Representative gateway to the city: Neighborhood concept city entrance north in Offenburg.
The district concept we developed in the realization competition forms a representative gateway to the city and represents a self-confident, concise and sustainable development of the brownfield sites. It paints the picture of a future-oriented and innovative city. Our concept was recognized in the competition.
Overall urban integration
The urban design style takes up the clear, cubic design of the existing police building, refers to it and at the same time plays with varying angles, shifts and openings. Towards the main road, the buildings are typologically shaped as large-format point blocks, while at the rear they are designed as blocks of houses that shield the neighborhood from the railroad. At the head of the quarter, a high-rise building composed of three bodies shifted against each other is being developed. With a total of 15 storeys, the tower will become a landmark. The green space forms the "green vein" that meanders through the quarter in a ribbon shape and ends as a vertical, green airspace in the tower. On its roof, it flows into the Sky Garden - 61 meters above the city.
Architectural concept
The uniform architectural language is characteristic of the appearance of the new quarter. Upright, vertical windows structure the rhythmic façades, allowing plenty of light to penetrate the interior. The implemented skeleton construction creates a structure that allows for flexible floor plans.
The rear building blocks are staggered back towards the open space on the top floor, creating a green, usable terrace level. It is continued in the transparent staggered storey of the high-rise building, which introduces the transition from the base to the tower.
Traffic/Development
The building plots themselves are freed from traffic and thus offer a high quality of stay for residents, passers-by and users. Parking will be provided flanking the eastern side by means of a modern, innovative parking system in the form of an elevated garage over three floors, so that underground garages and their costly foundations and sealing can be dispensed with.
Each house has its own access points, which are grouped together per block at central, inward-facing access points. All houses within a block are also connected via bridges and walkways. Communal areas for meetings, exchange and communication are integrated at the bridges connecting the buildings.
Open space concept
The new neighborhood square in the southwest provides a prelude and orientation. A large, sculpted green area rises from there towards the quarter and forms a sheltered recreational area.
The urban open space that has been created forms a corridor through the quarter and thus links the blocks together. A green roof of various climbing plants extends between the buildings along a steel structure. This green gap not only serves as an important guiding element or as a source of shade on hot summer days, but also gives the quarter a unique identity and address. The playfully winding vein grows into the vertical dimension on the tower. The crowning glory, the "green crown" of the new city entrance, is the sky garden on the roof of the high-rise building.
Construction / materiality / sustainability
A skeleton construction with stiffening concrete cores is planned. The façade is designed in architectural concrete, complemented by the large-format glass surfaces.
An efficient and resource-conserving energy concept should enable the district to be operated in an ecologically and economically sustainable manner in the long term. Photovoltaic systems with battery buffer storage will be used. Geothermal boreholes in conjunction with heat pumps are planned for the heat supply. Overall, this will achieve a high degree of optimization and minimization of CO2 emissions during construction and operation.
Utilization
The developed concept provides for commercial space, primarily office and administrative space. The proposed development ensures flexible usage options overall. This can be achieved by individual small-scale users on just one level or larger uses across several floors. The floor plans can be adapted to the changing needs of interested parties.
More views
Case di Lago Maggiore
Kleemann-Areal residential quarter
Fire station with DRK
School campus Willy-Hellpach-School
Residential quarter Schulstraße
