Competition Urban Repair

Finsterwalde

The property at Leipziger Strasse 22-24 is located in close proximity to the historic city center, which is characterized by natural-grown, small-scale structures. The plots are clearly visible, the contours of the buildings are partly staggered, the roofs change in the eaves and ridge lines, and are strongly contoured in some places due to superstructures. Opposite the property is Mozartplatz, an area that is currently undeveloped.

Differentiated structure analogous to the urban grain

The neighbors along Leipziger Strasse and Weststrasse face the street with designed gable surfaces, bay windows, and dormers; one could say they are talking to each other. We adapt this lively formation, break up the new structure, and follow the course of the street with the building edges at different angles. This creates a differentiated structure analogous to the urban grain in the historical context. The buildings remain legible, the addresses recognizable, significant, and yet easy to construct. The number of stories and eave height follow those of the respective neighbors. Above the eaves, a roof landscape is modeled that allows for maximum usability of the attic floors and privacy at the same time through an interplay of dormers and loggias. The aim of the concept is to create living spaces with high density, high privacy, and low energy requirements.

Courtyard - Living with Nature

Children play in the fresh air and the fire pit is the place for spontaneous or planned celebrations. Here, a shady courtyard is to be created as a green lung for the community, surrounded by open vertical access and loggias – like stands around an open-air stage. It will become a landmark. The building entrance on Leipziger Strasse, on the other hand, is framed by two cantilevered volumes, which form a small forecourt.

Apartments and spaces

The apartment sizes are based on the required matrix. They are largely flexible, with lightweight partition walls that can be moved; only the shafts form fixed points within the floor plans. In some places, the connection of individual or several rooms is planned and marked in the floor plan drawing. The ratio of rental space (MF) to gross floor area (GFA) is approximately 73%. The entrances are barrier-free. Adjoining rooms for strollers, bicycles, and trash are located near the building entrances or in the basement.

Architecture + Construction

The basements are limited to a reasonable size, set back from the neighbors' gable walls, but accessible from both stairwells. This avoids undermining the neighbors' foundations. The floor plan concept contains few fixed components (shafts, columns, or walls). The type of construction allows for a certain degree of floor plan variability within the supporting structure and enables different layouts – from one-room apartments to four-room apartments. In the present layout, we propose 19 residential units on approximately 2,070 m² of gross floor area: (5 x 2-room residential units, 11 x 3-room residential units, and 3 x 4-room residential units). The buildings are designed to be resource-conscious with a minimal carbon footprint.

ConcreteInfrastructureLivingMasonryMixedPublic

Floor Plan Ground Floor

Daten

Wettbewerb

Teilnahmewettbewerb
07.2024

Adresse

Leipziger Straße 22-24
03238 Finsterwalde
Deutschland

Bauherr

Wohnungsgesellschaft
der Stadt Finsterwalde (WGF)

Section B-B
Section C-C

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Competition Urban Center

Berlin

The Urban Center Neu-Hohenschönhausen project is to be developed in accordance with the basic principles of ecological and social sustainability, a new hotspot of urban biodiversity, a green hub in the ecological system of the metropolis. Municipally controlled urban development based on public housing companies and cooperatives can prevent the negative effects of speculation and gentrification. The planning implements various standards of green in order to radically improve the social and ecological quality of the urban context. By combining nature-based solutions with the help of innovative and sustainable technologies, new qualitative, spatial and livable standards are created. The aim is to create a modern and lively new urban district. In the medium term, Falkenberger Chaussee will be rethought as a lively green axis in connection with the transport transition and electric motorization.

The available plot of land with a surface area of ​​around 6 hectares will be divided into three building plots: Building plot 1 along Falkenberger Chaussee: A large entrance pergola with a market hall marks the beginning and creates a connection with the neighboring shopping center. Living and working areas will be accommodated in a large modular and hybrid city shelf in two sections. With its perfect southwest orientation and green terraces, it fulfills people's desire for contact with nature and for sufficient open space with privacy. All infrastructure facilities of the new district, small shops, library, theater, family center, and an above-ground neighborhood garage for 200 cars will be integrated into the city shelf. A green high-rise building forms the signature.

Construction site 2 west of the cinema: The Berlin apartment block is being rethought, diagonally and modularly, with a diverse mix of apartments, duplex apartments if possible, townhouses integrated on the ground floor and first floor with direct access, enclosed and green inner courtyard, allotments in the courtyard and on the roof.

Construction site 3 east of the cinema: A cooperative quarter is planned here with a participatory planning model for alternative and communal forms of living and working, 30% cluster apartments + commercial/creative workshops + a public and green courtyard for community activities outdoors.

A completely CO2-neutral wooden city with model character is proposed. With wood from urban planning to the execution details, the new urban district also gets its own aesthetic identity. The creation of vertical and horizontal green spaces contributes to the character. Modularity and flexibility of the building elements in combination with simple and robust structures should promote longevity and a continuous mix of uses.

The interface between living and the city is formed by the ground floor and access zones, as well as arcades and staircases. The aim is to create lively spaces with a variety of uses and community offers. Courtyards and small, intimate squares offer village security, but also the opportunity for networking, new urban hotspots.

ECOLOGY

The use of state-of-the-art irrigation and rainwater collection systems and the selection of native plants - with high CO2 storage capacity, removal of air pollutants and attraction for pollinating insects - are among the core points of the project to increase comfort in the buildings and the well-being of the community. The new district is to have car-reduced living. The central district street will be traffic-calmed and developed as an Active Street.

In line with the ecological approach, Falkenberger Chaussee will be intensively greened and calmed with new rows of trees. A municipal sports park with covered sports fields will be built along the railway tracks in the green embankment under the railway overpass. On the south side of Falkenberger Chaussee, a new attractive train station with an integrated mobility hub (car sharing, e-bike station, bicycle parking garage) is planned in the form of a large roof folding over the tracks.

LivingMixedPublicRetailWood

Data

Competition

2021

Address

Falkenberger Chaussee
13057 Berlin

Awarding Authority

Senate Department for Urban Development and Housing

Partner

Landscape architecture:
Hannes Hörr, Stuttgart

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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 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 Attic Storey
Floorplan Upper Floors

Data

Completion

2024

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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RAG Bottrop – 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

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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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