New catalog of criteria for fire walls: Art meets security in Berlin!

New catalog of criteria for fire walls: Art meets security in Berlin!

Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Deutschland - On June 13, 2025, the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district introduced a new criteria catalog for the design of fire walls. This happened to close an existing gap in the Berlin building regulations, since so far there was no uniform regulations. Fire walls that play an important role in fire protection are outer walls that do not represent a classic facade and often remain unused. The new catalog offers binding assessment criteria for permits for artistic designs. berlin.de reports that a balance between quality, economic use and the protection of sensitive urban areas.

The new guidelines allow the artistic content of fire walls to combine with sponsorship or advertising. The cornerstones of the criteria catalog encompass an obligation for artistic paintings from an area of ​​a square meter. The wall design has to fit into the cityscape, whereby advertising can make up a maximum of 10% of the overall motif. In addition, posters, transparent and similar materials are usually inadmissible; Instead, the motifs should be applied manually. Discriminating, sexist or violent content as well as systems with negative environmental impacts are also prohibited.

approval process and restrictions

The new permits apply for a maximum of two years, whereby the motifs must be submitted to the district office for examination. Advertising is completely prohibited in certain, sensitive areas such as listed ensembles and residential areas. The criteria catalog also replaces the approval concept for advertising systems on building scaffolding, which was introduced in March 2023. The aim is to create a uniform, modern and legally secure basis for advertising in public space that promotes trips to strengthen urban aesthetics.

In addition, it is important to consider the functional importance of fire walls in construction. According to lexmea.de , fire walls must consist of fire-resistant and non-fluent building materials. They are room -closing components that prevent fires from spreading to other buildings or fire sections. Fire walls must go through to roofing and are required in certain situations, for example as a final wall or for subdivision of buildings.

The construction regulations, which also apply to generous distances between fire walls, show the need for strict regulations in the area of ​​fire protection. Openings in fire walls are usually inadmissible, which underlines the importance of the integral structure of these components. In certain exceptional cases, larger distances between fire walls can also be allowed if the use of the building is required and fire protection concerns.

legal framework conditions

The new criteria catalog of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf is part of a larger legal framework, which is regulated by the Building Products- Market Reconciliation Act . The last change of this law came into force on May 12, 2024 and is intended to help improve the market monitoring of harmonized construction products and to ensure a high level of security in construction.

With this new catalog of criteria, an important step in the design of Berlin is taken to take into account both aesthetic and safety -related requirements for fire walls and at the same time to expand the possibilities for creative forms of expression in public space.