Das geplante Wohnbauprojekt in der Schleiermacherstraße in Darmstadt hat im Gestaltungsbeirat am 14. Februar eine positive Resonanz erhalten. Der Entwurf sieht vor, bestehende Altbauten durch zwei Neubauten zu ergänzen, wodurch insgesamt 80 Wohneinheiten für Studierende und Auszubildende geschaffen werden sollen.

Die Planung berücksichtigt die historische Umgebung und orientiert sich an den umliegenden Gebäuden aus der Gründerzeit. Die Fassadenstrukturierung wurde sorgfältig gestaltet, um sich harmonisch in die Umgebung einzufügen. Die Präsentation stieß auf breite Zustimmung und erhielt konstruktive Anmerkungen. Das Projekt wird nicht nur dringend benötigten Wohnraum schaffen, sondern auch zur städtebaulichen Aufwertung beitragen.

Unser Büro hat mit einem Team von neun Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeitern die BAU 2025 in München besucht. Die Weltleitmesse für Architektur präsentierte innovative Entwicklungen und zukunftsweisende Trends der Baubranche. Besonders beeindruckt waren wir von den Fortschritten im Bereich des resilienten und klimagerechten Bauens sowie den neuen Ansätzen zur Transformation von Städten und Quartieren.

Ein weiterer Schwerpunkt lag auf ressourceneffizientem und modularem Bauen, das angesichts der aktuellen Herausforderungen in der Branche auch für uns immer mehr an Bedeutung gewinnt. Die Messe bot abermals eine hervorragende Plattform, um neue Technologien kennenzulernen und Kontakte zu knüpfen. Wir kehren mit inspirierenden Ideen zurück, die wir in unsere zukünftigen Projekte einfließen lassen werden.

Am 17. Januar erfolgte in Hochheim am Main der erste Spatenstich für unser Wohnbauprojekt im Adam-Treber-Weg. Die Wohnungsbaugesellschaft (WoBau) realisiert auf einem 5.300 m² großen Grundstück einen Wohnkomplex mit insgesamt 69 Wohneinheiten und einem großen Mehrzweckraum. Das Investitionsvolumen beträgt 15,7 Millionen Euro.

Das Projekt, das von der Goldbeck Südwest GmbH umgesetzt wird, basiert auf dem Konzept des seriellen und modularen Bauens. Dies ermöglicht einen vereinfachten Planungsprozess und kostengünstigen Wohnungsbau in hoher Qualität. Das neue Projekt setzt daher ein wichtiges Zeichen für bezahlbares und soziales Wohnen in der Region.

On 22^nd November, the Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland regional group of the German Academy for Urban and Regional Planning held a specialist event in Darmstadt. Under the title ‘Ressourcensibel?! (sensitive to resources) Planning, building and redevelopment in small municipalities and in the BauGB’, the current challenges and strategies of sustainable urban development were discussed. The event began with an excursion through Mollerstadt and to the ‘Studico’ project, followed by several informative presentations in the planquadrat office. Overall, the event provided valuable insights into resource-sensitive planning approaches and promoted dialogue between experts from different disciplines.

On 31^st October, Herbert Elfers and the site manager from Dobberstein Realisierungsmanagement GmbH gave around 30 guests a guided tour of our View180 conversion project in Darmstädter Landstrasse in Frankfurt am Main and explained the planning concept and the steps involved in its implementation in detail. A vacant office and residential building from 1991 in the Sachsenhausen district is being converted into a high-quality mixed-use building. There will be 222 residential units as well as commercial uses on the ground floor (including a boarding house) and a day care centre. Most of the upper floors will be gutted and converted, while the underground car park will be completely refurbished.

The topping-out ceremony for our ‘Plinganserstraße’ new-build and modernisation project in Munich took place on 8 October. The project for Münchner Wohnen comprises the construction of 194 new flats, of which 147 are privately financed and 47 are income-orientated subsidised. Former commercial buildings along Plinganserstraße will be replaced by six-storey buildings, two further buildings will be constructed on Karwendelstraße and four flats will be added to an existing building. In addition, four existing buildings with a total of 64 flats are being modernised to make them more energy-efficient.

The neighbourhood will be expanded to include two commercial units and a day-care centre as well as a mobility station where tenants can borrow cargo pedelecs or e-bikes free of charge. The completion of the overall project, which resulted from a winning realisation competition and will offer a sustainable residential solution in a central location within the Mittlerer Ring, is planned for the end of 2026. Our office was commissioned for service phases 1-4 and 6 in full and 5 and 7 in part.

Photography: © Münchner Wohnen

On 1^st October, our Managing Director Herbert Elfers presented our pioneering concept for a temporary athletics stadium to the sports committee of the North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament. The design for a possible German Olympic bid in 2040 focuses on sustainability and innovative architecture. The planned stadium, which will be built on a brownfield site and offer space for around 40,000 spectators, will not only serve as a venue for athletics competitions during the Games, but will also allow for flexible subsequent use.

The interior of the stadium will then be transformed into a park with small lakes. The stands could be converted into residential and office space, while day-care centres and sports facilities would also be integrated into the subsequent use. The dual use of the stadium as a sports venue and later as residential space is expected to result in considerable cost savings.

We are proud to be making a contribution to sustainable urban development in North Rhine-Westphalia with our concept and look forward to the further development of this exciting project.

Planquadrat will once again be taking part in this year's EXPO REAL, which will be held in Munich from 7^th to 9^th October 2024. The international trade fair for property and investment offers a platform for exchanging information on the latest developments and innovations in the industry.

This year, the focus of the trade fair will be on the topics of digitalisation, decarbonisation and smart buildings, which address the key challenges facing the real estate industry. A new area called ‘Transform & Beyond’ will be dedicated specifically to these future topics in order to present innovative solutions and approaches. We look forward to interesting discussions and exchanges with industry colleagues and experts.

Photography: © Messe München GmbH

On 19^th September, the topping-out ceremony for the second STADTPLATZ construction phase of our PARKTRIO residential project in Frankfurt was celebrated. It will comprise 143 rental flats as well as commercial and catering space, which are expected to be ready for occupancy by the end of 2025. The Managing Director of our client LBBW Immobilien, Michael Stapf, emphasised the importance of the project in view of the current housing shortage. The entire PARKTRIO neighbourhood is scheduled for completion by the end of 2028 and will comprise a total of 420 residential units. Great importance is attached to sustainable construction and utilisation.

Photography: © LBBW Immobilien Management GmbH

The 20th Test Facility Forum (TFF), organised by SBI Schreiber, Brand und Partner Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH, took place in Frankenthal on 17 and 18 September. The event provided a platform for the exchange of innovative ideas and global collaboration in the field of pioneering technologies.

On the second day of the event, our Managing Director Robert Müller and our Sustainability Manager Anne Schultheis spoke on the topic of "Sustainable building in architecture". Their presentation covered historical developments, CO2 reduction strategies and EU Green Deal measures, as well as a life cycle approach for buildings and the increasing relevance of sustainability in property valuation.

Foto: © SBI

This year's summer tour took our office to Dörscheid in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley. We travelled in two coaches from Darmstadt via Frankfurt to Kaub, from where (after a short stop at a local inn) we hiked up quite steep slopes through the vineyards. Once at the top, we were rewarded with a breathtaking view over the Rhine and the Pfalzgrafenstein island castle.

The end of the hike was the garden of our Managing Director Martin Geskes, where chilled drinks and a barbecue buffet awaited us, a quiz had to be solved together and one or two of us were able to demonstrate their talent in a bouncy ball competition. After driving home together, we ended the evening in a cosy atmosphere on our sunny outdoor terrace. It was great!

Despite the exertions and the sweltering outdoor temperatures (33 °C, 42% humidity), it was once again great fun: our office team gave it their all again on 1st September and achieved an absolutely respectable overall time of 14 hours, 24 minutes and 46 seconds at the Darmstadt 10 Friends Triathlon, which meant 126th place in the overall rankings. What a great achievement!

Many thanks to all our colleagues who donned the orange PQ jersey or put on their swimming cap this time. And, of course, a big thank you to all those who carried our team to the finish line with their vociferous support along the route.

On 29th August, our Managing Director, Jörg Krämer, spoke on the topic of ‘Change as a principle’ at an evening for young architects and urban planners, organised by the Hesse Chamber of Architects and Urban Planners in Wiesbaden. Among other things, he presented the campus concept for the factory premises of the Heraeus technology group in Hanau and our current project ‘View 180’ in Darmstädter Landstraße in Frankfurt, in which a former office building of a large insurance company will be converted into residential premises by the end of this year. The AKH series of events is aimed at young architects who are currently only voluntary members of the Chamber.

Foto: ©AKH

This year, planquadrat once again took part in the CITY CYCLING campaign at all three office locations. The aim of this competition is to cycle as many everyday journeys as possible within 21 days and thus promote more cycling, climate protection and quality of life in the municipalities. This time, our colleagues cycled a total of 6,460 kilometres - roughly half the diameter of the earth. This equates to a saving of 1,035 kg of CO2. A big thank you to everyone who took part!

In recent years, planquadrat has developed innovative concepts for climate adaptation in urban neighbourhoods and has been able to use this knowledge to win many competitions and implement urban development plans. Our office has successfully collaborated with geskes.hack landscape architects from Berlin, who have a wealth of expertise in green and blue infrastructure, municipal water management and the redesign of urban, climate-resilient open spaces.

On 2^nd July, the Futurepanel ‘Climate-resilient neighbourhoods’ took place at planquadrat in Darmstadt, where Christof Geskes reported on planning and implementation practice: whether future trees, water gardens, cold islands, reed beds or the design of new retention areas - the exemplary solutions he presented all contribute to securing or restoring the quality of life in our cities in times of climate change. We would like to thank the numerous guests for coming and for the good discussions on this evening.