A Project of Superlatives: The Parkend Residential District
812 residential units in 18 buildings with a total living space of 66,461 square metres. It is very impressive what the Parkend residential area in Europaviertel Frankfurt has to show. And this is just the benchmark data. The megaproject, which was realised by P+B Group from Sankt Augustin, is not only one of the largest residential neighbourhood developments by an individual developer and property developer in Germany. It also sets standards in terms of urban planning and architecture for the development of a new urban district. When developing the building, the focus of P+B and the architects from Wentz & Co. was to allow for diversity in design while still maintaining a common canon of details. “Diversity in Unity” was therefore their central theme. The residential buildings are characterised by small-scale building proportions, rooftop gardens and a uniform enclosure with fences and hedges. The colours of the bricks vary and the façades are plastered in various shades of white. Friezes, and partly also balconies and canopies in exposed concrete, as well as various types of external sun protection characterise the plaster façades. The design of the balconies and loggias varies as well: Almost everything is included – from small decorative balconies in the north to residential balconies with a depth of 3 metres in the south.
In addition to the design, the sizes and types of the 18 buildings vary greatly. They range from U- to L- to point houses and house riegels. Overall, the range of dwelling types at Parkend is as varied as the needs of its users: from the compact apartment of 23 square metres to the 186 square metre penthouse with rooftop garden. Well thought-out floor plans and modern room concepts, loggias, balconies and terraces as well as first-class equipment, including multimedia cabling, round off the exclusive product. This seems to be well received: All apartments were already sold before completion of the neighbourhood. But not only apartments hunters are attracted by the "White Town". Only a few months after its completion, the residential district has been honoured with a high distinction and included in the "FIABCI Prix d'Excellence Official Selection 2019". It is regarded as one of the most coveted awards for building projects, in its international form it is even considered the "Oscar" for project developments.
Accordingly, the laudation of the top-class panel of judges, which evaluated the overall concept of architecture, sustainability, logistics, marketing, innovation and urban integration, reads: "Despite the different types of buildings, a harmonious overall impression was created here and a quarter worth living in with an exceptional quality of living. Parkend is an energy-optimised garden town with its own town square, community centre, shops, café, day care centre, playgrounds and idyllic green areas. The different sizes and features of the 800 dwellings created an impressive diversity among residents." This year, the Parkend received two more awards: On the one hand, it won the Iconic Award from the "Rat für Formgebung" (German Design Council) in the "Innovative Architecture" category. On the other hand, the exclusive book publication about the Parkend was awarded the rating "Innovative Architecture – Selection" in the "Communication" category. For the Main metropolis, the Parkend can be considered as a milestone of urban development.
The book about the Parkend is available at: www.pplusb.com/downloads.html