Berlin’s new condos deepen Schöneberg’s affordable housing crisis

Berlin’s Schöneberg builds luxury condos—but where’s the affordable housing?

Berlin’s Schöneberg district is seeing a wave of new residential projects, but few will ease the area’s housing shortage. Two high-profile developments, CoHousing Berlin and SCHÖNEGARTEN, are nearing completion near Kurfürstendamm. Both will offer mostly high-end condominiums, with little space for affordable rentals.

CoHousing Berlin, designed by architects Johanna Meyer-Grohbrügge and Sam Chermayeff, is rising at the corner of Frobenstraße and Kurfürstendamm. The building will house 20 units, blending private apartments with shared spaces. Only a small number of these will be available for rent, while the rest are luxury condominiums.

Directly opposite, SCHÖNEGARTEN is taking shape as a complex of 14 individual houses, designed by Sergei Tchoban. The development will feature two- to four-room condominiums arranged around a central courtyard. Like CoHousing Berlin, it will cater primarily to buyers rather than renters. These projects join several others in Schöneberg, including Alboingärten, Wohnpanorama am Park, Bricks, Neu Schöneberg, and Carré Voltaire. The latter, located on Kurfürstendamm, forms part of broader efforts to revitalise the famous but struggling street. Yet despite the flurry of construction, affordable rental housing remains scarce in the district. No confirmed move-in dates have been announced for either CoHousing Berlin or SCHÖNEGARTEN. One unrelated co-housing project in the city lists move-ins for January and February, but this does not apply to the new Schöneberg developments.

The new buildings will add modern housing to Schöneberg but do little to address the area’s pressing need for affordable rentals. With most units sold as high-end condominiums, the district’s housing crisis is unlikely to see relief from these projects.