The northeastern Berlin property presented a genuine challenge for the landscape architects. Perched 3 metres above street level, the house required a thoughtfully designed garden to harmonize seamlessly with the surrounding neighborhood. A ground-floor plateau proved invaluable, allowing the team to incorporate a lawn, wooden terrace, and stone-framed pool. Rusted Corten steel plates frame this upper garden level. A wooden pergola draped in clematis and wisteria creates a graceful boundary between the garden and neighboring properties.

The real challenge lay in bringing the slope under control. The landscape architects at Laudlab developed a comprehensive hillside garden concept, weaving together stairs and pathways with diverse plantings that flow down toward the street. Laudlab's name combines the initials of Landscape Architecture & Urban Design. The "Lab" reflects the firm's collaborative, research-driven methodology—uniting landscape architects, gardeners, designers, and architects in inventive practice.

The slope has been masterfully tamed—both visually striking and aesthetically refined. Gently curving paths with subtle gradients descend toward the street, interrupted by integrated stone steps that further soften the steep terrain. This thoughtful pathway design creates intermediate terraces ripe for planting. The retaining walls employ dry-stone construction in Bad Karlshafen limestone, which harmonizes beautifully with the verdant terraces. The staircase features granite block steps. Perennials, ornamental grasses, and sculptural shrubs line the mosaic granite pathways. Complementing the pool's wooden deck, a raised timber planter echoes the wooden garden shed, creating cohesion through recurring materials. Moss-carpeted stones nod to Japanese garden traditions, while hedgerow room dividers zone the space and shield the garden from unwanted views.

www.laudlab.de

Photography Credits:

Phil Dera
www.phildera.net

(Published in CUBE Berlin 01|22)