At first glance, you might mistake this building for a residential home—but look closer and you'll discover it's actually a thriving commercial property. The employees of the tea wholesaler housed within, alongside the team from Freiraumkonzept architects on the upper floor, clearly benefit from this exceptionally welcoming work environment. Architect Julia Schiewer designed and built this structure in the Lothringen industrial estate in Bochum-Gerthe, and relocated her own firm there alongside her team. The outdoor spaces were developed through a close partnership with landscape architect Dirk Blanik, her collaborator at Freiraumkonzept. For Schiewer, creating visual unity was paramount—the solid masonry office building and the logistics hall housing 850 m² of warehouse space needed to read as a coherent whole. The hall features black metal thermal wall elements punctuated by skylights in the roof, while the office section rises stone by stone, finished with black-coated timber cladding. Floor-to-ceiling wooden-aluminium windows with slender frames open toward the garden, and summer shading is managed through external blind systems—eliminating the need for air conditioning or forced ventilation. The office space spans roughly 250 m² in an open-plan layout. Ground level accommodates a kitchenette, logistics office, and facilities including a shower and terrace access. Upstairs, five workstations for the architectural practice share space with a meeting room and archive. The polished, exposed concrete floor creates a striking contrast with an oak staircase featuring geometric folded forms—solid oak treads supported by veneered oak panelling. District heating warms the entire building.

The crown jewel of the landscape design is the rainwater retention system. It captures runoff from the roof and slowly releases it into the public storm drains only during heavy, prolonged rainfall. Within this bioswale, native reeds create a thriving habitat for birds and water-loving insects. Perennials deliver splashes of colour from May through October, while winter reveals the striking architecture of the grasses. A dense four-row hornbeam hedge screens the property from street views, while multi-stemmed sweetgum trees rise parallel to the building's edge.

www.freiraumkonzept.de

Photography Credits:

Fotostudio Hoch, Bochum
Fabian Linden, Bochum
www.fotodesign-linden.de
Freiraumkonzept

(Published in CUBE Ruhrgebiet 01|23)