Mediaspree

Mediaspree is one of the largest property investment projects in Berlin. It aims to establish telecommunication and media companies along a section of the banks of the river Spree as well as to implement an urban renewal of the surrounding area. So far, for the most part, unused or temporarily occupied real estate is to be converted into office buildings, lofts, hotels, and other new structures.

The plans date predominantly from the 1990s, but only a part of them was implemented due to unfavorable economic circumstances at the time. Promoters saw in this project a great opportunity for the former East Berlin, while critics saw the selling-out of the area's most valuable properties. The following criteria were defined for sustainable location development:

• Public access to the riverfront,
• Buildings with ground-floor public areas,
• A mixture of large-scale and small-scale use,
• Ambitious architectural concepts,
• The integration of art and media.^[1]