less is more

The Bothfelder Kirchweg residential quarter combines the social fabric of a village community with the qualities of a naturally grown open space. Grouped around a public circulation area— the common—are five yards which, as semi-public areas, provide a transition zone to the private gardens on the fringe of the estate. The situation of the built volumes secures the preservation of the existing tree population, which are a defining identification factor for the entire quarter. The typology of the traditional yard also extends to the projected residential buildings, which, as pairs of two, are arranged into connected L-shaped structures that accommodate up to nine residential units. A semi-public yard provides the center of each Lunit, with private gardens and a connecting covered passageway adding to the offering of outdoor spaces.
The barrier-free layout of the ground floor is informed by the idea of an intergenerational neighborhood. Compact family and senior-citizen apartments are complemented and expanded with multifunctional units for collective use: laundry rooms, playrooms, workshops, guest rooms or residential microunits extend private living space into a community zone. In addition, unheated garrets are available for use as generous storage space. In this view, the residential quarter Bothfelder Kirchweg presents itself as an estate of small-scale urban yards, upgraded by a green village common as a central idyll and place of social encounter.