Green ecological efficient

By Silke Lambeck

It doesn’t get greener than this: the architects of the Düsseldorf-based firm greeen! architects, founded in 2008, use not one, but three “e”s in their name – for ethical, ecological, and efficient. While “efficient” refers not only to careful planning but also to resource-conscious design, the ethical and ecological aspects are clear and unmistakable.

“As experienced architects, we place special emphasis on a holistic approach to our building projects. We introduce new ideas, think ahead, and already incorporate future challenges into our concepts today,” says Marc Böhnke, Managing Partner of greeen! architects.

GBI first engaged with greeen! architects in 2016, when the Düsseldorf team won the design competition for Mixed-Use project at Düsseldorfer Hauptbahnhof.

For Mario Reale, Managing Partner of greeen! architects, a key goal in realizing the hotel trio at Düsseldorf Central Station was to enhance the central location through urban repair and integrate all three public squares around the station into city life. “From now on, it will be easy to move around on foot,” explains Reale. “The previously unused potential of the site is being activated so that the city and its residents receive a new, high-quality district that will generate positive impulses for the surrounding urban environment.”

A façade of red brick and golden metal cladding visually unites three distinct hotel and aparthotel projects. The design also connects the urban space between Konrad-Adenauer-Platz and Mintropplatz, creating a pedestrian-friendly area with gastronomy and new public spaces.

This year, greeen! architects presented a design for the memorial campus at Gleis 17 in Berlin-Grunewald, commissioned by Moses Mendelssohn Stiftung. DThe nearby memorial commemorates the more than 10,000 Jews deported from this site starting in 1941. Named after Berlin author Else Ury, the campus will serve as a memorial and research center for young people worldwide. Students wishing to live in the on-site apartments must study in Berlin or Potsdam and demonstrate particular interest and engagement in the location through lectures or exhibitions.

The greeen! architects’ plan envisions three buildings made of wood and steel, arranged in a triangle: the wood echoes the surrounding mature trees, while the corten steel references the rusted tracks of Gleis 17. Sightlines to the memorial are preserved.

“In intensive dialogue with the Moses Mendelssohn Foundation, we have designed a respectful memorial, remembrance, and learning space at Berlin’s Grunewald S-Bahn station that engages with the past while serving as a reminder for the future,” explains Marc Böhnke.

The deportation sites reached from Gleis 17 are made visible inside the buildings through light projections on the façade, becoming part of the exhibition space and keeping the history of the site present.

Even though “Gleis 17” is a particularly challenging project, greeen! architects often tackle complex urban situations. Recently, they presented a concept for the „RheinBoulevard“ in Düsseldorf’s city center, connecting multiple districts to allow pedestrians and cyclists to move safely and barrier-free. Böhnke described the project in an interview with the Rheinische Post as a “car-free promenade,” a concept more familiar from a rapidly greening Paris than a German metropolis.

In Leipzig, the firm designed the Masterplan for a new urban district on Lößniger Straße set to be implemented from 2023. It will include buildings for diverse housing types, commercial spaces, a neighborhood park, and a daycare center. Façades will be greened, and at least 30% of floor space is reserved for subsidized housing.

In Goldsteinstraße in Frankfurt am Main micro-apartments built within an existing structure are reminiscent of Bauhaus apartments. Clever interior solutions make efficient use of space while maintaining aesthetic appeal. A former men’s dormitory is being repurposed sustainably and in line with circular economy principles into a modern residential complex. The striking red façade of the Cube Ruby 923 demonstrates the architects’ willingness to explore unconventional solutions for existing sites.

The diversity of their projects promises exciting and, above all, sustainable designs in the future. Many projects already carry “green” in their name: The Greens, Green Court, Green City Tower, Grüne Mitte Quellenbusch, and Das Grüne Herz in Mannheim.

“Our holistic understanding of planning and construction has always convinced clients,” says Mario Reale. “Awareness and appreciation for climate- and resource-conscious architecture are steadily growing throughout the real estate sector. This is a crucial and long-overdue development for people, the environment, and our future.”

Silke Lambeck is a freelance writer based in Berlin.

This article was published in GBI AG’s E-Magazine on October 11, 2021.
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