Residential complex Ludwig-Quessel-Weg 1-7

For many Darmstadt residents, Eberstadt-Süd is synonymous with high-rise buildings. In reality, however, the neighbourhood is more diverse. Although it also consists of buildings such as "In der Kirchtanne 6" or Kirnberger Straße 13, which were built in the 1960s and 1970s as Darmstadt grew, it is not just that. On the other side of Heidelberger Straße is the Fritz-Dächert-Siedlung, a terraced housing estate dating back to the 1950s, while the houses in Nußbaumallee already existed before the Second World War.

In 2004, bauverein AG had a residential complex with 28 freehold flats built in this extremely heterogeneous neighbourhood in terms of both buildings and population - in the immediate vicinity of the Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic. The fact that the row of houses planned by werk.um architects immediately catches the eye is not only due to the contrast with its immediate surroundings, most of which date from a different building era, but also to the interplay of colours and materials on the façades of the four buildings. While the side walls of the tunnel-like covered balconies in front of the buildings shine in pastel yellow, frosted glass was used for the balcony cladding, the colour of which is repeated in the roof that extends over the building. The top storeys are in turn anthracite, while the stairwells between the buildings are clad in signal red, a colour that is repeated in the corridors.

Inside, the four interconnected buildings each house seven flats, ranging from 2-room to 4-room flats; the ground floor flats are barrier-free. All flats have a terrace, balcony or roof terrace.

Photos: © Frank Seifert, www.frank-seifert.com; © Thomas Ott Photography, www.o2t.de