On Wasserstraße in Bochum, a new apartment building blends seamlessly into the neighbouring development. Identical in height, with a sand-coloured brick facade on the ground floor and a colour-coordinated plaster facade above, the building has 18 flats spread over three upper floors. The ground floor also houses a shared flat comprising 12 apartments and a common room with a communal kitchen, covering a total living space of 560 m².

The barrier-free apartment building for dementia patients was designed by the architectural firm Planungsgesellschaft Ruhnke und Partner from Hattingen. The dementia residential community with 24-hour care on the ground floor presented the architects with particular challenges. They designed the wheelchair-accessible area in such a way that other uses, such as offices, would also be possible in the future. To remain flexible, it therefore contains only a few static elements and a lot of drywall construction. To ensure the load-bearing capacity for the floors above, the concrete ceiling was constructed with a thickness of 45 centimetres instead of the usual 22 to 25 centimetres. The terrain slopes gently down towards the courtyard, creating a 210 m² terrace for the residential community on the ground floor in the basement, where the underground car park and cellar rooms are located. This is designed as a circular walkway so that residents can move around freely and carers can maintain eye contact with their charges. Landscaped and equipped with benches and raised beds, it offers a sheltered space and a high quality of living. The other residential units, including 11 three-room flats ranging from 55 to 77 m² and seven two-room flats ranging from 40 to 62 m², are accessed via pergolas on the courtyard side. Facing the street are loggias with glazed parapet elements. "The satin-finished glass is very popular with tenants," says architect Tobias Eule, "it provides privacy while allowing light to pass through. It also gives the building an open and uniform character."

The flats are fitted with high-quality, durable vinyl flooring in oak tones. The windows facing the street are triple-glazed for sound insulation, while those facing the courtyard are double-glazed. The stairwell has a stone floor and each floor has its own wall colour. There is another special feature on the roof: a roof terrace accessible to all residents, which is intended to encourage communication between them. The building is supplied with energy via heat pumps and solar energy. It can be viewed on Open Architecture Day on 29/30 June.

www.pr-ruhnke.de

Photos:
Ruhnke – PR+P

(From CUBE Ruhrgebiet 02|24)