Source: HAZE VizThe mixed-use scheme viewed from the westHutchinson & Partners has received planning approval for a residential and retail development in Berlins Pankow district, marking the practices first planning consent in Germany.Located on Hermann-Hesse-Strasse, the proposed development will replace a supermarket with a new 1,200m retail unit, topped by four residential buildings.The approval comes more than four years after the UK-based practice established a Berlin office, led by founder Ross Hutchinson and director Jrn Rabach, with the aim of expanding its UK experience in mixed-use developments into the German market.The firm opened the Berlin office without an initial client or competition win, instead undertaking an extensive research project to analyse development opportunities.Berlin is a city I have a deep affection and respect for, both in its architectural richness and its layered history, Hutchinson said.He added that the practices approach has always been about understanding and responding to the fabric of the places we work in, and here, that means engaging with the citys unique mix of scales, typologies, and traditions.The aim was to create architecture that feels rooted in Berlins identity while contributing to its evolving urban landscape.Hutchinson describes the architectural approach as combining contextualism with simplicity. The front-facing buildings have double-pitched roofs and dormer windows intended to reference traditional roof forms in the area.View from the southeastSource: HAZE VizView from the southSource: HAZE VizCourtyardSource: Haze VizThree-storey rear buildingSource: HAZE VizFigure-ground context planSource: Hutchinson & PartnersGround floor (showing retail unit)Source: Hutchinson & PartnersFirst floor (courtyard level)Source: Hutchinson & PartnersSectionSource: Hutchinson & PartnersPhotograph of the siteSource: Hutchinson & Partners1/9show captionTwo six and seven-storey buildings are set back from the road behind mature trees, aligning with the stepped building line of adjacent structures. These blocks incorporate a podium garden and playspace, leading to a pair of three-storey linear buildings arranged around a courtyard garden.The design approach for these smaller-scale buildings a typology in Berlin known as Gllweg features simpler expression and detailing, reflecting their more domestic character.The material palette includes a stone base, off-white render, and bronze-coloured standing seam zinc roofs.The scheme aims to achieve DGNB Gold and QNG certification, incorporating Energy House 40 design principles. The project has been fully coordinated in BIM, which the practice hopes will bring efficiencies to the construction process.Rabachdescribed the planning consent as a positive start to the year and a reward for the risk, investment, and hard work that has gone into establishing the Berlin practice.With several projects in the pipeline and the launch of the firms Berlin site-finding service, he said there were reasons to be hopeful for further success in the city.The project team includes NOVIA Consulting & Baumanagement, Rainer Schmidt Landschaftsarchitekten, PSM GmbH, AWD Ingenieure, Gruner Deutschland, KREBS+KIEFER Ingenieure GmbH, and vrame consult gmbh.>> Also read:Hutchinson & Partners set to open Berlin base>> Also read:Hutchinson completes revamp of neoclassical Bloomsbury offices