townhouse
oberwall / berlin
the found
structure of a semi-finished town house within the context of the urban
development of central berlin, the district of >friedrichswerderplanwerk innenstadt< ,was radical reconsidered and dismantled.
the structure of the building, which was at the extended shell
stage, was stripped down and revised. the new design intensifies the vertical
principle of the townhouse model on a narrow plot to the extreme.
the white
building shell is made of high-gloss painted aluminium panels, it highlights
the significance of the abstraction and the vertical aspect of the
project. you don´t need any outdoor advertising to highlight the flagship
store - the serene surface making the location recognisable and replacing
classic outdoor advertising. the 6.5-metre, fully glazed sliding door that forms
the entrance to the store is as tall as the building is wide. within the tight
restrictions of a deep and narrow lot, the house achieves generosity through ceiling
height of the duplex issue. the two-story fixed glazing and exterior
outward-opening doors on the courtyard side have the same dimensions. the
qualities of natural light and space are more important than the optimisation of surface
area and flexibility. the panels can be opened like shutters when the studio
apartment on the upper floor is in use. the house will be used as a flagship
store for the owners fashion label and their second home, the radical simplicity
connects the different aspects of use and creates a clear unit in a diversified
neighbourhood.