141 Köln Heumarkt

On old Cologne city maps, such as the Merian map of 1640, one immediately notices the large, empty rectangle of Heumarkt which lies close to and parallel to the Rhine. The distinctive character of the square lies in the smallness and elegance of its medieval cityscape. We build on this identity with a cluster of individual houses. The series of unusually slender gables complements the existing row of façades on the market. The deeper, slightly higher roof blends into the sequence of peaks that are visible from a distance. Tall and narrow facades reinforce the particularity of the historic square while slight projections and recesses enliven the long façade fronts.

Also the new programme of the project is fit harmoniously among the houses in the city. By embracing the small scale we create a diversity of workplaces in the contemporary office building. The generic office floors are replaced with a sequence of flexible and switchable work spaces. The ground floor is built with a classic concrete structure while a solid timber construction is used for the upper floors. In the middle of the houses there is an open outdoor area, a mezzanine, which is directly accessible from the street space. It resembles a small town square surrounded by houses that acts as distributor for the office users.