1st prize for Bandwirkerquartier Wuppertal - a new residential area on a former industrial site
The architectural firm KONRATH und WENNEMAR from Düsseldorf with LAND Germany has been awarded the 1st prize in a procedure to which five planning offices were invited.
A new residential area will rise on the site of the long-established Vombaur company in Wuppertal Ronsdorf. The relocation of the existing industrial use offers the opportunity to develop an attractively located residential quarter in the heart of Ronsdorf. To ensure quality in the design of this new quarter in a central location, the property owner from Baur Grundbesitz GmbH & Co. KG
Initiated a qualification procedure in December to which five planning offices were invited.
Last week, a jury consisting of representatives of Wuppertal and the awarding authority announced the winner: the architectural firm KONRATH und WENNEMAR from Düsseldorf with LAND Germany. The design serves as the basis for the urban land use planning and shapes the complex site with a lot of greenery and a loose development.
The landscape architecture follows the site’s topography, with a height difference of 18 metres and rocky ground. The neighbourhood’s greening counteracts the heat island effect and plays a vital role in water management. “We need a new strategy of adaptive design for the challenges of climate change that can bring together the elements of soil, water, and greenery for the benefit of a regenerative and resilient nature for the entire local community,” explains Andreas Kipar.
A deciduous tree-lined stairway with seating steps and green islands opens up the area, which is car-free thanks to an underground car park and transforms the hillside location into an asset of the site. Three equipped neighbourhood squares will be created, inviting visitors to linger. Two playgrounds resemble neighbourhood courtyards, one of which uses the existing woodland. In addition to a hill for climbing, a longitudinal trough is a retention area for heavy rainfall events and invites people to play. Another retention area is located to the east of the large neighbourhood square.
The urban planning objective of the design complements and links the surrounding structures and develops a harmonious overall urban structure. The building ensemble is embedded in the rising slope with different building types. The business will move from Ronsdorf to Nächstebreck in 2023, so the company site can get a new life under Bandwirkerquartier.
