Description

According to the jury of a competition organised by the “Lebendige Stadt” Foundation, Tübingen is one of the four most liveable cities for senior citizens in Germany, with its own planning policy program for elderly residents that, using public consultation, examines each district to see how life can be made easier for its more aged citizens. The “White Tower” project built in the city centre includes 14 “low-barrier” rental apartments for older residents. The special charm of this project lies in the fact that it is not exclusively for the elderly but has a mix of residential and commercial uses inserted into the grain of the city centre. On the ground floor is a language school, which brings young people to the building and enlivens the courtyard during breaks. The next two floors are apartments for elderly, still able residents who can look after themselves. The building is crowned by three floors with twelve apartments of various sizes from one to four rooms. Consequently, the building houses people of all ages from singles to families to elderly citizens.

The building is a communal project by a group of private individuals, none of whom have moved in themselves – an unusual and in this respect special investment project. The site has various characteristics that can quickly push up construction costs: its triangular form is not conducive to rational floor plans, it borders a water course requiring a flood barrier, and a railway line and main road is opposite, requiring special noise-insulating windows. Nevertheless, the architects were still able to exceed basic residential standards in some aspects.

The building is accessed via a triangular stairwell in the middle around which the staircases and landings, made of fair-faced concrete, are arranged, promoting visual contact between the floors. The wider stairwell makes the space just large enough to promote casual interactions with one’s neighbours. The façade, while unspectacular is not faceless. If every new building in inner-city areas were planned with the same care and attention to housing needs, a mix of uses, and also design-wise, our cities would be much better places. The White Tower is therefore a model of how urban development in an aging society should be.

Originally published in Bauwelt 03.2018, pp. 36-39, abridged and edited for Building Types online, translated by Julian Reisenberger

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