Architekten Wannenmacher + Möller

Description

The building ensemble with a mixed use of residential and commercial functions represents a piece of sensitive urban restoration on the edge of Bielefeld. The scheme replaces the Chemical Research Institute, which was located here since the 1960s, and which, in terms of urban planning and architecture, did not tie in with the homogeneous neighbourhood characterised by detached residential buildings with sloping roofs. The new building volumes fit harmoniously into the existing environment. Instead of one building volume covering the entire site, three buildings were proposed that take the neighbouring buildings as reference in size and shape. The houses, which accommodate a total of 24 apartments, between 60 and 120 square metres in size, are grouped around a small square that forms the entrance to the individual buildings as a semi-public outdoor space. The arrangement of the buildings allowed for the preservation of all the trees, which mark the beginning of a green corridor that runs through the district.