Werft haus Mickaella Pharaon Tae Shimamoto
At twenty meters wide and eighty meters long, our project, Werfthaus, sits between two warehouses thirty-five meters apart on the Spree River in OberschĂśneweide, Berlin. We chose this particular site to activate the unused and non-accessible area next to the beautiful river. Our building consists of two parts but four floors, the first two are dedicated to the furniture maker and flex space, and the third and fourth for residential. Our building is divided into 6 bays running through the entire structure defining our spaces and setting a guideline. The row-house style apartments above are designed within these guidelines, each bay containing either one, two, or four apartments. These apartments are flexible with interchangeable layouts, including cluster, 3-4 people, or singles. Our goal was to create equal living quality throughout the units, regardless of its size or placement in the complex. They are designed to be very private, all oriented towards the river, each have a double heighted space, a courtyard garden, and a terrace. Every unit is accessed through the courtyard which acts as an intermediate area. The courtyards are placed carefully to bring green space and light into the residences, the single apartments in the middle bays share one large communal courtyard which also adds fluency to the circulation. A challenge we came across with our specific location was bringing light into all of the spaces. We used the courtyards and the double heights to illuminate the units, and light wells to bring light into the furniture maker and flex spaces. Our detached walkway also helps guide light into the curtain wall windows wrapping around the top of the commercial space. Our building is also very sustainable, running on solar energy and using wood chips from the furniture maker to heat the entire complex. The green roofs overhang the front of the top floor to protect from direct sunlight in the summer to help regulate the temperature. The material we chose is timber for the building to stand out from the existing buildings, it is sustainable and recyclable. Our project is also sustainable in a social aspect, activating the empty spaces in front and behind it, with potential for a community garden and or beer garden next to the river. We made the back accessible to the street by cutting through the existing warehouse and creating an opportunity for a small gateway structure such as a cafĂŠ or shop. Although our building is very specific to this narrow site, it is also it an industrial production system; its interchangeable and expandable design makes it placeable almost anywhere. Werfthaus has a very simple yet effective approach to mass housing in such a complex location, creating a beautiful addition to a potentially dead space.
Pote n or B tial Caf e ike S hop
Han
gou t/ Spa Dining ce
Park in Area g
Pote ntia Bar l
Wat er Han front go Spa ut ce
Site Plan
Structural System
Terraces Courtyards
8 People Cluster 3-4 People Apartment 1-2 People Apartment
Apartments Layout
Outdoor Spaces
Direct Summer Light Solar Panels
Reflective Material to bring in Light
Direct Winter Light
Skylight System
Light Access
Residential Circulation
Plan 1 - Furniture Maker
Plan 2 - Furniture Maker
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Plan 3 - Residential
Plan 4 - Residential
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Front Elevation - Street View
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Exploded Axon 3-4 People Apartment
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