The urban and landscape setting of the three villas in the Berlin suburb Alt-Stralau on the River Spree is accentuated and elucidated by a reserved open-space modification. Here, the spatial morphology of the orientation towards the water and the street play a major creative role. 

Towards the riverside, the open lawn areas of the common garden benefit from the quiet elegance of the existing tree population. The street-side entrance to the residential building is connected with a polyvalent area, thus forming a unifying element. This serves as a functional entrance and, at the same time, a representative foyer and parking zone. 

The use of pictograms as markers – instead of the usual numerically regulated parking place order – permits free stationing in the area and creates an unusual, refreshing code for something rather mundane. The materials employed reflect the subdued atmosphere of the adjacent urban environment and the sober tonality of the architectural ensemble; the simple wooden gates, for example, echo the materials of the buildings’ shutters. Taken as a whole, the complex presents an almost self-contained unified picture of three apartment buildings behind a simple hedge.