Housing for employees – a success story!
Wohnungsgesellschaft der Stadtwerke Köln (WSK) has completed a new mixed-use building in Cologne with 41 apartments for employees of the Stadtwerke Köln Group, a café with a bakery and a four-room daycare center.
Hermeskeiler Platz in Cologne-Sülz is the lively center of a popular district southwest of Cologne's city center. The new building, an ensemble of three residential buildings and a kindergarten, embraces the edge of the block with clear interior and exterior spaces. The four-storey residential and commercial building has a strongly sculpturally structured south façade facing the square with distinctive round arches at the top. The arcade forms a sheltered forecourt to the ground-floor café with bakery and invites people to linger, even in changeable weather conditions. The two five-storey buildings on Hermeskeiler Strasse have a more restrained design, but are clearly divided into two building units. A plinth faced with light-coloured brickwork forms the stable foundation connecting the public spaces at the terminus and on the square; above this, the façades are plastered and painted in off-white tones. The roof surfaces are either greened or fitted with photovoltaic systems.
Jens Johannisson, Head of Project Development & Project Management:
"We implemented PLANFRED for the first time as a document management platform for the new building at Hermeskeiler Platz. We now use PLANFRED for all new build and refurbishment projects because it is easy to use and, thanks to versioning, always remains up-to-date and clear."
Project data
Total usable area (above ground): 4,166 m²
Use: 41 apartments, café with bakery, four-storey daycare center, underground car park with 61 parking spaces
Investment volume: 16.65 million euros
Realization: 2020 to 2023
Client: Housing company of Stadtwerke Köln mbH
Design: happarchitecture, Frankfurt am Main
Photos: Annika Feuss
"As the housing company of Stadtwerke Köln mbH (WSK), we create attractive and affordable living space for Group employees. A high level of efficiency is essential in project management. PLANFRED's document management focuses on the essentials, is intuitive to use and is therefore a cornerstone of our success."