Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety

For the open space design of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in Berlin-Mitte, the task was to integrate the necessary infrastructure facilities of a ministry into a near-natural design with a wide range of possible uses.

The "rear courtyard" forms a garden courtyard structure that can respond to the respective different requirements in everyday life as well as on special occasions, such as events. The design is based on the location, the sunlight and the existing trees. The functions are grouped in so-called "ribbons", which are arranged around a central meadow area.
A planting as close to nature as possible, sustainable materials and a multifunctional membrane roof structure are combined to form a clear design. Hedges and trees form a new spatially effective framework and provide visual protection from the street and the currently fallow neighboring property.
The "south courtyard" will be equipped with a green roof as a walkable area, which, in addition to ecological aspects, can also be used as an escape route as well as for short breaks in between. The very dominant smoke extraction shaft of the underground car park inside the courtyard is not concealed, but enters into dialogue with a subtle planting of perennials and grasses.