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Architects: Barkow Leibinger
- Year: 2024
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Photographs:Barkow Leibinger
Text description provided by the architects. With "The Frankfurt Prototype", students from the Städelschule and Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences (Frankfurt UAS) have realized a pioneering architectural project in the courtyard of the Senckenberg Research Institute. This temporary structure features an open, multifunctional market hall on the ground floor and flexible living and working spaces on the first floor, designed specifically for students. The building promotes social interaction and a connection to nature, integrating sustainable materials and adaptable spatial concepts. Barkow Leibinger supported the students in the planning and realization and accompanied the implementation of the prototype until completion in autumn 2024.
At the heart of the project is a cost-effective, resource-efficient design that offers high living quality. By using recycled steel and repurposed concrete formwork, the project minimizes its CO₂ footprint. The modular, prefabricated residential units on the upper floor can be flexibly adapted to meet various living needs. The public market hall on the ground floor serves as the city's "living room" and can function as a theater, cinema, exhibition space, and market for sustainable products, addressing the importance of regional food supply. These spaces are further enhanced by the working areas of the "Center for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan (CCAA)," an initiative by Rahraw Omarzad that brings cultural enrichment to the project.
The concept also includes innovative elements for biodiversity and sustainable urban living, exemplified by a "green urban filter." In close collaboration with researchers from the Senckenberg Society, the students developed biodiversity-friendly elements for the building's structure. In addition to Barkow Leibinger, Yara von Lindequist and Rudi Scheuermann (Arup Engineering) as well as Schneider+Schumacher were involved in the realization of the project. The building will be accessible in the courtyard of the Senckenberg Institute until the end of the year and will serve as a lively place for discussion and reflection on the urban future. Afterward, the construction will be reused elsewhere.
