The design adopts the volumetric specifications of the urban development framework plan and interprets the two buildings as a formal unit of the various uses, which is formulated by analogies in the façade design.
The address of the quarter is in a prominent location at the intersection of Glücksteinallee / Gontardstraße by an urban development highlight. The lobby of the tower is oriented towards the intersection. The common courtyard provides access to all other parts of the building.
The façade made of prefabricated concrete elements gives the building a high-quality, urban character. The closed areas of the façade form an economical load-bearing system with continuous load transfer all the way to the underground car park. The load-bearing façade design reduces the number of columns inside the building and allows for the greatest possible flexibility in interior design.
In the façade, flush and slanted pillars alternate, creating an identity-creating, lively façade with an interesting play of shadows. The individual elements also combine two glass panels each and allow both horizontal and vertical reading of the façade.
The office building is accessed internally via a total of four access cores. The vertical access to the high-rise building is designed as an internal safety staircase. Two usage units per stairwell, and a maximum of three in low-rise buildings, will be accessible. The cores are positioned in such a way that the office units can be connected together as desired. The number of cores corresponds to a possible division into construction phases, the respective size of which can be flexibly determined. The building is based on a grid with an axial dimension of 1.35 m. Each façade element comprises two axes and has an opening leaf to ensure maximum flexibility for future users. Opening restrictors on the window sashes enable floor-to-ceiling glazing throughout without additional fall protection. These ensure maximum daylight penetration and spaciousness in the interior, while on the outside they essentially define the character of an elegant and modern building.
The residential building is accessed via three cores, each of which serves two to five apartments. All rooms are oriented towards the courtyard, while all living and dining areas are oriented to the south and west. The protected loggias are not next to each other and thus offer the greatest possible privacy. All apartments have a storage space. The larger apartments have daylight bathrooms.
The cellar, bicycle and garbage rooms are located on a mezzanine floor above the underground car park. The mezzanine floor also raises the apartments on the ground floor above the head level of passers-by and gives the building the character of an inner-city residential building. In the views, filigree frame elements each combine a loggia and a window and give the façade a subtle play of shadows. Offset plaster and panel surfaces break the vertical lines and create a horizontal layering.
[Source: Sacker Architekten GmbH] (https://sacker.de/projekt/quartier-hoch-vier-mannheim)
Photos: Johannes Vogt
