oldenburg | 7th - 21th july 2012

GROUPWORK 7: Lina Müller | Johannes Sack | Leonidas Leonidou | Ceren Baskazanci

3rd PRIZE!

intermediate presentation

final presentation

"INTERCONNECTING RIBBONS" minute, by Holm Kleinmann

The authors illustrate in their analysis with simple and convincing means their own attitude to the complex formulation of the task and permit the observers a fast way to enter their concept.

With the guiding principle of „Interconnecting Ribbons“ they pursue not only the aim of connecting and combining “old” and “new” in general, but equally open up a structural pattern for the allocation of subareas and neighbourhoods in the development area.

Grid-lines in the west follow the system of access along the Ammerländer Heerstraße and in the east along the Erlenstraße or rather along the Artillerieweg. This leads to a division of the area into three parts full of tension, and creates units of an overall coherence in terms of growth and utilization, providing good orientation and legibility for the new site.

The proposal for building up a third university-campus close by the new planned train station "Universität" generates for Oldenburg in the suggested form a new typology, composed by buildings and landscape, and thus promising a way of integration with the existing heterogeneous urban context.

The centrically situated triangle-shaped park and green space associates strongly Oldenburg´s prototype, the "Dobbenwiese". It presents a stamp of high imageability and ties skilfully the former farm with the existing tree population as a new university guesthouse area.

Otherwise free of fixed determined uses, this park is open to all forms of formal or informal sports and leisure activities, and therefore excellent directed to the needs of the envisaged clients: "Professional Academic Newcomers".

The decision for the main entrance from Pophankenweg parallel to the A 28 bundles the noise and opens a favorable access to the area from the north, which mostly can be continued along the edges of the park – thus it comes into an “entrée” of good memorability and high identification value.

The suggested mix in the interior area of detached and semi-detached houses, as well as the drainage ditches and road sections in the rhythm of short space-sequences, interpret the Oldenburg house type and urban typology very convincingly. Contrary to this, the edge buildings along the “Wissenschaft-Boulevard” at the Ammerländer Heerstraße are too uniform, here a similar variety in form and granulation like in the interior area would be welcome. The centering on the new railroad station follows the simple, how cunning geometry of the grid lines. The compact mixture of culture, office and university buildings with apartments creates a close match to the requested program. The formulation of a new city entrance with two towers (“twins”) as landmarks is basically a successful element for a new identity as a major city.

However a reduction to only one tower, that one north to the „Boulevard”, would be both, more practicable and open to associations of multiple interpretation, and in its uniqueness an opportunity for creating a new image.

The project „Interconnecting Ribbons“ is a very valuable contribution for the further development of Oldenburg urban units with regard to new mixed structures, town typologies, utilization possibilities, ecological transformation and economic possibilities of different investment volumes.

The project creates something new and simultaneously keeps an eye on the local identities of the town.

The authors convinced also with their concise verbal presentation and her good graphic representation.

The jury therefore has decided to award the project with a third prize.