o~ 6 '\ By Michael LaFond and Ekhart Hahn I With the reunification of the east and west halves of Berlin, Block 6 is once again found in the center of the city. While Block 6, in the southern part of the Friedrichstadt neighborhood, was once an attractive quarter, a!Jd home to the old Philharmony, it was turned into a no-man's-land by World War II. Urban "renewal" plans after the war cleared the site of all but one building. A public housing project was built there in the 1970s, and in the 1980s the block was finally rediscovered and revalued by the activities of the I~A (International Building Ex\li,bition). As an IBA project, 106 apartments were built in a way that respected the old block structure. Together with the existing building, they enclosed an expansive courtyard which offered the Page 24 RAIN Summer 1994 ·Volume XIV, Number 4 On lnfegrafeJ n~cessary space for a decentralized, natural water treatment system. Block 6 is in essence an example of a wholistic and localized approach for the treatment and use of greywater and rain water, and a sparing use of drinking water. Noteworthy is a socio-ecological design which provides the local residents with opportuniti~s to experience water in ways that can encourage a greater : espect for this often abused element of life; This pilot project was designed to help answer three research questions: 1. What are the possibilities for .realizing water and environmen.tal conservation through consistent application of
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