German structure studio Demo Working Group has eliminated all non-structural partitions from this Nineteen Seventies high-rise condominium in Cologne, making a utilitarian open-plan inside.
Named Kier after its handle on Kierberger Straße, the condominium is about in a housing block in-built 1972. Earlier than the renovation, wallpaper lined its concrete shell and a myriad of dividing partitions created darkish, enclosed rooms.
Now, a structural concrete wall in the course of the ground plan is the one inside wall that is still, though Demo Working Group used a concrete noticed to chop out a doorway and create a direct hyperlink between the dwelling house and the bed room.
“We have been inquisitive about how these concrete constructions may be remodeled to allow new spatial choices,” companion Matthias Hoffmann informed Dezeen. “The brand new opening between the dwelling and the sleeping space redefines the circulation within the condominium.”
Uncooked concrete perimeter partitions work along with the remaining central wall to create an industrial-looking backdrop, constant all through all areas of the condominium.
“The high-rise constructions of that period are sometimes constructed out of concrete,” the studio mentioned. “We took off the wallpaper in order that the constructing’s construction with its particular texture and character may be skilled contained in the condominium.”
The newly liberated inside advantages from having home windows on two sides, which the designers capitalised on by using translucent, clear and reflective surfaces all through.
Former inner partitions have been changed with sheets of clear and frosted glass, permitting gentle to penetrate additional into the house and offering a distinction with the heaviness of the concrete.
This creates a free-flowing ambiance within the house, which nearly capabilities as a studio condominium because of the minimal, see-through divisions between the dwelling house, kitchen, bed room and toilet.
Mirrors and reflective surfaces are utilized to different areas, too. Within the kitchen, cabinets are tucked under a window that casts gentle onto a full-height mirrored backsplash on one aspect.
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The inexperienced kitchen counter additionally displays gentle and is constituted of a heavy-duty plastic, which Demo Working Group says is often reserved to be used in laboratories.
Shiny white tiles line the kitchen and toilet space whereas a built-in storage unit within the dwelling house is clad in sheets of aluminium to stage up the brightness of the inside.
Furnishings comply with a color palette of blues, greens and purples, with the couch and window body within the dwelling space picked out in a deep blue, referencing the accent color discovered all through the broader condominium block.
Steel continues to characteristic within the furnishings and fittings, from the legs of the eating set and bookshelf to a horseshoe-shaped gentle fixture on the bed room ceiling.
Demo Working Group was based in 2019 and works on structure and inside initiatives all through northern Germany.
Different condominium interiors which have lately been featured on Dezeen embrace a refurbished artwork deco-style condominium in Milan and a flat in Kyiv that options vibrant furnishings and glass bricks.
The images is by Jan Voigt.
