Grummer Karree

There are only a few 1920s residential estates in the Ruhr area whose appearance has remained unchanged. Grummer Karree, built in 1927, is one of them. Originally built for workers at Bochum’s steel mills, the flats had recently ceased to be in demand. Vacancy rates had reached 40% when it was decided to thoroughly modernise the estate while maintaining or recreating the authentic exterior facades as far as possible. This was carried out based on a feasibility study conducted by the Öko-Zentrum NRW. Step by step, a wide range of one to five-room, barrier-free flats were made available with social housing funding provided in part by the North Rhine-Westphalia programme to make existing flats suitable for the physically disabled.
Barrier-free accessibility to the raised-ground-floor flats is made possible via the roof of the new underground garage in the interior of the block. In addition to the installation of generously-proportioned balconies, particular importance was placed on energy-efficient renovation, which was carried out while preserving the latticed windows and cornice band as architectural features characteristic of the period when the estate was built. The large, green, car-free interior of the residential block and the plaza-like entrance area are also being preserved and designed anew.
In the Grummer Karree, one can sense a powerful connection between tradition and modernity, between old and new, as some of the construction measures are already finished while others are underway and a few buildings still retain their original form.

Awards:
Deutscher Bauherrenpreis Modernisierung 2011 (Kooperation GdW, BDA, DST), Preisträger

Author: Route der Wohnkultur
Last changed on 24.03.2010

Categories:
Architecture » Residential buildings » Multiple Housing
Urban Design » Square and Neighbourhood Planning