A Home for Everyone

The name of the project, “Gut für Alle” –  a play on words meaning “Good for Everyone” or “Estate for Everyone” –  encapsulates its essence: a quarter that creates a home for different people in different life situations. Whether young or old, families or singles – the neighbourhood, consisting of eight individually sized farms, offers an architectural ensemble of multi-family houses, terraced houses, communal spaces, green areas, a daycare centre, a mobility hub and greenhouses. Each farm has its own character.

This is where communal life takes place: Children play outdoors, and a network of small paths connects the individual neighbourhoods. In this modern housing estate, cars are guests – traffic is consciously reduced through design measures, allowing play streets and paths to be used as extended living spaces. Bicycle parking spaces for residents are assigned to the farms and are thus directly accessible. In contrast, parking spaces for cars are centrally located in an underground garage. The mobility hub in the south accommodates visitor parking as well as car-sharing spaces.

In the quarter, the landscape architects from Karres en Brands plan various gardens within the farmsteads. Green oases are created for the farm community, which can be used both privately or communally. The “village green” is the focal point of the residential complex and, as a modern interpretation of a village square, serves as a meeting point for residents and the adjacent quarter. Here, neighbourhood parties and communal activities such as flea markets can take place, and additional uses for the community such as a parcel station or a kiosk are planned. Large trees and a pond invite people to linger at the village green – a place to meet and enjoy a coffee. Moreover, the pond is part of a sophisticated rainwater retention system, alleviating the public sewer network in the event of heavy rainfall.