Quartier Glückstraße: Neighborhood living in Dortmund Derne

The company “Wilma Immobilien” wants to build a new residential quarter on the former site of the Gneisenau power plant in Dortmund-Derne. Together with the city of Dortmund, they launched an urban planning competition, the winning design of which has now been determined. The entry by the team Pesch Partner Architektur Stadtplanung GmbH and Club L94 Landschaftsarchitekten won over the jury and was exhibited at the Bürgertreff in Dortmund-Derne until June 18.

After Wilma Immobilien from Ratingen acquired the area around the former coal-fired power plant on Glückstrasse, they initiated an urban planning competition in collaboration with the city of Dortmund. The winning design for the district comprising around 400 residential units in the north of Dortmund was announced on May 9, 2023. The jury, consisting of planning experts and representatives from politics and administration, selected the entry by the team Pesch Partner Architektur Stadtplanung from Dortmund and Club L94 Landschaftsarchitekten from Cologne as the winner from seven submitted designs.

The design by the North Rhine-Westphalian consortium impresses with its use and reinterpretation of garden city motifs from the surrounding characteristic Dortmund workers’ housing estates. The key elements here are the central neighborhood park and the residential courtyards spread across the entire area. While the differently shaped residential courtyards enable random intergenerational encounters, the tree-covered neighborhood park functions as the central meeting point of the new residential area. A sunny terrace with restaurants and a residents’ meeting place will enhance the quality of life here. Seating steps mark the transition to the leafy park, which provides plenty of space to play. In the event of heavy rainfall, a large retention basin can temporarily absorb water and allow it to seep away slowly.

The garden city character does not stop at the boundaries of the development area, but extends into the surrounding landscape via the newly created network of paths. Two paths leading from the neighborhood park in the middle to the urban nature north of the residential area are highlighted by significant green structures. The green residential lanes are to be continued in the landscaped area in the form of simple wooden walkways. Further paths link the district with the train station in the south and the surrounding residential areas. This results in a fan-like figure, which is naturally derived from the urban development directions of the surrounding structures.

In terms of mobility, the focus is on pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The dense network of traffic-calmed residential streets provides convenient and safe non-motorized access to the entire district. Accessibility by car is still possible. The main access route is via Glückstrasse, which is designed as a 30 km/h zone and creates a sense of identity.

In addition to sustainable transportation planning, the entire concept is resilient to a changing climate and the resulting threat of extreme weather conditions. The preserved tree population provides cooling during hot spells through evaporation cooling and shade. Bright façades and pathways reflect a large proportion of the incident solar radiation and thus prevent the district from heating up too much. In addition, photovoltaics and collectors on the roof surfaces use solar energy for a sustainable power supply. In the spirit of the sponge city, the planners counter heavy rainfall events with a variety of infiltration options and a high level of greenery.

The plan for sustainable and intergenerational coexistence in the new Glückstrasse district is in place. If the next steps in the implementation are also successful, the name can become the program and a happy neighbourhood can be created.

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