Footbridge on the water Residential Constructing / LOVE structure and urbanism
Footbridge on the water Residential Building / LOVE architecture and urbanism
Text description provided by the architects. Inspiration river – symbiosis with the Dahme. The Dahme waterscape is of exceptional quality and beauty. Here, natural space, recreational quality, and also industrial Charm is combined with the peace and serenity that rivers generally exude.
To stage this unique natural quality to the maximum is the central design idea of the residential building: A large-scale, eight-meter-deep pier in front of the actual Building leads the individual apartments very close to the water – so that Apartment and water seem to merge. The jetty is a hybrid of private balconies or open spaces and at the same time a development element. Thus, the footbridge stands for view, leisure, recreation, Pleasure, enjoyment, but also for social interaction, community, and sense of togetherness. It “stands” for a kind of bathing lake effect.
You can say: This footbridge IS the building because it shapes the house visually and also in terms of content. He is both the face and the soul of the building. Three materials characterize the building: wood, aluminum, and concrete. Wood in itself is synonymous with themes such as water, jetty, raft, or canoeing. Aluminum is factual-serious has a hygienic effect.
In this case, we especially appreciate its ability to easily mirror the light and color moods of its environment and thus interact with its surroundings. And then when water meets the sky. Concrete as another natural material rounds off the mix. Similar to wood, concrete has a certain depth and naturalness, which stands for safety and durability. All apartments are designed and therefore have two Cardinal points. This allows the residents to experience daytime but also seasons intensively. The building, with its 28 residential units in the Grünau district of Berlin, has four full floors and one stacked floor.
In the center of the house is the vertical access, which is directly connected to the footbridge. The footbridge, which is set back about 2 meters from the house, leads the residents not only directly to their apartments but also to their spacious outdoor areas with spectacular views over the river. The individual levels of the walkway have different floor plan layouts. Thus, in addition to the diverse vertical view relationships, there is also an interesting and always new shadow play. All the residential units of the building are designed in an interconnected way and thus have two sky directions each: the north-east located pier and a south side, which is equipped with large-format plant troughs for free.
Planting by the residents. This means that residents do not have to forego the remarkable view of the Dahme to the northeast or a light-giving south-west side. By means of generous folding- Sliding walls, the apartments can be opened to the outside spaces to the maximum – interior and exterior thus combining to form a single unit and the entire. Depth of the walkway becomes an integral part of the living landscape.
