The artistic impulse of the design draws its strength from the four elements of life: fire, water, air and earth permeate all areas of the quarter. The ensemble takes up the creative potential of the people and location, and translates it into the universal language of architecture.

Living on the pulse of the city

The riverside property on Michaelkirchstraße is located in a rapidly changing district. Once typified by derelict sites and industrial premises, an exciting quarter has since emerged around the former inner-city boundary with artists’ studios, buildings for start-ups and creative individuals. The design concept responds to the special challenges of the site at the interface between the Spree and inner-city power station with four independent, polygonal solitaries. The different volumes with individual shapes resemble scattered elements of a whole that have been split by an elementary force. Its sculpted façades – in contrast to a block structure – on four different sides of the building, make a vigorous statement. Individual shapes and height differences that separate the buildings geographically from one another do not alter the fact that they are part of a coherent quarter with its own identity, connected by atmospheric airspaces and a distinct architectural language that blankets the buildings with a variety of uses like a fine fabric overlay. As in every vibrant urban space, with its strong identity the quarter provides space for different uses. Residential, shops, offices and restaurants complement one another to form an overall picture. In this design concept, productive work and creative development are closely linked to inspiring activity and retreat to the private sphere. With a loose system of pathways, the individual buildings are accessed via an internal atrium.