"How do we want to live and work today?" This central question shaped the design of six residential buildings in northeast Eberstadt, Darmstadt. Within a mixed-use area defined by commerce and housing, the architects created a family-friendly, nature-oriented residential quarter—one that recognizes open space not merely as amenity, but as the vital social spine for community, communication, and neighbourhood identity. Across two building sites, the Karlsruhe firm Johnny Architekten designed an ensemble of five multi-family houses spanning two to four storeys, each with distinct proportions and carefully staggered heights. On the smaller parcel, a three-storey building with a pitched roof completes the composition.

The development plan presented a real puzzle. Its prescribed building lines referenced demolished structures on the site—constraints that no longer made practical sense, yet had to be respected. Working within this limitation, Johnny Architekten crafted a coherent ensemble of varied typologies, heights, and orientations that sits gracefully within its surroundings. The strategic placement of each building shapes and articulates the outdoor areas, with carefully designed private and shared gardens. A central neighbourhood plaza anchors the community, offering all residents a genuine gathering place. The site also accommodates a children's play area, a prominent donor garden (the client is a foundation), a waste management facility, bicycle parking, and visitor spaces. The three-storey pitched-roof building is similarly enveloped by landscaping. A generous underground car park—accessible from all residential units—ties the buildings together while offering e-charging infrastructure.

The standout feature is the sandstone façades, which shift and glow as light, weather, and season transform them throughout the day—lending the quarter an understated elegance while visually uniting the residential buildings across both sites. Sandstone has been favoured as a masonry material for centuries: it demands minimal maintenance, weathers beautifully, and will endure for generations. Behind these façades, spacious units range from 73 to 185 m², with several designed as barrier-free homes. All feature solid wood parquet flooring and motorized roller shutters as standard.

www.johnny-architecture.de

Photography Credits:

Nikolay Kazakov
www.kazakov.de

(Published in CUBE Frankfurt 03|23)