FIRST LOOK: Heidelberg Village
Heidelberg Village is a residential and commercial complex on roughly 6,100 square meters of land. Named “Living Community,” the project aims to create an active social community lifestyle based on a multigenerational apartment concept.
Heidelberg Village resides at the epicenter of the world’s largest passive house settlement in Bahnstadt, a new urban district in Heidelberg, Germany.
A look inside a model apartment shows the open design and bright living spaces.
Each apartment has its own balcony.
On the west side, the building has five floors and eight floors in some parts of the complex. The east is bordered by the adjacent five-floor building. Both buildings have underground garages and a variety of one- to five-room apartments.
Heidelberg Village is part of a large sustainable development project in the new urban district, Bahnstadt, on the site of a former freight yard in Heidelberg, Germany. With 162 units, Heidelberg Village will accommodate people from all walks of life: from single households to disabled residents to seniors. Construction started in 2015 and is expected to be completed in spring 2017.
Residential units will range from one- to five-room apartments and many units are being built to accommodate residents who need nursing care or special needs, including handicapped-accessible bathrooms.
Architecture firm Frey Group (Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany) is also working together with outpatient care and domestic care services, which will have offices within the village.
Plans also include an apartment-sharing community for residents with dementia. The inner courtyard will be fenced in and provide an opportunity for dementia residents to walk outside while still under supervision. The inner courtyard is also adjacent to a childcare facility and residents and young children will have the opportunity to interact, creating a stimulating environment that will contribute to the mental health of the residents.
Additional community offerings will include at-home services, such as elderly care, babysitting, and an interactive neighborhood environment that encourages interaction among the residents. The entire complex is handicapped accessible and will include boutiques, cafés, and restaurants.
Taking a holistic approach to the architecture, Frey Group is utilizing the façades as well rooftops for energy production. The solar panels will also produce shade, giving them a dual purpose: continuous energy production and cooling in the summer time. Additionally, the dwellings‘ close proximity means less heat loss and more energy production by using every surface to generate power.
In addition to photovoltaic panels on the façade, green vertical gardens and a wall color that turns nitrogen oxide into oxygen are part of the design. Titanoxid is added to the wall color, which acts as a catalyzer on the finished surface. When the sun is shining and there‘s humidity in the air, the surface turns nitrogen oxide into nitrates and releases oxygen into the air.
Residents are being selected carefully in order to provide a positive balance of the interests within the building, allowing the Frey Group to foster harmonious shared living situations for singles, students, families, seniors, and people with special needs.
