HEAVEN'S HERE

 

In the city of Gesundbrunnen, a part of North Berlin,  there's a settlement that has a true identity and a pure Vernacular. I was immediately drawn into the neighborhood, as if it were Heaven itself. These homes, I say homes because they are different than houses, are densely compacted to one another but still manage to stay private and inviting at the same time. The way they create this utopia is by allowing the yards to be filled with greenery, mainly flower and vegetable gardens, grasses, shrubbery, and wild grasses. Almost all of the homes have a threshold, in the form of a gate and plants, that one must pass in order to enter their sanctuary. Once I was inside their domain, I was engulfed in awe because I was able to read the homes and know what that families were all about.  All of the homes conserve on square footage, and the majority of them had been built upon or modified over the years, reason mainly being to improve the homes function for the family. Living with the bare necessities, along with their artistic nature, is all they need to be a happy and loving community.