Terrassenhaus Berlin / Lobe Block

With the Terrassenhaus Berlin / Lobe Block located in Berlin-Wedding, a new typology was created: a ziggurat-like shaped studio and gallery building with spacious, semi-public terraces giving back its users a piece of “property.” Situated next to a typical 1900’s dwelling, a climbing hall, and suburban railway tracks, the building combines various uses and is particularly adaptable to new ones, preparing it for possible changes in the zoning plan: Currently, the area has no binding land-use plan, and a regulation from 1958 only permits the construction of commercial buildings. Yet at the same time, an ongoing grandfather clause also ensures that the area remains essentially a residential zone. This special status allowed for a new building to be constructed, which currently serves as a commercial building but could become a residential site in the future. The building’s levels are staggered, creating six meter deep terraces on each floor that offer a wide view towards the south and a maximized semi-public space on the ground floor. Shifting the lower floors to the south creates a 7.50 meter deep covered sidewalk that functions as a semi-public plaza in front of the building.

The depth of the units vary from 26 meters at ground level to 11 meters at the highest level. In this sense, the program of the units is aligned with the floor depth and subsequently the amount of light. Two external staircases at the back connect all floors via the terraces for common use of the exterior spaces and lead to the public roof space. Neither roof nor patios have extra drainage. Therefore, all surfaces are slightly tilted to drain the water like a cascade onto the garden. Built entirely in concrete, exterior and interior spaces are perceived alike, enabling the users to open their apartments through ceiling-high doors towards the terraces. The fit-out standard follows the logic of indeterminacy: only the technical connections and sanitary facilities are pre-installed. The latter is part of the two concrete cores, which also house the elevators, reaching from the ground level to the roof top, as well as all technical services.

The building was initiated by Olivia Reynolds who, together with Elke Falat, founded the Lobe Block GmbH & Co. KG that thought, built and now runs the Terrassenhaus Berlin / Lobe Block. Today, the block is home to a diverse mix of people and companies: from creative industries, over social agencies, to gastronomy and leisure.