On the formerly recessed top floor and along the ground floor the architects created new living space by expanding the building volume towards the street. As a result, both residential buildings received a roof shape with a calm impression and a protruding pedestal area featuring the only apartments that can be accessed from the street. Based on their larger area compared to the other apartments they are primarily intended for families. The aluminium cladding along the ground floor facades matches the colour of its counterparts along the upper floors, which feature a different kind of texture. Entrance doors, mail slots and ventilation flaps are seamlessly integrated. The glass panes along the ground floor facade are up to 5,6 metres wide and partially satinised in order to provide a sufficient degree of privacy.
Along the insides of the two apartment buildings the architects specified 50 new door openings that needed to be cut into the existing concrete walls in order to create floor plans that were larger and more variable than the previous ones. They calculate that about 50 percent of the existing structure was maintained. Despite having been significantly remodelled and upgraded, the construction costs of 895 euro per square metre for both residential buildings equals a mere 75 percent of comparable new construction. However, in terms of energy consumption and comfort they meet new building standards. Complete demolition and erecting an entirely new building wouldn't have been sensible since the land use plan for the quarter would have limited any new building to only four storeys.
The successful renovation of the Rozemaai residential complex became a trailblazer for future renovation projects in the quarter and generally calls for a sensible approach towards dealing with difficult and run-down large scale housing projects of the post World War II era.
