After the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, the majority of the old tenement buildings in the districts of East Berlin were in very poor condition and hence sparsely populated. The houses, which had been in state ownership in the socialist period, reverted to the original owners and/or were repurchased by the city government. An enormous modernization program was required not only to bring these buildings up to habitable standard, but also to tackle the environmental and social degradation of such widespread building vacancy. Accordingly, the city government extended a programme of incentives developed to address the same problems that had arisen in the western part of the city in previous years.

Schwedter Strasse 26 is one example of the widespread and diverse outcomes of this programme. Initiated by a group of architects, the building, which dated from 1870, was collectively acquired, modernised, and extended. The project was financed through grants from the city government’s urban regeneration programme (10%), self-finance (30%), self-build ‘sweat equity’ by the architects (15%), and the remaining 45% through loans. The building was thoroughly refurbished, a café opened on the ground floor, and two extra floors provided on the roof. Sitting tenants retained their apartments, and the owners now also live in the building. As apartments are periodically vacated, any new tenants must qualify for social housing support. The project demonstrates an initiative by architects who have expanded and redefined their role and have contributed directly to the social and architectural renewal of the city.