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Architects: Praeger Richter Architekten
- Area: 3720 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Antonia Leicht
Text description provided by the architects. Cooperative Housing Project - In 2019, the KARL cooperative was awarded the site on Friedrich-Karl-Strasse through a conceptual development procedure organized by the City of Bremen. The housing project is located within the new Hulsberg Quarter close to the historical buildings of the former Bremen-Mitte Clinic. The KARL housing cooperative, consisting of 50 people in their mid-30s to early 70s and 20 children and adolescents, has implemented its vision of "solidarity in building and living" and created a highly inclusive building. By acquiring the municipal property, the cooperative committed to a long-term solidarity-based use, as specified in the conceptual development procedure. At the same time, the project actively counteracts speculation in the housing sector and ensures affordable rents, as the apartments are used by the cooperative and thus removed from the market over the long term. The rents are examined annually by the residents and adjusted according to each household's family and income situation. The elongated, four-story volume with a recessed floor is structured by two entrance areas and features an access balcony facing the courtyard, which provides a link between the apartments and the communal areas.
Mix of Apartments - The 29 units, ranging from 35 to 109 square meters, offer a variety of apartments for the diverse and transgenerational cooperative. Three different layout types can be distinguished: shared apartments (subsidized) located at the head of the building, apartments situated along the communal access balcony, and slightly separated family apartments facing the neighborhood square. Solidarity-based and flexible organization - Constructed under significant economic pressure, this housing project balances and implements collective and inclusive concepts. All communal and circulation areas of the building are barrier-free and wheelchair-friendly, with one apartment specifically designed for wheelchair access. The first floor houses an inclusive shared apartment (subsidized housing). Semi-private access balconies connect the common areas, private outdoor spaces, and living rooms and allow residents to personalize them. As an open communication zone facing the courtyard, the access balconies form a lively, social facade and are especially enjoyed by children as a communal vertical play area. Wide floor spans enable high flexibility in the floor plan configuration. A uniform, inclusive interior fitout standard allows the apartments to be swapped at a later date – for instance, if life circumstances or requirements change, e.g. after children move out. Community as a fundamental principle - A significant proportion of over 25 percent of the space in the building is reserved for communal and neighborhood-oriented uses. These enable and reinforce solidarity in the residents' everyday lives. Thus, the cooperative members can use an additional 200 square meters of communal areas and an outdoor space of 1,200 square meters while consuming a comparatively small average of 30 square meters of living area per resident. In the joint planning process involving the group, the focus was on creative solutions that meet the requirements of the multi-generational housing cooperative. Despite the limited budget, it was possible to exceed standards (e.g., for accessibility) while compromising on the financing of apartments in favor of communal areas. Collectively used spaces such as the open ground floor with a daycare center and the KARL neighborhood room, flexibly usable "plus rooms" on every floor, along with the communal garden and roof terrace support community interactions.
1) Ground floor as an open neighborhood infrastructure - The ground floor is a space for social interaction and a transition area between the building and the surrounding neighborhood. Here are also units that are rented to social organizations and associations, benefiting the new Hulsberg Quarter. The housing cooperative's 70-square-meter "KARL Room", a workshop/hobby space and a storage room (for baby strollers, etc.), is located here. In addition, there are a kindergarten and a café as external uses that bring the neighborhood square to life. 2) "Plus rooms" for vertical communities - The multi-functional "plus rooms" on the upper floors provide space for collective use in addition to the private apartments. As functional additions to the circulation zone, the rooms are both infrastructure and social meeting points in everyday life. The programming of the "plus rooms" can be flexibly adapted to the changing requirements of the residents. The initial configuration features a large communal kitchen, which is located directly next to the roof terrace and intended for gatherings of the entire housing cooperative. There is also a guest apartment, a playroom, as well as laundry and drying rooms on all levels. 3) Communal outdoor spaces and gardens - The KARL project boasts various outdoor areas created by the cooperative to serve different functions. A playground has been realized outside the daycare center on the ground floor, directly adjacent to the vegetable garden featuring elevated flower beds and a seating area. Roofed bicycle stands and e-mobility charging stations provide practical infrastructure for the transition from the neighborhood square to the inner courtyard. The landscaped terrace on the top floor is another meeting place, suitable for communal dining, celebrating, socializing, and relaxing. The spacious communal roof garden marks the green edge of the building. From here, you can even see the Weser football stadium and St. Peter's Cathedral.
Structural Features - Due to budget constraints, the red brick facade required by the building regulations of the new Hulsberg Quarter was implemented only on the ground floor as a 90-degree rotated "facade belt" in a herringbone pattern. This makes the facade a special feature and lends the building a distinctive identity within the city. The joints between the facing bricks echo the red color of the red plaster façade above, aligning the requirements of the project with the appearance required by the local design regulations. An exception to the binding site plan allowed for the creation of a large rooftop garden, which offers the residents an important communal outdoor space and meeting point in addition to the intensively used courtyard. Moreover, the green roof area has a positive effect on the urban climate. The building, a KfW Efficiency House 40, is constructed using a cost-efficient construction method with land-lime brick and reinforced concrete on the ground floor. A basement was dispensed with in favor of the financial viability of the many communal areas.
