Berlin, April 29, 2008  With the ambitious renovation of the former warehouse space, the new ‘Halle am Wasser' complex will be a key element of the Berlin Arts Campus. Located next to the Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum of Contemporary Art and opposite Rieckhalle, six new galleries will show contemporary art on an exhibition area of some 2,500 square meters. The new Arts Campus will also open up access to the new Heidestraße urban development area.
At the beginning of May, Halle am Wasser will open its doors to the public as part of the Gallery Weekends. Over the past eleven months, the former industrial and warehouse building has been thoroughly renovated and restored by real estate company Vivico in accordance with the plans of the Berlin architects Pott Architects. It is currently receiving a new façade. The buildings will host contemporary exhibitions by the three initiators Jarmuschek & Partner Berlin, Loock Berlin and the art collector Dr. Harald Frisch. Bodhi Art from India, one of the most progressive galleries specialising in contemporary art from India, will open its first gallery in Europe at Halle am Wasser as well. Also new to Berlin is the Danish Andersen S Contemporary gallery. With Arndt & Partner, one of Germany's top 10 galleries will also be exhibiting at Halle am Wasser. Art brokers Go art! and the exhibition organiser Praxis für Ausstellungen und Theorie [Hürlimann | Lepp | Tyradellis] are located at the front of the hall.
With Halle am Wasser, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Friedrich-Christian Flick Collection at the Rieckhalle, a major arts complex is emerging north of Berlin Central Station on an area of 30,000 square meters, putting Berlin firmly on the map as a Mecca for artists and art lovers from all over the world. It is also planned to use this traffic-calmed area for exhibition installations and campaigns. Today, visitors already have access to 165 parking spaces, 8 disabled parking spaces and bicycle parking spaces.
As part of the ‘Urban Redevelopment West' programme, funded by the EU, the Senate of Berlin and the Federal Government, it is also planned to develop the Arts Campus and improve the ambience of the surrounding areas. This would see the extension of the ‘Promenade am Kanal', along the Berlin-Spandauer canal to the north, and improved access to the Arts Campus by adding new entrances at Heidestrasse and the Promenade.
The Arts Campus is becoming the entrance to the future Heidestrasse Quarter. Today, the Heidestrasse project area is still strongly influenced by the old container terminal on the west side and by the old warehouses and storage areas on the east side. The area is still used extensively by logistics companies for the storage of products. Two weeks ago, the Senate Department for Urban Development, Deutsche Bahn and Vivico announced the winners of the town planning competition for the new quarter. Today, the Arts Campus is already playing an important role in the urban development project by connecting the area between Berlin Central Station and the Heidestrasse Quarter.