Housing Block in Dortmund
The process of rehabilitating the Ruhr industrial area and turning it into a modern urban environment is clearly evident in the district of Hörde in Dortmund. Plans exist to transform the derelict areas once occupied by the Phoenix blast-furnace plant into a location for innovative activities, with a mixture of research and development, service and leisure facilities as well as housing. A few streets away, a similar concept has been implemented in the conversion of a small block of flats. The use has not changed, but the appearance has. In the process of adding a storey to the house, the roof has been renewed and the facade insulated. The outcome is a new, clear-cut cubic structure with a double-pitched roof. The windows have been set flush with the outer face, and the projections in the existing external walls have been levelled out with two layers of thermal insulation. The smooth rendered outer walls continue without a break into the sheet-zinc roof surfaces. Rainwater gutters in the same material are integrated into the planes of the roof; and removed from sight in the rear slope is a domed light that illuminates the staircase space.
