On Subplot D of the Walkeweg site, three rows of residential buildings are arranged at regular intervals. The high density of the development allows the transition to the curved railway track to be left open, extending the green space—which is valuable to the community—onto the property. The three buildings are not conceived as independent units but are connected into a network via an access system rotated by 90 degrees. This socio-spatial and urban planning decision structures the courtyards and offers significant typological and community-building potential. While the lower floors are accessible via passageways and stairs, light bridges connect the buildings starting from the second floor. Within a consistent timber-frame grid, specific typologies are developed for each row and their site-specific qualities. This fosters neighborhoods and interactions not along the “blind” long side of the buildings, but with the building opposite. Since the distribution of apartment types occurs row by row, the rotated access routes do not connect the same apartments repeatedly, but rather promote a consistent mix of residents.
Competition Entry
Architecture: Stefan Wülser + Moritz Wahl + Riccardo Simioni + Daria Ryffel