Turbulence TXL's event space in Berlin will host a range of cultural activities and events. Photo / Supplied
Turbulence TXL's event space in Berlin will host a range of cultural activities and events. Photo / Supplied
An iconic airport will have a second life as a techno club where DJs will host all-night raves for those looking to party.
In November 2020, Berlin Tegel Airport (TXL) operated its final flight and sat empty for months. However, anyone who knows Berlin knows this cultural hub won’t let a good building go to waste.
A group of six international creatives from Berlin have banded together to turn the airport’s canteen, Alte Frachtkantine, into a thriving nightclub that can hold 700 party-goers.
Named Turbulence TXL (as a nod to the airport’s IATA code), the group was selected by a jury to manage the massive space and use it to reinject some culture and energy into a city.
The square and cube shapes of Alte Frachtkantine in Berlin, Germany, are an example of bruitalist architecture. Photo / Johannes Jelinek
This is no surprise given Berlin’s techno culture is listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site and receives government funding due to being inscribed on the German National Registry of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Turbulence TXL launched the new nightclub in September 2023 with an open-air music festival called ‘Liftoff’ to reference the property’s history.
When it’s not hosting raves, Turbulence TXL says the space will be a “sustainable cultural space” for open-air events, workshops and art exhibits.
According to the collective’s website, the group is driven by seven key values: “no sexism, no racism, no fascism, no violence, no hate, no bull**t”. The final value asks people to “just be nice, okay?”.
Turbulence TXL launched the new event space with an open-air event in September, 2023, Berlin. Photo / Supplied
Those eager to hit up an event will have to wait for Europe’s summer, according to Turbulence TXL’s social media channels.
“We are currently evaluating our first months and planning big things for the open-air season next year,“ read a post from November 2, 2023.
“We can’t say much but we are super excited about everything that’s coming,” the post continued, adding that they had received “amazing feedback so far” and felt it was the “beginning of something really beautiful”.
The disused airport has already held musical events for the people of Berlin. In 2021, the old A and B terminals were used by the Sonambiente Berlin festival and spaces were filled with more than 1000 loudspeaker systems, audio compositions and virtual reality installations.
Other parts of the airport have already been claimed by property developers who are turning the space into residential properties for about 10,000 people, student accommodation for students at Berliner Hochschule fur Technik University and a residential district with schools, shops, and childcare centres.
