Demolition of the Mitte parking garage: new residential and business center is being built!

Demolition of the Mitte parking garage: new residential and business center is being built!

Exciting changes are coming to Bremen. The old Mitte parking garage, well-known throughout the city and no longer up to date, especially among drivers, is scheduled to be demolished at the end of 2025. A modern, multifunctional building is planned that will offer both living space and commercial space. More than 60 apartments are to be built on the site of the former parking garage, including a third of subsidized housing for people with low incomes. The city is planning a large-scale new building, thereby demonstrating its willingness to create living space in the city center. This has already been welcomed by construction politician Bithja Menzel (Greens), who is pleased about the new housing options, while CDU politician Michael Jonitz criticized the separate planning of the projects.

Planning for the new building is currently underway, but construction is not expected to begin until 2026 or 2027 at the earliest. But the construction deputation is ready in advance to decide on the construction plan; this will be on the agenda on Thursday. The legal requirements for this are created with the planning decision. A striking brick building with around 12,000 square meters of space and an inviting inner courtyard behind a glass front is planned, which will not only include living spaces, but also office space, retail and restaurants. Buten un Binnen reports on these developments and the mixed response from politics.

A competition for the future

In advance of the planned realignment, an architectural competition was held to lead to the creative redesign of the location. Two prize winners were announced on October 2, 2024: The Hild und K office from Munich in collaboration with the landscape architecture office Juca from Berlin and the Felgendreher Olfs Köchling office from Berlin in cooperation with Rabe Landschaft from Hamburg. Both designs were particularly highly rated by the jury, which is also underlined by the public exhibition of the results in the foyer of the Senator for Construction, Mobility and Urban Development, which will be on display from October 22nd to November 8th, 2024.

Hild and K's concept relies on classic designs that are reminiscent of traditional brick office buildings, while rim turner Olfs Köchling scored points with a modern glass facade and visible wooden elements. These designs reflect the ambition to create a new urban identity that meets both the needs of residents and public concerns. A citizens' council was also involved in the decision-making process, which shows that the opinions of the population are being taken seriously in this development. Senatspressestelle emphasizes the importance of this citizen participation.

Federal support for urban projects

The redevelopment of the Mitte parking garage location is part of a larger urban development initiative, which is also supported by the federal program “Sustainable inner cities and centers”. This provides a solid financial basis and shows how important it is to adapt urban spaces to modern challenges. According to the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction, the optimal design of urban infrastructure is a long-term task in order to make living space livable for all generations.

With the demolition of the Mitte car park and the subsequent redevelopment, Bremen shows that a good hand is being shown here to create not only living space, but also a lively cityscape. Citizens can be excited to see how the cityscape will change in the coming years. It remains to be seen when exactly the first excavators will roll in and usher in the new era.