Palladiumflat Apartment Building

Eckhard Feddersen, Insa Lüdtke

Description

The ”Palladiumflat”, designed by the German architects Johannes Kappler Architekten, is the first project realised as part of the “De Intense Stad” urban programme in Groningen. Differing slightly from traditional sheltered housing schemes, the building is conceived as residences for people above 50 who previously lived in a detached house, perhaps also in the suburbs, and are looking for a new environment more suited to their needs as they grow older. The design aims to combine the specific qualities of a detached house – privacy, generous outdoor spaces – with multi-storey living in an apartment block. Furthermore, all apartments were to be equally well lit.

The result is an elegant multi-storey building with two sets of lifts and stairs, each of which serves two flats per floor. With an extremely narrow depth of only 8.70 m, the building provides a variety of different atmospheric qualities – each flat looks over the street to the north and the peaceful communal gardens to the south. Instead of balconies, each flat has a south-facing conservatory that can be closed off and a large glass frontage to the north that can be opened as desired. All flats are designed for accessibility and are adaptable to the needs of residents with impaired mobility.

The arrangement of the floor plan is flipped from floor to floor, which can be seen in the alternating pattern of windows on every second storey on the façade. This makes it possible to incorporate eight different types of flats. None of the flats have internal columns, allowing the floor plan to be altered at a later date as required and maximising the use of space and daylight illumination. The building’s stability is achieved via load-bearing external walls, which nevertheless feature large windows and even sections with corner glazing.

In addition to the two entrance lobbies, the ground floor also contains a community centre for the elderly serving the entire neighbourhood as well as the administrative offices of a seniors’ organisation.