nbundm* Architekten

Description

The socially heterogeneous working-class district from the 1960s is gaining a new civic anchor: Stadtteiltreff Augustin. Positioned between a secondary school, a church and cooperative housing developments, the project was conceived as an inclusive, low-threshold space free of social hierarchies – open to all, regardless of age, background or social status. Guided by principles of radical sufficiency, both spatial programme and functional requirements were critically reassessed. The resulting typology is a single-storey, barrier-free pavilion organised around a central patio. All activity zones are arranged at grade and fluidly interlinked with the exterior spaces, fostering permeability and social interaction. The building’s structural system is a lean reinforced concrete skeleton of columns and beams, capped with a cross-laminated timber (CLT) ceiling slab. The solid exterior envelope is infilled with concrete masonry units, while non-load-bearing internal partitions are realised in lightweight timber construction, integrating cabinetry, storage and building services. Subterranean construction was rendered unnecessary through synergetic use of the adjacent school’s technical infrastructure, allowing the design to forgo both a basement and vertical circulation elements such as stairwells or lifts. Interior surfaces remain deliberately raw and repair-friendly, eschewing cladding, plaster or paint. The outer walls are enveloped in a folded aluminium façade that lends the building its distinctive appearance.