Illusions of the city – Berlin

Multi-Media Installation, 2019
Dimensions variable
Aluminium, Stainless, 3D Scan, Thermal Printer, Display

Flat searching, rental prices and real estate prices are currently among the most discussed topics in Berlin. Due to rapid population growth, the gap between the new population and the new apartments has put pressure on the rental market. The rent growth rate has grown rapidly over the past five years. Even the Berlin government suppressed the law of rent control in June 2015, shows the increase of the rent must not exceed 10% of the local reference rent. The calculation basis for the reference rent includes the location, the quality of the apartment and the comparable rent for previous years. However, this regulation does not cover substantially refurbished apartments and new housing.

Further, the state of insufficiency of supply directly affects real estate. Berlin is the only one that the growth rate of the real estate market over 20%, which is a very abnormal phenomenon. Prices indicate considerable variation depending on the district. As a reaction to the high demand for housing, more and more flats are being built, mostly in the form of multi-storey residential buildings.

In the unveiled pre-sale houses, the real estate company presents a multitude of prospective housing plans and spaces, essentially selling visions of the future. However, as the process of gentrification intensifies in Berlin and properties gradually become commercialized, the question arises: who can still afford these visionary spaces?

In this project, I collected a diverse array of new residential floor plans sourced from the internet, deconstructed them into distinct spaces, and assigned corresponding price points. Assuming individuals can secure a 30-year bank loan, viewers can envisage obtaining a newly generated space that aligns with their chosen income. While the floor plans may appear illogical, they potentially serve as a reflection of Berlin’s future.