House on the Spree

New construction of a residential building on the former grounds of the GDR water police.
The site in the south of Berlin was found as fallow land with mainly dilapidated buildings. Fascinated by the morbid presence of the abandoned industrial site, it was decided to underline its condition through an architectural and artistic re-appropriation. This lead to the transformation of the main building of the former shipyard into a real ruin (Ruin Garden, page 16). In addition to the conversion of the auxiliary buildings into studio spaces (Studio Anselm Reyle, page 80), a new residential building was built in 2017. In interaction with the mentioned Ruin Garden it was necessary to raise the building and thus provide a generous view of the water. To blend in with the character of the surroundings, the narrow lightweight concrete core, which runs through the centre of the building, was constructed with industrial panel formwork with no exposed concrete requirements, while the columns were constructed with a correspondingly raw wooden formwork. In contrast to the narrow windowless core, the living level opens outwards all around. The elevated view of the water does not reveal a bank wall, so that the water seems to flow through underneath. Reversible furniture made of zebrano wood veneer zone and divide the living area. A long cupboard unit creates two bedrooms, the rear side of which is made of plastered clay panels to regulate the room climate. Opposite the core, a shelf that can be played on two sides proportions the large living space and divides it into two areas that can be used differently. The side of the shelf facing the water resembles an oversized display case cabinet, which is filled with various objects. The shape of the railing of the precast concrete staircase is modelled on the fall protection during the shell construction phase. The saw-rough wood, partly left with tree bark, comes from the trees that had to be felled for the construction of the building.