Aim of the construction project
A new Jewish community and cultural center is to be built next to the historic youth synagogue in Berlin-Kreuzberg, offering space for contemporary Jewish culture, art, education, encounters and dialogue. In addition to the urgently needed expansion of the space available to the synagogue community, the new building(s) will house a multi-functional festival and event hall, a children's daycare center, a place for learning and education and social engagement, a co-working space for non-profit Jewish initiatives, a kosher café and an exhibition space for contemporary Jewish art.
The requirements program for the Jewish Center was developed in various working groups and vision workshops with the participation of various Jewish groups. Educational and cultural programs such as LABA Berlin, Eruv Hub or Kreuzberg Beit Midrash were used for networking and the further development of the concept.
The architectural competition
The aim of the architectural competition was to develop a concept that architecturally and functionally ties in with the history of the synagogue as a socio-cultural center of Jewish life in south-eastern Berlin.
A particular challenge is to implement the comprehensive room program with high safety requirements and open accessibility at the same time. The needs of the surrounding residential and school buildings must also be taken into account. The aim is to achieve integrated planning that meets all requirements and promotes dialog between the stakeholders.
The center should be a safe place for diverse Jewish life that offers protection and at the same time remains open to all interested parties. The buildings should be socially, economically and ecologically sustainable and be reminiscent of the historic location of the Fraenkelufer synagogue.
The vision: a lively, open campus that promotes learning, art and culture - self-confident, inclusive and future-oriented.
Public exhibition on the "Fraenkelufer Jewish Center" competition
18 interdisciplinary planning teams of architects and landscape architects have submitted creative and innovative designs that give shape to this vision.
and from which the jury has made a selection for the award.
All competition entries will be exhibited at Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Kottbusser Straße 10, 10999 Berlin:
on January 23 between 7 and 10 p.m.
from January 24 to February 09, 2025 every Tuesday to Sunday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
You are cordially invited to take a look at all the designs and winners of the competition!
1st prize: Staab Architekten with Atelier LOIDL Landschaftsarchitekten
In an all-day jury meeting, the nine specialist and expert judges selected the winning designs. The decision was unanimous: 1st prize in the realization competition goes to the interdisciplinary team of Staab Architekten with Atelier Loidl Landschaftsarchitekten.
"The clear urban planning, architectural and content-related concept clearly shows that a careful analysis of the historical site and the religious themes for the Jewish community form the concrete basis for the design," said jury chair Prof. Ulrike Lauber.