ul class="overview_list " id="projectList">

  • Dhermi Plaza Hotel

    The Dhermi Plaza Hotel has been designed as a 5-star hotel along Dhermi's promenade. The project optimizes the square meters available within the plot whilst merging with the context, and offers publically accessible facilities.

    Its elongated volume is situated ideally between the beach to the south and the mountains to the north and is characterized by a dynamic facade. The shading system, composed of double-facing sliding shutters, plays with the shadows created by the thin walls. This creates a sense of movement, and reveals the life inside the building, making the hotel guests the 'accomplices' of the architecture.

    The hotel hosts different functions which can be separated if necessary, such as the restaurant, spa, and beauty salon on the -1 floor level;5 shops, a pool bar, a swimming pool, a bar, and the hotel lobby on the ground floor level; and an array of variously sized rooms on the first, second and third floor. The top floor has been designed as an active neighborhood/village, with various leisure facilities for both adults and children. It stands out from the rhythm of the facade and offers the guests panoramic views The hotel grounds have been designed so as to offer a range of different sports activities, from swimming in the 25 m pool to playing basketball on the shaded field.

    in progress
    2018
    Dhermi Beach, 1001, Dhërmi, Albania
    Dhermi
    Albania

  • TreeTop Trail Lagodekhi

    Lagodekhi Protected Areas (LPA) in the extreme north-eastern part of Georgia at the southern slopes of the Caucasus and with altitudes from 590 to 3500 m, is one of the world's best-preserved areas with diversity of natural landscapes. The project of developing a TreeTop Trail as a new touristic product is to attract more visitors and, considering the transboundary potential of the LPA, make it one of the most attractive destinations, to be included in future transboundary ecotourism products.

    The concept emphasizes the forest as the protagonist and proposes a minimalistic design, a circular shaped trail that gradually ascends towads the tree canopies. Additional program is added in order to enhance the experience of forest. This includes a watch tower, a dome, a large net, a cave, and multiple platforms.

    in progress
    building permission 2019
    15 კოსტავა ქ., Lagodekhi, Georgië
    Lagodekhi
    Georgia

  • Embassy Residences

    How to organize attractive family living and low energy housing in a high-density city center?

    Our award-winning design for the Embassy Residences in Albania provides high-quality, family-friendly, and low-energy housing units in the city center of Tirana, one of the fastest-growing cities in Europe.

    The project responds to the mayor's ambition to limit the growth of the city and to counter sub-urban developments with a more diverse range of housing typologies. On top of a commercial plinth and two parking levels rises a series of stacked villas, connected by a semi-public stair. This serves as alternative circulation and additional, shared informal outside space to the apartments. 



    The floorplans protect the privacy of the apartments but allow residents to sit on their porch or use the staircase to access their apartment when in the mood for a chat or a Friday afternoon drink. Research has led to a compact build-up of irrigated substrate layers that can support rich vegetation on the stair, balconies, and roof terraces.

    The facade consists of two layers arranged according to insolation. A basic glass layer is protected by a secondary shading layer of anodized aluminum where it is not protected by surrounding buildings or cantilevering volumes. This results in high transparency on the one and low energy costs on the other hand in addition to preventing the building from the hot Mediterranean sun whilst still guaranteeing an elegant look.

    under construction
    2018
    Rruga Asim Zeneli, Tirana, Albania
    8303 Tirana
    Albania

  • District Centre Mastbrook

    The urban concept is based on a compact building envelope positioned on the plot, creating multifarious open public spaces for various outdoor use. The compact volume is achieved by stacking the program: The space-centred gym is located on the first floor, the community centre with its open, active and animating facades is based on ground level. Emerging from its program, the building volume is shaped with several recesses and kerfs.

    The entrances to the different functions are visualized by cut-outs of the volume. The building attains efficiency by layering functions and multiple-shift usage. The structure consists of a mix of reinforced concrete on the base and prefabricated cross-laminated timber on the upper storey. On the ground level, the facades are designed with large glazing elements and fibre-cement coated with colourful patterns. The facades of the gym are clad with black, large scale trapezoidal sheetings. Translucent façade areas from polycarbonate panels stretch around the upper corners, in order to give further differentiation to the building volume and embed it in the surrounding scale.

    Idea
    2014
    Ostlandstr.44
    24768 Rendsburg
    Germany

  • De Dorpse Flat

    social, cosy, flexible
    living circularly in de Waalsprong

    For the Waalsprong quarter in Nijmegen, CITYFÖRSTER created a design for 70 social rental homes. The skyrocketing housing shortage is linked directly to the climate crisis and biodiversity loss. Seeing the potential of new social housing, we focused on high density, flexibility and low-tech design solutions to propose a circular construction.

    A large main volume adjacent to a large sports hall is combined with smaller building volumes facing the park: An exciting combination with a high density of housing that still retains the community feeling of a small-scale, cosy neighbourhood.

    The various buildings, terraces, squares and apartments are connected by a network of stairs and bridges with a central lift core in the main volume, which invites you to explore, exchange and interact.

    The main volume and the smaller buildings are built from the same modular wooden elements, allowing the constructions to be disassembled and reused at the end of their lifespan. The floor plan of all apartments can be arranged flexibly. The units can be joined together so that the new development can easily adapt to changing housing demands without high costs or complicated interventions.

    Low-tech design solutions such as an awning, conservatories and solar chimneys ensure low energy consumption and reduce material use. Other installations are set up as demountable modules to round off the circularity concept.

    completed
    2020
    Nijmegen
    The Netherlands

  • King-Bansah-School

    Cityförster designed a school for the charity project of the King Bansah Ghana development association. Below an approx. 75m long roof several volumes will be constructed in a simple way representing a unique identity. The roof itself is split in two vertical shifted parts to provide natural ventilation for the air and light-permeable volumes. The air cools down beneath the canopies and circulates through the pattern openings of the concrete building blocks into the workshops. Once heated up the hot air exhaust through the rooftop vents.

    The roof is also used to mount numerous photovoltaic modules that provide the necessary self-sufficient power supply. The construction process will be split into three stages. After each stage, the completed buildings can be used immediately. In the first stage, the artisan workshops will be built. As a second stage, the workshops for wood and metalworking and the staff room will be constructed. Finally, the car repair shop and the covered forecourt will be added to the entire construction. The illumination and air ventilation are provided through customized brickwork. The openings in the concrete moulded bricks refer to patterns of traditional fabrics in Ghana. The lower wall segments are closed for dirt protection and they offer the opportunity for the sign paint shop to use their skills and write all donators names on the facade of the building.

    Idea
    Tema - Jasikan Road
    12345 Hohoe
    Ghana

  • Buchholzer Green

    The development of Buchholzer Grün creates a residential area in an attractive location. The five-storey and the four-storey apartment buildings in combination with ten three-storey townhouses form the northern opening of the new quatier. The three new buildings develop a powerful, own identity, which incorporate the urban connection to the surrounding city districts and the neighbouring Podbielskistraße. The rhythmization in the height development as well as the verticality through the overlapping windows and balconies in the clinker facade are central design principles. The change of material makes the entrance areas clearly recognizable and at the same time they fit into the overall structure of the facades. The result is a robust, unpretentious and solid figure. The multi-storey housing units impress with an exciting mix of tenements and condominiums in different sizes, while the townhouses offer a small type of building as well as a large one and enable parking inside the house.

     

    completed
    2019
    30659 Hanover
    Germany

  • Water town Limmer

    The program of the new quarter entrance describes a modern mixed-used block in which different functions come together and are arranged compactly to each other. The entrances to the main functions are oriented towards the public spaces and emphasise the priority square and corner situations in the urban context. The 7-storey residential tower houses 60 micro apartments with a café on the ground floor along the entire facade. The eastern block houses is the assisted living, the western block is the care facility, including the supermarket with parking decks and a southern and northern row of shops. All ground floor facades with public uses open up to the public space with generously sized windows. The design envisages a solid construction method in reinforced concrete and brickwork, which optimally depicts the various building parts, functions and room sizes according to their requirements.

    Idea
    2019
    Wunstorfer Landstraße
    30453 Hanover
    Germany

  • Kronsberg South A.2

    The city block is structured by two cuts towards the public street. In this way, a community courtyard with neighboring pathways is created. The perimeter block development consists of six residential units and twelve townhouses on the east side. The street-facing brick facades are representative and respond to the importance of the entrance to the quarter. The spacious inner courtyard is zoned into a communal green center, surrounding paths and the private gardens lining the first floor apartments. All building entrances are barrier-free and all apartments are planned to be barrier-free. Each apartment has an outdoor sitting area and a small storage room. The underground parking garage is located in an L-shape under the northern block and is accessible from all staircases of the apartment buildings. There are also 145 bicycle parking spaces, some of which are equipped with charging stations.

    Idea
    2020
    Kattenbrookstrift
    30539 Hanover
    Germany

  • Steinway Museum

    In the 14-month planning and realisation stage, a baroque hunting castle in Seesen was redeveloped with a focus on simplicity and clarity at a reasonable price. Also, the permanent exhibition of the museum was conceived and moved.

    Central attention at the rebuilding work was the restoration of spatial relations and structures, as well as the creation of a high-quality, modern but timeless showroom, which is able to take on the various exhibits, including specialities such as 'The world's longest piano string. The exhibition has a modern pedagogical approach and offers attractions and information for all age groups. Additionally, the value was placed to increase children's participation through experimental- and multimedia stations. In this way the museum can be accessed by a variety of senses, understanding through seeing, hearing and touching.

    completed
    2012
    Wilhelmsplatz 4
    38723 Seesen
    Germany