Interbau Apartment House
Händelallee 3-9
Berlin-Tiergarten
Germany
Walter Gropius, TAC and Wils
Elbert 1957
This nine-storied building by Walter
Gropius, TAC and
Wils Ebert lies in the south-west corner of the
Hansaquarter. Like the Congress Hall by Hugh
Stubbins it was a contribution by the USA to the International Builders Fair 1957.
The concrete frame construction rises 25m high and consists of
four semi-detached dwellings. The building is slightly bent: the southern side opens towards
the park, and is given a strong rhythm by the balustrades of the balconies,
which are made of enameled sheet-steel.
Four staircases reach from the north
into the structure, each holding an elevator and, in a separate room within
the staircase, the garbage chutes. That way noise and smell should be
kept away from the inhabitants. The elevators stop only on the
half-stories, so everyone has to take some stairs as well.
The 67 apartments each have 3½ rooms
in 71-81m² (except for three apartments on the recessed
attic). Because the building has no cellar,
the ground floor is used as service floor, with store-rooms and district
heating.
