Featured Project
An easy ride in the Ruhr district
Located in a leafy spot just outside Witten, the Grotekamp estate in Dortmund was built back in the end of the 1960s and offers tenants attractive affordable homes at Grotenbach. In order to be able to offer these benefits in the future the nonprofitmaking housing association GWH Hombruch-Barop recently modernized the buildings. As part of the process, elevators were installed in the multiple four-storey dwellings of the housing scheme so typical for the Ruhr region. “We wanted to achieve greater comfort, better energy efficiency and an environment with few barriers,” explains Dirk Scheffler, the architect of the project. The idea: to make the estates attractive again in particular for senior citizens and families.
Schindler model 5500 elevators were chosen, which not only boast a stylish design but also feature energy-saving LED lighting. They are housed in a new structure added to the facade and the generous glass surfaces ensure the entry of ample daylight. Moreover, continuing the glass surfaces through to ground level makes them appear lighter and more slender. A small air bridge in the new building leads to the glazed elevator, and thanks to the transparent frontage tenants can enjoy a panoramic view of the nearby rapeseed fields from the upper storeys.
After traveling through the shafts of reinforced concrete the elevators come to rest at the ground floor – practical for tenants as it means the lift is available when they enter the building. The mobility solutions of Swiss corporation Schindler have been transporting people around the world from A to B since 1874. (am)
