Berlin is booming! The number of employees is rising and the housing market is being upgraded. In other cities like London or New York serviced apartments or shared-living models are already longestablished housing standards for urban nomads; now they are also becoming increasingly interesting for the capital of start ups.
We have now designed such a building in the district of Moabit, Berlin. It is a living machine, feel-good house, nest, community hub ... And it's made of wood! What can this smart apartment-house do? On the one hand, it reacts to the current developments of the housing market and creates a place for new forms of living. On the other hand, the modular construction of prefabricated solid-wood elements is economically favorable due to the short construction period of only six-months, while also taking sustainability into account. How do we want to live? New modes of work demand new living concepts. Modern workspaces are often only temporarily linked to a place and require frequently changed residences. However, the city centers are increasingly in demand for investors; making affordable housing units, or even temporary rentals near the workplace, nearly impossible to find. Our new building reacts to these developments with modern shared-living apartments. The new building provides space for a total of 50 residents in ten modern business flat-shares.
The compact, five-story building stands as a courtyard building in a typical Berlin block. It is oriented, in building depth and cubature, on the adjoining neighboring buildings, but projects out from the existing buildings through its modern façade-design made of anthracite-colored plaster, floor-length windows, and metal balconies interconnecting pairs of residential units. The building’s supporting structure is designed as a partition, with the supporting façade made entirely of wood. The only exceptions are the foundation and the core. The residential units of the ground floor are barrier-free; courtyard and outdoor areas are designed as green areas with a playground, and provide areas for bicycles, prams, and wheelchairs.
Living all-inclusively, what does that look like? The ten residential units offer solutions to be able to live fully equipped ad-hoc. For the digital nomad, fast connections are important, not only to data networks, but also to social ones. Therefore, adjacent to the fully furnished private rooms, there are also high-quality communal areas, which invite communication and facilitate the start in a foreign city. The private rooms are primarily designed for sleeping and working, while all other uses are designated for the common areas. Special features such as a large community kitchen for cooking and eating together create a feel-good atmosphere. In the communal area on the ground floor, next to the laundry room, is a large dining area for parties, as well as a lounge with a bar and a home cinema. The house has state-of-the-art communication and security technology.
Thanks to prefabrication, it was realized in a construction period of just four and a half months. It was even possible to finish the wooden structure within two weeks. On your marks, get set, live!
