• Residential Crown Windmühlenstraße, Hanover

    The residential crown is a prototype of settlement 2.0. Rooftops of retail and office buildings, as well as parking garages, are activated, attractive locations are opened up, existing infrastructures are used more efficiently and the mixture of programs in the city centre is improved. The existing parking garage is complemented with penthouses as part of the renovation of the façade and entrance area. These residential units distinguish formally from the existing building structure and simultaneously give the building a harmonious completion.

    Entrances and circulation of the building have been reorganized so that independent addresses for the car park and the residential building are clearly recognizable. The residential building is accessed (barrier-free) via a representative lobby on the ground floor with exclusive elevators that lead directly to the central, landscaped residential courtyard. The residential units are accessible from this common space. Each apartment (50 to 120m²) has a spacious, private terrace overlooking the rooftops of the city.

    completed
    2015
  • Family Villa, Hannover

    A listed villa of the 1850ties was converted into two family apartments. The large garden is used collectively. The 1st and 2nd floors were redesigned in relation to the needs of a couple with five children. Spaces „suitable for everyday use" are created and at the same time, the special character of the historic building with its ornamental elements and valuable wooden floors is strengthened.

    To reestablish the former spaciousness a multitude of fixtures and walls were demolished. The roof was reconstructed according to current energetic standards. The first floor serves as an entrance area with a large hall leading to the kitchen and the balcony. The master bedroom and one kid's room are orientated to the garden. The former ballroom as the heart of the building is used as a dining and living room. The space has an impressive size (55m2, 6m high) and is decorated with an ornamental ceiling that was preserved and - where necessary - restored. A gallery is installed into the ballroom as a slender glass-steel-structure: The stairs are suspended from the gallery to keep the parquetry untouched. The second floor is reserved „for kids only" and features four rooms, a play hall, and a bathroom. The staircase between the two floors is enhanced in its spaciousness by opening up a part of the ceiling. All design and constructive measurements were undertaken in detailed consultation with the institution for historic preservation.

    completed
    2012
  • The Rubber House, Almere

    The Rubber House as a price winning project in the Eenvoud/ Simplicity competition was selected to be built in Almere, Netherlands, as one of 12 experimental housing projects. In volume and style inspired by the simple and archetypal Dutch barn architecture the Rubberhouse forms a simple asymmetric double pitched roof inhabiting 2 storeys, in combination with a single pitch roof with one storey. The resource saving construction consists of massive wood panels from cross-laminated timber. The outer walls and the roof surface are clad with black EPDM foil. In contrast to that the atmosphere of the inside is characterized by the natural warm surface of the massive wooden walls. The utilization concept proposes small private rooms in favour of a generous open plan living area. Clear lines of sight through the entire building support the robust, open space sequence and allow visual connections into the adjacent forest. The living room can be expanded via the large sliding glass doors onto the terrace. The high degree of prefabrication allowed for a building period of only three months.

    completed
    2011
  • Pelikan Mix⁴, Hannover

    The project PELIKAN MIX4 is characterized by a variety of dwelling types according to urban lifestyles. Within an urban master plan four distinctive characteristics are developed:
    A landscape tableau is the connecting element, forming an entrée for the private, semi-public and public spaces. Generous lobbies in each house compose a discrete identity and a space of encounters. A great flexibility in the floor plans allows a variety of different apartments in size and type. According to society demands, the types "wellness", "sustainable", "extravagant" and "comfortable" are developed. They differ in constellation of rooms, material, building equipment and the offer of outdoor spaces. So called "Glorietten" crown the buildings and optimize light, spatial peculiarity and views.

    completed
    2016
  • House 1, Tirana

    House 1 is the first built project of the masterplan 'mirror twins'. On top of a shared commercial ground floor a green link connects the site with the close-by park. The two seperate buildings connected by the common plinth are generating an enormous amount of requested square meters. Rather massive volumes are perforated by a series of programmatic voids that connect to a common circulation space, an inner void. The much needed public space is integrated into the building by creating a second entry level and reinterpreting the circulation space. The engraving appearance
    of House 1 refers to the typical salient facades of Tirana. Multiple tilted strips create a rich play of light and shadow.

    completed
    2009
  • Steinway Museum, Seesen

    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
  • Expo Park Hannover, Hannover

    The former area of the World Exposition 2000 is being transformed into the EXPO PARK HANNOVER: a high-class business and technology park with excellent infrastructure within walking distance to the world's biggest fairground. About 85% of the area is already being used by businesses, service providers, institutions for higher education and event locations. For the remaining plots, a development study was commissioned in order to visualize possible designs and volumetric developments.

    Special attention was paid to a wide range of programmatic options. The allotment provides plots between 2.000m2 and 20.000m2 and floor areas between 4.000m2 and up to 30.000m2. Different building types were developed and visualized in order to serve different needs concerning address-making, accessibility or internal organization. Exemplary designs are the OfficeTower, the ShowSPACE, the OfficeCUBES and the Start-upLAB.

    completed
    2006
  • Open Neighbourhoods, Monheim am Rhein

    This urban design aims to create an attractive living environment for young families and couples and to give a new impulse to a large social housing estate from the 1960s. The existing open block structure will be maintained but is transformed into a structure with semi-private courtyards.

    Different typologies - i.e. houses with ground-level access, apartments with open floor plans - add variation to the housing supply. Within the building blocks, elevated courtyards create a safe environment for social interaction between inhabitants, especially young families. Notwithstanding their open character, these courtyards offer a clear visual and functional border between public and private spaces.

    Between the blocks, a sequence of car-free squares that draw on the surrounding structure contributes to a lively public space. To keep spaces as car-free as possible, most of the parking is organized in underground garages which are accessible from the edges of the block. By drawing on the existing structure, and by continuing the green belts and the existing rows of trees, the design creates a strong link with its surroundings.

    completed
    2016
  • New Neighbourhood Hilligenwöhren, Hannover

    The new residential neighbourhood Hilligenwöhren is located on the threshold of a compact city to open landscape in Bothfeld. A composition of three- to four-storey buildings generates two courtyards with different spatial qualities. The norther green courtyards are the new neighbourhood's intimate centre, whereas the southern courtyard opens up to the street and hence to the neighbourhood.

    The buildings are connected via access balconies which activate the courtyards and are the basis for a vivid community. The central community room for all residents connects the two green spaces. It is the neighbourhood's living room. By opening and widening spaces, informal meeting points and social contact surfaces are offered. The building structure enables a flexible arrangement of various residential typologies und therefore a social mixture.

    A solid structure for the development of a long-lasting neighbourhood is offered. Furthermore, natural building materials ensure comfortable and healthy living environments.

    completed
    2016
  • Recyclinghaus, Hanover

    The recyclinghouse is an experimental residential building in the Hanover district of Kronsberg. It is a prototype that tests the possibilities and potentials of various types of recycling in the real laboratory and shows a cycle-oriented and resource-saving planning approach.

    On the one hand, the recycling center relies on recyclable building products, such as the raw construction made of glue-free solid wood elements. On the other hand, recycled materials such as the foundation made of recycled concrete or wall insulations made from old jute bags are used. There are also large quantities of used components being used which, if possible, originate from the building stock of the client GUNDLACH or have been obtained locally. Particularly important is a recycling-fair design that allows the use and disassembly of the components without loss of quality or a sorted separation of the materials after the end of life.

    The construction industry is one of the largest waste producers and consumers of resources and a significant contributor to global CO2 emissions. When planning buildings, today it is mainly the energy consumption in the operation of a building that is considered. The considerable amounts of "gray energy" involved in the production of buildings remain largely unconsidered. Here, the existing building stock can also be understood as huge raw material storage. The recycling of building materials and materials as well as recycling-friendly construction methods will play an increasingly important role in the future.

    completed
    2019
  • Buchholzer Green, Hanover

    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
  • Green, greener, Pelikan, Hannover

    The design sets the urban development capstone for the Pelikanviertel. The original factory premises, the Neikes buildings, the FOUR and the "green, greener PELIKAN" - each stand alone and at the same time relate to each other. The self-similarity of the five buildings creates a strong, characterful unit that responds individually to its neighbourhood.

    Each of the five L-shaped buildings consists of a two-piece "bar" and a "head", which is formed by the accentuation of the high points by means of pyramid-like roofs and represents the prelude to the quarter. The roofs allow the maximum utilization of the plots and increase the recognition value. The range of uses offers variety - from green living, or mansard apartments with roof gardens, to hybrid studio apartments, to a variety of forms of use on the ground floor, which gives the street a unique character. The green oases in the courtyards provide a retreat and are the centrepiece of the design. Intensive greening of the balconies and facades form vertical gardens and, in addition to privacy, sun and noise protection, provide high-quality open space with privacy despite relatively dense development.

    completed
    2018
  • Integrated Comprehensive School Langenhagen, Langenhagen

    With the new building respectively renovation, IGS (Integrated Comprehensive School) Langenhagen is changing from a school location with many buildings and addresses, separate uses and not barrier-free routes to an inclusive landscape of shared learning in close contact with the city and nature. Learning clusters with classrooms, differentiation areas and mixed-use recreation areas are organized around a central common centre and thus offer a variety of places to learn, linger, communicate and relax.

    The new school building is located at an urban node. While the south is characterized by loose and urban development and large-scale centre functions, the north is a green recreational area with old trees, green meadows and biotopes close to the water. The new structure mediates between these two worlds and creates a clear, urban address in the south as well as a central schoolyard in the north, which turns into a landscape park.

    Together with the existing cafeteria, the school building takes up a clear and public space. This is the place to arrive and linger for students, teachers and visitors. Supported by the large terrace of the cafeteria, this creates a lively space. The square is in close spatial connection with the newly designed bus stop, the bicycle parking spaces and the town hall square on the opposite side of the street. In the north, the structure interlocks carefully with the school park. Between the new building and the refurbished creative pavilion, there is a lively, enclosed, green break room, which connects the existing buildings (sports halls and creative pavilion) in an east-west direction. The compact building cubature maximizes the preservation of the existing trees and minimizes surface sealing.

    The building is designed as a wood-concrete hybrid construction. Optimal sun and glare protection while maximizing the use of daylight is guaranteed by blinds that align automatically depending on the amount of sunlight.

    completed
    2021
  • Kieler Knick, Kiel

    striking gate + green neighbourhood

    The area at the Waldwiesenkreisel forms an important, previously misused entrance to Kiel city centre. With the development of the property, there is now a great opportunity to formulate a distinctive entrance to the city and to create urgently needed, high-quality living and working space.

    By shielding the street noise, a quiet, green residential area is created inside the building complex, which brings the lush, northern open space into the quarter through its open design. This creates a green gem with its own identity in a heterogeneous urban environment.

    The structural composition and the landscape-architectural interventions of the mixed-used "Kieler Knick" create a concise design language. The courtyard and the roof terraces are open-space extensions of the building and form an urban meeting point for workers, residents and visitors. Based on the diverse spatial program, places of encounter and exchange are created, as well as space for retreat and peace. The interplay of the dense trees and green roofs creates a particularly pleasant climatic situation in the quarter. In dialogue with the different types of living, a wide range of open spaces is created for shared and private use.

    Additionally, Mobility is entirely geared towards the environmental network. Pedestrian and bicycle traffic are prioritized with different concepts. All necessary parking spaces for the MIT (tenants and visitors) are organized in the two separate underground garages. There are charging stations for e-vehicles as well as possible car-sharing offers in the direct vicinity of the development cores.

    completed
    2021
  • Schamotte Quarter, Bonn

    From a factory site to a green living quarter!

    The concept for the area of ​​the former fireclay factory in Bonn-Duisdorf transforms the industrial site into a green neighbourhood with a high quality of living. The urban arrangement of the buildings is derived from the noise impact from the south and the location within a larger city block. A four-storey block building with a stagger along the railway line shields the quarter from the noise. Two polygonal, four-storey solitary buildings in the south form the transition to the more loosely arranged buildings in the area. The structurally identical buildings fit into their surroundings by being twisted against each other and creating diverse and exciting spaces through recesses and bends.

    A neighbourhood square is being created that will serve as an identity-forming address and meeting point. An additional green open space stretches to the east, where the opposite entrances to the buildings are located.

    All adjoining municipal and private plots of land in the east and west can be integrated into the urban picture. The existing building, a shelter for the homeless, can be retained and further developed by adding another story and balconies. The green connection in the middle of the quarter will be extended and merged with a green area with a playground. In the west, a solitary structure can provide a clear edge to the neighbourhood square and minimize the noise impact on the inside of the quarter.

    All new buildings are planned as wood hybrid buildings and can be recycled and later returned to the material cycle thanks to their deconstructability. Noise protection, spatial formation, and the quality of living are not dependent on the development of the neighbouring properties, guaranteeing a functioning and green residential area.

    completed
    2022