Description

The new building complex in the centre of Bad Rappenau, designed by ASIRarchitekten, contains a mixture of public and private spaces and reconnects pathways within the city. In addition to numerous shops and apartments, the complex also includes 36 assisted living apartments for the elderly.

A key element of the design is a new public passage. Oriented towards the church spire, it re-establishes an important connection between the railway station and the town centre. In addition to public transport stops and short-stay parking the complex provides a large underground garage for the residents, located in the base of the building beneath the shops. A new bridge allows pedestrians uninterrupted passage from the railway station to the market square and provides a direct connection to green areas lower down.

The passageway through the centre splits the Stadtcarré into two parts. In the larger section on the east side, three floors house sheltered accommodation. The apartments vary in size, with a total of 29 two-room apartments of between 45 and 60 m² and seven three-room apartments of up to 90 m²² in size. The apartments fulfil German barrier-free norms (DIN 18025 parts I and II) with 101 cm-wide doorways with no thresholds, and bathrooms suitable for disabled use with flush-mounted shower basins. In some cases, minor deviations from the norms have been accepted, for example, storage rooms are not always fully dimensioned for disabled-accessibility as this would have meant creating larger and therefore more expensive flats, or else cramped the indoor spaces.

Each apartment has its own loggia which, as an additional “room”, forms a centrepiece of the flat and increases the sense of space. The bedroom adjoins the loggia and is connected to the living area via a large sliding door. The loggia can also be accessed from the living and dining room, which has large windows that wrap around the corner and a low sill affording a view out onto the street.

Particular attention was paid to the design of the entrance niches which form a semi-private area in front of each apartment. A corner window in the kitchen overlooks this entrance area, giving the residents a greater sense of security. A door buzzer with video camera allows residents to see who is entering the building.

Care assistance is provided by the social care centre in Bad Rappenau which has offices and a kitchen, therapy pool and other care facilities on the entrance floor of the building. Also on the ground floor is a communal space from which one can see the church, providing a visual connection with the city. It also serves as a conference space and, like the internal courtyard, can be hired out to organisations for events. In addition to its public uses, the interior courtyard also provides access via galleries to the apartments and serves as a communal area for the residents. Covered by a translucent membrane roof, the courtyard is an indoor space and can be used year-round by the elderly residents as a place to meet and chat. The atrium is supplied with fresh air that has been either pre-cooled or pre-warmed by being drawn through earth ducts before being distributed to the individual apartments to provide regular ventilation. Vents at the edge of the membrane roof can be opened or closed depending on the season and provide additional air circulation.

A further special aspect of the building is the temperature regulation of the concrete core of the upper walkways, which serves to level out extreme temperatures in summer and winter. In summer the trees also provide additional shade in the atrium. The air climate within the atrium is further enhanced by the Bougainvillea which grow up vertical stainless steel netting and give off moisture through evaporation. Beside its climatic function, the communal, greened courtyard provides residents with the equivalent of a garden of their own. The second part of the complex to the west of the central passage contains 15 apartments with between two and five rooms that overlook the town’s park. The standard and kind of fittings is similar to that of the apartments for assisted living and they are therefore also suitable for use by old people.

Through its successful integration of housing for the elderly on an inner-city site, as well as the high degree of satisfaction among its residents, the Stadtcarré in Bad Rappenau can serve as a pioneering example for other cities.

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Originally published in: Eckhard Feddersen, Insa Lüdtke, Living for the Elderly: A Design Manual, Birkhäuser, 2011.