Berlin has been described to me as a city of interior courtyards. This unique residential building commissioned by property development group Euroboden, and designed by J. Mayer H. Architekten, JOH3 holds true to this motif with an expressive building inside and out, designed around a carefully conceived, shared, central, garden courtyard. So well conceived that its description required three commas. It is a building of intense integration, from stairwells and elevators to facade and apartment interiors, the building is itself, there is an identity which is belonging only to this place.
photography by © Ludger Paffrath
The facade is a sculptural topography, alluding to the landscape of the city, which is created out of channel slats of varying depths, secured back to the building structure. The contours of the implied surface created by many ribs wrap and slope inward towards the building’s windows, providing shading and fenestration-views which are not-of-the-everyday.
photography by © Patricia Parinejad
The south-west facing apartments are located over a number of commercial spaces at ground level which open out onto Johannisstraße in Mitte, Berlin’s downtown district. They overlook the green space created within the building footprint and consist of a number of unique floor plans, with spacious, breezy inside/outside transitions and variation from room to room in ceiling height, as well as floor depth. There are condominiums which are organized into townhouses with private gardens as well as classic apartments or penthouses with a great, open view of the old Friedrichstadt.
photography by © Ludger Paffrath
Project info:
Architects: J. Mayer H. Architects
Location: Berlin, Germany
Project Architect: Hans Schneider
Project Team: Juergen Mayer H., Marcus Blum, Wilko Hoffmann, Filipa Frois Almeida
Competition Team: Juergen Mayer H., Thorsten Blatter, Marcus Blum
Architect on Site: Architekturbuero Wiesler, Stuttgart with Thomas Quinten Projektmanagement, Berlin
Structural Engineers: EiSat GmbH, Berlin
Client: Euroboden Berlin GmbH
Project Year: 2012
Photographs : Ludger Paffrath, Patricia Parinejad, Rick Jannack
© J. Mayer. H. Architekten
Matt Davis is a Virginia Tech graduate and one of the founding editors behind Arch2O. Launching the platform in mid‑2012 alongside fellow Hokies, he helped shape its identity as an international hub for design innovation and critical dialogue . With a foundation in architectural education and a passion for uncovering unconventional design approaches, Matt has contributed significantly—both editorially and strategically—to Arch2O’s growth, ensuring that emerging architects, academics, and creatives have a space to question, explore, and elevate the built environment.