Schöneberger Ufer Design of the outdoor facilities, inner courtyard and roof terrace of the new Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth

The outdoor areas of the new building on Schöneberger Ufer are divided into four sections: Entrance area, square, inner courtyard and roof terrace on the 8th floor.

The building is used by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. Thanks to a large paved open space, the roof terrace can be used as an outdoor area for the canteen. In addition, planted raised beds structure the terrace into various sub-areas with seating.



The area of the shaded inner courtyard on the first floor is intended to give users a "view of the greenery" while they work. On the areas underneath the underground parking garage, a dynamic planting scheme is to be achieved with perennial plantings and solitary shrubs in raised beds, as well as with the help of façade greening along the existing wall. At the same time, the inner courtyard can be used as an accessible retreat.



The entrance and square area, on the other hand, have a straightforward, representative character. The use by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth results in the derivation of a transforming design of the outdoor space. Based on the process of change from youth to old age, the design aims to visualize the cycles of nature and processes of change. Both the texture and nature of the materials used and the planting take up this design idea.