Conversing with the Landscape
Three residential complexes in Mülheim an der Ruhr engage with their natural surroundings
Designing a new residential quarter in this idyllic forest-edge setting, with expansive views across the Ruhrauen, presented a unique challenge for smyk fischer architekten. The Mülheim-based practice grounded their design in the site's verdant context and distinctive topography—characterized by a gentle slope and accessed via a narrow cul-de-sac. The result: three contemporary apartment buildings that inhabit the landscape rather than interrupt it.
The two valley-facing structures read as single-storey buildings from the entrance level, each crowned by a stepped volume that recedes on all sides. Both rest on a shared plinth that absorbs the site's topography, visible only from the valley and forest approaches. Their L-shaped footprints create interstices that, despite the density of development, preserve direct sightlines to the Ruhr Valley. The trapezoidal building set back on higher ground follows a similar logic: a plinth base that announces itself only on the forest side, with an open-air parking level that lends the structure a two-storey presence and a three-sided receding penthouse. Strategic placement—two interior garages, a rear parking deck, and an airy carport threaded through with mature trees—renders parked vehicles nearly invisible. The primary façades are clad in light, durable clinker brick; the stepped volumes feature timber; gently pitched and flat roofs are planted. Warm, gold-toned metalwork unifies all exterior elements, with continuous metal frames accentuating the window bands. The sloped cuts—derived from both horizontal and vertical building lines—combined with the clear, polygonal geometry generate a diverse range of floor plans. Larger units organize living spaces (characterized by diagonal sightlines) around a central core, while bathrooms and bedrooms nestle into the northeast face, away from the valley. Yet across every plan, that valley connection persists, made tangible through expansive glazing. The development achieves KfW-55 certification through geothermal heating coupled with radiant floor systems and decentralized domestic hot water stations. Every parking space includes EV charging.
Photography:
Annika Feuss
www.annikafeuss.com
(Published in CUBE Ruhrgebiet 03|24)
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