Insula, Bamberg

Commissioned by Insula GmbH of Berlin, 50 apartments were built on ERBA Island in Bamberg in a prime location directly on the Regnitz River. The two residential buildings, featuring high-end finishes and well-designed floor plans, lay the foundation for a new residential area on the site of the former State Garden Show. The buildings were designed by the firms larssonarchitekten from Berlin and Knipping Architects from Bochum. Before the major renovations for the State Garden Show, the site belonged to ERBA, a large cotton mill dating from the mid-19th century. This industrial past of the park is evident in the large red-brick factory building—which now serves as a student residence—and in various structures still scattered across the grounds, such as the former director’s villa and the ERBA Tower. Gruber and Popp Architects oversaw the project from the building permit application stage onward.