Visiting: Inken & Hinrich Baller, Berlin 1966–89 documents 25 buildings realised by one of West Berlin's most inventive architectural partnerships — structures that redefine what social housing can be through filigree detailing, generous light, and complex multi-storey spatial relationships.
About This Book
Between 1966 and 1989, Inken and Hinrich Baller worked within the strict financial and regulatory constraints of social housing to produce buildings that consistently exceeded that brief. Large balconies, glass interior walls, generous floor plans, and intricate spatial layering set their projects apart from the standardised production of the era. This revised hardcover edition — the original 2022 paperback sold out within months — brings together detailed photography of the buildings in their current state, original plans and drawings, historic documents, and aerial and construction-site photographs. Essays and conversations with the architects and their residents complete a survey that speaks directly to contemporary debates around affordable housing design and urban liveability.
Key Features
- 544 pages of photographic documentation, original architectural drawings, historic documents, and critical essays
- Edited by Urban Fragment Observatory
- Covers 25 completed buildings in West Berlin and a private residence in Switzerland, 1966–1989
- Published by Park Books, 2022
What You'll Discover
- How the Ballers transformed the limitations of social housing procurement into a design methodology centred on natural light, filigree structure, and spatial generosity
- The role of glass interior walls and multi-storey spatial sequences in creating domestically rich environments within constrained typologies
- First-hand perspectives from residents of the buildings, grounding architectural analysis in lived experience
- Original plans, drawings, and aerial photographs that trace the gap between design intent and built outcome across a 23-year body of work
About the Author
Inken Baller (born 1942) and Hinrich Baller (1936–2025) practised together in West Berlin, producing 25 buildings and one private residence between 1966 and 1989. Their work within the social housing sector became recognised for its unconventional spatial inventiveness and enduring quality. This volume is edited by Urban Fragment Observatory.
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 544
- Dimensions: 17 x 24 cm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9783038604280
- Publisher: Park Books
- Publication Date: 2022
Perfect For: Architects and housing researchers interested in social housing precedents, urban historians focused on postwar West Berlin, and designers working at the intersection of affordability and spatial quality.