A city garden in Cologne

Whether cheerful evenings on the terrace, resting in the shade of old trees or children playing football on the lawn - this urban garden in Cologne is full of life.

The basic idea of the garden concept is clearly defined: minimalist structures combined with optimal functionality of the subareas.

The focal point of the garden is a green lawn and a blue shimmering pool, which is flanked by staggered wooden decks with hardy palms. The flat planting provides alternating highlights throughout the year with blooms and fall color. The inner courtyard with a water basin on the front side of the building is overshadowed by trees growing in the shape of umbrellas: an attractive place to sit, especially in the evening sun.

The 660 m² site encloses the modern building. The simple cubature of the residential building has a direct effect on the design. Axial references create a direct connection between interior and exterior space, the surrounding white walls tie in with the building and at the same time frame the garden area. All roof areas are extensively greened.

The focal point of the garden is a flat lawn and a sparkling blue pool.
It is flanked by staggered wooden decks with hardy palm trees, which invite you to sunbathe in Mediterranean flair. The flat structured planting offers alternating highlights in the course of the year by flower variety and autumn colouring. During planning, great importance was attached to the preservation of the existing tree population. Native wild perennials such as wild strawberry, wild garlic and foxglove now grow under the old pines and birches in the rear garden area.

The courtyard at the front of the building is structured by koelreuteria growing in umbrella shapes, providing both privacy and light shade for an attractive seating area in summer. The calm water basin is in linear connection with the pool and offers bathing and drinking possibilities for birds as well as habitat for dragonflies due to the staggered edge formation in the rear area.

The garden captivates by its reduced colourfulness and the restriction to few selected materials. From the representative entrance area to the inner courtyard with water basin to the spacious terrace and pool enclosure: only regional greywacke in various formats was used.

In addition to the high aesthetic standards, the robust and low-maintenance handling of the house garden is of great importance. The intensive technical equipment such as automatic irrigation system and pool technology are hidden integrated into the overall design.
The discreet lighting concept allows various lighting scenarios. This creates a very special atmosphere in the evening.

This garden was awarded an appreciation at the North Rhine-Westphalia LandscapeArchitecturePrize in 2008.