Europan Germany

E16: Sites

E16: Ettlingen

Europan 16
Conversion of the Former ELBA Site

 

Scale
M, L architectural and urban scale

Team representative
Architect, landscape planner

Location group
Care – Reinventing Rurality and Productive Heritage

Location
Town of Ettlingen, Baden-Württemberg, DE

Population
ca. 39,000 inhabitants 

Study site
ca. 64 ha

Project site
ca. 16.4 ha

Proposed location
Town of Ettlingen

Stakeholders and landowners
Albtal-Verkehrsgesellschaft (AVG), town of Ettlingen, Deutsche Bahn AG

 

Type of commissioning

Further commissioning dependent on the competition result. Next steps: revision of the framework plan, preparation of supplementary strategy concepts (e.g. energy, mobility and open space concept), preparation of a development plan

 

Urban City Strategy

A transformation is to be initiated for the urban area in order to give it a new, positive identity, in line with the “New Leipzig Charter” (NCL) for European cities. The basis is an urban development framework plan. This envisages the new building for the Albtal-Verkehrsgesellschaft depot being housed in a predefined building block, because its present location in the middle of the town centre obstructs important development areas. In conjunction with the district development of the former ELBA site and the Ettlingen-West railway station, the ‘loose ends’ of adjacent districts and uses are also to be taken up and woven into a coherent use and structure concept. The Ettlingen-West station will be developed as an intermodal hub and connections to the surrounding transport network improved. The open space element is to be enhanced by green open spaces. 

 

Site Definition

The site offers the opportunity to generate development momentum, to carry out urban renovation in places, and to introduce a new urban component. In addition to providing the new depot, this district development will enable previously inaccessible areas to be returned to the urban community, and will create space for about 2,000 jobs, some 200 affordable rental flats, and other uses. The development of the site itself will remedy shortcomings in the transport network, and create a new atmosphere for the station as a place of arrival. Such a dual inner development can also contribute to climate change adaptation, climate protection, and the mobility transition.

The west of Ettlingen is currently seen as a transitional area between the compact town core and the large-scale structures of the ‘West’ industrial area. Its favourable location in the immediate vicinity of the town centre, on the one hand, and its good transport connections, on the other, increase the pressure for change in this urban area. It is expected therefore that it will develop into the strongest ‘conversion zone’ in Ettlingen. The Rheintalbahn main railway line has a great dividing effect and is a significant source of noise, but also provides great development potential. Apart from the listed buildings around the railway station, the existing edifice is not worth preserving, and the existing functional structures are fragmentary and need to be concentrated and enhanced.

 

How should metabolism and inclusivity be developed and connected?

The aim is to develop an urban design draft that substantiates the objectives of the framework plan, specifies the urban structure (gradation, height development, etc.), makes proposals on building typologies, and further formulates the green and open spaces. The urban area should continue to be strongly typified by ‘work’. However, the declared aim is to increase the density of workplaces in terms of area and thus also to create space for complementary uses, so that a lively urban life can emerge. Even for office and service uses, the quality of the surroundings, local amenities, social facilities, and green open spaces and meeting places are locational advantages and sometimes criteria for the attractiveness of an employer. Hence, streets and squares should not only be planned in terms of their development function, but also with corresponding amenity and open space qualities. 

The three basic principles of the NCL – the ‘Just City’, the ‘Green City’, and the ‘Productive City’ – should be specifically applied to the urban design as guiding principles of Europan 16 ‘Living Cities – Lebendige Städte’. The idea is to develop the Ettlingen-West railway station as an intermodal transport node (mobility hub) and as a valuable place for arrival. To this end, the image profile of this urban space must be improved in order to make it an urban pivot for the different transport interconnections that is proportionate to its function and significance.

Site Movie Link here

Site visit: 20 May, 2-5 p.m., Meeting place: In front of Ettlingen West railway station

E16: Landshut

Europan 16
Processes and Programmes for Integrating a Previous “Void” into the Urban Structure

 

Scale
S, M and L, architectural and urban scale

Team representative
Architect, landscape planner

Location group
Care – Dealing with New Uses

Location
Town of Landshut, Bavaria, DE

Population
ca. 72,865 inhabitants

Study site
ca. 16 ha

Project site
ca. 1 ha

Proposed location
Town of Landshut

Stakeholders
Town of Landshut, Free State of Bavaria 

Landowners
Town of Landshut, Free State of Bavaria

Type of commissioning
Supplementary studies in cooperation with the town of Landshut

 

Urban City Strategy

The town of Landshut is an independent town, regional centre, and capital of the Lower Bavaria administrative district. With its eleven districts, the city has a population of about 72,865.

Long term, the city of Landshut aims to implement an urban development plan. The future intention is not only to react to existing circumstances, but also to direct the town’s development positively, on the basis of targeted research and operating procedures. This also includes early involvement of citizens in various issues affecting the town. 

A new concept for the former prison could thus also form part of an urban development process that links new ideas with historical settings and thus redefines the approach to the city. 

 

Site Definition

The subject of the competition is the site of the former Landshut correctional facility on the edge of central Landshut.

The prison was built in 1905–07 as a modern, medium-sized prison with space for 180 prisoners, and the complex has been a listed building since 2012. It stands on the main development axis leading to Landshut’s historic town centre from the south, and work on the project should take this context into account. However, the project site needs to be approached with an open mind. All uses are conceivable.

Since ceasing operation in 2008, the existing building has only been used temporarily, and has been completely empty for several years. The aim of the competition is to transform the building and the site, to open it up and integrate it into the city, to design a process for this transformation, and to define new programs. 

What are needed are innovative ideas on how to deal with the old building. The study site includes the Isarpromenade, the directly adjoining Grieserwiese, the park and a large event lawn, the access area to the historic town centre and the upper part of the town (Dreifaltigkeitsplatz), and Trausnitz Castle. 

 

How should metabolism and inclusivity be developed and connected?

The competition sets out to demonstrate innovative ideas for the future development of the study site (red area) and, in particular, the project site (yellow area). This corresponds to the scale levels S/M and L in the Europan Europa statutes.  

The aim is to develop a suitable utilization program and translate it into an outstanding architectural, urban planning, and open space planning solution. 

Under the Europan 16 title ‘Living Cities – Lebendige Städte’, sustainable, mixed, and socially integral urban environments are to be created. Corresponding statements are desired on the spatial and programmatic linkage with the city as a whole, on the possible participation of the population (stakeholding), on new mobility, and on the topics of ‘dynamics of the circular economy’ and ‘dynamics of integration’. The aim is to make the place more lively and attractive again in the long term. However, the town does not want to commit to a specific use in advance. All ideas and implementations are conceivable. Approaches seeking to generate a high amenity value and innovative ideas on programmatic occupancy, opening up the site, and long-term integration into the urban fabric are also desirable.

Site Movie Link here

Site visit: 1 June, 2-5 p.m., Meeting point: In front of the armory opposite the prison, Wittstraße

E16: Schwäbisch Gmünd

Europan 16
A new mixed-use district as the western gateway to the town 

 

Scale
L, XL architectural and urban design scale

Team representative
Architect, landscape planner, traffic planner

Location group
Recovery – Dynamising Landscapes

Location
Town of Schwäbisch Gmünd, Baden-Württemberg, DE

Population
ca. 61,000 inhabitants

Study site
ca. 138 ha

Project site
ca. 27 ha

Proposed location
Town of Schwäbisch Gmünd

Stakeholders
Town of Schwäbisch Gmünd

Landowners
Town of Schwäbisch Gmünd, private owners, investors

Type of commissioning
Urban studies in cooperation with the town of Schwäbisch Gmünd

 

Urban City Strategy

The town of Schwäbisch Gmünd plays an important role in the Stuttgart metropolitan region. It is thus ambitiously addressing the future of building, living, and working. Two projects from Schwäbisch Gmünd have been included in the IBA‘27 network of the Stuttgart metropolitan region, including the ‘Unbreak my Hardt’ project, which is based on an entry from the Europan 13 competition held in 2015. New ideas and approaches are being sought here for the area on the Stuttgart-facing side of the town, which has undergone significant changes with the relocation of the B29 federal road into a tunnel and the expansion of the Stadtgarten.

 

Site Definition

The ‘Western Gateway’ urban development area extends north–south from the railway line to the River Rems and east–west from Hauffstrasse to Vogelhofstrasse.

The parts of the project area south of the railway line, around Lorcher Strasse, have lain fallow for years, despite their importance for urban development. They are adjoined by the green space of Gleispark and the Nepperberg, north of the railway, and the River Rems along their southern edge. The Gleispark area borders the play and sports areas developed for the State Garden Show of 2014. East of these areas are the railway station and central bus station, and the town centre and old town can be reached on foot in ten to fifteen minutes.

The areas have great urban development potential, are conveniently located for all forms of mobility, and would be suitable for a wide variety of uses. 

It is important to bring to these potential areas a new development outlook that carries the dynamic urban development of the last ten years forward in spatial terms. 

Coordinated development of the project site seems sensible in terms of content and concept and also of function. The urban structures with green spaces that have evolved through urban redevelopment and the State Garden Show could expand westwards here. 

 

How should metabolism and inclusivity be developed and connected?

One urban development goal is a suitably designed town image that presents Schwäbisch Gmünd as a larger medium-sized town and a medium-sized centre with regional sub-functions in the East Württemberg region of the Stuttgart administrative district. The currently underused and partially derelict part of the project site needs transforming into a lively, diverse, and sustainable neighbourhood. An area currently used for large-scale commercial purposes, its design subordinated to car traffic and the automobile trade, needs a future concept with realizable building blocks. The goal is a lively and future-oriented district that becomes part of the town centre and at the same time makes an interesting and inviting entrance to the town.

A plan should also be developed simultaneously for completing the Green Belt ring from the Salvator to the Nepperberg via the Gleispark district, with a ‘green leap’ over the railway to the tunnel site and a southward connection to the other bank of the Rems.  

The area needs a long-term urban development process that can be implemented step by step. Its aim should be to develop a mixed district where building groups, housing cooperatives, service providers, and new production facilities all find a place.

Site Movie Link here

Site visit: 10 June, 2-6 p.m., Meeting point: on the main station forecourt

E16: Selb

EUROPAN 16 – Selb (DE)

Pilot projects for re-integration of a neglected street


Scale
S, M architectural and urban scale

Team representative
Architect, landscape planner, traffic planner

Location group
Recovery – Stimulating Interfaces

Location
Selb, Bavaria, DE

Population
ca. 15,000 inhabitants

Study site
ca. 7.4 ha

Project site
ca. 5.7 ha

Proposed location
Town of Selb

Stakeholders
Town of Selb

Landowners
Town of Selb, private owners 

Type of commissioning
Urban studies in co-operation with the town of Selb  

 

Urban City Strategy

The town of Selb, with a population of around 15,000, is located in the administrative district of Upper Franconia in Bavaria. Due to demographic and industrial structural changes in the local economy – hitherto traditionally dominated by the porcelain industry, which has largely ceased production – the town has been shrinking continuously. Since the end of the 1970s it has lost about a quarter of its inhabitants. In recent years, however, a reversal of this trend has been achieved through changes in the offerings of the business community and active urban planning interventions, some them based on results of previous Europan competitions. 

 

Site Definition

The project site is close to the town centre, but it is in decline, with a number of vacant buildings, a rather undefined public space and a streetscape that has nothing to offer pedestrians or bicycles. 

New strategies at all levels (architecture, public space, mobility) are needed to reactivate the area and integrate the residents into the process. 

For scale level S – i.e. the specific project – the area of the eastern town centre of Selb is to be redefined. 

For scale level M, the connections to neighbouring urban areas are to be established, and ideas for integrating and upgrading traffic and open space planning are sought.

This project is looking for answers on an urban planning and architectural level and seeking a method for developing a future-oriented project. The site of a former brewery could be one pilot location for transformations, including social uses and innovative forms of housing. What else could give momentum to innovation? What concepts for follow-on use could be implemented, what programs could be integrated? How can the public space be upgraded? How can residents be involved in the process of change? What could be the pilot projects in this process? 

 

How should metabolism and inclusivity be developed and connected?

The aim is to add new functions to the project site, and in particular to the buildings already mentioned that require redevelopment and are currently vacant and underused. Here, the focus is on developing innovative and sustainable mixed housing concepts suitable for all generations, taking into account the aspect of accessibility. Moreover, these housing concepts should simultaneously help to strengthen the role of employment in the district. In addition, the project site needs to be linked to the town centre in the best possible way by developing attractive connections. And the competition entries should take into account the small-town, non-metropolitan character. There is an opportunity here to develop new and, above all, innovative typologies of open space, designed for sustainable, flexible uses and diverse (small-town) life. 

In keeping with the Europan 16 task ‘Living Cities – Lebendige Städte’, design contributions are sought that demonstrate innovative ideas and processes and deal with the main topics of the ‘dynamics of the circular economy’ and the ‘dynamics of integration’. 

Preparatory studies will be carried out in 2021 to investigate the prevailing social, structural, and urban conditions on the project site. The approaches to solutions that result from the competition will become part of the formal urban redevelopment goals for this area.

Site Movie Link here

Site visit: 12 May, 3-6 p.m., Meeting point: In front of the town hall, Ludwigstraße 6

E16: Wernigerode

Europan 16
Integrative and strategic urban building blocks

Scale
S, M architectural and urban scale

Team representative
Architect, landscape planner

Location group
Revitalization – Making Territories Performative

Location
Town of Wernigerode, Saxony-Anhalt, DE

Population
ca. 32,810 inhabitants / Wernigerode

Study site
ca. 22.37 ha

Project site
ca. 8 ha

Proposed location
GWW

Stakeholders
GWW, City of Wernigerode

Landowners
GWW Gebäude- und Wohnungsbaugesellschaft Wernigerode mbH

Type of commissioning
Realization of two residential buildings 2023–24

 

Urban City Strategy

The town of Wernigerode, in Saxony-Anhalt on the north side of the Harz Mountains, is known nationwide as a tourist destination. Its topographical situation only allows for urban expansion northwards. Population figures are stable with a slight downward trend in recent years. There are hardly any vacant flats available for young families to rent in the city. Most families therefore move to surrounding municipalities. GWW Gebäude- und Wohnungsbaugesellschaft Wernigerode mbH wants to change this situation by developing new areas in the city.

 

Site Definition

The area under consideration (including both competition sites) is in the north-western part of the town, separated from the historic town centre by the Hannover-Halle (Saale) railway line. The development is heterogeneous: large-scale commercial enterprises, two- to four-storey residential buildings (single-family homes, apartment buildings, terraced houses), and garden plots. To the north is the Bürgerpark, the site of a former garden show with extensive grassy areas, lakes, and various recreational uses.

The main railway station is nearby and can be reached in ten minutes over the pedestrian and bicycle bridge to the west of the main station and an underground crossing area on Schlachthofstrasse. Veckenstedter Weg skirts the area on the east.

The neighbourhood is framed by four roads and was all developed at much the same time. Two through roads with low traffic frequency provide inner linkage. The housing development on the north-western corner, dating from ca. 1890–1930, was designed as housing for factory workers and staff. The large gardens were envisaged as self-supporting. Other green areas are now used as allotments and growers’ gardens or are derelict. There is a kindergarten on Giesserweg, but currently no other facilities of a social nature.

The process aims to develop a sustainable and ecological mixed-use framework plan, with a view to practicable development in smaller building and development phases. As a prelude, the two project sites 1 and 2 should be understood as framework and initiation projects.

 

How should metabolism and inclusivity be developed and connected?

The two project sites mark the corners of a space that is today largely garden land with some small-scale development (former growers’ gardens). From an urban planning point of view, it would be interesting to link traditional concepts from the garden city and settlement movements with the increased attention now being given to green spaces in the town for social and ecological reasons.

The internal development of cities, which makes sense from an ecological point of view (reductions in land use, sealed-surface areas, traffic requirements), means that today’s open spaces must be more than places of contemplation or ecosystem services. They can make an important contribution to socio-ecologically sustainable urban development, both as community gardens and as sites of local food production.

There are no plans to build on the study site in the near future, but suggestions should be offered about what the future ‘Living City’ could look like. Current debates – such as the populist polarization between ‘single-family homes’ on the one hand and ‘prefabricated housing’ on the other – show the urgent need for more differentiated proposals and new ideas of urban living (‘urban imaginaries’), which can serve as models far beyond Wernigerode.

Ideas for continuing diversity of use and for a mixture of housing with an integrative character are desirable. Propositions on sustainability and the circular economy are also welcome. Also appropriate would be a mobility and energy concept that is adaptable to the future.

Site Movie Link here

Site visit: 27 May, 2-6p.m., Meeting place: At the roundabout Veckensteter Weg / Zaunwiese