© Michael Heinrich
Nordheide, a new district for 5000 inhabitants, is taking shape. The Dominikuszentrum, the district’s new spiritual centre, includes a chapel, rectory, pre-school and Care Centre. Serving an urbanistic function as well, the building aids orientation: from the rapid transit exit a couple of hundred metres away, a path leading to it can be seen cutting diagonally through the new neighbourhood. The brick surfaces stand in stark contrast to the adjacent, colourfully rendered dwellings. The sensual material, used for the ceilings, floors and walls has a calm aura, and represents both time-tested building culture and the primal building material earth. The large courtyard is shielded from the hustle and bustle of the city.