The first steps toward a billion-dollar renovation and refit of the historical Siemens industrial park and its surrounding neighborhoods in the northwest of the German capital Berlin are underway, with architects O&O Baukunst now given the nod by company and city officials to move ahead with a master plan concept.
O&O edged out 17 competitors in an international competition that included Albert Speer + Partner, HENN, UNStudio and Snøhetta; the firm’s work will be used to form a master plan for the campus, with competitions opening in April through June of this year for construction of the first sections of the sprawling project. The current Siemens timeline calls for work to get started on the ground in 2022. Siemens plans to sink €600 million ($670 million) into a refit of its 70-hectare (173-acre) site in the area and open the campus—Siemensstadt 2.0—to public use, taking down the fences around the industrial facilities. The city is expected to invest a similar amount in the area.