Quartier I
Neumarkt
Dresden, September 2024
“The first quarter (‘Quartier an der Frauenkirche’, for many years ‘Quartier QF’, after numbering then ‘Quartier I’), built in 2005/2006 by the building cooperative Arturo Prisco, Kai von Döring, and Kondor Wessels, is bordered to the east by the square An der Frauenkirche and to the north by Töpferstraße. To the southwest, Augustusstraße runs at an acute angle to Töpferstraße. The southern facade of the buildings borders the Neumarkt. The area is actually composed of three parcels, and their facades suggest several buildings. The only landmark building in the quarter is Neumarkt 2, surrounded on the left by two buildings with facades based on historical models and one such building on the right. The neighboring building on the left, Neumarkt 1, is striking with its arched facade (formerly the ‘Hotel Stadt Berlin’) at the junction with Augustusstraße. The quarter is home to approximately 50 shops, restaurants, and bars, as well as numerous office spaces and 27 apartments. After the first buildings were completed, it was discovered that the drafted ‘design regulations’ had not been followed, as several concrete buildings with stone cladding were constructed without the required plaster facade. Two buildings, particularly directly opposite the Frauenkirche, which was rebuilt from sandstone, stand out because the facade of one building consists of about one-third glass, while the other consists of gray facing panels that protrude from the row of buildings. It should be noted, however, that although the ‘design regulations’ were completed in draft form in 2002, they never became legally binding. This was also known to the then Councillor for Construction, Gunter Just, who, as an architect, consistently ignored these legal concerns.” (Neumarkt, Wikipedia)
