The historicist real estate property (c. 1910) lies in the middle of an intact urban structure that survived the destruction of the Second World War and the urban planning reorganisation of the post-war era. Especially in the last five to ten years, this area has profited greatly from its urban planning quality: many individual buildings of the dense perimeter development were renovated and thus upgraded.
For this project too, special attention has thus been paid to the public areas, namely the street façade, as well as to the private areas, such as courtyard façades and courtyard design. New elevator systems and balconies facing the inner courtyards, as well as the converted top floor provide the outwardly recognisable features of the construction measures for the interior usage upgrading.
The courtyard design
The façade composition typical for this time, consisting of loggia, bays and balconies, is included in the redesigning of the façade and reinterpreted. The vertical is clearly structured into a basement (ground floor), a main part (second to fourth floor), an upper terminus (fifth floor) and pronounced eaves. The protruding and receding dormers mediate between the street façade and the roof landscape.
Sculptural, decorative elements like consoles under the bay and beneath the existing balconies, as well as décor paintings in the pillar areas of the fifth floor support a history-conscious handling of the substance. Three coats of paint with transparent glazes increase the plasticity of the façade surfaces.
Meditative peace
A central element is the paved path. It is demarcated laterally by a white coloured kerbstone. The radical and high-quality design of the courtyard results from the proportionally large usable spaces, which are oriented to the courtyard. Diverse, grass-like cultivation (grass and shrubs), together with the fountain and its subtle ambient noise, enhance the contemplative character of the courtyard atmosphere.
Category
Residential and commercial building
Location
Winsstraße 67, Berlin, Prenzlauer Berg
Completion
2005
Planning
2004–2005
Client
econcept Immobilien und Projektentwicklung KG (GmbH & Co), Berlin
Photography
T. Kwiatosz
