urbig House Neubabelsberg, Germany, 1915–17
The design for this villa exploits the topography of the sloping site on the banks of Griebnitzsee lake in such a way that it presents two storeys on one side and three on the other. As with the Warnholtz House, a succession of stairs leads from the living area via a terrace down to the garden. A further open staircase next to the house leads to a small seating area. The terrace is articulated as a podium and appears to extend through the entire house, reappearing on the street elevation as a large travertine step and giving the impression that the house rests on a plinth. The travertine paving of the terrace has since been reconstructed, as have the balustrades, window shutters and garden fence. The access to the lower storey has also been changed. The boathouse was demolished in 1961 when the Berlin wall was built, which passed through the garden.1 1 Further information on the history of its use and restoration, see: Winfried Brenne, “Haus Urbig, Neubabelsberg. Baugeschichte und Wiederherstellung”, in: Johannes Cramer and Dorothée Sack (eds.), Mies van der Rohe: Frühe Bauten. Probleme der Erhaltung, Probleme der Bewertung, Petersberg 2004, pp. 62–70; as well as: Claudia Hain, Villa Urbig 1915–1917 – Zur Geschichte und Architektur des bürgerlichen Wohnhauses für den Bankdirektor Franz Urbig –Ein frühes Werk von Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in PotsdamBabelsberg, Berlin 2009, private print. This contains a print of the plan of the boathouse signed by Mies.
Ground floor plan
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