Europan 14 - Neu-Ulm (DE)
Urbanity in Suburbia
Ulm
NeuUlm
former primary school and polytechnic
project site
interlinking zone
urban grain plan
SCALE: L/S urban and architectural
TEAM REPRESENTATIVE: architect / urban planner / landscaper
SITE FAMILY: From City to Productive City
LOCATION: Neu-Ulm, south of the city centre
POPULATION: City: 58,200, Project site: ca. 1,350
STRATEGIC SITE: 150 ha PROJECT SITE: 16.5 ha
SITE PROPOSED BY: City of Neu-Ulm, NUWOG,
Wohnungsgesellschaft der Stadt Neu-Ulm GmbH
ACTOR(S) INVOLVED: City of Neu-Ulm, NUWOG
OWNERS OF THE SITE: City of Neu-Ulm, NUWOG,
south of Riedstrasse private property
COMMISSION AFTER COMPETITION: urban planning
framework, housing construction
aerial view
HOW CAN THE SITE CONTRIBUTE TO THE PRODUCTIVE
CITY ?
Neu-Ulm Vorfeld is located in a complex situation near the city centre
and has good public transport connections. It takes only 5 minutes to
reach the Neu-Ulm train station by foot, while the distance to the Ulm’s
cathedral is 2 km. Pedestrian are ensured high-quality access to the
centre of the city and the southern neighbourhoods of the city by the
‘Green Bridge‘ – a cycling and pedestrian path axis that was created
within the framework of the Landesgartenschau (State Garden Show) in
2008. Extensive green areas, used in part as play areas, are supposed
to be valorised according to the sensitively understood principle of ‘densification before external development’. The buildings and open spaces
of the former primary school and polytechnic are owned by the city and
offer a unique potential for an innovative program of design and uses.
CITY STRATEGY
Neu-Ulm is located in a region of strong growth, with very high population pressure on the centre of the city. The Danube in the north serves
as a natural boundary between Neu-Ulm and Ulm. It would therefore only be possible for the city centre to expand towards the south.
Here, the Vorfeld barracks site formed an insurmountable barrier for
the expansion of the city centre until the withdrawal of troops in 1991.
The site’s US military past, which has still not vanished from the minds
of people in Neu-Ulm, and its ownership and price structures consequently result in the fact that an above-average number of people in
need of financial support also still live in Vorfeld today. The goal is
to integrate the district and its residents in a sustainable way, and to
implement new kinds of neighbourhoods between urban housing and
lifestyle, culture, services and work for all segments of the population.
Europan 14 - Neu-Ulm (DE)
Wiley Centre
extension polytechnic
under construction
Vorfeld
green bridge
school centre
in planning
former primary school and polytechnic
Danube
Glacis
Neu-Ulm
City Centre
Ulmer Münster
cathedral
semi aerial photo
SITE DEFINITION
The strategic site is located to the south of the grounds of the Glacis, which
surround the city centre, and is served by four major roads. The vocational
and upper vocational school and a dynamic mixed-use zone border the
project site to the west, and to the east the cemetery of 9.3 ha. The mono-structured site of Vorfeld was created in the 1950s as a ‘family housing
area’ for the US military and has been part of the urban-development program ‘Social City‘ since 1999. The architecture and design of open spaces
reflect American notions of housing, sport and green areas, and traffic.
The homogeneous and dispersed development consists of rows of 3- to
4-storey buildings with 400 dwellings, which have undergone extensive
modernization since 1999. At its centre is the 3.3-hectare-large site of the
former primary school and polytechnic. The buildings are partially not worth
retaining in terms of structure, and currently accommodate interim uses.
HOW IS PRODUCTION CONSIDERED IN THE URBAN DIVERSITY PROGRAM ?
The desired mixture of housing, culture, jobs relating to the housing
estate, services, and local recreation close to the city centre should
result in a lively extension of the city that is also integrated into the
city as a whole. What are sought are approaches to urban planning,
landscape planning, and architectural solutions for the densification
of the housing development. Focus should be promoting work in the
district, lively ground floors and intensifying social life. The new urban
planning arrangement of the district should respect the history of the
evolution of the site and simultaneously create an open location for future generations. The foundation of urban life has many facets. Future
uses to be developed for the buildings and open spaces of the former
primary school and polytechnic situated in the centre of the project site
should therefore be given overriding importance. The goal is to create
a centre that takes advantage of the multifaceted potentials of the urban location and contributes to interlinking Vorfeld beyond its boundaries and to integrating it with the neighbouring districts of the city in the
long term.
The development of programs – that can, if necessary, be realized
in stages – for the valorisation, redensification and replanning of the
large, s­ ometimes shapeless and unused open spaces and buildings is
an essential component of the design task. It also includes redesigning
and/or supplementing internal path connections, which are currently lacking, as well as interconnecting the site with the surrounding districts
and image improvement, for instance, through designing the approaches to the district, which are currently not recognisable as such.
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expansion technical college
under construction
Turnhalle
Europan 14 - Neu-Ulm (DE)
area of the former primary
school and polytechnic