Residential building Liebighöfe (first phase)

The project originated in the framework of the “Modellvorhaben IQ” (IQ Model Project), which promotes experimental residential construction under economical, ecological, and social premises. In light of rapid demographic change and an increasing diversity of lifestyles, this combination of family- and child-friendly apartments together with intergenerational units and those designed for elderly residents was intended to create a lively, functional, mixed residential district that is well networked with its surroundings. The guiding principles of the design concept were urbanity together with individualized apartments at a peripheral location.
The design takes up the ribbon development that is typical of the locale, breaking up the profiles of the buildings longitudinally through gentle, centrally situated bends, which curvature produces a sheltered outdoor space with private gardens, play areas for children, and common green surfaces.
A meandering route traverses the new buildings via spacious passageways, leading through protected zones. Located in the passageways of the buildings, as special places within the new development, are building entrances, as well as common utilizations such as the concierge and a communal lounge, which is available for assemblies or temporary accommodations. are play and recreation areas that mirror and enhance the community character of the route system.
The buildings combine two different residential typologies: situated on the ground level are single-family house types with independent entrances along the street and private gardens in the courtyard. Accommodated in the upper stories are smaller apartments with two or three rooms and spacious loggias or roof terraces. Through direct connections with outdoor space, a double orientation toward courtyard and street, open plan kitchens in the smaller apartments, and/or the alignment of rooms into suites, the apartments are nonetheless endowed with a sense of spaciousness.
Inspired by the traditional solid construction of the 1920s accomplished by Bruno Taut the character of the ensemble is shaped by the monolithic brick construction of the exterior walls, with its restrained plastering. In order to allow the solidity of the walls – with their thicknesses of 42 centimeters – to become an essential element of the architecture, thematizing and rendering them tangible, the windows and doors are configured flush with the depths of the reveals. In this way, the deep shadows reinforce the perceived depth of the walls, conveying the solidity and robustness of the construction.