Telekom Tower, Konstanz / Sauerbruch Hutton

Source Summary

The Telekom Tower, southeast of Konstanz's historic city centre, quite literally stands out from its surroundings. For a long time, this 1970s building stood in stark contrast to its urban fabric, not only for its height but also for its architectural language; it was perceived as an almost alien presence within the city. Converting the vacant office tower into a residential building offered the opportunity for a retrospective integration, and, in a sense, for urban healing. In this context, adaptive reuse has an impact that extends far beyond the immediate construction task. The conversion not only preserves the embodied energy in the existing structure but also avoids the CO2 emissions that a new building would have generated. The typology of the high-rise itself represents a forward-looking solution for a dense city with a high proportion of green space. The decision to retain the building's substance and bring it to life with apartments gives it a new face. Its original DNA remains legible, yet its impact has been fundamentally reinterpreted.