LOVO Queer Living Space Diversity, Berlin
LOVO offers community and assisted living space in a building for gay, transgender and intersexual people who cannot manage their everyday life without help. Some of the residents recently arrived in Berlin as refugees. All participants were convinced that this project with its strong integrative orientation must be located in a lively and central district. With its specific program, LOVO is the first of its kind. It was mentioned as part of the German contribution to the architecture biennial "Making Heimat. Germany Arrival Country" in 2016.


30 rooms, 6 to 8 of them for refugees, are situated on floors 1 to 4 of the building in four shared apartments, one of which is designed as a nursing apartment. In order to prevent the residents feeling excluded and to integrate the project within the neighbourhood, emphasis was placed on a mixed profile. The building includes three apartments, which were rented on the open rental market and contribute to financing. On the ground floor there are three shop units - including the café "Transfair" - which is run by the „Gay Counselling Service“ and in which some of the house residents work.

The house was made possible by private commitment in conjunction with a social organization (Gay Counselling Service) that was prepared to establish itself in the building for decades. This constellation made it possible to build without a general contractor or investor. The investor profits saved in this way could be invested in the quality of the building.

Team:
Design: Christoph Wagner Architekten in collaboration with Wenke Schladitz
Christoph Wagner, Wenke Schladitz, Stefan Tietke, Rainer Krautwurst, Nabih Alshaikh, Eyal Perez, Henning Hesse
