DMSW Architektur Stadt Landschaft: Gap-filling monolith - best architects 26

DMSW Architektur Stadt Landschaft

Gap-filling monolith

best architects 26

multi-family homes

Place

Berlin-Neukölln, Germany

Studio

www.dmsw.de

Photos

Dawin Meckel

Description

A new building has been constructed in Berlin-Neukölln for a joint building venture and the DMSW office location. The urban planning specifications, a public sewer located on the site and fire safety requirements meant that the initially planned diamond-shaped structure had to be altered, resulting in a building figure that now completes the edge of the block. A light-coloured brick façade emphasises the monolithic design. The brick cladding extends into the loggias and, together with wide precast concrete elements, creates usable spaces in the façade. The two fire walls are also clad with bricks, as it is no longer possible to add on here. The ground floor makes use of the significant height difference to the courtyard to accommodate a high office space. If required, two units on the first floor can be added to the office. The apartments are all arranged in an east-west direction, with the loggias functioning as outdoor rooms. Heating is provided by air heat pumps powered by green electricity. The office also uses 85% of the waste heat from people, servers and computers via a ventilation system. Durable building materials and the recyclable brick façade make the new building sustainable. In the completely unsealed garden courtyard, recycled stone coverings, walkable moss and newly planted Scots pines echo the atmosphere of the adjacent listed courtyard. Climbing plants increase the biotope factor. The intensively planted roof garden offers further ecologically valuable habitats.