Over the next ten years, the Metzgergrün district is set to undergo a profound transformation and change into a contemporary housing estate without losing its original character. To replace the 27 row buildings from the 1950s, a modern district with about 500 new apartments and generous green areas is being built here. “This urban composition of residential courtyards, social center, high-quality and differentiated open spaces, new networks and the right connections has the potential to become a model and future-oriented quarter,” praised the jury.
Manageable Neighborhoods
The design arranges the apartments into six blocks, creating manageable neighborhoods. Each block combines three to four-story row buildings and multi-unit houses around a green inner courtyard. Along the road and railway line, a building edifice whose apartments are optimized for sound insulation shields the housing estate.
Individual Facades
The row buildings consist of individual houses lined up one after the other. In order to increase the identification of the residents with their house, each façade is individually designed from different materials such as plaster, clinker, wood, etc. The tower blocks are made of wood, the row buildings of massive construction.
Social Mix and Lots of Green
Each block contains an even distribution of subsidized and privately- owned apartments as well as condominiums in order to enhance social variety. In the center of the district is a public square with a kindergarten and shops. A ball court at the southern edge of the central green corridor links the new residential area with the wider neighborhood and is a meeting point for all residents.
The Metzgergrün district already captivates today by its abundance of green space. Tucked between two allot settlements in the northeast and west, the quarter will continue to play an important role as an ecological corridor. Therefore, the crevasse is to be brought to life in the quarter by relocating its streambed. Along the new course of the stream there will be sporadic widening, which can be developed into wet biotopes. In the event of heavy rainfall, these new terraced habitats can be used to retain rainwater. This way, the quarter gets a green center with cozy corners for relaxation, encounters and meetings.
Green Space, Rainwater Management & Parking at the Edge
The inner courtyards of the building blocks each consist of a communal open space and small tenant gardens. This promotes close neighborly relations and the residents' sense of community. All streets are "play streets" and work as "shared space". Extensions offer space for street festivals and weekly markets, thus creating social meeting places in the neighborhood.
The rainwater management is integrated on the surface and is a visible part of the multifunctional land use. The rainwater from the adjoining buildings is also collected in the inner courtyards and either drained away and/or throttled. The street space is drained via an open channel. This makes the sustainable strategy visible and tangible.
The sustainable transportation concept keeps the interior of the housing estate largely car-free – parking will be available in three collective garages at the edge of the district. In order to minimize transit traffic, all underground garages are directly accessible from the main access roads. The main access roads in the quarter are marked with pavements, cycle paths and parking strips along the roadside.
