Soonkyo Jeong

Urban space thrives on the interplay between enclosure and openness, as illustrated by the contrast between narrow streets and adjacent open spaces. Disrupting this balance diminishes the spatial tension that structures urban sequences. Wilhelmstraße, the western axis of the Tridente radiating from Mehringplatz in Berlin, historically hosted a concentration of political institutions, government ministries, public offices, and embassies. Prior to the war, excessive population density led to qualitative deficiencies in residential spaces, exemplified by the limited size of the Berliner Zimmer. Subsequent development phases largely preserved the street’s urban structure and contextual framework, but the war and later division introduced Plattenbau and high-rise buildings, and restrained development along the Berlin Wall, undermining its coherence and urban character.
 
A comprehensive urban analysis informed design interventions on three selected blocks. IBA Berlin Block 10 was realized as a residential development featuring towers and a gateway, articulating the block’s presence within the urban fabric. On the former site of the Prinz-Albrecht-Palais, a colonnade was introduced to guide movement toward the park while closing the block edge, reinforcing spatial and contextual integrity. On the Postblockareal, residential buildings with small internal courtyards (Höfe) were designed to establish a refined sequence from public to private space. Street-facing buildings respond to the rhythm of the adjacent Federal Ministry of Finance while maintaining doubled density, clearly defining block edges and reinforcing urban context.
 
Overall, these proposals, grounded in an analysis of Berlin’s urban typologies, demonstrate an approach that preserves structural and contextual integrity while negotiating historical, spatial, and programmatic transformations.

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