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Kronprinzengärten – Townhouses
Berlin | 2016
The new ensemble of the Kronprinzengärten in the centre of Berlin has become a distinctive residential neighborhood. The urban and historic meaning of this place with the famous Schinkels Friedrichswerder Church and its Bauakademie, which should be reconstructed in a near future, set high standards for the participated architects.

After having won the urban competition in 2000 a master plan for a critical reconstruction of the historic urban pattern around the former Falkoniergasse has been set up. Though at the beginning the plan intended office use, the planning and construction process brought a lot of changes with respect to responsibilities, usage and design and let the ensemble of Kronprinztengärten become a residential neighbourhood with retail units in the ground floor. Eleven townhouses have been constructed with a traditional fineness of a European city remaining visibly different volumes within one entity. The inhabitants should be able to identify themselves with their particular house as an authentic structure with a unique character.

True to the city plan the old street course of the Falkoniergasse has been reconstructed. Two houses at the Oberwallstraße with five floors and an additional staggered floor are integrated into the building row, which connects with their private gardens and a one-floor sheds with the Falkoniergasse. Between the Falkoniergasse and the church the project shows rather an open construction with different heights and a continuous ground floor line. The ground floors of some buildings can be partly used for retail.

The townhouses 2 and 3, the house 11 at the Falkoniergasse and the ground floor of the both houses 7 and 8 at the Werdersche Markt are clad with travertine or limestone. From the second floor up to the top the latter two have a bright wdvs-façade.

The architecture of the buildings has a representative and sublime touch, however at the same time they appear as light and modern structures. Each building has its own face which is reflected through every detail. The entrance areas are partly recessed and emphasized through elaborated details. Plastic surfaces, massive wooden doors, made-to-order door handles, balcony railings made of wrought-iron and stone interpret in a decent way the given leitmotif of each building. Triple glazing windows are mainly room high and appear as narrow vertical openings or as large panoramic windows depending on the façade orientation.

Created for one user the townhouses 2-6 have one big living space spread over all floors upon a retail ground floor. The buildings at the Falkoniergasse however have two spacious maisonette-apartments on the lower and upper two floors as well as an apartment on the third floor. The continuous ground floor can be used for smaller retail and office units. Its roof allows a generous terrace for the lower maisonette-apartments. During the building process the houses 9 and 10 have been converted for the embassy of Angola by Anton Ummenhofer architects office.

A common underground parking underneath the entire plot offers 102 parking lots. Generous and well-designed interiors are equipped with high-quality materials. The inhabitants enjoy wonderful views over the city and its architectural masterpieces from all windows and balconies.

Client: Bauwert Investment Group
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