Residential Development in Berlin
Building cooperatives are a popular model for creating affordable urban residential space. They also enable savings of up to 25 % compared to typical residential real estate developments. In addition, the property, located in the typical block border structure of Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg, was also inexpensive. However, it was challenging due its length of 100 meters, width of 34 meters, and a 22 meters tall firewall along its southwestern perimeter. As response, the architects created two linear structures parallel to the street and separated by an approximately 13 meters wide interior courtyard. Individual apartments are differentiated according to three types based on their placement within the building. 23 “townhouses” are directly accessed from the street while offering spaces for commercial use along the entrance level. Split level apartments comprise four stories and a small private rooftop garden. Their street facade has an urban and stern character and consists of prefabricated concrete elements, large glazed surfaces, and openable elements made of larch wood. The two facades along the interior courtyard have a modest and heterogeneous appearance. The courtyard is elevated one story above the street level to improve sunlight intake and to relieve its narrow impression. It also covers below ground parking and provides access to the courtyard building’s entrances. Its lower three stories feature ten “garden apartments” that are also split level types with exceptionally tall rooms in order to compensate for the modest daylight intake. An interior corridor on the 5th floor accesses the twelve three-story “penthouses” above them. Another corridor is located in front of the private rooms on the 4th floor. It is open towards the courtyard and serves as emergency exit. Small courtyards along the firewall and a roof terrace offer private open spaces. The complex vertical organization of the development leads to a floor area ratio of 2.74. In this project, density isn’t only a characteristic of urban life, but also the result of planning that is focused on efficiency in economic as well as architectural terms.
