Solid Timber House Haeckelstraße by DeO Deimel Oelschläger Architekten

The sustainable concept for a multi-family house, built using solid timber construction, won over the jury in a 2021 concept tender held by the BIM Berlin Real Estate Management Company, earning the building group the right to lease the site under a hereditary building right. The project’s distinctive ecological approach is characterized by the extensive use of timber, both in the load-bearing structure and in the façade.

CO₂ emissions were significantly reduced over the building’s lifecycle through fulfilling high energy efficiency standard requirements and by minimizing the use of concrete, by using it solely for the slab foundation and not including a basement. The site was developed with a three-story building facing the street, including an additional unit in the roof, and a garden house situated within a large shared garden. On the ground floor, two subsidized and accessible apartments are accessed from the street via front gardens.

The other three dual aspect apartments have additional living space through projecting winter gardens that extend into the garden. An external steel staircase provides access to the upper floors. The cross-laminated timber (CLT) elements are largely exposed on the interior, while the timber cladding on the exterior serves as the building’s defining visual feature. This material expression conceptually reinforces the ecological concept. Heating is provided via an air-source heat pump system. A photovoltaic system is placed on the green roof.