Fischer Architekten AG

Description

The structure of the existing suburban housing development is characterised by low-lying apartment buildings with their eaves facing the road. These are combined with a green distance strip at the front and framed by hedges, so that any form of permeability in the district is suppressed – a lost chance in a quiet residential quarter where neighbourly contacts could be made and children could play safely on the street. In this context, the new apartment houses introduce new ideas about outdoor space. The buildings respond to the roads that run along three sides of the site with slightly bent façades that frame the street spaces while at the same time forming welcoming arrival areas. On this side, the apartment houses are long buildings lining the street, whereas at the back they are more like individual houses that between them create a flowing space containing several spatial «chambers». Logically, the outdoor spaces do not contain any private areas but solely carefully designed communal spaces. While the three apartment buildings that make up the ensemble are closely related to each other, they are not identical. Continuous balcony layers of different depths mediate between inside and outside space. A recessed plinth makes the timber buildings seem to hover above the slightly sloping ground. The carefully balanced colour concept that enables the various layers of the façade to be more clearly perceived is continued in the interior of the apartments.