The Left Party propose rooftop pools for high-rise homes in Berlin

The Left Party has proposed that new high-rise homes built in Berlin should include rooftop pools, taking inspiration from large residential complexes in Vienna.

Die Linke proposes rooftop pools for large newbuilds in Berlin

The Berlin branch of the German Left Party (Die Linke) has suggested that new, large residential complexes built in the city should have a public swimming pool on the rooftop “combined with social infrastructure and neighbourhood meeting places”.

Representative Kerstin Wolter highlighted the fact that, while there are 67 public swimming pools in Berlin, none of the pools are located in the eastern district of Marzahn-Hellersdorf, where many residents live in large building complexes.

More generally, the party is pushing for local government to build more swimming pools. “We propose that when planning new municipal construction projects, in addition to schools, nurseries, and public transport connections, swimming pools should also be considered and made available for community or public use,” Wolter said in a statement.

The proposal for rooftop swimming pools has already been rejected by Howoge, an association of six Berlin social housing companies. “We don’t see the idea of having rooftop swimming pools on our blocks as doable,” Howoge spokesperson Sabine Pentrorp told Berliner Morgenpost, “A rooftop pool would not only increase building costs, but also utility bills.”

Pool proposal takes inspiration from social housing in Vienna

Announcing the proposal, Wolter explained that the party had taken inspiration from residential complexes in Vienna, namely Wohnpark Alterlaa.

The famous housing complex, designed by Harry Glück, was built between 1975 and 1986 and houses 9.000 renters in 3.200 homes. Residents have access to seven rooftop swimming pools, seven indoor pools, 20 saunas, a tennis centre and badminton courts. The communal building also hosts a church, TV station, shopping centre, library, playground, healthcare centre, and schools. 

Widely known as the European capital of social housing, more than half of Vienna’s residents live in some form of state-subsidised housing. The system is funded by a housing tax paid by all residents and employers in Austria.