Description

The small, 324 m² plot of land is located in the centre of Berlin, opposite the new building of the Federal Intelligence Service, and stands at a point where the Wilhelminian block pattern transitions into post-war urbanism, the latter represented by a set-back row of residential buildings.

To respond to the “raw character of the place” and the important north-south axis running through Berlin, still far from complete some 28 years after reunification, the architects have erected a monolithic structure. The architect initiated the project together with her husband and office partner. The guiding principle for the design was a simple, homogenous building with a legible loadbearing structure. For example, the pattern of pilaster-like projecting sections on the street and rear façades are a product of the walls and curtain rails, which were cast directly into the in-situ concrete ceiling. This means the curtains do not hang in the room as they normally do but in the same plane as the wall surface. The external walls are built with newly developed, core-insulated perforated bricks with a depth of 36.5 cm, which despite their narrow cross-section have a high compressive strength. The floor slabs, likewise, are visiblly marked on the outer face by prefabricated concrete elements, which are anchored back to the slabs with stainless steel pins. To avoid any details that could complicate the clarity of the elevations, the architects employ neither roller shutters nor metal window sills. Instead the precast sills slant outwards at the top and have a drip notch underneath. The subtle modulation of the façade is given greater contrast by treating the vertical pilasters with a coarse render and the walls with a smooth render. The ground floor departs from this pattern and is articulated as a plinth storey of exposed concrete.

The seven-storey building was permitted to exceed the typical eaves height as the average height of the entire block was over 22 metres. As such, ceiling heights of 2.80 metres were achieved. Apart from the set-back top storey and the ground floor, the five main storeys have two apartments per floor of 46 and 48 m² running front-to-back. The client, who owns the property, wanted to rent them out on short-term lets and commissioned the architects to furnish the apartments. The architects have left the concrete ceilings exposed to create a stimulating contrast to the custom-designed fittings, such as the “seating alcove”, the fitted cupboards and bathroom panelling made of Douglas fir. The only colour is a subtle blue, while the floor has been laid with a neutral grey linoleum.

The rooms are naturally ventilated, and only the bathrooms in the interior and the kitchens have mechanical extractor fans. The dimensions of the French windows were chosen so that no protection against solar gain is needed. Extending right up to the ceiling, they contribute to a sense of spaciousness that one would not expect from looking at the building from outside. Wietersheim Architekten have succeeded in constructing a building that is pleasingly calm and self-assured, especially given its proximity to such attention-seeking structures as Daniel Libeskind’s new Sapphire building. According to the architect, the pink colour of the interior corresponds to the façade’s role as a “dress” for the building.

Originally published in Bauwelt 17.2018, pp. 30-33, abridged and edited for Building Types online, translated by Julian Reisenberger

---