The architecture firm Konrath und Wennemar has spent years shaping the distinctive urban character of Grafental. Through several residential projects, the Düsseldorf-based architects have proven how residential diversity and distinctive design can work in harmony. Their latest venture comprises three residential buildings that define two inner courtyard spaces and captivate through their façades—a strikingly intricate composition of layered elements.

Breaking from tradition, these buildings depart from the U-shaped typology used in earlier phases. Instead, three perpendicular solitary volumes converge to form a unified ensemble. Part of a larger development containing six residential buildings, they loosely frame two courtyards between Metrostraße and Hohenzollernallee. The challenge was clear: give each courtyard unmistakable character while establishing a bold architectural statement—one that would command attention yet harmonize with its context. The design inspiration came from the client's own vision: a cluster of freely floating cubes. The architects embraced this concept, composing nearly cubic bay windows in a playful, liberated arrangement across the façades, then layering them with a second tier of variously-scaled balconies. The result is a façade that orchestrates light and shadow with remarkable sophistication, especially as daylight moves across the surfaces. To emphasize this interplay while maintaining continuity with neighboring structures, material restraint became the strategy: two buildings feature clean white plaster, while the third introduces warm sand-toned brick, its balconies and bay windows picked out in white plaster. From any approach angle, a white façade consistently pairs with a brick volume, reinforcing visual coherence. Achieving these layered façade planes demanded precision—requiring three distinct scaffolding levels, a level of rigor uncommon in comparable projects.

The protruding bay window cubes offer residents something rarely seen in residential design: extraordinary variety in floor plan configurations, especially within living and bedroom spaces. Virtually no two units repeat. The bay windows also frame views and sightlines outward, creating an unexpected richness of visual connection to the surroundings. Like earlier phases, these three buildings—housing 109 units total—rest on a shared underground car park, keeping all vehicle traffic beneath grade. The result is a generously landscaped garden environment that extends throughout the development, serving residents as both social gathering space and recreational area.

www.konrath-wennemar.de

Photography Credits:

Max Hampel
www.maxhampel.com

(Published in CUBE Düsseldorf 03|22)