CREATING A NEW PLACE: Our goal is to design, in dependence on the grand rental mansions dating back to the second last turn of the century, which transformed the 'Höttinger Ried', from a rural agglomeration to a reputable residential neighborhood. Discs with aleatory openings form the street front, the garden front features a protruding balcony-layer, analog to the old wooden patios. Strong, self-confident and free-standing bodies, arranged precisely according to their surroundings. The staggered alignment allows the new small park to "flow" around the buildings, maximizing privacy for the apartments. All three entities radiate individuality and high standards of living.
Habitation and clerical administration in harmonic co-existence side by side, connected by the concept of the little park.
THE APARTMENT: The apartments are compactly arranged as three units per floor. They have either two fronts or are south facing, the protruding patios form intimate, acoustically shielded and private outdoor areas. Focus for the interior was maximized usability. Most apartments are laid out in a way that, if need be, an additional, individual room can be separated from the eat-in kitchen. The street-facing rooms are equipped with sound-proof windows. As attested by the building acoustician, this measure, in combination with the comfort ventilation system, solves the noise and pollution problems posed by the nearby 'Höhenstraße'.
THE SEMI-PUBLIC TRANSITIONAL ZONE: Placed in sloping terrain, it is only consequent to lead the walkways from the south towards the buildings. A "family of entrances" lies at the, compared to the parking lot, slightly raised semi-public transitional zone. Bright bicycle storage rooms and glazed launderettes flank the front door. Cellar compartments can be found in the dug in part of the ground floor. The canopied outdoor area of the center building invites kids to play outdoors despite bad weather or serves as space for long summer evening festivities.
THE PASSIVE HOUSE: Cornerstones of the passive house planning are best insulation standards all around, windows with high quality triple glazing, utilization of ecologically sound materials, modern comfort ventilation and energy technology.