The Collegium Academicum in Heidelberg, Germany, brings together pioneering usage concepts, 'sufficient' building methods and community-based living to deliver a prime example of tomorrow's construction culture. This project was developed in cooperation with Mietshäusersyndikat, an organisation that supports the development self-organised apartment buildings in Germany. It has created a place that re-defines the concept of ownership, that shares out responsibility, and is guided primarily by a focus on social and ecological sustainability.

Community-based living – a fresh approach

This self-organised residence project was initiated in 2013 by a student group and serves as a beacon project for a new approach to communal living. This students' residence in Heidelberg turns a number of forward-looking concepts into reality: With the support of Mietshäusersyndikat, the building will permanently remain in the ownership of its residents and of future generations. In this way, it trying to counteract housing shortages and is deliberately promoting an alternative to profit-oriented development.

Flexible room concept combined with a 'sufficient building' approach

The project group has a clear guiding principle to enable communal, self-determined and ecologically responsible living. As part of this, a flexible room concept was implemented: flexible dividing walls developed jointly with the architects and the timber construction contractor allow the residents to choose between two room sizes. Many of the first people to live here deliberately went for the smaller option of 7 m², as this would allow for more shared spaces and commonly used areas. The project is also characterised by the principle of sufficiency, with less individual space and more communal areas. Small, flexible private rooms are combined with more generously proportioned rooms for communal use.

Sustainable, healthier living – with timber and pro clima

Particular emphasis was placed on ecological construction methods. The project was built in a largely CO₂-neutral manner and deliberately opted for timber and other ecological construction materials and products. In combination with carefully planned airtightness and insulation, the timber construction method delivers an improved indoor climate and increased energy efficiency. The project group with around 30 members opted for over a dozen pro clima solutions to prevent moisture damage to structures and to prolong the service life of the buildings. These product systems regularly achieve best-in-class results in independent tests for hazardous substances, which means they help to deliver healthy indoor air – an important component of ecologically responsible construction. This pioneering project demonstrates how modern building methods, sustainability and social principles can be successfully combined.

• Key project characteristics: Involvement of a home-building syndicate, self-organisation by students, sustainable, passive house, self-managed, flexible spatial layout thanks to movable dividing walls
  
• Location: Heidelberg, Germany
• Year of completion: 2023
• Client: Projektgruppe Collegium Academicum
• Architects: DGJ Architektur GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
• Timber construction contractor: Züblin Timber
• Structural design: Ingenieurbüro Pirmin Jung
• Construction method: Timber structure
• Number of units: New-build: 46 residential units and additional communal areas, renovation of the existing building
• Use: Accommodation for students and apprentices

This students' residence can boast a compact floor plan and layout, ambitious design standards and carefully planned usage concepts. The result is a welcoming living environment that fosters interaction and a sense of community.
Photo: © Philipp Garschke

The wooden model by DGJ Architektur GmbH on the left shows the site layout with the old and new buildings. The ground floor of the new building (right) features an assembly hall, workshop and multi-functional space, and there is a roof terrace over the covered area in the central courtyard – all of these spaces will foster social interaction and participation.
Images: © DGJ Architektur GmbH

The high degree of pre-fabrication of the timber construction elements means that the INTELLO airtightness membrane and the SOLITEX FRONTA WA breather membrane can be pre-installed in the workshop. Detail transitions such as pipe feed-throughs were sealed using pro clima grommets. Diese dienen der sicheren und dichten Durchführung von Kabeln und Rohren durch die Luft- bzw. Winddichtungsebene. A pipe grommet can be seen here in combination with the SOLITEX FRONTA WA facade membrane which is fitted behind the timber cladding and actively transports undesired moisture out of the building structure to the outside thanks to its pore-free TEEE functional film.

Flexible room layouts: Preparations for the installation of flexible dividing walls can be seen here - later on, the residents will be able to choose between two room sizes.

The EXTOSEAL ENCORS waterproof sill tape was used for base joints on windows and doors. With its high elasticity, this tape can be flexibly stuck over and into corners and provides excellent protection to underlying structures thanks to its verified resistance to driving rain. The CONTEGA SOLIDO IQ-D window-sealing tape and the pre-folded TESCON PROFECT adhesive tape were used for the interior window joints.

https://collegiumacademicum.de/en