Small detached homes with generous gardens line Schleizer Straße in Alt-Hohenschönhausen—many dating back to the GDR era. Now two exceptional new neighbors have arrived: climate-positive, zero-emission buildings certified by TÜV and recognized as Category A partners in Berlin's annual KlimaSchutzPartner competition in 2021. Designed by Peter Ruge Architekten, a practice long dedicated to climate-conscious design, these residences represent a new standard in sustainable building.

Built as hybrid timber structures using an open-frame approach, both buildings feature in-situ and precast concrete bases and load-bearing elements, while their upper-floor façades consist of prefabricated large-format timber panels assembled on-site. All windows include integrated external shading and safety railings. The development contains 41 rental apartments ranging from one to five rooms—20 fully accessible and nine wheelchair-adapted—plus a cluster unit with eleven rooms for assisted living in the front building.

The buildings' configuration creates a central courtyard with landscaped green space accessible to all residents, complete with seating areas, bicycle storage, and children's play zones. Affordability and social diversity were intentional design priorities from the outset.

Every material selection was made with environmental impact in mind. Green roofs function as retention systems, capturing rainwater and naturally cooling the buildings in summer; combined with a bioretention swale, all rainwater is captured and reused. Zero-energy status comes from biogas-driven combined heat and power generation supplemented by rooftop solar panels. Few projects achieve such comprehensive climate performance—recognition the buildings richly deserved when they won the highest award category last year.

www.peter-ruge.de

Photos:
Janina Heppner

(Featured in CUBE Berlin 04|22)