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Stacked: A stunning visual documentation of the post-war housing estates of Berlin

Copenhagen-based photographer Malte Brandenburg is the creator of this photography series, Stacked. The images depict the large post-war housing estates of Berlin, often built in the form of tower blocks, in a fairly identical fashion. However, upon closer inspection, differences can be found in the detail, colour and shape of the buildings.

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All images courtesy of the artist. Via Creative Boom submission.

All images courtesy of the artist. Via Creative Boom submission.

Brandenburg explains: "These buildings initially provided modern and affordable housing for many middle-class families. With an easing housing market and other affordable alternatives, often a demographic change occurred: the middle class left to build their own houses in the suburbs or for the increasingly popular “Berliner Altbau” in the city centres, while they were gradually replaced by families with economic and social burdens.

"Initially a vast improvement of life for many people after the war, some of these housing estates became social hotspots. In recent years various initiatives tried to counter the negative effects, e.g. by painting the rather grey buildings. Still, people stacked on top of each other as an urban lifeform remains an experiment."

Brandenburg is now based in Copenhagen, after previously living in Berlin. His photography is simple and uncluttered, resulting in aesthetically stunning images centred on order and symmetry.

He is also co-founder of visual arts collective Copenhagen Format, an international group of photographers who collaborate on various projects, and who support other emerging photographers. Discover more at maltebrandenburg.com or follow Malte on Instagram.

Pale pink post-war residential tower block with repetitive rows of windows against a clear blue sky, with one turquoise window breaking the pattern
Two adjacent post-war Berlin tower blocks with contrasting facades: one with coral-red balconies, the other with peach-toned balconies, both set against a clear blue sky
Symmetrical brutalist apartment block with light and dark striped facade, rows of uniform windows and balconies against clear blue sky
Stacked post-war apartment blocks in Berlin with contrasting façades of cream and terracotta brick set against a clear blue sky
Colourful post-war tower block with red and orange facades, yellow and tan sections, and regularly spaced windows against a clear blue sky
Symmetrical post-war Berlin apartment tower with cream-coloured facade, regular grid of windows and a striking vertical stripe of colourful panels in the centre against clear blue sky
Post-war Berlin housing tower block with stacked balconies in shades of beige, cream and burgundy against a clear blue sky
Post-war residential tower block with pale brick facade and symmetrical rows of balconies against clear blue sky, part of Malte Brandenburg's Stacked series documenting Berlin housing estates
Symmetrical facade of a brutalist Berlin tower block with grey concrete panels, green-framed windows and cream-coloured balconies against a pale blue sky
White modernist apartment block with rows of balconies against clear blue sky, topped with two small blue structures
Modernist apartment tower with pale pink facade and dark recessed balconies arranged symmetrically against a clear blue sky
Modernist tower block with light grey cladding, small recessed windows and a burgundy stairwell on the left side, set against a clear blue sky
Symmetrical post-war Berlin apartment tower block with cream and tan brick facade, small windows and orange balconies against a clear blue sky
Symmetrical post-war tower block with rows of small windows and balconies arranged in a grid pattern against a clear blue sky
Symmetrical post-war Berlin housing estate tower block with rows of windows in varying shades of blue and grey against a clear sky
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