The White City

The White City, also known as Swiss Quarter, is a housing complex built between 1929-1931 in Berlin-Reinickendorf. The White City, the name is reminiscent of the white facades of the buildings. The building was commissioned by Martin Wagner, who was  a chief city planner at that time (from 1926-1931). He put together the team of architects who were responsible for a masterplan and the design of the White City. The plans were carried out by  Bruno Ahrends, Wilhelm Büning and Otto Rudolf Salvisberg and the landscape was designed by Ludwig Lesser.

The space was arranged as an open-plan internal structure, consisting of fringe buildings and rows of houses as well as intertwining green spaces.

A lot of emphasis was put on the functionality and the infrastructure. Almost all flats had a central heating and there  were useful facilities located in the neighbourhood, such as community laundry rooms, a nursery, a medical center, a thermal power station, pharmacies and 24 local shops