Berlin Urban Shelf


Infrastructure systems, like Berlin's S-Bahn, have cut through the city, leaving many "trimmed" buildings that show their back (firewalls) to the city. Often times, these wounded buildings remain with a narrow strip of space, left unused, adjacent to the firewall.

If we understand these left over spaces in the city as micro real estate, The Urban Shelf is then a proposition for affordable inner-city living. The existing "trimmed" buildings can supply these raw, low-cost structures with the necessary infrastructure (e.g. water, power), as well as the structural backbone to the Shelf.

Each "Shelf" is populated by one family, where they are encouraged to  participate in the finishing architectural process as a way to define both their needs as a household and create an identity for themselves within the city.
Location: Berlin
Type: Proposal 
Year: 2013