Ulm’s city center is to become greener. The city launched a competition for this purpose: The design by Terra Nova and Club L94 won over the jury under Martin Rein-Cano.

The “Green Mile for the Climate” in Ulm’s city center

At the end of July, Ulm’s building mayor Tim von Winning announced that the city’s pedestrian zone is to be completely redesigned. The new city center is to become significantly greener and thus represent a “green mile for the climate”. Numerous plants and trees will characterize the inner-city image of Ulm.

Two architectural firms, Terra Nova from Munich and Club L94 Landschaftsarchitekten from Cologne, won the competition to redesign Ulm’s city center. A total of 13 architects submitted entries.

In future, Ulm’s pedestrian zone between the train station and Münsterplatz as well as in the Wegen and Fischerviertel districts will be recognizable as a visual unit. A warm, uniform granite surface is planned for this purpose. Numerous green elements will not only improve the climate function of the city center, but also create places to linger. The aim is to better connect the residents of Ulm’s city center. The proportion of services, culture and apartments is also to be increased.

The concept also takes into account the side streets of the pedestrian zone. These are also to become significantly greener. For example, a “shady tree canopy” is planned for Glöcklerstrasse.

The redesign of Ulm’s pedestrian zone is set to begin in 2024 or 2025 at the latest. At the same time, all lines will be renewed. After two years, i.e. by 2027 at the latest, the city center renewal should be completed.

A new urban floor

The new main and side axes of the floor will consist of light-colored granite that appears greyish to reddish. It has a favorable albedo value. There are also lighter and darker bands, which are intended to be reminiscent of the typical Ulm “Barchnet” cloth. This woven fabric was decisive for Ulm’s historical wealth. It is a blend of cotton weft and linen warps. It is also known as “Ulm money”.

The independent, exclusive city floor runs through the new city center as a trademark. This is also intended to highlight Ulm’s retail location. The designers refer to these well-known lines:

“Venetian power,
Augsburg splendor,
Nuremberg wit,
Strasbourg artillery,
and Ulm money
rule the world.”

Current challenges facing the city

Bahnhofstrasse and Hirschstrasse in Ulm are the city’s most important commercial streets. Over a length of around 450 meters, they connect Bahnhofplatz and Münsterplatz. They represent the central pedestrian axis of Ulm’s city center and lead directly from the train station to Ulm Minster, the city’s most important architectural monument.

According to the city of Ulm’s tender, the structural condition and design of these two streets as well as Deutschhausgasse and Glöcklerstraße are “getting on in years”. As a result, they can no longer do justice to their local and supra-regional significance. The upgrading of the surrounding area by the Sedelhöfe shopping center makes the discrepancy to the older streets even more striking.

For this reason, a competition was held to redesign the city center. It was important to the city to redesign the streets so that they could once again better fulfill their function as a central open space and as a place for trade, meetings and communication. At the same time, the high structural density and heavy sealing are to be reduced somewhat in order to mitigate the negative effects of climate change.

Also interesting: Save the city centers! Read this position paper to find out how German city centers can be transformed from places of supply to places of well-being.

Planning for the gap between buildings: Ana Rocha, architect, of the “Slim Fit” mini-house prototype, explains her approach.

The report on Ana Rocha’s “Slim Fit” micro-house was met with great interest by our readers. We took this as an opportunity to ask the architect herself to explain the details of this unusual project.

Ms. Rocha, what was particularly important to you when designing your Micro House?
For me, the decisive factor was the need and also the responsibility as an architect to contribute to a kind of “change of mentality”: why constantly occupy nature to build more and larger apartments, while many city centers offer empty plots – for example near main train stations – or plots that are only used for parking? My message with this project is: use, utilize or supplement the existing infrastructure!

Which residents did you have in mind?
I wanted to design a small but complete house for the growing group of singles who work in the city: with a normal kitchen, bathroom and enough storage space for books, shoes and so on. My aim was to create an extremely compact footprint that would allow the house to be placed in any inner-city context. The footprint of SLIM FIT is 16 square meters, less than the area of two parking spaces.

The Micro House is made of wood. What do you like about this material?
It is a living, light and sustainable material that can be shaped. That’s how I get these slender structural walls, for example.

Do you think that the future of architecture will have to look like this due to the densification of cities: tall and narrow?
I don’t have a specific vision, but as I said before: why build more instead of using the space and infrastructure that already exists? We need to reuse, adapt and fill every available space. This is the only way to leave the remaining nature alone.

What are your next projects?
I’m working on renovations. And on a new prototype for another small – “tiny” – apartment, but this time without stairs and therefore more accessible for everyone …

Plans and model photo: Ana Rocha. Object photography: Christiane Wirth.