Cromlech

The Atelier Quarter Werneuchen explores how affordable living and working spaces for artists and cultural practitioners can be created in the Berlin metropolitan region. Located on a currently active industrial site designated for mixed-use transformation in the coming decades, the project envisions a future-oriented neighborhood that brings together housing, work, and public life.

At its core is the transformation of an industrial area into a vibrant, intergenerational community. Inspired by the principle of the Cromlech – a historic gathering place – the quarter is organized around a shared residential courtyard. Five polygonal residential buildings define this center, creating a spatial framework that balances privacy and community.

Existing buildings with architectural and functional potential are carefully adapted to accommodate ateliers, workshops, educational spaces, event venues, and a communal canteen. Structures no longer suited for reuse are selectively dismantled, with their materials reintegrated into the new construction through urban mining. In this way, the existing fabric is not merely preserved, but reimagined as a valuable resource.

The housing concept combines live-work units, cluster apartments, and conventional residential typologies. Shared spaces and collective outdoor areas foster interaction between residents and the wider community. A community-oriented ownership and management model ensures long-term affordability and protects the site from speculative pressures.

Landscape, climate adaptation, and energy infrastructure are conceived as integral components of the design. Large-scale de-sealing, a water retention basin, extensive green roofs, and a new woodland park create a climate-resilient environment with a high quality of stay. These strategies are complemented by a largely car-free mobility concept and a district energy system based on renewable sources.

The project proposes a model for the sustainable transformation of suburban industrial sites — offering a spatial vision for Werneuchen and a framework for collective living and working in the metropolitan periphery.