After nearly disappearing from the map at the end of World War II, the decay of Dresden was further advanced by the communists’ vision of reconstruction. Since then, the city slowly recovered and now benefits again from its great cultural heritage and idyllic river panorama from the banks of the river Elbe. The site of the Sternstrasse residential project is bordered to the south by a floodchannel of the Elbe and located in close proximity of the highway to Berlin. The master plan provides for a mixed program consisting of housing, offices and light industry, as well as shopping and leisure. Because the future development patterns of the surrounding sites were unclear at the time, the design strategy required that the housing would be independent of its surroundings and create a sense of place in its own right. The resulting design provides a dense carpet of patio housing spread across the site in such a way that still allows each individual house to form its own world. They can be accessed through a system of alleys that also connect them to the parking garage. The light, smooth stucco of their facades reflects light into the alleys while the dark natural stone used on the southern facades mark the contrast between the green meadows and the bordering urban housing zone. The elongated block of the original redevelopment plan was modified into a hybrid slab block. In combination with the patio housing, it maintains the proposed high density and creates a transition towards the green river meadows. The hybrid block has large openings that allow sunlight to penetrate deep into the Sternstrasse while open and closed walkways and staircases provide access to the individual houses. Along its entire length of 350 meters are situated roof gardens, studios, nurseries and even swimming pools. The south elevation of the wall is clad in timber, giving the large volume a warm and tactile appearance. The north elevation is clad in zinc and presents a tougher facade towards the street and anticipates the expected uniformity of the future office buildings across the street.