Eldenaer Höfe

The former cattle barns of the old stockyard were built in 1881 by Hermann Blankenstein. Years of neglect have caused substantial and, in some cases, irreparable damage to the buildings’ structural core. Yet the complex is ideally situated in central Berlin, with shops, sports facilities, and extensive parks in the vicinity. The buildings are too derelict for rehabilitation, however, and must be demolished, although some gable fronts will remain standing. Given this unusual situation, the new residential buildings has traced the outlines of the old barns. The historic gable fronts is integrated into the new structures or, where missing, recreated in simplified form. In view of the dense urban context and strict conservation orders, the challenge was to create good architecture on a slim budget. The plasticity and tectonic structure of the new buildings’ sand-coloured facades clearly reference the architecture of the old barns.