Plans are being examined to transform the site of the former Berlin Tegel Airport into the principal venue for Expo 2035, a proposed World Expo that Berlin is seeking to host in 2035, under a masterplan tied to the redevelopment of the Urban Tech Republic in the German capital.
The concept has been developed by Hamburg-founded international architecture practice gmp, in collaboration with EXPO 2035 Berlin, the operational body coordinating the city’s Expo 2035 initiative. The study explores how a section of the former airport site could accommodate the international exhibition before transitioning into a mixed-use urban neighbourhood integrated with the wider technology district planned for the area.
The proposal outlines an initial spatial and architectural framework examining how the Expo could act as a catalyst for the long-term redevelopment of the Tegel site.
Tegel site assessed as potential venue for Expo 2035
The feasibility study focuses on the eastern portion of the redevelopment area, located between the airport terminal and the Kurt-Schumacher-Quartier residential district. Covering around 127ha (314 acres), the site forms part of the broader transformation of the former airport grounds.
According to the analysis, the proposed Expo area would exceed the size of the grounds used for the most recent Expo in Osaka. Transport connections already exist to the south and west of the site and could be further developed using previously established mobility concepts.
The surrounding districts and the Urban Tech Republic campus provide a framework for how the Expo grounds could later evolve into a mixed-use urban neighbourhood following the event.
Urban Tech Republic redevelopment shapes the future of the Tegel site
The former airport site spans approximately 460ha and is being redeveloped as the Urban Tech Republic, a research and industrial campus focused on urban technologies intended to improve sustainability, efficiency and liveability in cities.
The Expo concept is designed to complement this emerging district both spatially and thematically. By aligning the exhibition with the innovation-focused campus, the initiative examines how the event could support the long-term development of the site, while strengthening connections with surrounding neighbourhoods and landscape areas.
The proposal also builds on earlier planning work for the Tegel redevelopment. Between 2008 and 2021, gmp worked with the Berlin Senate and Tegel Projekt to develop the conceptual framework for the future use of the airport site following its closure.
The firm’s relationship with Tegel extends further back. Between 1966 and 1974, the practice designed and constructed the airport’s distinctive drive-in terminal, conceived as an “airport of short distances”. The building later became one of Berlin’s architectural landmarks and has been listed as a protected monument since 2019.
Airport geometry guides the architectural masterplan
The spatial structure of the proposal draws on the triangular geometry of the Tegel airport terminal, which functions as the organising nucleus of the masterplan. From this geometry, planners have derived a system of reference axes used to structure new public spaces and connect different parts of the redevelopment area.
These geometric relationships link the Urban Tech Republic campus with the neighbouring Kurt-Schumacher-Quartier district, creating a framework intended to organise future urban spaces and movement corridors across the site.
By using the existing airport architecture as the basis for the spatial structure, the concept seeks to establish continuity between the historic infrastructure and the emerging urban district.
Expo Plaza and landmark observation tower anchor the design concept
At the centre of the proposed Expo layout is the Expo Plaza, conceived as the primary gathering space of the exhibition grounds. The plaza acts as the central connecting element of the site and is bordered by several major programme components, including the Arena, the Germany Pavilion and the Berlin Pavilion.
The concept also introduces a slender observation tower intended to serve as a visual landmark for the Expo. The tower is designed with glass rings that appear to float around its structure, creating a distinctive architectural element within the wider masterplan.
Together, the Expo Plaza and surrounding programme structures establish the organisational and architectural focus of the proposed exhibition grounds while shaping the public realm of the future district.
