Rotterdam-based architect MVRDV literally brings the O into wOning construction with this unusual project planned in Mannheim, Germany. The building is of the four buildings that collectively form the word HOME. This doughnut-shaped high-rise shows its flair and distinctive quirky architecture.
Ordinary O
The O, as the building is officially called, is reminiscent of the Guangzhou Circle Mansion in China and was first unveiled in 2017 as an early architectural proposal. The O has since been fleshed out with more details and an updated design as the start of the project approaches.
The new building will be located on Mannheim's former Benjamin Franklin Barracks. This 41-hectare site was once home to around 15,000 US soldiers and other personnel during the Cold War. Finished in blue brick, the building comprises 15 floors with a total of 120 flats. Almost all of them will have their own colourful balcony space. The lower floors will also have retail spaces and a bar.
Grand staircase
In the centre of the O will be a terrace accessible via a large staircase. Interestingly, MVRDV wants to delve into the history of the site and bring back the atmosphere of the barracks that once stood here.
The low-rise building next to the 'O' is based on the long, four-storey residential buildings that were part of the barracks and have since been demolished. MVRDV's design rebuilds these blocks and 'cuts' into their familiar forms following the logic of the plan. One block is cut into three parts by the staircase that gives access to the terrace on the fourth floor. The second block is some distance away and is cut into two parts by the central axis of the master plan. Where the buildings are 'cut out', the stucco facades give way to glass walls.
O is surrounded by squares on all four sides. Not much is yet known about the plans for the residential buildings H, M and E.
