Lindenstrasse / Markgrafenstrasse housing, Berlin, Germany

Lindenstrasse / Markgrafenstrasse housing, Berlin, Germany (1984-1986)

Herman Hertzberger

The brief called for the completion of an existing building block. The presence of a church made a straightforward solution impossible. Hence this semi-circular building which leaves the church an independent, freestanding structure. The plan shows that it is possible to build good housing, inconvenienced by traffic noise, around a courtyard ensuring sufficient sunlight and so proportioned as to make space for a garden zone and a children's play area. Five gateways access the courtyard from the street. These entrances form part of the communal open staircases leading to the apartments and roof-top terraces and are conceived of as vertical streets.

Address

Lindenstraße 81, Bezirk Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg 10969 Berlin, Germany

Photos

Uwe Rau