Blauer Hof
Housing estate in Cologne-Buchforst modeled on Dutch courtyard housing, famous for its blue-toned courtyard façades.
The estate owes its existence to a very practical need: construction of the Mülheim Bridge demolished older housing, leaving mostly low-income, large families in need of new homes.
Source: Wikipedia
At a Glance
- Type
- Neues Bauen (New Building) housing estate
- Location
- Cologne-Buchforst, Mülheim district
- Construction
- 1926–1927
- Developer
- GAG, a non-profit housing association
- Architects
- Wilhelm Riphahn and Caspar Maria Grod
- Units
- more than 200 apartments
- Status
- listed historic monument (since 1988)
- Style
- Functionalist
For the more than two hundred new apartments, the architects specially designed affordable furniture that was precisely tailored to the individual floor plans.
Location and Surroundings
The estate occupies the block bounded by Waldecker, Kasseler, Dortmunder, and Hertzstraße. Some buildings in the adjoining residential block to the south were built to the same design.
History
In 1926 the municipal housing association GAG acquired an 18-hectare plot in the so-called Kalkerfeld, until then largely wooded with beech trees and uninhabited. The site's appeal lay in its transport links: suburban line C of the Cologne transit authority ran through the area, connecting it to the city and surrounding suburbs. Work began the same year the land was purchased, and by 1927 the estate was ready for occupancy. The architects also designed affordable furniture tailored to the apartments' floor plans.
Architecture
Riphahn and Grod took their cue from the courtyard housing of Dutch social housing at the time. The nearly square courtyard is formed by four-story connecting wings, framed at the corners and at the courtyard entrance by five-story cubic blocks. The street façade is structured by recessed stairwells and window bands of varying height, while the courtyard side features three- or four-story loggias. On the corner buildings, balconies face the street. Heinrich Hoerle was responsible for the color scheme. The buildings have flat roofs, with one exception: the differently designed corner block of the additional wing on Heidelberger Straße has no balconies and was given a pitched roof to visually match the neighboring buildings.
Renovation and Present Appearance
Between June 2006 and April 2010 the estate was fully renovated and its exterior brought back in line with the 1926 plans. The buildings received new flat roofs, six centimeters of thermal insulation, and heating systems for the first time. The street-facing sides were painted white with red-framed windows, while the courtyard sides were done in two shades of blue with white-framed windows. After an underground garage was built, the courtyard was redesigned with front gardens, a laundry area, a public playground, and a lawn. The renovation cost 23 million euros and was celebrated with a tenants' festival in early May 2010. For the restoration of both the Blauer Hof and the Germaniasiedlung in Cologne-Höhenberg, GAG Immobilien received the German Property Developer Award (Deutscher Bauherrenpreis) 2009/2010.
Timeline
- 1926GAG acquires 18-hectare plot in Kalkerfeld, construction of Blauer Hof begins
- 1927Blauer Hof estate completed and ready for occupancy
- 1988Estate placed under heritage protection
- 2006-06Start of complete renovation of the estate
- 2010-04Completion of renovation works at Blauer Hof
- 2010-05Tenant festival held to celebrate completion of renovation
- 2009/2010Awarded the German Bauherrenpreis for the renovation
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Sources & links
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-09-08
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