Coop Housing at River Spreefeld

Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Eric Tschernow

COOP HOUSING AT RIVER SPREEFELD

Carpaneto Architekten + Fatkoehl Architekten + Bararchitekten

ARCHITECTS
Bararchitekten, Carpaneto Architekten, Fatkoehl Architekten

AREA
7400 M²

PHOTOGRAPHS
Ute Zscharnt , Daka, Michael Matuschka, Andreas Trogisch, Eric Tschernow, Johannes Dumpe

YEAR
2013 

LOCATION
Berlin, Germany

CATEGORY
Apartments

Text description provided by architect.

The Coop Housing is a jointly developed and administered project building upon experience gained from many previous self-made projects.

ITS MISSION:

to harness its location’s unique potential to create a socially just, economically stable, and environmentally responsible urban building block.

- Open to the neighborhood and city - Differentiation between private, communal, public spaces - Options for contemporary forms of living - Resource-saving, low-cost building

Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Daka
Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Ute Zscharnt

- Modular building design and construction - Uniform fittings, sparingly used in the apartments - Self-help construction - Use-neutral building organization for living and working

- Self-production of renewable energy - Economy of space: few elevators; shared and communal spaces - Joint ownership for long-term affordable rents.

Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Eric Tschernow
Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Ute Zscharnt

These were the significant objectives in 2008…

…Now we can summarize the characteristics of the project:

Three buildings form a confident and distinct unity in their design and position in the urban space. Open to the river and the neighbors, they do not set themselves off like blocks.

Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Ute Zscharnt
Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Ute Zscharnt

The individual and communal terraces have become a distinguishing feature; they offer a much-used compensation for the “loss” of open spaces to the public.

The building design consists of predominantly simple support and construction systems that enable a rich variety of options for the organization of various uses. In this way, no two of the 64 apartment dwellings are alike, although they all follow the same principles.

Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Eric Tschernow
Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Andreas Trogisch

Particular care was taken to use only environmentally compatible building materials; the use of wood was reasonably maximized (wood panel exterior wall, wood wool insulation, solid wood balconies).

The buildings comply with the Passive-House-Standard and produce their own regenerative energy through a cogeneration-unit, a geo-thermal-system and photovoltaics.

Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Ute Zscharnt
Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Ute Zscharnt

In addition to conventional units there are six cluster apartments that provide a communal living structure for groups of 4 to 21 people.

The residential population is quite diverse. It is multigenerational and multicultural, made possible by people both with and without money. Apartments are barrier-free; there is communal use of laundry rooms, fitness rooms, guest rooms, rooftop terraces, and the music and youth room.

Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Ute Zscharnt
Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Michael Matuschka

The ground floor is largely open to the public, reflecting its attitude to the urban environment. It includes a carpentry workshop, catering kitchen, studios, daycare center, and a co-working space.

Available to non-residents are Option Rooms – unassigned, unfinished spaces for community, social, or cultural projects. Option Rooms maintain the project’s open character at the juncture of living and urban development.

Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Andreas Trogisch
Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Ute Zscharnt

The ambitious budget helped to focus on the essentials.


In exchange for the required equity capital, users could carry out needed construction work within their dwellings on-their-own. In this way, and also in showing solidarity by providing the necessary credit collateral, the project allowed the participation of people with very little capital.

Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Johannes Dumpe
Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Eric Tschernow

Rents are staggered and start at a level on par with government subsidized housing, without having received this subsidy. This has helped many of the Spreefeld residents, who could not otherwise afford to live in the city center under today’s conditions.

Just as it was defined and administered from the start, participation has focused on collective concerns, uses, and spaces. The social skills that have developed throughout this process both enrich and facilitate a cooperative way of living.

Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Michael Matuschka
Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Michael Matuschka
Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
© Andreas Trogisch

The objectives have been implemented for the most part, and the project generates income in the form of value in its use for both residents and the city.

It produces new insights and has become part of the debate, allowing more people to have a say than just the “experts”.


Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
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Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
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Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
Floor Plan
Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
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Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
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Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
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Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
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Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
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Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
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Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
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Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
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Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
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Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
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Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
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Coop Housing at River Spreefeld
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