Hügelhaus (Bogenhausen)

The building turns the idea of a slab into a terraced hillside, stepping apartments back to create generous outdoor edges. These terraces aren’t just add-ons; they form the building’s identity, giving it a cascading profile that shifts as you move around it. Concrete is the underlying frame, but planting and shadow soften the severity, especially when balconies become miniature gardens. The stepped massing also changes how the building meets the ground, creating pockets of space and varied street presence. It’s a form of collective living that tries to give many residents what usually belongs to a few: light, air, and outdoor room. The result is brutalism that behaves almost like landscape architecture—built topography rather than simple block.