Research Village - a united & interdisciplinary TU Berlin

We are living in a world of change but unfortunately large institutions, like the technical university, doesn’t always change as fast as we would like. This project focused on two aspects: the post fossil future and alternative learning methods on the campus of the Technical University of Berlin.

 

The current status quo on the campus of the TU Berlin is complex, it has been build in numerous stages over the past 130 years. For Berlin standards its a fairly compact campus but it is split right in the middle by Strasse des 17. Juni, one of the main traffic axises in and out of the city. The 8 lanes of driving cars and the adjoining hundreds of parking spaces leads to a division not only in the physical campus but also in the organisation and teaching itself, everyone stays cooped up at their own institution or area of expertise. 

​

Believing we need to support and spark change not only in building methods but also in new alternative mobility and different ways of teaching and learning, it is time to change the street! Use it for what the Campus need, a place to meet and a place to work together. 

​

We are proposing to join the two campus halves together with buildings and functions that different institutions and its students need. That way we can strengthen the interdisciplinary work and support research on solutions for a post fossil future. Using the example of the optimal cycle, we re-organize the circle in a linear way and divide it into Design, Manufacturing, Retailing and End of Life. This is reflected in the development, but also in the programs. An open column grid enables the flexible and future-oriented structuring of the buildings. Finally, the roofs are used productively. The street and area around our buildings is redeveloped with an island system with paths and green space, a landscape develops that invites you to linger and suddenly the street is no longer.