TRANSFORMATION OF SITE
Being one of the most important entrance points of the city, the develoment of the project site will create a new landmark for the city, on the physical level as well as on the programmatic one: a horizontal structure overbridges the entrance road, providing spaces for public, commercial and infrastructu- ral uses. It also serves as an „umbrella“ for the diverse traffic flows, including a tramway stop. At the same time the structure forms the base for an appartment tower which becomes one of the highest building in the city. As an example for visionary sustainability the tower provides a wooden structure. Tower and base form the characteristic elements of a composite project which introduces innovative urban-architectural strategies as a new form of comprehensive city development. Instead of developing the tower in detail, the project shall create an urban topology resulting in the best possible framework for the area‘s urban activation, including the possibiltiy of further developments along the N-S axis of the study area.CITY STRATEGY
How can growth be directed in a strategic way, strengthening the urban structure of the city? How to revitalize its reserves in the already built up area?The issue of inner urban growth constitutes one of the main focusses in the development concept of the city. Above all, it faces the challenges of the coexistence between infrastructure, mixed uses, public space and living programs. Recent infrastructural projects such as the elongation of the tram and a planned local train stop will improve the area‘s integration in the public transport network. In addition the city has recently introduced a new strate- gy: important sites, such as the Europan site shall be developed as radiating urban poles using a comprehensive evaluation-strategy, ranging from progressive concepts for sustainability to the creation of a strong visual identity.