Competition Karlsruhe

LOCATION
Karlsruhe was conceived and implemented as a centrally oriented, clear city-forest model and is still largely preserved in the north-east of the city.
This duality of civilisation and nature forms strong poles of identification with the respective urban or natural space. The two design perimeters differ in their allocation. The area of the General Kammhuber barracks is still clearly attributed to the concept of forest. The clearing of the Bundeswehr Technical School and the District Armed Forces Substitute Office, on the other hand, is already oriented towards the KIT Campus East in its layout.
According to these attributions, the different spatial design strategies "campus - clearing in the forest" and "vis a vis" can be developed.
Both sub-areas are already inscribed in the city's consciousness as places. Both, however, rather as virtual addresses, because they can only be entered to a limited extent, or purely functional addresses, because they are only relevant for a very specific group of people. This allows the development of a free strategy of reinscribing the two places as public quarters of the city. Both places are close to a relevant intersection of the city's radial (Theodor Heuss Allee) and tangential (Rintheimer Querallee). The good accessibility is strengthened by a bus connection and a possible extension of the tram network.

STRUCTURE

CAMPUS OF INDIVIDUALS (formerly GKK)

But what is the right structure to do social justice to the new image? After all, this is where important institutions of the Federal Republic's constitution will be located in the future. In other words, our future society.

To us, the image of individuals meeting in close proximity seems appropriate. A campus of individuals, then.

Which typologies form the appropriate individuals?

The task already provides many clues. A smooth transition from the present to the soon to be is to be organised. This naturally involves the existing. As a scale reference, but also in relation to the rich tree population, as an instance that formulates and allocates possible building sites. Connected by existing lanes, which can be paths, and divisions in the earth.

In this way, an arrangement of houses of different shapes and heights develops, which can be inscribed in the scene as loose groups.

The security-relevant unit of the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, which at first glance seems difficult to integrate, is given just as much a role and appropriate position in the structure as expanding houses for work, mobility, housing, care and youth development. The forms of the buildings are secondary. The height profile of the buildings gives an indication of the addresses of the neighbourhoods in the district. The growth of the neighbourhood over many years requires a very close look at appropriate functions and uses during the development process. The impression of an office and administration park that will be expanded to include housing much later must be avoided. Needs should be planned beyond the immediate at present into the process of developing the neighbourhood with its neighbourhoods.

In the process, new urban atmospheres are created that can be linked to the self-image of living in the forest. An authentic sense of life for this specific part of Karlsruhe is to develop. To this end, the aspects of forest, clearing, neighbourhood, arriving, wandering through will be developed by means of strong building placements on sparingly used space in dialogue with a large number of newly planted, climate-silient tree species while continuing to use existing paths and roadways.