Limited Space
Unlimited Exchange

Eckwerk

No,
yes and
a dream

The future
starts here

It has never been that easy to change the world as it is today. We want to start here and now.

That is why we are creating a place where we invite the most talented and motivated people to jointly work on sustainable answers to social, economic and ecological questions. A mixture of a productive technology center and an inspiring space to live with rents deliberately kept affordable.

The Eckwerk should be a place where we promote responsible economic activity. We prefer sharing instead of owning, the common interests in dealing with each other instead of the separating aspects.

Egoism

Unlimited
growth

Waste of
ressources

Sometimes
you have to
say no

Unfair
Methods

Rigid
thought patterns

Resignation

Innovation

Courage and
action

Experiments and
free spaces

However,
we prefer to
say yes

Technological
development
and science

Sustainability
and ecological
rationality

Participation

Welcome
to the Eckwerk

The Future starts here!

The temporary is the great constant in this architecture

The building

The Eckwerk is radically conceived by the people who live and work here. Their needs, their dreams, their demands set the standard for architects, not vice versa. We challenge the usual standards for space, facades and climate.

The Eckwerk is no place for settledness because a constant flow of ideas and energy is to be guaranteed. Constantly new people are joining in to work and live here. Others make room, leaving the Eckwerk again because they have become too big or they are leaving their room to others as planned. New allocations and spaces should be possible at any time. The temporary is the great constant of this architecture.

The Eckwerk is not a place of private space and isolation, but a place of conscious public. No one should search for the quickest way out of here; it's about spontaneous encounters, which should be possible at any time - between students and start-up teams, between craftsmen and philosophers, entrepreneurs and visitors. Public rooms and paths make their way through the complex from different axes and emphasize its openness and transparency.

The Spree riverbank walk, stipulated in the citizen-initiated referendum "Spree riverbank for all", will meander through the building in the form of publicly accessible areas, like the mountain path.

How green it shall be

Natural building materials

We want to live in harmony with nature

Nature and the city are not opposites for us. We want to live and work in a pleasant, healthy atmosphere, an environment that promotes productive interaction.

Stairs will be turned into vegetated mountain paths, roofs and terraces to gardens and interior spaces into oases. Additionally, facades, windows and building parts should all look different in a pleasant way and at the same time have more than one function. Change and variation for residents and guests is just as important a goal as high energy awareness.

On the roof top we will use up to 2000 square meters for fish farming and vegetable cultivation, according to the latest standards ("aquaponics"). This project will set new standards in regionality and closed circuits.

A living environment that inspires its users and feels comfortable

In the Eckwerk the latest findings and technologies from science and construction industry will be implemented in order to establish a low-emission, near-natural and energy-efficient home.

The building should be able to present an overall positive energy balance within ten years.

As many stories as possible should be constructed of wood; an intelligent thermal management system ensures the right temperature, waste and wastewater cycles are optimized, soundproofing, insulation and ventilation systems should take into account the latest scientific findings to be as energy efficient as possible.

Natural raw materials such as clay and hemp will be preferred. Part of the waste reduction concepts are also long-term measures such as food co-ops and common stocks.

The Location

Berlin

The location Berlin

The Spirit of Berlin: Berlin inspires with its rugged charm of the provisional, with its conceptual and spatial free zones and with rents that are still affordable in the European and German comparison. Berlin is compelling because of its openness, transparency and permeability: Everything that is different and new, has a chance here.

For decades, this spirit has attracted pioneers of the unconventional. Berlin now has one of the liveliest and most productive sub-cultures of the world. With the courage, the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, these people have always created worlds beyond established ways. Wild places, which then became known internationally.

Berlin is the center of the national creative industry - and thus attracts international counterparts.

39 Universities and Colleges

777 Schools

160,000 Students (Winter Semester 2013/2014)

9.9 Mio Guests per year

22 Mio. Overnight Stays

The current view on the Holzmarkt

The Holzmarkt village in the future

The Holzmarkt: The new urban quarter by the spree

Craftspeople, artists and creative people will work together on their dreams

  • The Eckwerk is located in the northern part of the project "Holzmarkt". Here in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, the Spree has long been contested. The major investors project "Media Spree" with its dense, lifeless business development was rejected by the population in a referendum. Their goal was: "Spree riverbank for all."
  • The Holzmarkt takes this decision seriously. Under this name, a new village will now be built, which is organized as a cooperative and where the community interest counts. Only half of the proposed area in the development plan will be developed; a large part of the gained free spaces will remain public – and space will remain affordable. Craftspeople, artists and creative people will work together on their dreams here.
  • There are no monotonous skyscrapers, but lower, charming ensembles. Neither walls nor fences will keep the citizens away from the village or the shore.
    The "Mörchenpark", the market, the creative village, the club and the restaurant dominate the district, which will remain fragmented in order to ensure diversity. Continuous changes will bring new energy and talents to the Holzmarkt.
    The village is a deliberate counterpoint to the massive Eckwerk. Both are interdependent and enrich each other.
Eckwerk The village The hotel

The Eckwerk is a place to communicate and to meet, a productive mix of progressive technology center and inspiring living environment. Here the boundaries between life and work are redifned and the power of synergies, cooperations and innovations are used.

The village is characterized by small-scale structure and diversity. Creativity, passion, courage and tolerance find their home here. Craftspeople, artists and entrepreneurs support each other in huts and halls; retail restaurants and bars cover a major part of the daily needs.

The Hotel is an important part of the Holzmarkt. Every room is unique and individually designed by an artist. There are different offers from bunks to suites. Some rooms are planned for short-term rent, others for long-term stays in Berlin.

The people

Everyone wants to be in Berlin. This is a good thing. In the Eckwerk we want to bring together the most prolific and inspiring forces. Students, founders, artists, researchers, entrepreneurs, programmers and craftspeople - from the city, from the country side, from all around the world.

Only those who really want something will be allowed to join in here. We welcome all those who have an idea, a project or a talent that benefits others, makes the world better and more livable. The admission is decided by a board that is committed to this vision. This body is incorruptible because neither the financial standing nor the highest bid decides. Places are limited and an acceptance is already a recognition and an award.

Any idea that is developed here
  can be used by everyone

Whoever wants to join in the Eckwerk must refrain from aggressive patent and copyright law enforcement. From the little things of everyday life, to the development of financial models: professionals from various fields are there to advise and assist the young entrepreneurs. Thus, the creative minds can fully focus on their creative power.

There will be five areas that define the spirit and function of the Eckwerk; these are interwoven and complementary:

  • ▪ Space for young minds (Students, designers, researchers)
  • ▪ Space for young businesses
  • ▪ Space for debate and exchange of ideas

  • ▪ Space for services
  • ▪ Space for food

We are also open for new and old economy companies belonging to the new and old economy and provide them with space and opportunity to share knowledge cross-generationally.

Space for young minds The main idea is: limited Space. Unlimited Exchange.

Space for young companies

Space for debates and idea exchange

Services Growing food on the roof - eating it inside

  • Berlin is an attractive city for international students and science, where affordable housing is increasingly in demand. Students or researchers who come with an exciting project, a good idea or an important talent get a place to live and work in the Eckwerk. Sustainability, innovation and the practical use of their concerns are more important than a matriculation certificate.
  • Any stay in the Eckwerk is temporary; stagnation leads to crystallization and inertia. Whoever moves out, forms a new node in the extended network. Even if an idea in the Eckwerk did not work out, we appreciate the experience that everyone has gained. A responsible, efficient use of resources can best be reached in flexible living communities and variable residential clusters. The individual private area is restricted to the necessary minimum to ensure that the benefits of shared use of infrastructure such as washing machines, televisions and kitchens are used to a maximum extent.
  • Vacancy is contrary to the spirit of the Eckwerk. Blocking space is undesirable. Intermediate rent and sublet, for example when the user is traveling, is possible at any time. The sharing of space is efficient and saves resources. Concerning the rent, our goal is covering costs, not profit maximization; contributions are socially differentiated if needed.
  • Anyone who wants to implement or further develop an idea will find the perfect infrastructure here. Young entrepreneurs meet qualified talents in the hallways, in the common areas or co-working spaces for an inspiring exchange and help for the next step. That can be the search for a fair funding model or the concretization of an idea in a modeling workshop.
  • Based on the knowledge that young entrepreneurs quickly start floundering due to requirements of bureaucracy and infrastructure, these areas are covered by the Eckwerk when needed. This includes administration and accounting, qualified legal and tax support, as well as shared IT infrastructure. This makes the purchase of own equipment unnecessary.
  • The same holds true for young entrepreneurs; anyone who develops an idea here makes it available for everyone in the Eckwerk. We reject an aggressive interpretation of copyright and patent law. However, whoever comes here to work out a particular idea, which they had before, will be able to do that.
  • The idea of ​​"Spree riverbank for all" was once the starting point for citizen protests against the original construction plans. At the core of these protests were sharing, participation, communication, creativity, participation and a wealth of fresh ideas.
  • This energy and the will to work together to create something new, will continue to live in the large rooms of the Eckwerk. This means that students, creative minds and researchers find space to develop their ideas. Furthermore, the Eckwerk offers rooms where they can exchange ideas in workshops and camps.
  • In the Eckwerk, multifunctional rooms are available in which service providers can offer their services for a certain time in case it is needed, but in which they cannot settle permanently.
  • This may be service providers such as consultants in the fields of law, tax, or financing that support the academic researchers and founders on the business side. However, it could also be model and prototype builders who help drive the realization of projects.
  • In addition, there will be companies that provide a wide range of food, beverages and everyday items in organic supermarkets or restaurants. Prerequisite: Their products have been produced according to the principles of sustainability and efficient resource use. This of course includes the sale and processing of the products from the roof of the Eckwerk.

The Initiators

It's about fairness, transparency, participation and control, to strike a balance between creativity and capital.

The Genossenschaft für urbane Kreativität (Cooperative for urban creativity) and the Holzmarkt plus eG decide together with the property owner, who will become building contractor. They will establish an operating company - and select partners who bring professionalism and experience in addition to new ideas.

The Holzmarkt plus eG is idea generator and project developer. It is responsible for the district management and secures the neighborhood character. It is a body of initiators, creative minds, citizens and investors. The Genossenschaft für urbane Kreativität concentrates potential for the support of creative city development ideas, realizes investments and sustainable business models that support the (self-) organization of investors.

Eckwerk

DAS ECKWERK

Holzmarktstr. / Michaelkirchstr.
D-10243 Berlin

P.O. Box 170120
D-10203 Berlin

Mail: info@eckwerk.com

Eckwerk Overview Eckwerk Brochure Architectural Brochure

Imprint

Eckwerk Entwicklungs GmbH
Holzmarktstr. 19
D-10243 Berlin

Managing Director:
Matthias Gehrke

District Court of Charlottenburg HRB 148562

PM/UI/UX:
www.midnight-digital.com

Sitebuilding:
Marcel Heinke

Disclaimer

Despite careful control we assume no liability for the content of external links. For the content of linked pages their operators are responsible.

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