Residential and Business Building “Westgarten” | Stefan Forster

This L-shaped residential development with six floors of apartments above street level stands at the junction of the relatively new urban district of Westhafen and the established Gutleutviertel district to the north. In response to this situation, the new development seeks to mediate between the distinct buildings of the new district and the late 19th/early 20th-century city-block structure of the old quarter. The generously glazed ground floor accommodates a row of shops and a café, providing a valuable function in terms of serving local shopping needs. Architecturally this mix of urban functions is reflected in a lively façade design: Bands of clinker brick parapets, continuous light-coloured cornices, the distinctive rounded corner and the overall sculptural treatment lend the building a classical elegance that is reminiscent of 1920s city architecture. Awnings and external roller blinds, deep loggias and roof terraces, wooden windows and a recessed roof storey all combine to create a certain Mediterranean feel in this riverside location