Competition for care facility and subsidised senior living in Nuremberg St. Johannis

FROM THE JURY REPORT:

"In terms of urban planning, the work very skilfully interprets the transition from the dense urban quarter to the garden area in the floodplain. The moderately staggered ensemble of four related buildings is deliberately set back behind the green space. Despite its emphatically loose composition as a cluster, a clear central open space is created from which all four houses are accessed, as if from a village square. The building on the street corner opens up to the neighbourhood with a cafeteria, but its low, special role is not unanimously approved of there.

In the architectural development, the authors succeed excellently in achieving an inviting, small-scale impression that is conducive to the garden plot. The open spaces are structured in a varied way; an attractive garden for residents with dementia is well placed in the south on the green embankment zone facing the floodplain. The concept of mixed spaces fits well with the loose cluster, but it would need some clarification in detail (including the entrance to the underground car park). The proposed active garden uses in the protected southern tree area lead to extensive interventions and are not convincing there.

The arrangement of the care areas is well done, but the division into three houses goes hand in hand with increased constructional and operational effort. The individual residential floor plans with their moving, differentiated development spaces are also appreciated. However, there are clearly too few units. A clear deficit is also noted in the area of parking spaces. The presumably high construction costs and the comparatively high proportion of external walls are also criticised. Otherwise, the work is in the good average range in terms of area and mass parameters. The construction is conventional, the façades show attractive echoes of plain, colourfully decorative architecture of the post-war period.

Open spaces: With the placement and design of the façades facing the neighbourhood, the authors propagate the continuation of the green fringe. This noticeable reminiscence of the existing gardens and the associated pleasant quality of stay within the small-scale structures are judged to be successful. The openings on all sides into the neighbourhood and to the floodplain or the municipal facilities link the well-proportioned inner courtyard in a natural and inviting way. The dementia garden on a south-facing terrace facing the riverbank is separated from the courtyard in a coherent and attractive manner. The logistical requirements, including the entrance to the underground car park, are well integrated into the flowing square and courtyard spaces without counteracting the address formation of the individual building blocks. Smaller roof sections are offered to the adjacent residents of the upper floors at the same level and enrich the open space offer.

Overall, the work is considered to be very sensitive in terms of urban development and landscape. It develops the nursing and residential home as an inviting ensemble of individual houses in a green setting. However, the ambitious composition and design lead the jury to doubt the operational and economic feasibility and appropriateness."