Yellow and beige houses in the Siemensstadt estate in Berlin.

The rich tapestry of Neues Bauen

Siemensstadt, on the eastern outskirts of the Berlin district of Spandau, is named after the Siemens factories which were built there in the early 20th century. The area saw increasing housing development in the decades that followed. New flats were being built there as recently as the 1970s. As a result, the area boasts a wide array of architectural styles today. However, its best-known feature is probably the Siemensstadt Ring Estate.

_{Photo: Katharina / Offenblende}

With around 3,600 residential units, Siemensstadt is Deutsche Wohnen’s biggest housing estate. The Ring Estate, in turn, is home to 1,370 of these apartments. They were built between 1929 and 1934 by members of the innovative architectural collective Der Ring. On this estate, the six architects Otto Bartning, Fred Forbat, Walter Gropius, Hugo Häring, Paul-Rudolf Henning and Hans Scharoun turned their dreams of modern urban living into reality. They were all standard-bearers for Neues Bauen, emphasising functional layouts of flats and avoiding any superfluous decoration.

Despite all they had in common, the architects created an astonishingly diverse estate. From Gropius’s functionalism to Scharoun’s spatial art and Häring’s wealth of organic shapes, Neues Bauen is on display in all its glory.

Eine weiß-rote Häuserfront in der Ringsiedlung Siemensstadt in Berlin.

One of the most iconic buildings is Otto Bartning’s Lange Jammer: a 340-metre-long residential building with a gently curved design.

_{Photo: Georgios Anastasiades}

Between 2009 and 2016, Deutsche Wohnen fully refurbished the Ring Estate in line with conservation principles. As part of these works, most of the roofs, stairwells and numerous facades and balconies were repaired in line with conservation principles and many green spaces were redesigned. Extensive refurbishment of the basement ceilings and attic storeys took place, and the windows were replaced or overhauled. The playground on Goebelstrasse was also redesigned and fitted with a streetball court, table tennis tables, swings and a climbing and play area.

The Siemensstadt Ring Estate was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in July 2008 as one of six estates of Berlin Modernism (Siedlungen der Berliner Moderne).