Hafenhöfe

Concept

The proposed design responds to the existing urban fabric and spatial structure on multiple levels.

Along Köthener Straße and Hafenplatz, the building volumes establish a clear and confident urban edge. The block formed by Köthener, Dessauer, and Bernburger Straße is completed, creating a coherent perimeter. Through its positioning and graduated height development, the ensemble gains a strong orientation and identity toward the expansive public space of Hafenplatz and Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Park. The new volumes mediate between the existing eastern urban grain along Köthener Straße and the adjacent WoHo residential tower on Schöneberger Straße. 

Strategic recesses and openings along the site boundaries establish spatial transitions at the urban scale. These deliberate voids ensure permeability, visual connections, and a sense of openness. Hafenplatz is clearly defined as a central arrival and access point, while a smaller forecourt at the corner of Köthener and Bernburger Straße provides a spatial counterpart and links the block to Potsdamer and Leipziger Platz. 

In line with the principle of „building on the existing,” the design strengthens and completes existing spatial conditions within the block. The so-called “biotope courtyard” receives two new spatial edges, integrating it into the proposed framework and reinforcing the character of the existing urban structure. 

The design further develops the Berlin courtyard typology with confidence and precision. Five north–south-oriented, rhythmically offset building volumes form a spatial sequence of clearly legible, differentiated courtyards. These respond sensitively to both internal block dynamics and the surrounding urban environment.
Four generous courtyard buildings are complemented by a standalone volume that sits logically within the rhythm of the composition. Conceived as a vertical accent, this solitary structure marks the prominent northwestern corner of Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Park and the entrance to the U‑Bahn station. It lends the ensemble a strong urban presence and visibility, anchoring the project in the broader city context.