Outdoor facilities Haus Bethanien Berlin

The former Bethanien hospital grounds are listed as a whole, including all buildings and open spaces. The open spaces of around 47,000 m² are characterised by differentiated public spaces that offer a variety of uses, including different offers for children and young people. For the listed open spaces of the Künstlerhaus Bethanien, a limited competition was held in 2007 as part of the program for the urban preservation of historical monuments.

Schmidt-Seifert Landscape Architects was awarded 1st prize and commissioned with further planning. The objectives were to improve the interconnectedness of the areas, a clear design of the inner areas and the generous opening of the site to the Bethaniendamm. The open spaces were upgraded in terms of design, qualified for the population and made experiencable as an overall ensemble. The historic fencing was restored as far as possible or restored to its original state. The previously existing uses have been preserved and integrated into the overall concept. The specific "genius loci" of the Bethanien grounds was preserved in all the new designs.

After the realisation of the first four construction phases, the outdoor facilities between the Georg von Rauch House and the Bethanien House were realised in the 5th construction phase. In the process, the connection to Bethaniendamm was also created. A central square was made of small granite paving stones and with granite seating blocks and planting beds new qualities of stay were created in the inner courtyard of the music school Bethanien and Georg-von-Rauch-Haus. Two tree discs with lasered song lyrics by Rio Reiser ("Rauch-Haus-Song" and "Halt dich an deiner Liebe") remind of the recent history of this place. The rubbish dumps were also given a high-quality enclosure made of steel and wooden slats.