The Simson-Block located in Essen, Germany unites a wide variety of personalities. They are all united by their common home in this area which seems like a small oasis within the city. The three-storey estate surrounds the house where I moved in four years ago. One feels cut off from the hustle and bustle of the city centre and the noise of the motor-highway nearby. In the summer, people would meet in the courtyard and get to know each other better. Immediately I felt sheltered and welcomed. Many are interested in mutual exchange and joint activities. Others prefer to keep to themselves. I was always in between. When public life was shut down for a second time due to the Corona pandemic, many of my neighbours withdrew. Inevitably I began to pay more attention to my immediate surroundings and explore them more closely. I discovered peculiarities and details in the housing units that I had not noticed over the years. I took time to get to know my neighbours and their different living conditions better. Some have lived here for over 30 years and even moved within the block. Others have made friends for life here. The neighbourhood belongs to a big former workers‘ settlement of the Krupp-Company. It was modelled on English garden cities at the beginning of the 20th century. For some years now, a real estate company has been carrying out renovation work in the block. The residents are concerned about preserving the charm of the former workers‘ housing estate. With the rising rents, the clientele of the residents will change in the future. My photo series gives an insight of my fellow residents and our common place of residence, in this unfamiliar and oppressive time. The portraits show individual isolation and document the actual state of a residential community in transition.