Marie is covered with PREFA: Frankfurt’s new housing complex on the site of the former Saint Mary’s Hospital

Frankfurt's leading real estate developer Instone specified the project's planning foundations and oversaw the entire building process. Instone Real Estate and RUHLAND + RIEGLER GmbH decided to use the rhomboid tile 29 × 29 and Prefalz in the colour P.10 dark grey as the covering material because they promise great longevity with a material warranty and guaranteed colours of 40 years. “Using these aluminium products makes it possible to uniformly cover the numerous details of this roof with only one material,” as Christian Müller, whose company RUHLAND + RIEGLER is carrying out the project, says. That the numerous elements like the mantelpiece and windows can be constructed in the same design is particularly important if high optical standards should be fulfilled, as in this case. Especially with a roof of this dimension and shape that stands out with such a presence, it is a matter of aesthetics.

In Frankfurt’s popular housing district Nordend, a sophisticated housing complex is being created that is crowned with a remarkably striking mansard roof. After the demolition of the historical Saint Mary’s Hospital (Sankt Marienkrankenhaus), the new construction project should adequately fill the resulting 14.000 square metre gap. Despite its size, parts of the roof of this comprehensive new construction are also modeled after its old version, similar to the external façade – including its 85 dormers and countless individual details. In connection with all the technical standards that need to be fulfilled with respect to construction physics and fire protection, the roof became a special challenge during the construction process.

A lot of value was placed on an accurate and high-grade façade, which also has to due with the fact that the new building should naturally blend in with the historically grown cityscape of the well-kept, bourgeoise residential district. After all, it is characterised by numerous Wilhelminian style turn-of-the-century buildings and boulevards as well as its romantic courtyards. With the demolition of the Saint Mary’s Hospital in 2017, which was constructed by the architect Hans Rummel from Frankfurt between 1904 and 1907 in the Wilhelminian style, a venerable old building and a piece of the history of Frankfurt that formed part of the core of this district disappeared.

The new building ensemble of eight apartment houses with five to seven floors should elegantly fill the gap that was created. With its simple name – Marie – the new building pays tribute to the old hospital. The the building complex was designed by the architect Magnus Kaminiarz, who died in 2019 and was also responsible for Germany’s tallest high-rise residential building, the 172 metre high Grand Tower. The architect had to manage the balancing act between making sure that its outer appearance conforms with Frankfurt’s preservation statute, on the one hand, and fulfilling the clients’ high demands with modern and exclusive features, on the other.