FAZ FRANKENALLEE

New construction of two apartment blocks

In the heart of Frankfurt, just a two-minute walk from the Galluswarte station at Frankenallee 68 and 68a, two modern apartment buildings in solid timber construction were completed in spring 2024. The ensemble consists of a front and a rear building with a total of 43 apartments that enclose a green inner courtyard. With five full storeys and a staggered storey, the front building blends into the existing Frankenallee street. With three full storeys, the rear building matches the height of the courtyard building on Koblenzer Strasse and is directly adjacent to it.

Even though a wooden façade on a six-storey building is still very unusual at present and unique in residential construction in Frankfurt, the new building blends naturally into its surroundings. The construction is based on cross-laminated timber, which forms the load-bearing elements for the ceilings and walls. Only the parts of the basement in contact with the ground and the staircase of the front building are made of reinforced concrete. The walls of the front and rear buildings adjacent to the neighboring buildings were constructed as fire walls in sand-lime brick or aerated concrete block. The apartment partition walls and the partition walls are designed as load-bearing cross-laminated timber bulkheads on which the cross-laminated timber ceiling elements rest.

By applying for a project-related building permit (vBG), a residential building in building class 5 in timber construction, which was previously not possible in Hesse, was realized. The increased sound insulation requirements demanded in residential construction were met in the main areas, as were the extended fire protection requirements.

Despite extremely high external noise levels of 80dB caused by ICE and freight traffic at the nearby Galluswarte station, it was also possible to implement very good sound insulation requirements on the external façade in timber construction.

The façade is designed with vertical, rear-ventilated tongue-and-groove cladding. The local larch boards used vary in width and are repeated in an irregular rhythm. The pre-greying was created using a mineral/silicate-based glaze. Fire protection bars structure the façade and prevent the spread of flames on each storey.

The outdoor seating areas facing Frankenallee are designed as loggias. Due to the proximity to the tracks, the loggias can be closed with glass baffle plates for sound insulation. When open, the baffle plates are »parked« in a niche and can be easily extended from there using a sliding and rotating system.

The apartments are all pleasantly bright and have a distinctly homely character. This is enhanced by the material combination of oak mosaic parquet flooring, the wooden ceiling soffit of the load-bearing cross-laminated timber, the white walls and the reddish-brown solid wood windows. The large windows add to the sense of comfort.

The open space between the front and rear buildings serves as a green oasis. Here, residents can find a spot in the sun or shade, shielded from the hustle and bustle of the street and the nearby S-Bahn station, and wind down the day among shrubs, flowers and trees, celebrate a children’s birthday party or simply read a book.

In addition to the green inner courtyard design, the green facades on the stairwell, the front gardens and the green roofs (with rainwater retention) contribute to a more pleasant microclimate.

SCHÜLERWOHNHEIM DINGOLFING
New construction of a four-storey student residence with 85 rooms in modular timber construction

The district administration office of Dingolfing-Landau commissioned a student dormitory in modular timber construction for its vocational school in Dingolfing, accommodating approximately 85 students. The new building was built on the existing parking lot directly in front of the vocational school and was elevated in such a way that a large part of the parking spaces could be preserved.

The new structure consists of a four-story student dormitory with 58 residential units, providing living space for approximately 85 students, complemented by a cafeteria and various communal spaces on the third floor.

The ground floor was constructed in reinforced concrete and houses covered parking spaces, stairwells, technical rooms, and the main entrance area. The three upper floors were built using solid timber construction, with room modules prefabricated on-site in a field factory. A distinctive feature of the building is the spacious gallery within the four-story section, as well as the sculptural façade composed of glass fiber-reinforced concrete elements.

AN DER STREUOBSTWIESE

New construction of two multi-family flats with a total of 18 residential units

In the northeastern section of the new development area »An den Streuobstwiesen« in Bad Nauheim Süd, two three-story multi-family residential buildings, each comprising nine units, have been constructed.

The two buildings feature a mix of 2- to 4-room apartments, with all ground-floor units designed to be barrier-free and directly connected to a private front yard. The upper-floor apartments also offer private outdoor spaces in the form of south- or west-facing balconies.

Access to the buildings is provided via the newly developed, traffic-calmed streets to the south of the site, with pedestrian pathways leading through the front gardens to the entrances.

The buildings are constructed in solid construction and have a full basement. The exterior walls are made of sand-lime bricks insulated with mineral wool. Load-bearing interior walls are solid, non-load-bearing walls are lightweight drywall.

Heating is supplied via a cold local heating network with a heat pump and buffer storage system. Each apartment is equipped with underfloor heating, individually controlled through its own distributor and heat meter.

The façades are finished with a thermal insulation composite system and light-coloured plas-ter. All above-ground windows are floor-to-ceiling.

The entrance area is emphasised by a precast concrete element that covers the entrance and integrate the mailbox systems. The balconies are also made of precast concrete elements. The railings and fall protection on the upper floors are made of fine steel bars. To protect against noise, the common rooms in the north have fixed glazed windows. Roller shutters are provid-ed for sun protection in the north and east, and folding sliding shutters in the south and west.

The four defining elements—precast concrete balcony slabs, wooden windows, steel railings, and folding sliding shutters—give the façades a dynamic architectural expression.

The neighborhood development in Fürstenried West, a district in the south of Munich, aims to create modern and sustainable living space. Around 650 new rental apartments in the mid-price segment are planned, of which around a third will be socially subsidized.

The new living space is to be created mainly on already sealed areas, in the form of additional storeys and in some cases through redensification. The architecture combines efficiency, comfort and sustainability in order to meet the needs of modern families and residents. To this end, the existing buildings are being renovated to make them more energy-efficient and supplemented with additional storeys in timber room module construction.

The site plan shows the buildings that are being extended using modular timber construction with room modules. The three N-buildings and the Y-building will each have two additional storeys, while the S-building will be extended by one storey. A total of 49 new residential units will be created, comprising a wide range of 2- to 5-room apartments.

The elevator shaft served as the basis for the planning, which was raised together with the staircase as a prefabricated reinforced concrete element. An additional level is created between the existing building and the extension, which acts as a load-distributing and cable-conducting layer. This intermediate level distributes the loads of the extension to the load-bearing transverse bulkheads of the existing building, allowing the floor plans of the new apartments to be designed independently of the floors below. This flexibility ensures that the modular structure is no longer recognizable in the interior of the extension.

Each apartment has a balcony and/or terrace and is characterized by generous window areas that create a bright and inviting ambience.

The external appearance of the extension will be clearly recognizable and reflects the materiality of the shell – a pre-greyed timber cladding. This pre-greying promotes an even ageing process of the façade. The existing building, on the other hand, will be renovated to make it more energy-efficient and will be given a white rendered façade, so that the two parts of the building stand out clearly from one another. The targeted positioning of the balconies of the extension directly above the existing balconies creates a dialog between the old and new building fabric.

FRITZ KISSEL SIEDLUNG
Extension of the listed Fritz Kissel estate with 130 flats in modular timber construction

The Fritz Kissel estate was built in the early 1950s. It follows on from the large Riedhof estate project from the May era, but differs fundamentally from the estates of the 1920s: the short three- and four-storey rows are aligned in a north/south direction and turned slightly towards each other. Vehicular access is from the gable ends of the rows, with residential paths leading through the lush green spaces in between to the house entrances. At the southern edge of the estate, the edge of the city is clearly marked by six-storey point blocks. As Frankfurt’s largest post-war housing estate, it was placed under a preservation order in 2000. Particularly worthy of protection is the urban design, which has remained almost unchanged to this day.

In view of the increasingly scarce living space in Frankfurt, the estate is to be carefully redensified. The following procedure was agreed in close consultation with the heritage authorities:

– Both owners must add storeys together in order to maintain the height development in the estate

– The open spaces could not be built on, all green areas had to be preserved.

– New living space could only be created in the estate by adding storeys, not by building extensions.

– The additions were to be designed in such a way that they differ from the existing buildings in terms of material and color. As a result, the original proportions of the development should remain visible even after the addition of storeys.

– The transoms with the dry floors and the small windows on the top floors were to be retained and not added to.

– All existing buildings were to receive a new coat of paint in the color scheme of the time of construction.

The extension with a total of 130 apartments is made of timber room modules. The blocks will have a single-storey extension, while the point blocks, which were already fitted with elevators during the last refurbishment, will have a two-storey extension. Due to the low weight, low noise emissions and short construction time, as well as for ecological reasons, the extra storeys will be built using modular timber construction. A load distribution level is introduced between the existing building and the extension, which also accommodates the supply lines. This so-called intermediate floor distributes the loads of the extension to the load-bearing transverse bulkheads of the existing building. This means that the floor plans in the extension are independent of the floors below. The result is a mix of two-, three- and four-room apartments with 30% subsidized apartments. The modular structure is no longer recognizable in the later interior spaces. The adaptive timber room modules allow the realization of light-flooded apartments with spacious, flowing and open rooms.

The tenants will remain in their apartments during the construction period. In order to reduce the construction work in the existing building to a minimum, the supply to the additional storeys is via external shafts. Air/water heat pumps powered by photovoltaics will be used to heat the new storeys.

The prefabrication of the room modules takes place in a field factory near Frankfurt. Here, the individual components are delivered on trucks and assembled into a total of 500 room modules on a production line.

A major advantage of a field factory is that it is not the finished modules that are transported across the country, but only the panel material. This enables very effective transportation of the finished room modules from the field factory to the construction site.

It also enables »just in time« delivery of the modules on site for a smooth and fast construction of approx. 100 m² of living space per day.

The entire project took place under full occupancy, had an extremely short and low-noise construction period and is resource-saving both in terms of the building materials used and the subsequent operation of the building.

SUZHOU APARTEMENT-HOTEL PAVILIONS

The six innovative timber pavilions were constructed for the 9th Horticultural Expo in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. The design anticipated the post-Expo use as apartment pavilions that form part of a hotel.

SCHÖNHOF VIERTEL BOCKENHEIM

New construction of a mixed-use building complex

The new centre of the Schönhof district will be created by two mixed-use building complexes with a central square in between. Housing, education, commerce and a sports hall are organised in two ‘city blocks’ and form the new centre of the district.

The block as a historically established polyfunctional urban figure forms the basic framework for a hybrid building utilisation.

The staggered height development responds to the planned surrounding development, while the residential building with its different building depths additionally profiles and structures the urban buildings. The heterogeneous uses, residential, school, day care centre and retail can be seen in the building expression.

Building site B contains the local amenities of the new urban quarter on the ground floor: two supermarkets, several retail outlets and a restaurant facing the neighbourhood square. On the first floor, there are medical practices or offices as well as an indoor childcare centre. The remaining areas and all other upper floors are reserved exclusively for residential use. This urban mix of uses helps to reduce traffic in the neighbourhood to bicycles and pedestrians.

LANGEN AM STEINBERG
4 new residential buildings with 84 apartments

The four multi-storey apartment buildings contain 84 cooperative rental flats for people on low and medium incomes. 25% of the 84 apartments are four-room flats for families.

The four apartment blocks stand on an existing garage and complement the development begun in the 1990s to create a residential neighbourhood with a high identification value. The new buildings are integrated into the neighbourhood in terms of urban space and through a variety of pathways.

The height and depth of the new multi-storey apartment blocks are orientated towards the existing buildings and follow the natural course of the site.

With a clear design language, the four apartment blocks stand confidently in their heterogeneous surroundings. Aluminium sliding shutter systems structure and enliven the façade.

The inner courtyard is reserved as a semi-private area for residents only. All stairwells have direct access, as do the ground floor flats via the green rooms.

Lawns and trees with bright crowns are planned for the greenery.

The neighbourhood square is the meeting point for all residents. Here there is a furnished area for sitting and barbecuing, as well as a playground for small children.

The green rooms facing the courtyard are bordered by 1.50 metre high, clipped hedges of small-leaved evergreen plants.

All entrances are orientated towards the street and are easy to find. They have canopies

as rain protection and a bench for sitting and storing bags.

All stairwells are barrier-free and always have access to the inner courtyard.

All flats also have barrier-free access via lifts.

The rubbish rooms are located at the ends of the buildings, only accessible from the outside and outside the insulated shell. They can be reached from the street via a short route.

The storage rooms for bicycles are located at ground level and decentralised for easy accessibility. The necessary parking spaces for cars are provided in the existing underground car park.

All flats with three rooms or more are orientated on two sides, the end flats on three sides.

The main bathrooms and all kitchens are naturally lit and ventilated.

All flats have outdoor spaces in the form of balconies or roof terraces. The balconies each have a half-height wall to the north or east, which creates a wind-protected corner

which provides additional protection from prying eyes.

To ensure privacy, the ground-floor flats are fronted by small residential courtyards enclosed by a wall. All flats are barrier-free in accordance with DIN 18040, Part 2.

LANGEN BAHNSTRASSE

New construction of an apartment block with 25 flats and 3 commercial units

A four-storey apartment building with 25 residential units and three commercial units was built at Bahnstrasse 109 in Langen. The project blends into the existing structure of the shopping street, which is characterized by its historically evolved, heterogeneous development. The junction is to be emphasized with a striking corner building that extends into Luisenstrasse. The building adopts elements of the neighboring buildings to the west, such as the first floor projecting towards the street. The KfW 55 energy standard is taken into account.

Architecturally, the building is characterized by cubic forms, light-coloured exterior plaster and a recessed staggered storey that echoes the height of the roof structures of neighbouring buildings. The apartments offer deep loggias or roof terraces, complemented by floor-to-ceiling windows with bar railings and balconies in front of some of them. The first floor is used for commercial purposes and stands out from the upper floors with a glazed façade and clinker brick slips. A protective canopy provides an attractive entrance area.

The 25 apartments vary in size and comprise 2 to 4-bedroom units. All apartments are barrier-free and accessible via two stairwells with elevators. The 4-room apartments have additional bathrooms. All of the larger apartments and five of the two-room apartments are oriented to two sides.

The building is a solid construction made of sand-lime brick and concrete with a thermal insulation composite system. A gas condensing boiler heating system in combination with a heat pump provides the heat supply, supplemented by underfloor heating. In addition, a controlled ventilation system with heat recovery will be installed to increase living comfort and energy efficiency.

The outdoor facilities offer footpaths, a play area for small children and areas for the fire department. The commercial units are accessed via Bahnstrasse, while the apartments are accessed via entrances on the north side. An enclosed space on Luisenstrasse is used to store the garbage cans.

The new building project combines modern construction methods, energy efficiency and well thought-out urban integration to further promote the positive development of Langen’s shopping street.

Hellerhöfe, Frankfurt am Main

urban planning competition

SCHÖNHOFVIERTEL BAUFELD F

New residential development incl. day care centre

Berger Höhenstraße

New passive house building with 19 flats and retail units at ground floor level.

VOGELWEIDESTRASSE
New construction of an apartment block with 12 flats

The two-storey apartment block with 12 flats is a monolithic construction with a pitched roof. The floor plans are organised as two-flats. The flat sizes vary between three and four rooms or 81.57 m² to 97.08 m².

The ground-floor flats have a terrace as a private outdoor area, while the flats on the upper floors have balconies and loggias. The balconies are exposed prefabricated concrete elements with solid parapets at the front and cantilevered glass guardrails at the sides. The exits to the private outdoor areas on all floors are linked to the kitchens and the living area in the floor plan.

The exterior walls are made of 36.5 cm Poroton masonry, plastered and painted white. The roof is covered with grey-engobed, smooth clay tiles. The window railings match the grey framed windows. The technical installations, such as the air conditioning system, boiler and hot water system, are located in the technical room on the top floor. The collector surfaces are integrated into the roof covering.

Haus Roelly

New building of a detached house

HILGENFELD

Urban competition of ideas for a new residential district in the North of Frankfurt

The new residential area is divided into individual neighbourhoods of a manageable size. The main development and orientation axis is formed by a square that offers sufficient space for a wide range of neighbourhood activities. A wide range of different types of housing is complemented by commercial space, shops, day-care centres and restaurants, creating a district with a communicative density and an urban character that offers future residents a home in the city.

Campus Dieburg

Urban competition for the eorganisation of Campus Dieburg

Campo am Bornheimer Depot

Four new passive house apartment buildings with 50 flats

Markomannenweg

New residential buildings with 45 flats

Expert opinion procedure 1st rank

The three residential buildings take up the typology of the detached villa that characterised the original development on this site.

The ground floors are used for commercial purposes and are connected along the street. The flats on the standard floors have two and three rooms, while large flats and maisonettes have been created on the upper floors.

All flats have covered balconies with sliding shutters for sun protection. The lush green inner courtyard is shared with the neighbouring offices.

Niederurseler Hang

New residential building with 200 flats

Parkstadt Unterliederbach

New residential passive house building with 35 apartments

Competition, 1st price

Competition »Rüsselsheim Karstadt Areal«

Restricted single-stage invitation competion. Including additional concept part. Combined residential and commercial building for 77 residential units.

Wohnen Paulusstraße

Competition, 1st price

Quartier Hoch Vier

New construction of four residential buildings in the north of Hofheim

Urban planning competition

Hügelstraße, Frankfurt am Main

The competition area is a well-developed and green urban residential area. It consists mainly of apartment buildings and terraced houses from the 1920s as well as typical row housing from the post-war period. By means of careful redensification in the form of additional storeys and new buildings, this valuable urban area is to urban area will be able to offer more people a home in the future. At the same time, the outdoor facilities are to be renovated in keeping with the times and developed into neighborhood meeting points (»double internal development«). In addition, a rentable community room, a daycare center and a small supermarket for local supply are proposed.

Approx. 21,000 m² of new gross floor area will be created. The residential share amounts to approx. 20,200 m² GFA, of which approx. 6,700 m² in the supplementary buildings and approx. 13,500 m² in the extensions and roof extensions.

The structural additions are to be executed in such a way that the difference between old and new always remains clearly legible. For reasons of sustainability, weight and short construction time, a timber construction with boarding made of wood or fiber cement as cladding is proposed.

Hefner Alteneck Quartier

New building complex of family-friendly housing

Competition, Honorary Mention

Platanenallee

New residential building

Competition, 1st price

Ginsheim Gustavsburg

New residential building complex with 24 apartments

Fulda Haimbach

Urban competition for a new residential district near Fulda

Competition, 1st price

Frankfurter Straße Rüsselsheim

New apartment buildings for families, students and elderly people with approx. 60 flats

Competition, Honorary Mention

Kulturcampus

Design for a new office building, housing and cultural facilities

Wohn- und Geschäftshaus in der Friedrichstrasse, Westend

Conversion and renovation of a residential- and office building

Mörfelder Landstraße

Building extension and restoration of housing blocks of the 30th

Waidesgrund

Urban competition of ideas for a new residential district in Fulda

Competition, 4th price

Student Housing Campus Riedberg

Architectural competition for a new students’ hall of residence »Riedbergallee/International House« on the Goethe University campus.

2nd Place.

Feeling good Riedberg

Nine new residential buildings with 200 residential units

Weseler Werft

New riverside apartment building with 14 flats