Wohnanlage Klushof
In recent years, the housing company STรWOG in Bremerhaven has modernised two neighbourhoods of plain residential buildings from the 1950s and made some of them barrier-free. In doing so, it has taken unusual paths - in order to preserve affordable housing and to promote cooperation among tenants.
- Architect:
- Hans-Joachim Ewert
- Builder:
- STรWOG Stรคdtische Wohnungsgesellschaft Bremerhaven mbH, Bremerhaven, www.staewog.de
- Photos:
- Bernd Perlbach
- Location:
- Bremerhaven, Germany
- Products:
- AquaRoyal-System
- Stucasol
- Soldalit
- Klassik-System
Venturing new paths
Over the past 20 years, the municipal housing association STรWOG has transformed the former problem district of Wulsdorf in Bremerhaven (Germany), where various nationalities and refugees live, into a modern residential area with lots of greenery. In the process, the unsightly tenements from the 1950s and 1960s were not only given new balconies on the garden side, the cardboard roofs were fitted with hard roofing and insulation, the staircases were renovated, the front doors were renewed and the green space was landscaped with trees and hedges.
"Green is a calming and healing agent and contributes to the well-being of residents."
The right coat of paint with friendly splashes of colour
The unrenovated post-war buildings presented an unattractive sight in weathered grey and "military green" tones. With appropriate colour concepts, however, the modernised buildings now blend in excellently with their surroundings: The building complex in Klushof is surrounded by historic brick buildings.
"We have therefore taken up the red clinker tone of the historic buildings on the outer facade facing the street. In the inner courtyard, the facades are kept white, which corresponds well with the greenery. In addition, differently coloured signs on the arcades provide orientation for the residents," explains Ewert.
For the facade painting, those responsible chose the colour system KEIM AquaRoyal. In the apartments and stairways, the sol-silicate paints Innotop and - for the intensive colour shades - Optil were used.
In the Wulsdorf neighbourhood, it is not only the unusual wooden cladding and the new flying roof of the spirale house that immediately catch the eye: The chosen light blue facade also contributes to the friendlier impression, at the same time forming a contrast to the warm wooden tone. In this neighbourhood, the residents generally wanted more colourfulness. So, many facades and also the staircases of the buildings are colourful.
The housing association had the facade coated with the particularly durable and colour-stable KEIM Soldalit system. Sol-silicate plaster KEIM Stucasol used in some areas supports the effect of the facade, creating a harmonious interplay of the most diverse materials. Innostar was used for the staircases.
The architect explains the importance of colour:
"Colour is a simple and inexpensive, but equally highly effective design element - also for creating urban space - and triggers positive emotions in the residents."
STรWOG has been working with KEIMFARBEN paints for 15 years and has always had good experiences with them: "The paints still look good, even when they age, and they also generally have a very nice brilliance of colour," explains Hans-Joachim Ewert.
STรWOG won the German Building Award 2018 in the category "Revitalisation of Housing Estates" with the Neuelandstraรe residential complex in the Klushof district. The award honours housing projects that focus on the conflicting priorities of high quality and affordable costs.
