Living

Pariser Höfe, Stuttgart

2008 bis 2013

The open spaces of the housing yard provides a playing yard in the middle from South to North and private gardens east and west of the middle. This central area is, with offers of sand, playing and sitting, made as one large grass field, shadowed by a dense roof of leaves, cut geometrically like a box, of a two-entry planting of linden. These “box-linden” are solitary big trees with a centryn of more than 4 metres and a tribal extensive of min 35-40 cm. North and south of the central area, there are 8cm deep water basins with water-play, to be over-drivable by the fire brigade. The private gardens are 50 cm higher located than the playing yard and the entrances to the buildings and find orientation on the height of the ground-floor of the adjacent residences. They are framed by seating walls and by 1m high horn beam-hedges, creating a distance between the private and the semi-private spaces. This edge is highlighted by a one entry planting of copper rock pear, parallel to the edge of built form. The private gardens with sealed terraces and adjacent grass areas are divided by plantings of bush-roses. The playing yard and the entrances into the building are tiled by natural stone in sand colors. Around the water basins, there are darker colors generally applied, exposing the central playground. The private terraces however, are sealed with small-formats of sandy natural stone tiles of the same material without nuances. The areas for giving access to the fire-brigade on the grass are made of artificial grass honeycombs, covering the ground by 3cm of material. The central playing area is equipped by children and youth game scaffolds, according to the demands and spatial options. The height difference of 50 cm between private and semi-private space is designed by wall elements for seating, made of ready mixed concrete elements with a natural stone cover for the visible areas.