An experiment inititated by the architects sought to deal with the increasing number of residential vacancies in this high-rise area in Cottbus. While two out of three eleven-storey buildings at Theodor-Storm-Straße were refurbished, the third building was dismantled slab by slab. About a third of the reinforced concrete elements were re-used as material for five smaller houses – the ‘urban villas’ stand in stark contrast to their surroundings However, the project can only marginally serve as an example for the demolition schemes currently under way in East Germany: the "donor building" and new building land are not always so close to one another.

Client: Gemeinnützige Wohnungsbaugenossenschaft »Stadt Cottbus« e.G.
Utilizable Space: 1.320 sqm
Building costs: 996 €/sqm living space