Urban Puzzle of Howoge

(Stadtbaupuzzle der Howoge)

Berlin, Germany
International Competition, 2021


The project confronts the discourse of the ideal city/ neighborhood with the data of a predefined thematic framework and the premises of the current context, characterized by diversity, density, mobility and variability.

On the other hand, the proposal distances itself from the closed configuration of the historical model. Envisioning a city involves planning in advance, drawing axes, identification, anticipation and forecasting of buildable areas.

We believe that there is a certain degree of indeterminacy, and an open programmatic approach is a more appropriate model for the current changing context.

Instead of categorical axes and hierarchies, we work with local relationships and germinal principles.The proposal adopts urban planning and mathematical parameters as input data but tries to do more than provide a correct solution - it provides work tools and a degree of informality and ambiguity.A work that can be subjected to successive interpretations from different development perspectives is more likely to become a model that can adapt to place and time.

Putting down roots and growth are essential. Flexibility becomes an important objective. The missing module is indispensable to the puzzle - in fact, it becomes an additional module - a buffer that is able to take on unforeseen tasks and crisis situations and, thus, strengthens internal connections.

It is found at all levels of depth and detail.

At the neighborhood level, the sequence of urban voids in the access area meets the city. The strip becomes a permeable artificial park, open to activities and intersections.

The missing corner of an apartment building turns the perception of an intersection upside down or provides an unexpected opportunity to cross the urban fabric. Such an undeveloped module can be appropriated by residents, or it can become fertile ground for spontaneous vegetation.

One of the buildings in the urban square is a two-story cube designed without a specific function, providing a reserve of space with freedom of use that can adapt to the needs of the growing community. Ground-floor spaces with high ceilings can be subject to future repurposing. An outdoor pavilion, a generic space with no exact destination, a potential guest room, or a workspace to be used when needed - all of these are ways to efficiently deal with the unpredictable.