DEVELOPMENT AREA
35,5 ha (two partial areas / "Landeswiese" and "Hatschekgründe")
14 ha Waldtrapez (connecting element between the two partial areas)
INTERVENTION AREA
1 to 3 ha (in each of the two partial areas "Landeswiese" and
"Hatschekgründe")
THEME
Stretched out between two settlement areas and cut by an important regional road the project has to deal with connectivity, contamination, and coexistence of diverse urban programs. A long-term strategy with elastic scenarios of a mixed use program shall exploit expansion as a feedback of the surrounding structures. The split of the competition area into two open fields connected by a wooden area asks for different ways of occupation. Both fields call for a pilot-project which works in an exemplary way with landscape, housing and infrastructure (access, intelligent parking): demonstrating the symbiotic coexistence between built programs and landscape.
CONURBATION
With its central functions Amstetten is the „capital“ of the Mostviertel in western “Niederoesterreich”. It is located at the course of two most important west-east traffic routes, the “Westbahn” (railway) and the highway A1. Therefore commerce and industry are of major significance and its greater agglomeration houses 250.000 people. The landscape that joins the river Ybbs provides extended natural preservation areas. The settlement-structure is split up in three distinct urban developments: Amstetten, Mauer and Ulmerfeld-Hausmening. Strategically the city wants to strengthen the business-location taking into account the preservation of the high quality of life and its relation to cultural, social and leisure issues.
SITE
The competition area is located between two traditional settlement-areas. The two open sites – one unoccupied, the other abandoned – and the dense wood (between them) provide a strategic field for the future situation of the greater surroundings. The competition area is separated by the noisy border of the important traffic route B121 which actually offers a strip of car-shops in the competition area.
Characteristic are the different border conditions: a slope with a strip of single family houses (west), an attractive wood of a psychiatric hospital (north/east), a car-shop-strip, gardens of single family houses, a local main street.
PROGRAM
The existing interest of commercial firms puts economic pressure on the utilization of the open field (north) whereas the abandoned site in the south is mainly foreseen for housing. Countering a mono-functional development the commune expects a strategic concept for a long-term, high quality occupation on the northern site. A range of commercial uses (trade, production, back offices) and a hotel shall trigger the management of programmatic elasticity. On a long term, a coexistence between living and working has to be explicitly addressed using landscape and infrastructure as organizing tools. The southern site shall develop into a diverse, committed housing programme with special relations to outdoor spaces. In contrast to the densification of the two areas, the wood should preserve its pristine ambience.
ISSUES
SOCIAL / FUNCTIONAL
The encounter of commercial uses with infrastructure, landscape and public spaces as an organizing tool has to be addressed, as well as with socially diversified housing as a pilot project. Existing “public” landscapes such as the hospital park/wood have to be considered in the commitment of the program.
SENSITIVE
The different border conditions vary from contaminated to “pristine” situations. These conditions shall influence not only the design (e.g. natural vs. artificial landscaping) and location of programs but shall also inform the strategy of development in phases.
SUSTAINABILITY
An architectural pilot project shall initiate a long term, step by step strategy and integrate the network of green leisure zones with its bicycle and pedestrian pathways. Mixed use with social diversity shall meet existing demands and support a sustainable new city-district.