For a long time, the site on which the Collet and Engelhard machine tool factory once stood lay fallow. As a result, the western entrance to the city of Offenbach did not look very attractive. This has now changed significantly. The Goethequartier, one of the city's largest residential construction projects, has been built on the 1.8-hectare site between Bernardstrasse and Berliner Strasse. By the beginning of 2021, an urban part of Offenbach will have been created with 327 rental apartments (around 25 percent of which are subsidized), a daycare centre, a supermarket, additional retail and office space and parking facilities. This mix redefines quality living spaces and at the same time urban spaces on the border with Frankfurt, near Kaiserlei and Offenbach harbour.

The project planned by Frankfurt architects Landes & Partner continues the Wilhelminian-style perimeter block development of Offenbach's Nordend as far as Goethering and blends into the prevailing urban structure and the existing small-scale development in terms of size and scale. "The residential buildings in the block are coordinated in such a way that 'diversity in unity' is expressed. The result is a metropolitan complex that presents itself as a unit and yet makes the idea of individual buildings visible in every house. By combining individual houses, an urban block is created," says Landes, explaining the concept, which was inspired by 19th century Paris. The homogeneous apartment blocks of Baron Haussmann were a model in terms of the color and composition of the façade - even if the architects have translated the plans of the former Parisian urban planner into the here and now and implemented them in a radically contemporary way.

All of the houses have a rendered façade and natural stone elements as well as a matching color concept, which helps to structure the façades. The arrangement of windows with different colors and, in some cases, differentiated window walls, window surrounds and window sills as well as design elements such as exits, balconies, loggias and projections and recesses in the façade create the character of individual houses. This characteristic is further enhanced by the differentiation of the surfaces using plaster and material structures. Each house is accessed separately from the outside and each entrance is designed as a distinct entrance, which forms its own address in combination with the façade structure and the color concept of the respective house.
The urban height development of the buildings decreases towards the north-east in the direction of Bernardstrasse. The corner buildings are accentuated as high points and their outer edges are rounded off. For example, a raised parapet and a roof pergola crown the corner building on Berliner Strasse. Six buildings with two-storey arched arcades on Berliner Strasse and in the transition to Goethering exude a metropolitan and southern flair. In this area, commercial space extends over two storeys, with the arcades acting as a visual buffer between the commercial space and the apartments above. Seven five-storey apartment buildings have been erected in the Quartiershof in the spirit of dense development, with the high-quality design of the entrance areas, among other things, emphasizing the villa character.

All apartments benefit from extensive open spaces, whether in the form of balconies, front gardens, terraces or roof terraces on the top floors. Generous green and play areas have been created in the inner courtyard, which can be accessed from several sides. The courtyard area between the buildings was designed not only as a social space, but also as a green, lively communication zone. Terraces and front garden zones on the first floor support this approach. Many balconies and loggias, which extend far into the communal space, create a feeling of freedom within the boundaries. The boundaries between outside and inside, privacy and community are thus permeable, which is very well received by the residents.

www.landes-partner.de

Photos:

Pascal Schirmer
www.pascalschirmer.de

(Published in CUBE Frankfurt 04|21)