2019 Sophie Schuettler - Muslim civic centre Berlin
Since the 1960s there has been a constantly changing Muslim community life in Berlin.
Especially in the Reuterkiez between Kottbusser Gate and Hermannplatz many arab and turkish shops and mosques are located. While the trade is publicly visible, the mosques are hidden in backyards invisible for the pedestrians. The mosques are places of exchange and provide their users a feeling of home.
Given that the whole „Kiez“ developed from a problematic area to a coveted area the mosques face extrusion. After several visits to mosques and talks with their representatives it became clear that the communities want a place that offers a home to their parish life and is representative without pushing to the fore.
The plot in the backyard of the Kottbusser Damm 80 is the last huge undeveloped estate in the area and offers the infrastructure to establish a muslim community center.
While most centers in the urban context lack space and especially common outdoor areas, the deep plot in the backyard offers the possibility of a series of different functions extending along the courtyards. The building complexes are connected to each other, but also work as a unit independently of each other. If you walk through the passage of the front building, you will see a large gate through which you enter the center. On the way to the prayer room in the heart of the block, one passes in the first courtyard the community center with the multifunctional rooms, the two-storey library with flats in the upper floors for employees of the community, such as the Iman. Around the second courtyard there is an administrative part and the mosque. The courtyard with the fountain is only used by the men, the women use the stairs to access their prayer room on the first floor.
Especially in the Reuterkiez between Kottbusser Gate and Hermannplatz many arab and turkish shops and mosques are located. While the trade is publicly visible, the mosques are hidden in backyards invisible for the pedestrians. The mosques are places of exchange and provide their users a feeling of home.
Given that the whole „Kiez“ developed from a problematic area to a coveted area the mosques face extrusion. After several visits to mosques and talks with their representatives it became clear that the communities want a place that offers a home to their parish life and is representative without pushing to the fore.
The plot in the backyard of the Kottbusser Damm 80 is the last huge undeveloped estate in the area and offers the infrastructure to establish a muslim community center.
While most centers in the urban context lack space and especially common outdoor areas, the deep plot in the backyard offers the possibility of a series of different functions extending along the courtyards. The building complexes are connected to each other, but also work as a unit independently of each other. If you walk through the passage of the front building, you will see a large gate through which you enter the center. On the way to the prayer room in the heart of the block, one passes in the first courtyard the community center with the multifunctional rooms, the two-storey library with flats in the upper floors for employees of the community, such as the Iman. Around the second courtyard there is an administrative part and the mosque. The courtyard with the fountain is only used by the men, the women use the stairs to access their prayer room on the first floor.
