On the Verge

The proposed project aims to create a residence that is adapted to the needs of the 21st century.
The program therefore does not provide traditional apartment floor-plans, but outsources working and leisure spaces from the private apartments to communal spaces. This idea of sharing spaces allow more equal access to the respective amenities but and foster a stronger neighbourhood community. In addition to the residences, the project also includes an agricultural school that aims to teach cultivation techniques to the public. The goal of the integration of this educational facility is to anchor the project in the wider neighbourhood. By offering workshops to the residents, its neighbours and inner-city visitors, the projects wants to encourage people to use their gardens productively and educate about food resources. Thereby, the institution also invites people to better understand the entanglement of their consumption habits. The program makes a pledge for the retention of allotment gardens and productive agricultural spaces within city limits.
The housing project aims to provide this communal, sustainable and affordable residential solution to up to 450 people with diverse living situations and opens its doors to the wider community through its agricultural training program.

Concept
our job was it to find a site to develop a mixed use housing project in the north east suburban area of Berlin. The development had to contain ~3/4 living program and ~1/4 additional use which we could select freely. This 6 steps explain the main ideas 💡
1. we selected an empty site which is located between single family housing in the south, industrial buildings in the east + west and across the loud street an agricultural field in the north.
2. Research exposed that our site consists of fertile soil and is suited for agricultural use as well. We saw in the apartment volume a potential to block the noise from the street away from the residential area in the south.
3.Combining living with agricultural use became our concept. By building terraces on the Southside, we let the soil occupying balconies while being fully sun exposed.
4. Financially supported by the government, the new form of living should be available for all people without depending on their background
5.An agricultural school within the building will educate the residents and the neighborhood about future opportunities
6. The landscape on the site is designed with greenhouses. Several apartment units are responsible for one greenhouse each. This should strengthen the community of the residents