IDK Apartment Renovation

IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt

IDK Apartment Renovation 

Demo Working Group

PROGRAM / USE / BUILDING FUNCTION
Apartment for a family of 4

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Demo Working Group

PHOTOGRAPHS
Jan Voigt

AREA
82 m²

YEAR
2023

LOCATION
Cologne, Germany

CATEGORY
Apartments, Renovation, Residential

IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt

This project deals with the renovation of an apartment in a large-scale residential complex from the 1970s in the outskirts of Cologne. The apartment is inhabited by a family of four.

IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt

With 82 m2 of living space, it is small by today‘s standards. Nowadays, 47 m2 per person are average in Germany. Our objective is to bring the apartment in line with contemporary spatial expectations.

This invariably led to questions about standards of living, appropriateness and adaptability of existing structures in transformation scenarios.

IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt

The apartment’s layout is defined by two distinct halves: one harboring the individual rooms and the other dedicated to family living.

We kept the general layout of the apartment, but removed all non load-bearing walls.

In their place, sliding partitions were introduced.

IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt

The sliding doors are based on a system of T-slot aluminum profiles, typically employed in mechanical engineering.

This transformation allows the apartment to assume different configurations: with the walls open, the children‘s rooms expand into the living space and the bathroom doubles as an open laundry room.

Throughout the day, there is a constant flux between privacy and openness.

IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt


IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt


IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt


IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt
IDK Apartment Renovation
© Jan Voigt


IDK Apartment Renovation
Close up 01
IDK Apartment Renovation
Close up 02


IDK Apartment Renovation
Isometric view
IDK Apartment Renovation
Perspective view


IDK Apartment Renovation
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