Back in the year 2015, The Europan 13 competition topic continued with the theme of "The Adaptable City" from three points of view: Organisation - Sharing - Project (process). I worked with Bamberg (closest city to my residency at that time) motto: "Focus east - between conversion and world heritage".
The Bamberg East with the younger residential quarters of the 20th century and extensive barracks areas is so far in shadow of the old town and is clearly visible separated from the railway line. With the renunciation of military use and withdrawal of Americans in 2014, this area is increasingly becoming the focus of planning. Integrating the conversion areas into the urban fabric and strengthening the connection to the city center, the appearance is particularly focused on the adjacent urban spaces.
The councils desirable approach was to highlight the special qualities of Bamberg’s east and strengthen the identity of the district.
As the research for financial gain made by Bamberg's municipality shows, larger percentage of net profit comes and the potential of economical growth appears not in the tourism generated by the Bamberg‘s old town, but in the local industry and manufacture. Growing amount of respectable places of work in the Bamberg‘s east steps one huge step in cutting the city‘s division in the economical scale. Our task is to reduce the differences between people in the scale of human satisfaction.
Graphically speaking, thinking about his home, resident should feel like city's guest looking in the face of history. This is our foundation for perception of ideological solution. Or making a one huge step towards reduction in the town‘s urban division which is paradoxaly casted by an architecturally expressed symbol of connection – railway station.
There are cases, when the public changes emerges, majority of inhabitants consciously thinks not about founder, but about developer.
That all is built by our current and future society even with our pale hands
not only by paying taxes and creating something outside, but feeling the direct benefits even in our backyard. We forest co-urbanism by offering package of tools as templates for habitants, architects or contractors proposals, a framework as detail architectural solution and scheme for working in separated stages. Thus Bamberg could be established as adaptable and creative city.
Zollnerstraße is a street with great competence for apportions and transformations. We offer to redesign pavement layer a bit more up to date by increasing the width of pedestrian sidewalk. Comfortable environment brings up self-esteem for the choice for taking a walk or decision to take a break in outdoor café. Tramway line would create an opportunity for residents when choosing more environmental-friendly way for shuttling around city, thus reducing the amount of necessary street members. Vegetation between pedestrian and bicycle paths would ensure shadow casting and visual improvement in streets perspective. Furthermore, for pedestrian safety and traffic intensity avoidance, we offer to install corner islands in street joints and intersections. While working together with smart traffic lights, intersections would become a safer and more comfortable place for cyclers. Next noteworthy element of existing situation in streets monotony is constant rhythmic of facades – in volumetric and tonality scales and the content of activity scenario.
The Zollnerstraße area at the moment is used by garages or doesn’t used at all. Thinking about new potentially huge amount of residents who occupy a former barracks, we suggest that inner space of this region could be used by future Lagarde community to establish public market, temporary activities, a second hand use marketing spot, event spaces… at the entrance emerged observation tower would be vertical dominant in area that could be a reason to take a tour around this gardening city made by citizens of Bamberg.
We offer opportunity to encourage a constructional reformation for Zollnerstraße dwellers as well as usage of color as expression of individuality. It could be a rather cheap tool both for streets pictorial improvement and bonds between society itself and public. As well as floor paintings of opportunistic playing fields. Another potential creative element in streets layout could be the spacing between houses. Whatever the need of community would be, gaps which repeatedly appears in streets layout could provide a stable background for variety of activities or space improvements. Outdoor cinema, pocket park, artistic action, wastes recycling or bike share point…
Spiegelfelder could become another important point of attraction as a reflection of Gärtnerstadt. Huge area as this is obliged to not only serve as calm, paths connecting park, but also to work and produce goods for community.
Train station building visually appears to seem like a dead-end while arriving from Luitpoldstrasse. So we offer to open the façade and achieve the noticeable statement, that the station building is not the end. Sprouted bridge as the sequel of scenario would connect pedestrian and bicycle routes from Klosterstraße and Luitpoldstraße to Spiegelfelder and would offer a trading venue of amenities and services with views to Saint Heinrichskirche , Michaelsberg, notorious Weyermann malt factory or industrial skyline of railway. Branched exploitable roofing would serve not only for travelers hiding from sun or rain beneath, but also would be a place for artistic action to appear, gardens and installations of solar panels which would generate energy for illumination of the reconstructed tunnel in Zollnerstraße . Forecourt of railway station would be transformed from an uncomfortable bus parking lot to a public square with urban equipment made for accommodation.
We offer to improve station area’s space by changing the perimeter and content of Atrium. We suggest decreasing buildings density from stations side for improving the spatial issue and creating opening for visual connection between Kunigundenruhstraße and Pödeldorfer straße. Bus station would be arranged in the ground floor of Atrium along with indoor sport activities center with climbing walls and skate parks in the continuity of the upper floor. And on the roof people would find the cinema, which is still in operation. Separated part of Atrium would be also operably improved. A multistory parking lot’s façade facing the main Atrium part would be transformed into a climbing wall that could be used in case of good weather and the space between parking lot and Pfisterbrücke would be improved with units for outdoor skating amenities together with a take-away café. The façade facing this area would be perfect place for Mural painting.
