The site was a relatively narrow gap squeezed between two neighboring multi-story residential buildings. The client envisioned a structure that would efficiently house four units across multiple floors – two owner-occupied maisonettes on both the lower and upper levels. Kraus Architekten & Ingenieure, based in Cologne, rose to the challenge by designing a compact apartment building that marries barrier-free accessibility with adaptable spatial layouts.

With its double-height attic storey, the building respects the building line of its neighbours while rising to four storeys – one more than the adjacent three-storey buildings. The street-facing facade speaks in a restrained language: long, flat grey bricks emphasise the horizontal rhythm of the continuous window bands. The ground floor, however, commands attention. Beyond the entrance, a striking steel gate front – a custom fabrication by a renowned metalwork studio – anchors the base. These innovative sliding elements recently earned the German Metal Construction Award 2024, ingeniously concealing the garage with dual-parking layout, bicycle storage, and waste facilities behind their elegant facade. Above, the roofline features dark tiles accented by an exposed cubic dormer that opens the attic maisonette's kitchen to the street. Smart engineering maximises usable space: all bathrooms and kitchens connect to a central service core, while the lift runs directly to each unit. This disciplined approach freed the rest of the floor plans from unnecessary walls, allowing the maisonettes to adapt effortlessly to future living patterns. The rear elevation tells a different story – fully glazed and ringed with generous balconies and terraces that blur the boundary between inside and out. Here, three-part electronically controlled Smallframe sliding windows with no visible floor profile create seamless transitions on the ground and top floors. True to its KfW Efficiency House 55 standard, the building incorporates a heat pump, photovoltaic panels, and intelligent KNX building controls.

www.krausarchitekten.de

Photography:
Marius im Brahm
www.mariusimbrahm.de

(Published in CUBE Cologne Bonn 01|25)