New rooms Urban development, traffic planning and square design Bastionsplatz - fairground - bunker forecourt - bunker underworld

"In the Schalker Verein Gelsenkirchen project, the jury particularly praised the cautious and user-oriented approach. The concept for the reuse of the "Schalker Verein" site deals with the still topical issue of the subsequent use of old industrial relics. The Oberhausen planning group succeeds in redefining the space with a powerful and unpretentious design language, integrating the aesthetics of user-generated random elements as a matter of course."

(From the press release on the awarding of the North Rhine-Westphalian LandscapeArchitecturePrize 2014)



Due to the long period of dereliction, a piece of 'second-hand nature' was available on the site of the former Schalker Verein steelworks. In the course of an urban planning competition, these natural areas were recognized as a potential of the location and the motto 'Investor Grün' was derived from this. The open spaces were made accessible in the short term and form a framework for the long-term development of the site. The aim is to create an attractive 'campus' with a green edge that connects to the neighboring districts. In direct connection with the listed ore and coal bunker in the south, the existing green potential will be preserved and developed through an extensive green area in the north.



For the long-term urban development, an inner green axis with solitary buildings was proposed, which is to become the heart of a high-quality business park for start-ups. Access to the site from the city centre in the west is organized via three squares. The bastion square and the fairground accentuate the change in elevation and form two access areas with urban dimensions and structural features. They lead over to the generous open space between the ore bunker and the railroad line.



The resulting sequence of squares, which is oriented to the scale of the former industrial structures, is not only the entrance to the quarter and the first signal for new investments, it also offers new space for all conceivable activities and appropriations in the first step.



THE BASTIONSPLATZ

Towards the city center, the site of the Schalke club presents itself with a bastion of brickwork that highlights and encloses the Schaltzentrale monument. A ramp provides barrier-free and bicycle-friendly access from Hohenzollernstraße to the flat square covered with string trees. Stairways provide direct access from Hohenzollernstrasse. The square's basalt paving is structured by barrier-free walkways made of large-format slabs. The tree grid offers opportunities for use as a small marketplace, for which electrical installations are provided. Tree spotlights illuminate the square indirectly.



THE FESTPLATZ

To the east of the control center is the fairground, whose sail-shaped plaza is carved out of the grove of string trees like a clearing. Here too, the basalt paving forms the framework for a slightly sloping, robust asphalt surface, which is structured by large-format concrete slabs.



To the west, the gradient is accessed by steps, while to the south, the broadly curved and sloping fairground wall traces the contours of the sail. The dimensions of the open area of the fairground also provide space for larger events. Three lighting columns, tilted at an angle to the concrete wall, cast concentrated light onto the asphalt surface. Switch boxes and a hydrant offer connection options for market use and other events.



the bunker forecourt

The Erzbunker monument will be exposed and staged as a spectacular solitaire. In the western part, the 200-meter-long concrete sculpture is made accessible and offers insights into the impressive underworld of the complex. To the south of the accessible bunker section, an asphalt surface marks the bunker forecourt as a sports and exercise area. The elephant's feet further south - the foundations of the former blast furnaces - are partially integrated into a skate park. Further east, they stand in an extensive meadow area and are designed as climbing objects. The plateau between the remains of the foundry hall walls was designed as an extensive cross-bike course.