DMSW Architektur Stadt Landschaft
Gap-filling monolith
best architects 26
multi-family homes
Place
Berlin-Neukölln, Germany
Studio
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.

