Mark Twain Village

Residential construction with commercial use

A new urban residential district is being built on the former US Army base in Heidelberg. The construction field developed by planquadrat comprises a 5-storey tower block and a three-storey ribbon development, each with a penthouse level. Due to its height and design, the tower block constitutes a distinctive high point at Mark Twain Platz. Both new buildings together create 40 residential units of varying dimensions, of which half is subsidized. The southern area of the plot is used as an urban gardening and natural infiltration area.

On the ground floor the tower block accommodates a café, an event room and a mobility station. With their public facilities they enliven the square and present themselves with a prestigious facade design. The private entrances to the apartments are clearly sectioned off optically from the public areas. The design allows for architecture that reacts to the central location, thereby showing a contemporary, significant façade image. It cites classic architectural elements in materiality, proportion and design elements without historicizing.

Project Management: Holger Grobe (competition), Jörn Tillmanns
Project Leader: Ausra Sifuentes Garcia (competition), Martina Bachmann
Team: Nina Rettig, Alina Schick (competition), Liana Kolewa