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A raised jetty

Apartment House in Berlin by Love Architecture and Urbanism

 - Jakob Schoof

"A raised jetty" is how the architects from the Love and Urbanism studio describe their new apartment house in southeast Berlin. The building is enhanced by an unusual combination of private balconies and exterior galleries.

Apartment House in Berlin by Love Architecture and Urbanism
© Jasmin Schuller

“A raised jetty” is how the architects from the Love and Urbanism studio describe their new apartment house in southeast Berlin. The building is enhanced by an unusual combination of private balconies and exterior galleries.

Steg am Wasser
Steg am Wasser © Jasmin Schuller

The project is part of a 10 ha district of new buildings currently under construction by property developer Buwog on the west bank of the Dahme in Berlin-Grünau. In 1936, the Olympic rowing events took place quite close by, which explains the still-extant name of Regattastrasse.

Two new buildings by Pätzold Architekten, clad in dark wood, stand along the west bank of the river; in between, the five-storey structure by Love Architecture and Urbanism joins them to create a triptych-like effect. Twenty-eight flats are accommodated in this building – all extend from front to back and feature a sunny side to the southwest and a view of the river to the northeast.

Die Laubengänge fördern die Kommunikation.
Die Laubengänge fördern die Kommunikation. © Jasmin Schuller

Communication-promoting terrace decks

Above the slope on the bank of the Dahme, the building reveals its most unconventional (exterior) space: a sequence of tiered terrace decks reminiscent of raised jetties. They are made of concrete and borne by a sparse number of white-painted, obliquely set round supports.

Die Stege docken an das einzige, zentral gelegene Treppenhaus des Neubaus an und fungieren gleichermaßen als Laubengang.
Die Stege docken an das einzige, zentral gelegene Treppenhaus des Neubaus an und fungieren gleichermaßen als Laubengang. © Jasmin Schuller
Vor den Wohnungseingängen liegen halbprivate Balkone.
Vor den Wohnungseingängen liegen halbprivate Balkone. © Jasmin Schuller

Balconies, arcades and terraces

The jetties dock onto the single, centrally located stairway; they also function as exterior galleries and semi-private balconies in front of the apartment entrances. “You could say: this jetty is the building, for it characterizes the house both visually and in terms of content”, says Herwig Kleinhapl, a partner from the Love Architecture and Urbanism studio.

Blick in den Innenraum einer Wohnung
Blick in den Innenraum einer Wohnung © Jasmin Schuller

Diverse choice of materials

Above all, four materials dominate here: the exposed concrete of the terrace decks, the light-coloured aluminum cladding of the longitudinal facades, the wood of the balcony railings and front facades, and the large-scale glazing that allows sunlight to flood the building, particularly on the southwest-facing, street side of the apartment house.

Read more in Detail 4.2024 and in our datenbank Detail Inspiration.

Architecture: LOVE Architecture + Urbanism
Client: BUWOG - Regattastraße Development
Location: Regattastraße 3-5, 12527 Berlin (DE)

Structural engineering: Lorenz Consult
Landscape architecture: ManMadeLand Bohne Lundquist Mellier
Site area: 4864 m²
Effective floor area: 2596 m²
Built-up area: 595 m²
Enclosed space: 13 568 m³

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