The ten members of the "Minge Onkel" cooperative sought architecture that would foster community and encourage interaction while still guaranteeing residents genuine privacy. Their vision found its ideal translator in the Cologne-based architectural team Sinken – Bick – Lohbeck, whose design won the competition. The competition itself was organized by moderne stadt. Gesellschaft, a foundation dedicated to advancing urban planning and community development, for a small parcel in the new residential district "Mittendrin in Ehrenfeld".

The result is a spatially sophisticated new building that, working in concert with the existing structure on the site, creates a distinctive residential destination—complete with generously appointed shared spaces and a thoughtful design language that mediates gracefully between past and present. The central design challenge lay in creating equivalent quality across ten apartments of varying sizes on a relatively narrow, north-south-facing lot. The solution emerged through a disciplined approach: nearly all units were executed as maisonettes, each oriented toward different exposures. The varied apartment types are thus intricately interwoven within the building mass. The access strategies shift accordingly—multi-story units share a central staircase, while the row-house-style units each have independent street entrances. The individual dwellings, ranging from 47 to 129 m², embody a shared construction standard while remaining deliberately pared to essentials. The private living spaces are enriched by a rich variety of shared indoor and outdoor amenities—a multipurpose common room, guest apartment, workshop, garden shelter, and a generous 140 m² communal roof terrace. Every resident can access all these spaces directly from their unit via additional doors, stairs, or roof hatches. This interlocking spatial arrangement naturally encourages chance encounters while remaining connected, via a bridge, to the preserved brick workshop building that was lovingly restored and converted to residential use. The soft pink-grey façade, finished in a traditional broom-stroke texture, creates a harmonious transition to the rich red brick of the original building and surrounding structures.

www.verenabick.de
www.birthelohbeck.com

Photography Credits:

Frank Schoepgens
www.schoepgens.photos

(Published in CUBE Cologne Bonn 03|23)