Potsdam’s Schlaatz district is to be redeveloped. To this end, the competition for the Schlaatz 2030 master plan was announced and decided. Out of nine participating offices, three teams made it through to the next round. Find out who and with which designs here.
Potsdam’s Schlaatz district is to be redeveloped. To this end, the competition for the Schlaatz 2030 master plan was announced and decided. Out of nine participating offices, three teams made it through to the next round. Find out who and with which designs here.
Competition for the Schlaatz 2030 master plan decided
The Schlaatz district of Potsdam is about to undergo one of the biggest redevelopment projects in recent years. The aim is to build new affordable housing that meets demand and to adapt to climate change. To this end, an urban planning and landscape architecture competition for the Schlaatz 2030 master plan was launched at the beginning of the year. Of the nine participating offices, three teams made it through to the next round.
The master plan designs by bauchplan ).( urban planning and landscape architects based in Munich, Vienna and Cologne, AG.URBAN with hutterreimann landschaftsarchitektur from Berlin and the Octagon Architekturkollektiv from Leipzig together with GM013 Landschaftsarchitektur from Berlin were convincing. After the initial pre-selection, the winning offices revised their designs. The aim was to respond appropriately to criticism from various quarters. A broad-based alliance is also involved in the Schlaatz master plan process. Experts from the city administration are working closely with the housing companies in various working groups. Their opinions were also incorporated into the revision. As did the jury’s comments. Furthermore, the results of the public participation.
Presentation of the final designs to a wide audience
The reactions of the various stakeholders focused on topics such as housing, open space and commercial development. The three winning offices were commissioned in January to work on this in greater depth. The planners had until the third round of dialog on 18 June to incorporate the range of requirements into their designs.
The master plans of the three teams each have their own focus. The bauchplan office developed high-quality recreational areas along linear structures. Meanwhile, AG Urban focused on a high density in the quarter and urban courtyards between block buildings. Octagon from Leipzig and GM013 Landschaftsarchitektur from Berlin used the adjacent river space of the renaturalized Nuthe as an impulse for the Schlaatz 2030 district development. Before the final round of dialogue, citizens had the opportunity to view all the designs in an open exhibition. The opinions of the public then served as a decision-making aid for the expert committee. For the third round of dialog, the offices presented their refined visions to both the jury and the public. Open questions were also discussed in a subsequent discussion.
1st prize for Vision Schlaatz 2030 goes to Octagon and GM013
At the end of the event, the design by Octagon Architekturkollektiv and GM013 Landschaftsarchitektur came out on top. Their concept is based on the reorganization of traffic areas. Instead of streets and parking spaces, a blue-green network is to dominate the district. This will create meeting spaces for residents. At the same time, the open spaces in Schlaatz 2030 will improve the urban climate and biodiversity. The existing block structures will be carefully supplemented. The redesign of the open spaces is intended to create legible urban spaces. A distinction will be made between public squares and private courtyards. The center will be densified and given a mixed use. A lively city street will be created towards the Nuthetal valley. The transition to the landscape can be experienced. Bernd Rubelt, the alderman for urban development, construction, economy and environment, speaks of a gain for the city: “The design provides for a moderate and compatible redensification and qualifies the district as a whole through a mix of functions.”
Master plan process on the home straight
The winning design will now serve as the basis for the “Schlaatz 2030” master plan. However, the process is not yet complete. The vision must now be turned into a feasible master plan. To this end, the planners will now delve deeper into the process. The process has been extended for this purpose. The final public dialog is scheduled to take place on October 8. The master plan process is therefore on the home straight. Even at this stage, however, all those involved are extremely satisfied. Thanks to the good cooperation of all stakeholders – be it the population, administration or construction companies – a consensus has been reached on the relevant requirements. Bernd Rubelt sees the specially designed process as a complete success. Everyone is now looking forward to the next steps.
The prize for another competition was also recently awarded, read more about the competition for the Grenzhof area in Memmingen here.
