Still defined by its industrial heritage, the Ehrenfeld neighbourhood is home to the new four-group daycare centre "Kiku Traumbaum". To ensure the project would combine sustainability with architectural quality, Dagobert Immobilien from Schleiden initiated an expert review process for the site on Leyendeckerstraße, which includes historic structures. The Cologne-based architecture firm 3pass won the competition and designed a two-storey addition that respectfully incorporates the existing building and makes it the touchstone for the entire design.

The existing building—a modest brick structure with a gable roof—presents a fully sealed façade to the street, its robust materiality lending the structure a distinctly sculptural presence that warrants preservation. The newly added nursery section integrates seamlessly, mirroring the existing building's façade material in colour, format, and bonding pattern, while leaving its monolithic character intact. Rather than disrupting the neighbouring tower-like form, the addition appears as a lower, companion structure—as if a second, diminished twin stands at its side. Notably, the new wing replaces a boundary wall that once defined the former industrial site's street edge. This brick wall was carefully dismantled and thoughtfully reused on-site: reconstructed down to its relief-coffered detailing, it now functions as a spolia, reintegrated into the ground-floor façade. Generously scaled openings, crisply framed by light concrete elements, establish a new spatial dialogue. Rather than sealing the site, the façade actively engages its surroundings, while a strategic setback at ground level creates an inviting entrance. A second wing extends along the northern edge, punctuated by expansive glazing and window bands. Together, these elements frame a sheltered, courtyard-like outdoor space—varied in design, rich with play opportunities for children of all ages. All group rooms open onto this exterior zone, connected internally by open play corridors. The reconfigured existing building houses a generous multipurpose hall, inclusive education spaces, and administrative offices. This composite of old and new creates an architecturally nuanced tension: it honours the site's history with respect, while actively shaping its future—for what is the future, if not room for children?

www.3pass.de

Photography Credits:

Constantin Meyer
www.constantin-meyer.de

(Published in CUBE Cologne Bonn 01|23)