sonnhalde

How can a place of childhood memories evolve into a forward-looking model for sustainable living?  At the edge of Waldkirch, on a hillside once defined by meadows, forest, and adventure, architect Thomas Schindler returns to a place that shaped his early years — a landscape where he once roamed as a child and first sensed space, nature, and light. Decades later, with the experience of an established architect, he transforms this familiar terrain into a new kind of living environment. The site, overlooking the Kohlenbacher valley and the slopes of the Kastelberg, offers the potential to extend its calm and generosity to many new residents. In close collaboration with the city of Waldkirch, Schindler Architekten and bloque developed a concept that respects the topography, preserves the spirit of place, and establishes a sustainable framework for contemporary living.

How can architecture respond to the terrain and transform it into spatial diversity and community? The urban concept translates the hillside’s natural rhythm into a cohesive spatial structure. Eight residential buildings unfold gently across the southern slope, orienting their wings toward the valley to open up views, sunlight, and air. The composition ensures that every apartment enjoys equal access to light and landscape — a democratic arrangement that values each home equally. This seemingly organic pattern follows a clear principle: the architecture grows with the terrain, creating shared open spaces that foster community while maintaining privacy. Terraced gardens and courtyards interweave between the buildings, offering places for gathering, play, and retreat. The outdoor areas become an extension of the surrounding nature — a living topography that connects people with place. Car traffic disappears underground, leaving the upper levels free for movement, vegetation, and everyday encounters. The result is a settlement that is both urban and landscape — shaped by structure, openness, and balance.

Which architectural and material strategies can express sustainability as both structure and identity?  The buildings follow a hybrid principle of solidity and lightness. Their massing, embedded into the slope, ensures thermal efficiency and sound insulation, while the vertical timber façades bring a tactile, natural quality to the ensemble. The soft green finish of the wood, combined with warm red brick elements and fine metallic details, gives the architecture a contemporary yet regionally grounded tone. Inside, the apartment layouts are designed around clarity, daylight, and social life: open living spaces connect kitchen, dining, and lounge areas into a communal heart, while flexible individual rooms support diverse forms of living. Generous glazing frames the landscape and allows each apartment to engage with the light and rhythm of the day. Together, these spatial, structural, and material choices define a forward-looking housing concept — sustainable in its construction, humane in its experience, and timeless in its architectural presence.