25% commercial units and the rest will be public space. The ground floor in particular is reserved for small grocery stores, reading cafés, ateliers and other commercial activities. There will also be a kindergarten, an after-school center, a cafeteria and a spa area with a sauna and a bar. Green courtyards, a roof terrace and urban gardening areas round off the recreational offer. “The public roof garden on the 29th floor of the main tower offers visitors a 360-degree view of Berlin,” promises Bestgen. The complex will consist of four structures with different heights. New, open passageways provide access to the nearby Tempodrom and the Mendelssohn-Bartholdy park across the street. Instead of parking spaces, the complex will offer car sharing, EV charging stations and bicycle garages.
Germany’s tallest timber building
WoHo is already being called Germany’s tallest timber building. As is the case with the Roots in Hamburg, WoHo will not be built exclusively in wood. The cores of the four structures with staircases and elevator shafts as well as the basement will be built in concrete. The rest of the load-bearing structure is to be made of wood. The project is currently in the land-use planning process, and is expected to be completed in 2026 at the earliest.
Source: Mad Arkitekter
