Intelligent neighborhood development
Completed in 2016, the ensemble ‘The Garden’ consists of 16 houses with up to eight stories and comprises a total of 281 rental units and individually owned apartments. With the buildings, a 12,000-square-meter plot of unused land in the former border strip between East and West Berlin has been transformed into a city neighborhood, designed in the manner of a traditional courtyard ensemble. The result is an almost park-like garden that begins beyond the entrance area and extends all the way to the adjacent Domfriedhof cemetery with its neo-Gothic chapel. TOPOTEK 1 was responsible for the conception and realisation of the garden complex. On the inside, this gives the residential complex the feeling of a green oasis that offers plenty of space for playing and relaxing. At the same time, the streetside buildings in the direction of the Chausseestraße create a clear separation from the avenue’s busy traffic and mobility, as well as from the proximity of the new headquarters of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) on the other side of the street.
Innovative architectural and material vocabulary
The street facing façade of ‘The Garden’ is characterized by shifts in material and color that leap across several floors and distinctively define individual building sections in a rhythmic manner. Principles of spatial layering and structural stacking are already reflected here on the street side, then presented in full-fledged sculptural form by the residential buildings inside. These are composed of disjoined staggered floors that feature spacious terraces, loggias and balconies. Sometimes whole living spaces even jut out from the buildings. All buildings meet the requirements of the KfW Efficiency House 55 standard.
Social sustainability
On account of its qualities, ‘The Garden’ not only fulfills the project’s specific requirement of urban redensification. It also uses high-quality architecture to create a cross-generational residential offering that confers identity and invites social interaction. The jury was particularly impressed by this aspect of the project ‘The Garden’.
Online red carpet event
Due to the pandemic situation, the award ceremony was held in the form of an online red carpet event. The independent, international jury is chaired by Lord Caithness, Lord Waverley and Lord Best.
