Location

The Spaces of ZK/U

The ZK/U ­– Center for Art and Urbanistics, offers over 2000 square meters of space in a converted railway depot for living and working spaces for the residency, event spaces and workshop rooms for large and small events, projects and plans from the neighbourhood and beyond. The house serves as a hub for exchange between global discourse and local practice.

Part of the ZK/U offers accommodation for individual artists, practitioners and urban researchers – or collaborative groups – as an artist-in-residency house. There are 14 independent residential units available for this purpose, which include living, working and leisure areas. These units, ranging in size from 32 to 53 square meters, offer space for artistic or research-related residencies lasting between two and eight months. Participation in the residency program is possible exclusively via a regular open call.

Book ZK/U

The ZK/U offers flexible event spaces that can be used for a variety of productions: as an interdisciplinary venue, for conferences and workshops, film screenings, concerts or networking events with sustainable catering.

Please send specific booking inquiries with a brief description of your project to spaces(at)zku-berlin.org. The income from the rental goes towards supporting our inclusive program, artist residencies and our neighborhood work.

Download portfolio (DE) Booking request

ZK/U in Berlin

What better place to explore urban issues than a city that has not ceased to be built for the past 150 years? Berlin has witnessed shifting borders at the geographic, political, social and cultural levels. Transitional regimes, the destruction of war, the division and reunification of the city, new legislative frameworks, the shift from heavy industry to the modern, postindustrial era have all shaped Berlin and have kept it in perpetual flux. The city thereby acquired a specific urban character that has generally been marked by a lack of finance and high levels of improvisation. This has often led to unusual planning processes and a diverse range of informal activity that has resulted in worldwide interest in Berlin as a laboratory for urban issues.

The institutional framework for knowledge production is well established here too: Berlin has 4 universities, 7 colleges, 3 art schools, numerous private institutes and research organizations. The arts and sciences have always been and remain today an important driving force in Berlin. This is reflected by the rich cultural life of the city: Innumerable museums, art galleries, theaters and other cultural institutions next to a diverse range of grass-root activities and a vibrant alternative scene attest to the importance of the arts.

Surrounded on all sides by water, Berlin-Moabit was an enclave populated in the 19th century by Huguenots who had fled from France and gave this area its name. With the advent of industrialization at the beginning of the twentieth century, the district became an important manufacturing area. Goods were transported to and from Berlin via this railway depot and Berlin's largest inland port, Westhafen.

Adress

ZK/U – Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik
Siemensstraße 27
DE-10551 Berlin

Accessibility

The access to the main hall, the terraces and the event cellar is barrier-free. The residency offers a studio with barrier-free bathroom.

Work is in progress to provide barrier-free access to the entire area.

Locating ZK/U

ZK/U is located in one of Berlin’s former railway depots, a landmark building with an overall footprint of 2000 sqm. Located in Moabit, a central neighborhood of Berlin, it enjoys easy access to transport links. ZK/U is reachable via S+U Beusselstraße, S+U Westhafen or U Birkenstraße.