pa1925 – four residential buildings with a commercial unit, Pasteurstraße, Berlin, Germany

This new residential complex is located on Pasteurstrasse, a street in the quiet Bötzowkiez area of Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg. Realized as a joint venture between its future residents, this project comprises of fifty-one units spread across four separate buildings. The complex stands on a site previously occupied by a freestanding supermarket, which has been seamlessly integrated into the ground floor of the building facing the street. The project thereby closes a gap in the block, engaging in a retroactive densification of the inner city—but also, above all, repairing a damaged urban fabric. A contextual approach was taken to better integrate the complex with its surroundings: the existing neighborhood, in effect, was simply built further, with the complex adopting the building lines, materials, and colors of its context.

Within the interior of the block, the boundaries between inside and outside are similarly blurred. The continuous balconies with their exposed-concrete parapets seem to thrust outwards from the buildings, creating a fluid transition between domestic and outdoor space. The courtyards provide green living spaces in the middle of the big city. The different residential buildings feature a variety of living types and apartment sizes. Their main feature is the flexibility within which their floor plans can be subdivided, thereby accommodating the individual needs of the inhabitants. The simple structure of the buildings leaves plenty of leeway for residents to design the spaces themselves before moving in, and also provides the opportunity to adjust the apartments to changing uses and needs later on. The units range from three - to six - bedroom apartments. Starting at 60 square meters and going up to 200 square meters, the units offer generous proportions and occasionally span two, even three, floors. Floor-to-ceiling windows mean well-lit rooms and a connection to the outside. Each apartment also includes access to a private outdoor area (be it a balcony, a terrace, a garden, or a rooftop garden).