#convertedspace

Picture the sky over Berlin decorated with floating kite silhouettes both large and small and oddly shaped as the sun set on the Festival der Riesendrachen (Giant Kite Festival). This was the scene at Tempelhofer Freiheit, one of Berlin’s most talked about converted spaces. And of course, I had to see it for myself.

Tempelhofer Freiheit is a modernized openspace that is like no other; and for good reason it is marketed as Berlin’s “open space for the city of the future”.

It was once home to Europe’s busiest civil airport in the 1950s, known as Tempelhof Airport. The airport was later decommissioned and reclaimed as a park by the State of Berlin in 2009; and with an area of 386 hectares, the scale of Tempelhofer Freiheit in relation to its surrounding neighbourhoods is unapologetic. In addition to its size, it’s hard to ignore the presence of the former airport as a result of its central location in the city, just steps away from the Paradestr U-bahn station. This place easily rivals Tiergarten for visitors, one of Berlin’s most beautifully landscaped public parks. But unlike Tiergarten, this place is, how do you say, badass. 

The park today maintains its utilitarian feel which pays tribute to its past aviation life but like many others, I did not appreciate the full history of Tempelhofer Freiheit and its checkered past.

Although Tempelhof Airport gained international recognition through its role in the Cold War and later operated as one of Europe’s busiest airports in passenger volume, I soon discovered that the grounds also served as Berlin’s only official SS concentration camp by the National Socialists. At that time, forced labourers from German-occupied countries were required to service combat aircraft.

Looking back, I see the traces of that era in the architecture of the buildings still standing. But I was more curious of something else that day: I was left with the impression that Tempelhofer was a transient space – with a more permanent use yet to be determined. How could this large parcel of land remain undeveloped? This was definitely the pro-development urban planner side of me talking, but the feeling was somewhat hard to ignore. 

Something else that I noticed was that the park is not entirely a public space. With a fence that divides the general public from the park (there are specific open hours) and security guards that stand near the gateway, there was an undeniable point of when I became a visitor to the park (although I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing considering its size and perhaps historical facilities onsite). 

A quick search on my laptop confirmed two things: 1) I need to use Google more often to research things ahead of time and 2) my instincts were right - there is a proposed master plan for Tempelhofer Freiheit. The strategic plan includes the construction of a school, library, several new residential districts, a city square, and new transportation linkages. The new development proposal will roll out in three phases with an expected completion date of 2022.

(photo credit: Tempelhofer Freiheit)

(photo credit: Tempelhof Freiheit)

And so, in understanding the evolution of this space – at first, simply a field, then an airport, and now a recreational and gathering place, the transition of this space is hands-down remarkable. I think that it is an amazing representation of Berlin’s ever changing character. It is not simply an example of the city trying to retrofit a historical space to fit in with the times but rather a reflection of a city with a determined drive to develop into its own, constantly finding new ways to define, redefine, and mature its urban form as they see itself in the future.