Integrative housing estate Klarissenkloster Cologne-Kalk

In the spirit of Pope Francis' statement - 'The empty monasteries belong to the refugees' - the Klarissenkloster in Cologne-Kalk opened up for an integrative housing project. The partial demolition of the monastery walls and the moderate redensification with two new buildings opened up the previously closed monastery complex to the adjacent urban neighborhood and its residents.

Affordable housing for refugees and non-refugees was created in the new buildings. The old monastery building was carefully renovated and converted for an integrative youth housing project. Young people from Cologne and refugee minors live here together in supervised integrative shared apartments. In the former gatekeeper building, refugee-traumatized residents find safety in another care facility.

The third building block of the project is a perspective counseling center and the new Caritas education center on the ground floor of the new building on the square and in the former monastery church. The result is a small urban neighborhood characterized by the idea of a lively and integrative coexistence of different cultures and lifestyles.