A residential ensemble comprising 120 housing units in Berlin-Köpenick has been completed according to the plans of Nöfer Architekten. On an acute-angled plot of land between Hämmerlingstraße and Annenallee, Kondor Wessels Wohnen Berlin GmbH realised a development with a gross floor area of approximately 15,500 square metres for the investor DW Property. The varying building typologies integrate into the heterogeneous structure of the existing district. Nöfer Architekten were responsible for the design and execution planning.
The plot at Hämmerlingstraße 132-136 is situated in the northern inner city of Köpenick, an urbanistically prominent environment that unites 19th-century residential buildings, constructions from the 1920s, and smaller-scale structures. The architectural design takes up these varying scales and motifs and translates them into a contemporary ensemble. Tobias Nöfer, Managing Director of Nöfer Architekten, stated that the goal was to continue building the district with its peculiarities and distinctive features at this location. He emphasised that good urban environments arise where new buildings respond to their surroundings, embrace existing qualities, and develop their own character with new impulses.
Henrik Denkewitz, Managing Director of Kondor Wessels Wohnen Berlin GmbH, added that they succeeded in closing an urban planning gap that had been characterised by a car dealership for decades. The realisation was carried out in cooperation with Nöfer Architekten and the district office of Köpenick, necessitating consideration of numerous approval-relevant requirements. In particular, the location of the underground car park in the groundwater posed a significant challenge during planning and execution. The successful completion of the project is attributed to the dedicated, trusting, and collaborative effort of all involved parties.
The distinctive building corner at the tip of the plot, whose rounded form faces Bahnhofstraße, gives the ensemble a widely visible address. A solid clinker brick plinth encloses the ground floor area, while light, rendered upper floors rise above it. The front gardens, characteristic of the surrounding streets, were integrated into the new build to create distance between the residential buildings and public space and to continue a typical district element. Artistically designed murals in the lobbies, depicting fish as the heraldic animal of Köpenick, add further accents and give the entrance areas a specific identity.
The street-facing development continues the urban character of Hämmerlingstraße and Annenallee, while the scale changes towards the interior of the plot. There, smaller-scale residential buildings complement the ensemble and mediate with the lower building structures to the northeast. A green courtyard forms the heart of the complex, connecting the building sections and serving as a communal open space for residents, thereby fulfilling both a design and a social function.
On the approximately 6,000 square metre plot, 120 flats of various sizes and layouts were created, ranging from apartments for single and two-person households to family flats. The ensemble is complemented by three townhouses and an underground car park with 67 parking spaces. Tobias Nöfer concluded that the project in Hämmerlingstraße demonstrates that new residential construction and an evolved urban landscape do not have to be contradictory. He emphasised that architecture in new builds within existing districts carries a responsibility that extends beyond the individual building and must contribute to the street, the neighbourhood, and the entire urban landscape.
