House Bergermann

Welver

The client wanted an ecological, spacious house. It was to make maximum use of natural energy resources. It shouldn't be expensive, but it should also be differentiated, tailored specifically to a family of five, who required a lot of space and even more open space. In other words, very diverse requirements, which were met with a compact, elongated building.

Consistently oriented to the north and south and demonstratively constructed using an alternation of solid and skeleton construction, it is a low-tech solar house. Behind its radically minimized supporting structure of rods and tension cables, it opens generously to the south with its continuous, double-skin glass front, while a highly insulated, almost closed wooden façade extends along the cold north side, which only allows the opening of a narrow strip of light there.

All the adjoining rooms, solidly constructed and consistently arranged along the north side, act as heat buffers as well as storage masses, while the living compartments opposite them, which are transparent to the garden and the sun and kept flexible by sliding walls, derive their maximum benefit from the passive use of solar heat.

The space that links these two areas is equipped with skylights and space-saving cabinet elements that give it a clear rhythm and immediately help the person entering to find their way around, it is the prelude to an extended living space. In summer, it is a flowing living space, protected from excessive sunlight by the cantilevered shading of steel pipes arranged in a row. In the winter months, on the other hand, the heat buffer of the double-skin south-facing side allows the sun's rays to penetrate deep into the house unhindered, warming the indoor air and having a purely psychological effect.

The other parts of the extensive ecological concept are also efficient, from the choice of building materials used to feed rainwater into the cycle of a domestic hot water system. In the third and fourth expansion stages, this concept will be extended to include the active use of solar energy.

LivingSteelWood

Data

Completion

1996

Address

Im Hagen 9
59514 Welver

Client

Privat

Energy Concept
Floorplan

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Housing Construction In The Ruhr Area

Dortmund

The inner-city location is ideally suited for different groups of residents: young families, older people in small apartments or in shared apartments 50+, students in apartments or shared flats. A building that offers different types of apartments under one roof and thus provides the basis for a real house community. Access to the upper floors and the functional areas on the ground floor is via a central foyer with deliberately spacious circulation areas, which are available to the building community as a protected space for private events, children's play, etc. - as is the garden itself.

“High Density - High Privacy - Low Energy” is the theme of the architectural language. The building structure is compact, the circulation areas are equally yet communicative, the residential units have a differentiated typology and the largest possible private open spaces. All window areas are based on the same basic module, but their handling is adapted to the respective floor plans.

All necessary infrastructural facilities (waste management, storage rooms, building services, etc.) are housed in the building. This leaves the open space around the building tidy and reserved for garden use - with a direct link to the neighboring public green space.

The building has four upper storeys and a staggered storey with three penthouses to clearly articulate the urban contours. It has two independent entrances/exits. All floors are barrier-free and some of the apartments are handicapped accessible.

The first and second escape routes are routed via stairwells, which are located on the outer wall as nested staircases with minimal space requirements and are ventilated at the top.

The primary load-bearing structure consists of reinforced concrete ceilings laid on masonry walls. The ceilings are free of joists and are smooth and undisturbed from below. The masonry of the outer wall is monolithic (highly insulated) - with an additional mass shell for sound insulation towards Kaiserstraße and Karl-Lücking Straße. It remains open to diffusion throughout its entire construction. The surface forms an interplay of coarse and fine plaster textures. The floor plans are largely column-free. The space is created by non-load-bearing partition walls.

ConcreteLivingMasonry

Floorplan Groundfloor
Floorplan Upper Floors

Data

Completion

2017

Address

Kaiserstraße 162
44143 Dortmund

Client

Kreuzviertel Liegenschaften GmbH

Partner

Building physics/acoustics: 
IB Horn GmbH, Leipzig
Fire protection:
Neumann Krex + Partner, Meschede
Technical building equipment:
Ingenieurbüro Deuter GbR, Iserlohn

View West
View North

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Restructuring Old Piano Factory

Berlin

Sustainable architecture means creating possibilities.

For our office location in Berlin, we have transformed an old piano factory in Berlin-Mitte into a residential and office building, giving it a new lease on life.

In doing so, our goal was to intensify the existing qualities while also meeting contemporary demands for living and working.

GlassHybridLivingMasonryMixedOfficeRetail

Data

Completion

2011

Address

Brunnenstraße 156
10115 Berlin
Deutschland

Client

PETERSENARCHITEKTEN
Gesellschaft für Architektur
+ urbane Strategien mbh

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Conversion + Renovation Office Complex

Bottrop

On the 8,500 m² site in downtown Bottrop, there are two buildings that were previously used as office spaces. The southern "RAG" building was constructed in 1955 and was extended with an additional section on the northern side in 1972.

After a comprehensive renovation, both building sections will primarily be used for residential purposes. A mix of apartments, maisonettes, and communal living spaces will address various housing needs. Office use will be organized over six floors in the "RAG" tower.

The external appearance of the "RAG" building can be preserved even after renovation, and a residential outdoor area will be created on the roof. The 1972 building will be enhanced with balconies and a ventilated wooden facade.

LivingMixedOfficeWood

Data

Study

2018

Address

Gleiwiter Platz / Böckenhoffstrasse
46236 Bottrop

Client

Elad Germany, Berlin

Partner

Interior design:
bueroZ, Stuttgart
Technical building equipment:
Janowski & Co Beratende Ingenieure GmbH, Berlin
Structure:
IB Horn GmbH, Leipzig
Fire protection:
Neumann Krex & Partner, Meschede

Floorplan Standard Floor
Floorplan Maisonette
Views

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House at Lake Wandlitz

Wandlitz

The new building is situated on a site with a gentle slope towards the west shore of Lake Wandlitz.

To minimize the footprint of the property, the house has been designed as a slender structure along the northern boundary. A lightweight wooden construction rests on steel supports above the natural terrain, which remains untouched and unchanged. The two-story building consists of prefabricated wooden frame walls and ceilings. The west facade is clad with dark-stained 3D wooden slats of varying widths. On the north side, the black metal cladding of the cantilevered shed roof extends onto the facade. The gable ends are fully glazed with large, two-part sliding elements.

The house is designed for multifunctional uses—workshops, conferences, temporary living, etc. Alongside the north facade, a 1.0-meter-wide service zone, similar to a walk-in closet, has been incorporated, containing restrooms, bathrooms, storage areas, kitchenettes, stoves, and additional sleeping arrangements (Japanese courtyard house). The remaining floor plan is divided into different rooms—cabins—with open living and working areas on the ground floor. A key feature is the terraces located at the gable ends, oriented towards the lake and the forest. The wooden decks are large and extend the usable space. Like the house itself, they do not touch the ground.

HybridLivingMixedSteelWood

Siteplan
Floorplans

Data

Completion

2016

Address

Uferstrasse 10
16348 Wandlitz

Client

Private

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Kreuzviertel Johanna-Melzer-Straße

Dortmund

The development along Johanna-Melzer-Street is entirely from the period of immediate post-war reconstruction after 1945. The street edges are closed off, and the courtyards are often fully built over and used as workshops or enclosed garages. The materials, surface textures, and facade divisions reflect what was economically possible at the time. After 60 years without change, the neighborhood is now coming into focus for urban development.

The site is centrally located, not far from the main train station—the key transportation hub connecting regional and national destinations—such as the university, technical college, and institutes in Dorstfeld. As a result, the area around Johanna-Melzer-Street is particularly attractive to students, young families, and freelancers.

With our proposal, we aim to introduce new residential qualities. The site will be kept free of car traffic. Bicycles and cars will be parked on the ground floor beneath the front building. From the first floor to the top floor, variable apartments will be created for different groups: singles, couples, and shared housing. In the rear part of the site, a small studio building will be constructed, which will align with the neighboring edges and will feature its own private courtyard garden to the south. The area between the front building and the studio building will be de-paved and made available as a garden for the residents (“green” instead of “gray”).

Access to the upper floors, the garden, and the functional areas on the ground floor is via a central foyer with deliberately spacious movement areas. The residential community will have an apartment with space for private events, children’s play, etc., with direct access to the garden.

“High Density - High Privacy - Low Energy” is the theme of the architectural language. The building mass is compact, as are the circulation areas, yet remains communicative. The residential units feature varied typologies and maximized private open spaces. All necessary infrastructure (storage rooms, building services, etc.) is accommodated within the building. In the courtyard, there is a steel pergola with a metal roof connecting the two building parts, providing space for bicycles and trash bins. This keeps the open area around the building tidy.

Usage + Fire Protection

The building has four upper floors and an attic with a duplex apartment. All floors are barrier-free, with some apartments designed for accessibility. The first escape route is through the stairwell, and the second is via the facade.

Construction

The primary load-bearing structure consists of reinforced concrete panels (gable walls and ceilings). The ceilings are beam-free and smooth and uninterrupted from below. The floor plans are free of columns. Room partitions are created with lightweight walls. The exterior walls and roof are built with load-bearing aerated concrete blocks. The facades are plastered. On the street side at the ground floor, there is a natural-colored silver aluminum sheet cladding. The entrance door, garage doors, intercom system, and mailboxes are integrated into this facade design: resource-conscious _ robust _ colorful _ permeable _ optimistic _ energy-efficient.

Lighting

The front building and studio house are integrated into the block structure of the neighborhood. The floor plans are illuminated through the facades facing the street and the garden.

General Sustainability Concept

The building design is characterized by a comparatively low resource consumption for building operation, construction, and maintenance. The following points are considered:

The developed comfort and energy concept is tailored to the building and its location; the passive and efficiency measures ensure compliance with the required indoor climate conditions and lead to a consistent reduction in annual energy demand. With the described supply measures, a favorable primary energy coverage of the building’s energy needs over the year is achievable.

A room acoustics adapted to the usage creates an optimal living environment. The building's high compactness and slightly articulated volume promise relatively low resource consumption for the shell. Window areas and frame materials significantly influence the gray energy content of the building envelope; the proportion of windows is optimized for natural lighting and external reference. An accentuated external reference creates spatial identities and aids orientation within the building. Innovative load-bearing and building structures allow for a material-saving construction method.

The flexibility of the building concept and the conceptual separation of components with different life expectancies significantly impact the potential lifespan of the building. Green roofs (e.g., through "urban gardening") improve the microclimate, protect the roof sealing, and contribute significantly to rainwater retention. The media distribution, ventilation concept, and accessibility allow for easy and practical cleaning, maintenance, and retrofitting.

Primarily emission-free and low-emission building materials, easy-to-clean surfaces, and the comfort/ventilation concept ensure a high health and hygiene standard in the interiors; examples include the ceiling structure, extensive natural room conditioning and ventilation depending on use. Longevity of building materials and components related to the building envelope (facade, roof, sun protection) and the building services concept (lighting concept, ventilation concept, energy concept, room conditioning, control technology) is carefully considered.

ConcreteLivingSteel

Data

Study

2017

Address

Johanna-Melzer-Straße 6
44147 Dortmund

Client

Kreuzviertel Immobilien GmbH

South View Front Building
North View Front Building
South View Studio
North View Studio
Floorplan Groundfloor
Floorplan 1st Floor

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Oranienburger Straße 44

Berlin

In direct proximity to the former art and cultural center Tacheles and the newly emerging urban quarter designed by the renowned architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, a gap in the buildings on Oranienburger Straße is set to be filled. Currently, this gap houses a single-story Indian restaurant, which will be integrated into and continued in the new development.

The new building will align with the height of the neighboring structures, blending harmoniously into the existing cityscape. The facade design is inspired by two key elements: firstly, by staggered wooden cubes, which give the building a modern and dynamic structure, and secondly, by Indian culture, reflected in the use of golden tones.

The upper floors of the building are designed as apartments, while the basement will provide storage space for the restaurant. The ground floor will serve as the main entrance area with an open design that connects the different functional spaces. The restaurant will extend both toward the bustling street and into the quieter courtyard, with a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor areas. This creates an inviting atmosphere that welcomes guests inside the restaurant as well as in the outdoor space.

By integrating modern architecture and cultural elements, the new building creates a bridge between tradition and contemporary design. The project not only enhances the urban fabric of Oranienburger Straße but also preserves the neighborhood's cultural diversity by continuing to house the established Indian restaurant.

HotelLivingMixed

Data

Study

2018

Address

Oranienburger Str. 44
10117 Berlin

Floorplan Basement
Floorplan Groundfloor
Floorplan Smartments
Floorplan 1st Floor

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Competition Gleisdreieck

Berlin

"Yes, that's what you want:

A villa in the countryside with a large terrace, the Baltic Sea in front, Friedrichstraße in the back; with a lovely view, rustic yet stylish, from the bathroom you can see the Zugspitze – but you're not far from the cinema in the evening. The whole thing is simple, full of modesty: Nine rooms – no, better make it ten! A rooftop garden with oaks growing on it, radio, central heating, vacuum, a well-trained, silent staff, a sweet woman full of class and verve – (and one for the weekend, as a reserve) – a library, and all around, solitude and the hum of bumblebees..."

(Kurt Tucholsky, 1927)

We can't influence the choice of staff or partners – but the wishes for a residence are almost fulfilled: the new Gleisdreieck park is next door, the view of Potsdamer Platz, the crossing elevated railway tracks, and the Landwehr Canal is breathtaking. The entire building faces west, so the sun shines deep into the floor plans at every time of year, as the distance to the next buildings is immense.

Here, you want to live outdoors – with a rooftop garden. A wonderful opportunity to rethink the city – like Matera, a small early medieval town in northern Italy. Built on and into the mountain – dense, vertical and horizontal, with public and private open spaces tightly intertwined, offering wide views and intimate closeness: a landscape in the city = cityscape. Clearly visible but not overlooked.

For this reason, our building looks like a hill made up of large terraces for each resident, lively and green, with protrusions and recesses, a variety of different apartment types, and a distinctive tactile quality. All roof surfaces are accessible—those on the protrusions serve as private terraces, and the topmost one is a communal garden for the residents. The address is the building itself—an ideal. There are three ways to enter the building: larger and smaller entrances. The texture and color of the plaza surface guide you inside.

Inside, all entrances are connected through a two-story hall that spans the entire length of the building (see the art concept). Seven staircases and elevators provide access to the upper floors.

Living

Data

Competition

2014

Address

Schöneberger Ufer 5
10785 Berlin

Awarding Authority

SEB Potsdamer Objekt EP GmbH & Co. KG

Partner

Landscape architect: Simons & Hinze, Berlin
Technical building equipment:
Transsolar Energietechnik GmbH, Stuttgart
Fire protection:
Neumann Krex & Partner, Meschede       
structural engineering: Leonhardt, Andrä und Partner, Berlin

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Competition Living at Lake Rheinau

Mannheim

Waterfront Location, Water Sports, and the Significance of Wind Flow in east/west and north/south directions are key characteristics of the property, as highlighted in the available reports.

We want to address these aspects in our urban design concept: wind leaves traces—on water, in fields, in desert landscapes, etc. From this, images emerge—fascinating graphics composed of structures, surfaces, and colors. We sought to create a form that could represent an image of a trace left by the wind. At the same time, it should correspond with the already planned access routes.

We want to give each future resident a direct visual connection to the water from their home. For this reason, we have chosen flexible building typologies with specific visual characteristics, which can be built as semi-detached houses and row houses. In the first row along the waterline, we propose semi-detached houses, with row houses in the second and third rows—possibly intermixed with semi-detached houses. The row houses are structurally connected on the ground floor and first floor, while on the top floor, the floor plan is halved and complemented by a large rooftop terrace. The building positions are arranged in such a way that these floors are offset from each other, creating views of the lake and allowing for airflow in the E/W direction at every point.

The semi-detached houses will be placed on the existing ground level, creating a direct connection to the shore and offering an attractive elevation for the following residential rows.

The multi-story apartment buildings take on a special role—we are concentrating them on the southwestern part of the property, enhancing the dynamic roof landscape of the semi-detached and row houses into a multi-story design. Layers are stacked, overlapped, and shifted. This creates a dynamic image ("traces"). The height gradation also generates attractive apartments in the multi-story buildings with direct views of Rheinauer Lake.

Access

We will utilize the already constructed routes and the existing utility supply and disposal systems. The middle route is not needed for vehicular access but will serve as a public pedestrian path through the area. The height difference between the roads and the existing ground surface ranges between 2 and 3 meters. We will use this height difference to place an effective underground parking garage (community garage) between two rows of townhouses, allowing for natural lighting. The roof of this garage will be extensively greened, partially paved, and publicly accessible. It will be part of a central open space with a north-south orientation, adjoining private gardens. If necessary, the townhouse complexes can have basements—the remaining areas will be filled in.

The apartment buildings will be raised by half a floor, with the underground level lowered by half a floor. This creates an easily accessible, well-ventilated garage floor and a ground floor that is not visible to passersby. The garden area will be filled in, providing barrier-free access to the ground floor for the residents.

Open Spaces

To protect against traffic noise, we plan to build landscape structures—gabions and embankments of varying heights (at least 3.0 meters). These will surround the building site, tapering off at the edges.

Planting and extensive greening of the private areas will create a park-like setting in the central areas, which, in keeping with the water connection, will become a defining characteristic of the future settlement structure.

In close proximity to the existing recreational facilities—such as the water-ski area and lawn—we plan to set up a playground. A riverside walking path will roughly follow the current route. Public access points will be connected at various locations, offering visitors a direct connection to the water and places to linger.

Living

Data

Competition

2013

Address

Am Rheinauer See
68219 Mannheim

Awarding Authority

NCC Deutschland GmbH

Partner

AIG Allgemeine Planungs & Ingenieursgesellschaft mbH

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Spreestudio Clubhaus

Berlin

The new building will be positioned parallel to the adjacent water basin, ensuring protection of the landscape with an appropriate distance.

The building is expected to be used by 13 units. Four units on the ground floor will extend over a space height of approximately 5.60 meters, featuring a suspended gallery accessible via an internal staircase. Eight smaller units on the upper floor will be accessed via two stairwells. One stairwell core with sanitary facilities will extend to the roof and provide access to the top rental unit, a meeting room. The roof will be designed as a walkable area with intensive landscaping and will be accessible to all tenants.

The building will be constructed using a combination of wooden and reinforced concrete structures. Core areas inside and the floor slabs will be made of reinforced concrete, providing stability to the skeleton structure. Wooden columns and ceiling beams will be installed according to structural requirements and fire protection standards. The terrace and the meeting room on the roof will be constructed using a mixed wood and steel framework.

The façade construction will be made of wood with a metallic surface and will feature individual floor-to-ceiling window elements. The water side will be entirely constructed using a post-and-beam system with glass.

The interior fit-out will include only basic sanitary facilities and connections for a kitchenette in each rental unit. Flooring and wall surfaces will be finished by the tenants themselves.

The building will be constructed using a combination of timber and reinforced concrete structures. The internal cores and floor slabs will be made of reinforced concrete, providing rigidity to the skeletal structure. Wooden columns and ceiling beams will be installed according to structural requirements and fire protection standards. The terrace and the meeting room on the roof will be built using a mixed wood and steel construction.

The façade construction will be made of wood with a metallic finish and will feature individual floor-to-ceiling window elements. The waterside will be entirely constructed with a post-and-beam system using glass.

The interior fit-out will include only basic sanitary facilities and connections for a kitchenette in each rental unit. Flooring and wall surfaces will be finished by the tenants themselves.

ConcreteHybridLivingWood

Data

Study

2016

Address

Zur alten Flussbadeanstalt 1
10317 Berlin
Germany

Client

Spreestudios GmbH Co. KG

Siteplan
Floorplan Groundfloor
View

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