Markgrafenkarree is located in a heterogeneous urban neighbourhood, half way between Leipziger Platz and Spittelmarkt in the district of Berlin-Mitte. Because of its location in the former eastern part of the city, this block is closely connected with the history of Berlin: The Berlin Wall ran just a few metres south of here, two blocks further to the west was the border crossing point “Checkpoint Charlie”. To this day, this historic east-west contrast dominates the architectural context – from the high-rise residential towers of the “Leipziger Straße Complex” (GDR, 1969–1982) in the north to the Axel Springer Tower (BRD, 1959–1965) in the south. Up until 2013 the site where the Markgrafenkarree apartments now stand was occupied by an empty school, a GDR-typical prefabricated high-rise. Only two low-rise buildings remain in place, and today these are used as a youth club (“Werk 9”) and a gymnasium.

This project was initiated when the Frankfurt developer Gold.Stein acquired the site in 2012 and, after a selection process, commissioned three architectural practices to build on the individual sections. Müller Reimann Architekten of Berlin, and Schneider und Schumacher and Stefan Forster Architekten of Frankfurt. In reaction to the differing scales of the surrounding development, the development idea behind the design is based on the re-discovery of the Berlin residential block with its

clearly defined street spaces. Stefan Forster Architekten takes up this thought with a U-shaped perimeter block development of five buildings on the east side of Markgrafenkarree. On the ground floor are shops and commercial units, on the floors above is a total of 129 apartments.

With façades that are sculpturally articulated by means of projecting sections, cornices and loggias, an interplay arises between the large form and the sections within it. Each individual building remains identifiable as a separate address, while horizontal bands of windows and parapets emphasise the compact form of the city block. Typical motifs from late 19th-century residential buildings are reflected in this new development: in a differentiated height development with six floors and a set-back penthouse storey and in a mix of materials on the façades – here a base of travertine and basalt, and alternating light-coloured rendered surfaces and areas of clinker brick in the upper storeys. The two distinctive rounded corners are a deferential nod to the nearby “Mossehaus” that was renovated by Erich Mendelsohn and Richard Neutra between 1921 and 1923. Contrasting with the ordered representative front side is the large, landscaped inner courtyard with shared facilities and areas for outdoor relaxation.

View from the northeast, junction of Jerusalemer Straße / Krausenstraße

Façade details on Jerusalemer Straße