Townhouse at the Mathildenhöhe | Pützerstraße 4

Building in the immediate vicinity of an architectural monument can be a thankless job. Giving the new building its own identity therefore requires a great deal of sensitivity. Peter Karle and Ramona Buxbaum brought this sensitivity to the table - and designed the "Stadthaus an der Mathildenhöhe", an outstanding example of how buildings can blend into their surroundings without appearing faceless. The fact that the two architects had revitalised the Neufert building a few years previously and had studied the striking neighbour extensively in the process, stood them in good stead when planning the townhouse.

The narrow side of the townhouse with nine barrier-free condominiums faces Pützerstraße. Its broad side - together with the Neufert-Meisterbau opposite - forms the entrance to Mathildenhöhe. The architects took this location into account with the windows running across the corner. They skilfully direct the viewer's gaze from the street side to the cultural monument. The new building deliberately echoes the height and orientation of the low section of the Neufert building opposite, but retains its independence. Only the window frames, accentuated by their colour, are reminiscent of the neighbouring building, which is 50 years older.

The planners deliberately opted for purism in the shape and colour scheme of the corner building, while elsewhere they placed value on a certain symmetry: an imaginary diagonal could be drawn from the café on the ground floor, which opens to the west onto Pützerstraße, to the east-facing loggia on the upper floor. From here, there is an unobstructed view of the Mathildenhöhe. The café on the ground floor enlivens the newly designed square.

Photos: © Eicken und Mack Fotoproduktion