Realisation competition Landsberg am Lech

Close to Landsberg's old town, a new urban quarter is being built in the immediate vicinity, on the other side of the Lech river. Four urban building blocks fit in along the railway and the new pathway that connects the quarter with the old town. The design fits in as the first, new building block in its designated place in the new structure. The four sides of the perimeter are defined very differently in terms of their surroundings. In the north, there is an urban space of "quiet crossing", south of the event hall. In the west, the preserved, elongated, elegant Karl Schrem Building, as a generous counterpart, creates a quiet urban space. To the south is the newly created, lively entrance to the quarter, the "Platz am Mutterturm". To the east of the building block, the natural space of the Lech appears with the old town in the background and the densely greened Lech riverbank promenade in the foreground.

The development plan staggers the building plots and heights according to these orientations. A clear orientation of the new development towards the Lech is shown. At the same time, a plinth binds the different locations of living and working together into an urban figure. At one point, the ground floor structure opens up to the urban space. The two slight bends in the long sides sharpen the urban profile of the perimeter. The resulting edges of the overall volume clearly refer to the surrounding buildings to the north and south. At the same time, the variations in the contours inside the structure contribute to an optimised living situation in the upper residential volumes. A direct counterpart inside the relatively densely set courtyard is avoided. On the other hand, the division of the long structure proposed in the development plan to the north achieves an improved residential situation in the two houses being built.

The base zone in the west to the Karl Schrem Building is raised to the level of the connecting piece to its new building. This two-storey base condenses the expected urban quality of the new north-south facing urban space and at the same time allows the placement of two-storey studio maisonettes as a working environment close to the living space. The important urban edge in the south of the building block is not interrupted. Public uses are located here, enlivening the new square with south-facing café terraces. The passageway is located in the north of the development and thus strengthens the connection of the quarter with the old town via the nearby Lechsteg.

All uses on the ground floor are oriented towards the outside; both the uses of the commercial and service units and the residential entrances enliven the public space. The inner courtyard remains a quiet, private if dense space for its residents and workers. The street space along the bank of the Lech is lined up with variously dimensioned and lively units facing the public. Some of these are combined with smaller residential units according to their location. In the south of the quarter, in addition to the small café-cum-restaurant, there are other uses to enliven the new square at the Mutterturm. In the west, opposite the Karl Schrem Building, which with its overheight ground floor allows for teamwork as well as exhibition and retail uses, the described combi-duplexes complement the range of living and working in the new district. A slight split level connects public studio work with the dining area and the courtyard, and on the upper level with the private, over-height, west-facing living spaces and the bedrooms facing the quiet courtyard to the east.

The new urban block presents itself as a finely cut, lively, modern building. On the one hand, the dark colouring of the exterior façades with the large window formats creates a strong contrast to the powerfully elegant Karl Schrem Building. On the other hand, the design shown offers an appropriate counterpart to the natural space of the Lech bank in the east.

The open spaces of the flats are very precisely differentiated according to their location in the urban space. Balconies projecting far into the urban space are avoided; the building block retains its precise outward contour. A combination of loggia balconies and narrow balcony strips provide generous yet protected open spaces. This offer is complemented by the roof terraces between the upper building blocks. In addition, the inner courtyard offers a high-quality range of different open spaces.