The "Naumannsiedlung" in Köln-Riehl

Manfred Faber drafted the 450-apartments residential estate  "Naumannsiedlung" together with the architects Fritz Fuß and Otto Schreib. 

The residential estate was intended to benefit low-income Cologne residents, for whom the Cologne housing authority had to provide affordable and simple homes. It was mainly working-class families with children who moved into these apartments.

The construction of modern and affordable housing for working-class and white-collar families played a central role in Manfred Faber's oeuvre. Being one of the most important architects working for the GAG housing association, he was keen to create an individual and liveable environment using simple means. The importance that Manfred Faber attached to the architectural design of affordable small  flats with regard to the well-being of the residents is reflected in the quote on the work of art’s base plate . It is taken from a  pamphlet published in 1918 in which he addressed the requirements for adequate and healthy housing for low-income families.

... that the architect takes on the task with passion and love...
... only in this way can something be created that will be aesthetically and artistically satisfying...
... the joy of life will be enhanced and a healthy race of people will evolve... 

The name of the residential estate, built between 1927 and 1929 by the non-profit public housing company GAG ), goes back to the ornithologist Johann Friedrich Naumann (1780-1857). The nameless square on Naumannstraße in this neighbourhood is popularly known as "Naumannplatz".

The complex was listed as an important example of housing estate construction in the Weimar Republic back in 1995. Between 2008 and 2020, the multi-award-winning estate (for architecture and monument protection) was completely renovated, carefully extended and the façades were restored to their original condition.

However, Manfred Faber and his work in Cologne remained forgotten for decades. It was only through the commitment of the current residents of the Naumann estate and the resulting initiatives of the Nippes district council and GAG that he was finally recognised as the leading architect of the Naumann estate on the site of his work.

Resolutions adopted by the Nippes district council

"Naumannplatz", which was previously used as a car park, was gradually remodelled into a neighbourhood square with a pleasant atmosphere by order of the Nippes district council.  As part of this remodelling, Cologne's urban planning office carried out a public participation process, on which draft designs for the remodelling were based, including a boules court and seating. A corresponding resolution was passed by the Nippes district council in June 2022.

This resulted in Naumannplatz becoming a car-free square in 2021. The former “wild parking area” became a place to linger and remember.

The "Waiting Column" by David Semper

David Semper (born in 1980) is an artist, stonemason and stone sculptor from Neuss. 

A hexagonal column sculpted from Belgian granite with a conical top resting against a cuboid sculpted from basalt lava. A stone slab also made from Belgian granite is set flush into the ground by the column. A text, a drawing and a profile are deeply engraved on it. The drawing is a top view of the Naumann estate. The profile points in the direction to Auschwitz.

In the jury’s majority opinion, David Semper's design was an outstanding solution for linking Manfred Faber's special architecture, his life and his violent death in the Holocaust. In the jury’s vote, the artist has succeeded in depicting the architect´s life and work in a geometrically formal language without competing against the architecture that honours Manfred Faber himself. According to the vote, this work also appeals to different senses, inviting people to linger and communicate.