CLUB DER VISIONÄRE (CDV)

About the Project
Club der Visionäre has been an important part of Berlin’s club culture since its opening in 2001. The open-air club is located directly on the water at Flutgraben, a side channel of the Landwehr Canal, and has a large jetty on the water.

Initial Situation
Since 2007/2008, there have been repeated complaints from local residents on Heckmannufer and from the Wagenburg at the end of Görlitzer Park. At the same time, ambient noise increased significantly and more clubs opened in the immediate vicinity.
In 2016/2017, the Clubcommission initiated a format for direct dialogue with local residents. A noise hotline and a noise monitor were then set up. However, these measures did not improve the situation. In some cases, complaints were even made when there was no music playing on the dance floor.

Measures

1. Sound System with Bass Rows
After Frank Görner from Kirsch Audio GmbH had already built a sound system for Ipse and Birgit und Bier in which the bass frequencies largely cancelled each other out, Club der Visionäre also sought funding for such a sound system.
The sound system was installed in 2021. A bass row was embedded in the floor of the jetty on the land side. Another bass row was built on the water side to cancel out the bass from the land-side row.

2. Directional Sound
A horn speaker was installed on one of the roofs. This limits the direction of the sound waves and reduces the amount of sound reaching the residential buildings.

Result
The aim of the measures was to enable an appropriate volume level at the club without disturbing local residents. According to the project report, this has worked very well since 2021. In June, local residents did not even notice that the club was open.