COMMON GROUND
A housing model for social integration
Location: Berlin, Kreuzberg
Team: Glascha Khajinskii, David Löken, Mika Rock
Year: 2025
The project proposes a communal housing model that prioritizes integration, shared living, and community. In response to the ongoing refugee crisis, the shortage of housing, and often insufficient integration processes, the project aims to create accommodation that not only provides living space but also promotes communication and exchange with the surrounding neighborhood. The concept is based on three integration strategies: Public Integration, Co-Integration, and Private Retreats. Public integration focuses on breaking up the perceived closedness of refugee housing by creating open transitional spaces and social meeting points on the ground floor, including a supermarket and small retail spaces that connect residents with the neighborhood. Co-integration takes place within large double-storey apartments where shared spaces and a central communal kitchen encourage everyday interaction and community life. Private retreats form the smallest scale of the project, providing individual spaces for rest and privacy, creating a necessary balance between personal needs and communal living.