Learning from a German neighbourhood
In search of sustainable settlements
The district of Vauban
Reageer!
Here are the most successful realized projects located: the districts of Riesenveld and Vauban in Freiburg and the western parts of Karlsruhe: Baumeister Carree and ZAG are good examples of the integration of new townhouses into a existing high density urban structure. Dragonerkaserne, Rheinlandkaserne Ettlingen and the district of Smiley show how succesful military areas can be transformed and integrated with rainwater catchments into public spaces.
Already one of them received many awards. Freiburg's Vauban district grew amidst the beautiful landscape of Schönberg, where wine fields meet hop fields and where the sun even shines during the last days of the autumn season. The area accommodates around 5100 residents scattered in 2000 housing units and extends for 94 acres of real estate.
The impulse to start the development came a demand for affordable housing during the start of the nineties. The city bought the military base from the German government for twenty million Euros and the actual development started in 1994. The municipality’s plan was to tear down most of the existing buildings, but some of them were transformed into student housing.
The essence of this subtle proposal was mainly to achieve high density housing, to accommodate as many people as possible and at the same time to provide for a certain number of small enterprises and public services, all easy accessible by bike or walking. The houses were to be built according to low-energy standards and the neighbourhood was to be supplied by a wood-pellet-fired heat and power station. It was thought essential to preserve and integrate the existing natural features of the Vauban area. The other natural aspects and the greenery are reflected in a sophisticated land-surface catchment and distribution system of rainwater and the district turned into "an urban garden district".
Three Stuttgart based offices won the contest: architects Kohlhoff + Kohlhoff, landscape architects Luz and Partners and transportation planner Hans Billinger. The general plan stems from the existing 19th century structure– a main avenue and block structure which was broken down into "row-house structures" so the buildings permit for space-saving development. This grid introduces transition zones between public and private areas, places to meet and play. The grids shapes continuous urban corridors facilitating natural ventilation. This type of large scale ventilation has a certain tradition in Freiburg where the famous Höllentäler Winds sweeps down from the mountains during the late evenings of the hot summer months to cool the city.
An important factor during the whole process of the Vauban district development was the participation of the residents themselves. Many of them were eager to participate. Participation takes place through The Vauban Forum founded in 1994. This body formulated its own set of goals and has a social and cultural agenda for the district;s development. When it came to the project's implementation, the city planners, whishing to be flexible and open to variation, supplied only structural and ecological restrictions with regulations applying to the maximum building height of 13 meters, specific building lot sizes and the design of the main street’s arcades. Vauban has been completed in 2009.
The small building parcels, the various building heights, the roof slopes, the use of different materials and colours, the various architectural designs and unconventional ideas of the residents gave the district its unique appearance. Isn't Vauban a little paradise?
Sources:
Already one of them received many awards. Freiburg's Vauban district grew amidst the beautiful landscape of Schönberg, where wine fields meet hop fields and where the sun even shines during the last days of the autumn season. The area accommodates around 5100 residents scattered in 2000 housing units and extends for 94 acres of real estate.
The impulse to start the development came a demand for affordable housing during the start of the nineties. The city bought the military base from the German government for twenty million Euros and the actual development started in 1994. The municipality’s plan was to tear down most of the existing buildings, but some of them were transformed into student housing.
The essence of this subtle proposal was mainly to achieve high density housing, to accommodate as many people as possible and at the same time to provide for a certain number of small enterprises and public services, all easy accessible by bike or walking. The houses were to be built according to low-energy standards and the neighbourhood was to be supplied by a wood-pellet-fired heat and power station. It was thought essential to preserve and integrate the existing natural features of the Vauban area. The other natural aspects and the greenery are reflected in a sophisticated land-surface catchment and distribution system of rainwater and the district turned into "an urban garden district".
Three Stuttgart based offices won the contest: architects Kohlhoff + Kohlhoff, landscape architects Luz and Partners and transportation planner Hans Billinger. The general plan stems from the existing 19th century structure– a main avenue and block structure which was broken down into "row-house structures" so the buildings permit for space-saving development. This grid introduces transition zones between public and private areas, places to meet and play. The grids shapes continuous urban corridors facilitating natural ventilation. This type of large scale ventilation has a certain tradition in Freiburg where the famous Höllentäler Winds sweeps down from the mountains during the late evenings of the hot summer months to cool the city.
An important factor during the whole process of the Vauban district development was the participation of the residents themselves. Many of them were eager to participate. Participation takes place through The Vauban Forum founded in 1994. This body formulated its own set of goals and has a social and cultural agenda for the district;s development. When it came to the project's implementation, the city planners, whishing to be flexible and open to variation, supplied only structural and ecological restrictions with regulations applying to the maximum building height of 13 meters, specific building lot sizes and the design of the main street’s arcades. Vauban has been completed in 2009.
The small building parcels, the various building heights, the roof slopes, the use of different materials and colours, the various architectural designs and unconventional ideas of the residents gave the district its unique appearance. Isn't Vauban a little paradise?
Sources:
Frey, W.: Freiburg Green City – Wege zu einer nachhaltigen Stadtentwicklung/ Approaches to Sustainable Urban Development. translation Dennis Cole. Herder. Freiburg, Basel, Wien. 2011.
Photography by Sijmen Schroevers
Notes:
This article was written as a reflection on the study-trip to Freiburg, part of the design studio 'Resilient Feijenoord', tutored by lector Duzan Doepel and Jeroen de Willigen. The studio's aim to investigate the effects and means of sustainable redevelopment of the Feijenoord area located in the city of Rotterdam. More on this design studio can be read here. Gabriela Kopacikova, architecture students is one of the participants of this design studio which takes places during the first semester of 2011-2012.
Reacties
Plaats een reactie
