Our 5th S72+ dinner was on our home turf of Berlin, together with the socially responsible architectural enterprise TOMAS, transformation of material and space. The theme “Burned Out & Empty” was an invitation to discuss ideas on repurposing built space and sustainable construction in Berlin at a time of acute housing shortages and no environmental budget left to build new. The next stage of Berlin’s built future needs to be radically different. Our guests were Regula Lüscher, former Senate Building Director and State Secretary for urban Development and Housing in Berlin; Dag Ortkrass, Managing Partner at Diete+Siepmann Ingenieurgesellschaft; Thomas Beyerle, Professor of Real Estate Economics and Real Estate Research; Andreas Krüger, Managing Director of Belius GmbH; Lena Brühne, Managing Director of Art-Invest Real Estate Management; Olga Graf, food activist and Managing Director of Markthalle Neun in Berlin; and Hannes Bäuerle, Managing Director of Materialbank.
“The financial market wants maximum security and predictability, and building reactivation doesn’t offer that. But if sustainability and innovation were the yardstick for investment strategies, then that would change too.” – Regula Lüscher
“Space activation must be considered holistically and with a view to the future. This means: conversion instead of new construction, reusing materials, incorporating local ecosystems.” – Dag Ortkrass
“In times when society is becoming more and more divided, places and spaces for encounters and interaction are needed. Places where people, who might otherwise not come into contact, can interact. I also believe that such innovative initiatives should be owned by the city.” – Olga Graf
Our chef: Jonas Merold, our sponsors: Materialbank and Rosenthal, our photographer: Friedrich J Richter, our location: a temporary space in Mollstrasse 1, Berlin, which was originally built to house the GDR National News Service ADN.