MVRDV’s Vibrant Residential Neighborhood Traumhaus Funari Breaks Ground

Written by Dima Stouhi
Published on July 20, 2021

MVRDV's Traumhaus Funari project, a residential master plan that redevelops parts of a former US Military barracks, has started construction in Mannheim, Germany. The project aims to combine affordability, individuality, and diversity by allowing residents to make their own ecological and spatial choices regarding their homes. The master plan consists of a catalogue of residential typologies with a variety of materials, sizes, finishes, interior layouts, and connections to the outdoors which future residents can choose from.

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Funari is part of five new districts in the redevelopment project of Mannheim’s Franklin quarter. To promote inclusivity and target a wide range of budgets and demographics, the project mixes the original Traumhaus; Traumhaus 1.0, with several variations, such as wider material choices; Traumhaus 1.1, and different sizes; Traumhaus 1.2. In addition, the Traumhaus 2.0 offers a wide selection of designs with bolder, more individualistic styles, such as stilt houses and colorful printed façades.

Through this project, MVRDV hopes to transform the typical suburban experience into a more diverse and vibrant community where individuality and quality of life are prominent. Stilt houses open up the ground floor so residents can enjoy a private outdoor space, single-storey houses suit physically impaired residents or the elderly, and two larger apartment blocks offer suitable homes for students.

With Traumhaus Funari we want to take the next step, creating a model that retains this affordability while challenging the expectations for lifestyle, and the and variety of ways to inhabit, a suburb or village. In Funari we are creating something that is more sustainable and more social – a model that can be replicated across Germany and beyond, to the benefit of everyone. From Traumhaus to traum world. -- Winy Maas, MVRDV founding partner

The houses are surrounded by greenery and a network of footpaths that travel through the neighborhood. The landscape design of the masterplan brings in a splash of color to the site with a selection of bright plant species. Different housing types offer different styles of garden, from vegetable gardens to play spaces for children. MVRDV has teemed up with Traumhaus, a producer of low-cost high-quality homes based on standardized elements, to develop the 27,000 square meter project. In the first phase, the masterplan adds a total of 124 single-family homes and 26 apartments to the Franklin district.

In addition to Traumhaus Funari, the architecture firm has also designed another neighborhood within the Franklin district, called Franklin Mitte. The project is an area of 41 hectares and will be home to a green hill constructed from the demolished barracks and four apartment buildings that spell out the word “HOME”.