ALTE MU is a planned mixed-use neighbourhood at Lorentzendamm in central Kiel, Germany, on the former site of the Muthesius Kunsthochschule. Its development is intended to bring housing together with work, creative activity and cultural uses. The project developer is ALTE MU eG, a cooperative established in 2021 to develop the site for living and working. 34
The cooperative’s plans describe up to 4,600 square metres of housing and 4,100 square metres of project space. Proposed homes include cluster apartments, studio apartments and student housing, with offers also aimed at trainees and people working in the arts. The cooperative says 70% of the project is intended to be publicly subsidised housing, and that community and sustainability are priorities across the housing types. 1
The scheme builds on the site’s existing creative community. The former school buildings began attracting creative initiatives after their use as an art school ended; the first activities included honey production, and the ALTE MU Impuls-Werk association was founded in 2015 as an umbrella organisation for projects on the site. 411 The cooperative’s plans incorporate existing initiatives that wish to remain, while also allowing space for new projects. 1
The cooperative signed a 99-year leasehold agreement with the state of Schleswig-Holstein in April 2022 for the 7,684-square-metre property. 3 In November 2024, it submitted a building application for the neighbourhood project; the plans were prepared by architecture practices graadwies of Kiel and Deadline of Berlin, working with the cooperative and its community. 10 The cooperative’s stated budget for the neighbourhood’s development is €30 million, financed through loans, grants and equity. 1