Honoring the historical significance of its location, the Oberwallstraße townhouse embodies a timeless classical aesthetic. Among 112 submissions, this project claimed the BDA Berlin Audience Award—a remarkable achievement. Designed by Berlin-based Patzschke Architects, it joins an ensemble of eleven residential buildings adjacent to the Friedrichswerdersche Kirche. The firm also created a neighboring seven-story corner structure housing 15 apartments. For decades, Patzschke Architects have championed a classicist vocabulary—one frequently dismissed as anachronistic. Yet their 100+ Berlin projects have proven instrumental in restoring the urban fabric. That the general public selected a Patzschke building as the top prize winner is a powerful endorsement of this architectural approach.

This townhouse commands attention through understated elegance. A seven-story residence, it unmistakably reads as contemporary—yet respectfully acknowledges the historical character of its distinguished surroundings, anchored by the Cathedral and State Opera. The façade draws from proven classical proportioning systems. A two-story travertine-clad base supports a refined three-bay plaster elevation above. The asymmetrically placed entrance gains presence through paired loggias that frame and extend its visual weight. On the second floor, a basket arch references a window pattern from the State Opera across the street. Above a pronounced intermediate cornice sits a floor of round-arched openings. The uppermost setback story is contained by a balustrade, completing the composition.

www.patzschke-architektur.de

Photography Credits:

Markus Löffelhardt
staub-berlin.de

(Published in CUBE Berlin 03|22)