Liebigstrasse 1

Location
The building group project "Liebigstraße 1" in Berlin-Friedrichshain, not far from Frankfurter Allee between Liebig- and Rigaer Straße, comprises six point buildings with a total of 144 residential units and an underground car park, which are embedded in a typical 'Berlin block'.

Concept / Guiding Idea
In contrast to the central urban location, it was the residents' wish to design a communal garden. This means giving space to greenery, reducing sealed areas to the maximum and bundling the necessary infrastructure in a space-saving manner. Despite the highest building density, underpinning by an underground car park, requirements for escape routes, cable routing and demanding topography, it was possible to implement the horticultural image. Compact willow plantings, extensive grass plantings and stable perennial combinations convey a lush green impression.

Garden community versus private retreat
From the very beginning, the building group also saw itself as a garden community and advocated communal use of the garden. In order to achieve a small-scale design that allows for different appropriations of the open space without eroding social distances, garden shrubs such as snowball and hydrangea are used to create space. Gleditschie and spring cherry, as stable large trees in the urban context, function as filters for all too close visual contacts. In this way, it is also possible to integrate the private gardens in front of the ground-floor apartments into the communal garden with the help of transparent borders made of bands of grasses and perennials.
Spaces
In the completely underbuilt central axis, linear bands of clinker pavers serve as direct and barrier-free access for cars, bicycles or wheelchairs. These bands are broken up in terms of design by light-colored natural stone pavers between the individual buildings. Through the combination of gravel lawn, clinker and lawn joint paving, the sealing could be reduced to a maximum here. Grass and shrub plantings rhythmically structure the space. The use of glass gravel limits the ceiling load resting on the underground car park and allows the necessary structural thicknesses for planting. The entrance areas are accentuated by contrasting clinker stripes and ornamental plantings.
Lushly planted garden strips with play areas, gardening areas and seating areas flank the site to the side. Similar to the resident structure, this area will also be able to change over time. The flexible play concept supports the fact that playground equipment can be converted or expanded in the future, thus opening up new possibilities for appropriating the space. Lawn stairs connect the garden spaces.
The meadow corners lie between the communal centre and the green retreats of the garden strips. Actually set-up and ladder areas for the fire department, they provide space for ball games and parties. They are framed by calm grass plantings and perennial bands.
Despite the sometimes conflictual neighbourhood, the building group allows the use of the site as a neighbourhood access route. A small neighbourhood square on Rigaer Straße opens up a view of the garden below, as if from a balcony.