Klopstockstraße

A contemporary flat in the “City of Tomorrow” Alvar Aalto designed an 8-storied residential building for the centre of Berlin’s Hansaviertel locality. Following a change of ownership, we refurbished one of the flats in 2006. The objective was to come up with a design – beyond conventional apartment construction standards - that takes up Aalto’s design in an unpretentious and contemporary way but without succumbing to Retro style. The Hansaviertel is a landmarked ensemble that includes green areas and open spaces on the western edge of Berlin’s Tiergarten Park. It was constructed some 50 years ago as part of the international architecture exhibition “INTERBAU BERLIN 57”. Since then, the outdoor areas of the so-called “City of Tomorrow”, have been thriving. Conceived by landscape architects Hermann Mattern and Hertha Hammerbacher, depending on the season and weather conditions, the outdoor spaces generate an array of colour and light atmospheres within each flat. Aalto is renowned for his harmonious interlocking of an urban space development ideal – one that incorporates plenty of green areas - with functional floor plans. From three sides, the bedroom, kitchen and the central multi-purpose space called “Allraum” are grouped around a room-sized patio that lavishly guides one’s glance to the green expanse outside. When the sky is overcast, mellow tints unfold their effect on the walls and ceiling; yellow in the kitchen and pink in the “Allraum” on sunny days they appear white. We opened the walls above the room doors and inserted frameless glazing to serve as fanlights. This has the effect of optically enlarging the compact rooms while also making the “Allraum” even brighter thanks to laterally scattered light. The well-preserved original cabinetry was left in place. Some of the lamps too are original pieces, including one that the builder found among the discarded household goods of a neighbour.