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1 Bochum

2 Jahrhunderthalle Bochum The Jahrhunderthalle Bochum is a powerhouse for culture, business and entertainment - and an example of industrial-cultural change. Over the years, the former gas power station of the Bochumer Verein has become one of the most extraordinary festival halls in Europe. The Jahrhunderthalle Bochum is a space of possibilities. Due to its incomparable architecture and atmosphere, it attracts prizes such as the 1LIVE Krone, political celebrities at federal party events, festivals, galas, fairs, classical and rock, pop and jazz concerts. So versatile the events, so flexible and changeable is also the Jahrhunderthalle Bochum. Deutsches Bergbau-Museum / Benthem Crouwel Architects The Deutsches Bergbau-Museum, a German Mining Museum, lies in the heart of the Ruhr Area, in the city of Bochum. The museum is one of the most important mining museums and one of the most popular museums in Germany. Currently, the museum draws around 400,000 visitors annually to its 12,000 sqm of exhibition space. The new building, a 1,795 sqm extension, is linked to the existing structure by bridges. The extension houses temporary exhibits (and research presentations) and the existing permanent collection devoted to Saint Barbara, the most important guardian saint of miners. The new building reflects a cross-section of a mine: a solid, dark, black cube with illuminated passages and mine shafts. Coal inspired the rough, black surface of the facade. The color of the passageways ranges from white to light orange and deep red. The building looks like it was extracted straight from a mine. A clearly marked route from inside to outside avoids any dead ends.

3 Essen

4 Green Capital of Europe The Green Capital of Europe award recognizes a European city that has demonstrably met high environmental standards and continues to pursue ambitious goals for further improving environmental protection and sustainable development. With more than two-thirds of all Europeans living in cities, many environmental efforts have their origins here. The purpose of the competition is to encourage cities to take further action, to provide a platform for the presentation of best practices and to promote exchanges between European cities. In the context of this competition, the participating cities have to answer specific questions on 12 subject areas. In the first application for the title in 2016, the city of Essen reached the final round, the title went to Ljubljana. In the second attempt, Essen made it back into the final round and won the title Green Capital of Europe 2017 in Bristol in In the explanatory memorandum, the role of the City of Essen in many cities in Europe was emphasized in structural change, but also in the role of the City of Essen within the Ruhr Metropolis. The holistic approach of the application impressed the jury. In particular, the solution concepts for the future of a "livable city" under consideration of the effects of the structural change from a coal and steel city "to the greenest city" "in NRW were highlighted. The special significance of the green infrastructure with the example of the "Emscher Rebuild" up to the project "Essen.Neue Wege zum Wasse" has been able to convey the holistic transformation process across all subject areas. The Essen topics: ESSEN.Neue Wege zur Wasser "ESSEN.Neue Wege zur Wasser" (New Paths to Water) is a program for developing open spaces. Living on the water or in the countryside, walks on lakes and floodplains, without having to drive to distant parts of the city. For many citizens of Essen, this is already a reality. The program "New Ways to Water" is a project of the Essen Consensus. All work will be carried out as a municipal labor market policy project for the employment, qualification and integration of the unemployed into the labor market. This is done under expert guidance and in close cooperation between Grün and Gruga Essen and the Arbeit & Bildung Essen GmbH (ABEG). During the work, partners and companies from the region will also be involved on a project-related basis. New Ways to Water" is an integral part of the city's bid to compete for the Green Capital of Europe The new logo symbolizes the networking of the green spaces between the New Emscher Valley in the north of Essen and the Ruhr Valley in the south. The development of these green ribbons is the particular aim of the program.

5 Emscher Landschaftspark The Emscher Landscape Park is a regional cooperation project of the Ruhrgebiet. For more than 20 years, 20 cities of the Ruhr Metropolis, two counties, the district governments, the state of NRW, the Emschergenossenschaft and the Regionalverband Ruhr (RVR) have been working on its development. This has led to a new quality of life and living in the middle Ruhr area. Parks and leisure activities on old industrial areas, heaps and landmarks strengthen the soft location factors. Sustainable regional care management and green infrastructure in the middle of the Ruhr Metropolis In December 2016, the RVR Association Assembly approved the extension of the sponsorship agreement with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Land and RVR are committed to securing and maintaining the 15 regionally significant sites in the Emscher Landschaftspark for a further ten years. As in the past, the state provides for compensation of 2.5 million euros per year. In return, the locations undertake to provide the same amount in their own contribution. The RVR manages the association-owned areas, forwards the payments of the country to the external locations and, together with the partners, ensures that the agreed quality standards are met. The RVR had taken over the sponsorship of the Emscher Landschaftspark for the first time on the occasion of the revised version of the RVR Act 2004 and since then has been responsible for the conception, moderation and coordination, care, public relations and other projects.

6 Zeche Zollverein (Emscher park s node 22) Zollverein UNESCO-World Heritage Site Gelsenkirchener Str. 181, Essen (Mo-Sun a.m. to 6.00 p.m.) Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site: 100 hectares, distributed over the central shaft facilities of Zollverein XII, the Shafts 1/2/8 and the coking plant premises. 100 hectares which fill the term industrial culture with life like no other place. More than 25 years after its closure, the once largest colliery in Europe combines culture and dining, design and architecture, handicraft and the creative industry as the only World Heritage Site of the Ruhr Area. December 14, 2001: The UNESCO World Heritage Committee declares the inscription of the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen on the World Heritage List. The overriding objective: the preservation of cultural and natural heritage sites of mankind, which have an outstanding universal value and are thus both unique and authentic, but are simultaneously sensibly integrated into public life. The conditions at Zollverein were perfect: The Committee acknowledged the ensemble as representative of the development of traditional heavy industries in Europe and especially praised the architecture of the industrial complex in the Bauhaus style, which was for decades exemplary for modern industrial construction will see the end of the German coal mining industry. The termination of coal production marks the end of an important era not only in Germany but also in European history. For two hundred years, coal minings has determined the economy far beyond the Ruhr area. From 27 April to 11 November 2018, the joint exhibition The Age of Coal. A European History of the Ruhr

7 Museum and the German Mining Museum Bochum in the architecturally impressive rooms of the Mixing Plant at the Zollverein Coking Plant presents a fascinating time journey through the historical, technical and cultural dimensions of coal. The exhibition is made possible by the RAG Foundation as part of the initiative Glückauf Zukunft!. After two decades of work, an old mining operation which was closed at the end of the twentieth century and subsequently declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site is now a large park combining industrial archaeology, green landscape, leisure installations, and cultural facilities. Previous state The Zollverein mine is one of Germany s most important industrial relics. Operative after 1847, the complex came to occupy more than eighty hectares in precincts which included coal shafts and a coking plant to supply steel mills. It also produced secondary products including ammonia, tar and crude oil. Mine Shaft XII, deemed to be a masterpiece of industrial architecture, was designed in 1932 by Fritz Schupp and Martin Kremmer along New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit) stylistic lines influenced by the Bauhaus school. Its characteristic Doppelbock winding tower was soon to become an archetype for subsequent mining installations, to the point of becoming one of the best-known icons of German heavy industry. The complex was left remarkably intact after the Second World War and, soon afterwards, became the country s most productive mining site. Extensions to the mine in the 1970s then situated it as one of the world s leading coke producers. After that, a dropping world demand for coke, the progressive depletion of the most accessible coal deposits, the conversion of the Ruhr valley into one of Europe s most populated metropolitan regions, and the gradual diversification of its economy towards the technological industry and the tertiary sector led to a stage-by-stage closure of the complex, which definitively ended in 1993.

8 While its destiny was being decided, the premises were closed by a fence around its perimeter to protect it from any intrusion. Surrounded by new urban developments, its huge extension was cut off for several years as a reserve for flora and fauna which were left undisturbed by any human presence. Birch forests and carpets of thicket, moss, and ferns took over the artificial geography made up of ramps, pit heaps, embankments, channels, ridges, and holes in the ground. It is a landscape coated in black substrate, broken by the specular surfaces of the tailings ponds, and dotted with strangely useless objects of industrial architecture, for example ventilation shafts, slender chimneys, refrigeration towers, ovens, engine rooms, electricity poles, and piles of bricks. At one point there was an attempt to sell the coke plant to China, but negotiations broke down and the installations were then in danger of demolition. Fortunately, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia acquired the mine site in 1986, as soon as Mine Shaft XII was closed. In 2001, just after it was catalogued and protected by the state, the entire complex was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Aim of the intervention In 2002, the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas draw up a masterplan for the mining complex, and a year later the French landscaping team Agence TER produced a master plan for the regeneration of its industrial nature. In 2005, a public entity created by the Essen City Council and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia called for entries in an international competition with a view to converting the site into a metropolitan park. The winning proposal, based on guidelines established in the previous plans, was presented by an interdisciplinary team of architects, landscapers, artists, lighting specialists, and communications professionals. On the one hand, the project aimed to manage the opening of the site to the public by means of several progressive phases, in keeping with a long-term strategy. The proposal aimed to be sufficiently robust as to ensure that it would not be diluted over time, but also flexible enough to be able to respond to unforeseen circumstances, and also to incorporate unanticipated opportunities. On the other hand, the project needed to find a basis of consensus for a mixture of actors with widely diverse needs and interests, among them politicians, residents, tourists, families with young children, elderly people, students, defenders of industrial heritage, ecologists, artists, and technicians. Description The opening of Zollverein Park took place in 2005 in full awareness that the process of its definitive consolidation, if it ever happened, was going to be a long one. Since then, in accordance with the principle of development through maintenance, the restricted zones have been shrinking to make way for a deliberately unfinished public park which, in this drawnout process, is becoming accessible with a gradual and continuous contribution of improvements and new elements. The intervention highlights the values of the industrial heritage by means of its ongoing restoration. In 2008, for example, the old coal washing plant was transformed into the new Ruhr Museum, which has a permanent exhibition on the history of one of the world s largest industrial regions. This cultural centre organises workshops, guided tours, excursions in the park, lectures, and audiovisual screenings. The emphasis given to the pre-existing elements contrasts with the restrained landscaping, limiting the addition of objects and materials as if fearing that, with their presence, the magic of the abandoned place might be lost. However, it is also true that some striking, even sculptural, elements have been added, among them the reception building at the park s entrance. There are also signposting devices which guide visitors through the vast space where it is not difficult to get lost, and which is not fully accessible. Nonetheless, most of the interventions are almost imperceptible and simply aspire to act as a discreet guide for the visitor. In the track boulevard, for instance, long extensions of concrete trace rectilinear tracks over the ground of a birch forest to show the way to the museum. The ring promenade is an asphalted path winding around the industrial buildings to display them from different perspectives. Playgrounds are dotted here and there, among rest areas equipped with street furniture, discreet lookouts,

9 and tucked-away gardens, all of which invite different forms of appropriation by visitors. Without any needless showiness, a lighting system of varying intensity separates the wheat from the chaff, drawing attention only to what is worth highlighting. Assessment Zollverein Park has already become one of the most important points along the European Industrial Heritage Route. But, far from being a mere tourist attraction, the park is also a farreaching vindication for the residents of Essen which, despite its industrial past is now considered to be one of Germany s greenest cities. The continuing intervention is not limited to making a museum of existing heritage but it has chosen to compose a changing but coherent landscape on the basis of pre-existing elements. The unfinished nature of the site, which is very different from the oppressive, banal determinism of a theme park, is open to intelligent interpretation by the visitor. The park even makes certain concessions to ambiguity and dysfunctionality, by which means it conserves part of the romantic spirit of an abandoned relic of the past. The effort to prolong the transition between closed precinct and open public space has become a good example of unhurried, soft urbanism, less concerned with the glamour of an inauguration than with the everyday needs of maintenance, and thus opting more for a continuous process than the finished product. Source:

10 Zollverein Park Planergruppe Oberhausen Planergruppe GmbH: There are landscapes in the countryside or in the midst of cities which have been left behind and forgotten a no-man s-land where the life of animals and plants remains hidden and people are rare. The landscape of the former Zollverein colliery is situated away from the city, difficult to reach, and secured with walls and fences. Zollverein Park emerged over just a few years amidst collieries and coking plants. Admittedly, there were structural changes, but landscape designers with their teams of gardeners did initially not take part in it. Despite or even because of this, everything is ever so magnificent and at the same time strange. A multifaceted open space arose in the immediate surroundings of a unique industrial monument a park with light forests, dark scrub, lakes, and open, wide spaces for sighting the tree-shaded paths. This has been our view on Zollverein Park in Subsequently, the area of the Zollverein colliery and coking plant took a rapid development. The Zollverein Park was made accessible and visitors were allowed to enter the unexplored site. The concept with which we took Zollverein Park into architectural competition in 2005 linked two different views together: carefully emphasizing the existing characteristics and qualities of a forgotten landscape, and making available necessary new, multifaceted and robust infrastructure for new activities at Zollverein.

11 Our approach and handling of Zollverein is based on several principles: emphasis on the architectural ensemble, restraint in landscape design, reduction of elements and materials, respect for the existing, preservation of industrial origin, acquisition of space by the visitors, making the transformation from a hermetically sealed-off industrial site to a public tourist highlight visible and experience-able. Zollverein Park which has developed on industrially embossed terrain and does not deny its origins by gently adding and classifying keeps its unique selling point by the high-contrast interacting between the clear, simple forms and structures of industrial architecture and the variety of spontaneous vegetation. The shape and outer appearance of Zollverein Park are being developed by a systematic and continuous maintenance. The long-term concept of development by maintenance goes hand in hand with the gradual realization of the elements of Zollverein Park. Over a relatively long period, a forbidden zone develops to a park which is ready to get explored. It is not about establishing a museum-like industrial landscape, yet about composing a landscape with already existing elements; this concept consciously includes historical and current developments and signs in a credible manner and offers surface and room for future developments and purposes open to interpretation and offering a pragmatic dysfunction. With the concept of design by maintenance, the gentle approach to emphasizing the existing vegetation and to dispensing with any large intervention is linked. The vegetation is given time and calmness to develop naturally, and any potential intervention in the existing and future vegetation is being executed very carefully. Therefore, Zollverein became a place that develops a special atmosphere and energy out of itself. The cautious care and maintenance is at the same time easy to be arrangeable and practicable, and relatively cost-effective. With its status as world heritage site, Zollverein has a very high radiance and attraction for the city of Essen and the Ruhr region. At the foreground is the impressive industrial architecture of the mine plant. The open spaces have an unobtrusive look which creates a surface to take an appropriate effect on the architecture; they complement the ensemble to a formal framework that makes the dimensions of the site tangible. Zollverein Park is an exceptional open space, which offers a unique experience with its complex offer of open spaces in conjunction with the mine facility, and attracts tourists and local residents equally. The visitor is invited to individually discover the park. Zollverein Park Outdoor enclosure of the World Heritage Site Zollverein colliery and coking plant Landscape Architect: Planergruppe GmbH, Oberhausen, Germany in cooperation with: Obervatorium, Rotterdam (The Netherlands) arts F1stdesign, Cologne (Germany) orientation system Licht Kunst Licht, Bonn (Germany) light design on basis of : Masterplan Zollverein by OMA/ Rem Koolhaas (The Netherlands; 2002) Masterplan Industrielandschaft Zollverein by Agence Ter/ Henri Bava (Germany; 2003) Project location: Essen/ Germany Design year: 2005 today Year Built: 1. BA ; 2. BA ; 3. BA ; 4. BA

12 UNIVERSITY PARK ESSEN (GRÜNE MITTE ESSEN) scape Landschaftsarchitekten scape Landschaftsarchitekten: The University Quarter Essen is developed on a former railway site in the inner city of Essen, that had been wasteland for almost 30 years. By revitalizing this about 13 hectare large plot, the University Quarter Essen s Green Centre is developed as an urban quarter for residential and commercial use advertised with the slogan Living in the middle of the city centre. The centricity of the park within the new quarter between the city centre, shopping mall Limbecker Square and university campus is the first visible component of the development and therefore shapes the new identity of the quarter significantly. The open spaces follow an independent design language, that was derived from the typology and history of the site.

13 Design Strategy Innovative park designs have always reacted on the current life style. In the past those parks tried to create an idealised counter world to the real circumstances of life. In the 18th century, for instance, people experienced a dramatic destruction of landscape caused by the beginning of industrialisation and developed parks in the style of an idealised, Arcadian world. In the 21st century we witness the dissolving of boundaries between nature and technology by genetic engineering; simultaneously biological principles are imitated in bionics by using engineering techniques. The inspiration of the open space design in the University Quarter in founded in the indifference between nature and technology. Starting from the quarter s history as a residential area of Krupp s foundry workers, the technical framework of foundry technology (corner radiuses, chamfers and crossings without right angle, non-additive forms) is used to develop an independent design language. This means paths, street furniture, lawn areas, water basins are designed with round edges like in foundry technology. All elements in the park from plan view to detail follow the same design and create the image of a unique park. Central promenade The surrounding residential and commercial buildings form an urban figure that gives the park a very long, narrow and radial shape. One of the most important design statements is made by arrangement of attractions and path relations, because of the particularly shaped park area, the request for water basins and varied recreational activities, as well as the expected high usage frequency of the inner-city park. To reduce potential conflicts between residents and park users secondary paths along the park edges are offered to strengthen the semi-public character. The main promenade is located in the spacious centre of the park along with recreation, sport and play facilities. The advantage is the possibility of a central, open, public promenade between the northern water park and the southern lawn park, as well as the reduction of noise for the residents. To reinforce the spatial attraction of the promenade, it is not set out on one axis, but offset several times. The Promenade Places attractive destination points are located at those offset points. The strip of water basins orientates itself with the shallow, accessible waterside towards the promenade and therefore reinforces the public middle of the scheme. The promenade is linked to the surrounding plots by a multitude of cross paths through the lawn areas and footbridges over the water basins. An open, multi-functional area for events with a large flight of steps is located at the crossing point of the promenade with the footpath connection university-city centre. functional space and specific Park Places Respectively to decreasing noise levels from Berlin Place to Viehofer Square, park facilities are assigned to subspaces. The entry point at Berlin Place is defined by a city square. A loose grove of ornamental fruit trees forms the transition to the approximately 3.00 m lower park. Between the tree grove and the main event area, the section of the park intended for intensive use is situated, with its play and sunbathing areas and the Promenade Place called Park Play. The subsequent section of the park at Turmstraße is used for quiet recreation with its lawn areas and water basins as well as the Promenade Place called Garden Park. In the last, very narrow section of the park at Viehofer Square seating facilities are offered. They can be used to work in the shade of trees at the Promenade Place called Park Lounge. Diligent choice of material Design and choice of material is deliberately technical. As the entire park is constructed with a curved grid, all visible edges and radiuses are defined in a very simple, mathematical way. The impression of the whole park as one homogeneous iron element is achieved by lifting the path areas (mastic asphalt) with sloping granite boards off the base. This design feature is repeated at the Promenade Places which are, in turn, lifted off the path areas. Biological water purification basins are made out of concrete elements and sealed with asphalt. Infiltration of

14 rain water is not possible, because of the contaminated ground. Rain water from surrounding sites are discharged into the central water basin and stored temporarily. With a central pumping unit water is continuously circulated. In the process, water is purified mechanically by an underground filter as well as biologically in the purification basins with plants. The water level in the pools is kept at a constant level with a range of 20 cm. Excess water is discharged into an adjacent creek. Plants create character The perception of space and character of the park is emphasized by a sophisticated use of plants with a minimum of maintenance. Plants create a distinct contrast to the technical elements and contribute significantly to the green character of the park, which is perceived very positively in public. To achieve a maximum of transparency and in accordance with perceived safety, no shrubs were planted. Existing sycamore trees mark the entrance at the Berliner Square. Strikingly flowering ornamental cherries, apples and pear trees are arranged as a grove west of Berliner Square. In east-west direction Japanese pagoda trees form the outer rows. The promenade is accompanied by some tree magnolias. The Promenade Places along the promenade are emphasised by large trees like Empress tree, American Sweetgum, Indian bean tree. The park entrance at Viehofer Square is dominated by existing plane trees. Red Maple avenues mark the axis University-Downtown. The northern parts of the park are dominated by the water purification basins planted with marsh species such as reeds and irises, in the southern parts of the park a strip planted with grasses and shrubs divides park and surrounding. In parts attractive perennials and bulbs accompany the central promenade. Lighting concept for a high sense of security Assuming that the two distinctive buildings at Berliner Square and Viehofer Square are important landmarks at night, and because of the proximity to residential development an unobtrusive lighting concept was proposed, that meets security purposes. Analogous to the concept during daylight and for noise protection and safety reasons, the central promenade is the main movement area at night. Accordingly, the promenade is brightly illuminated, the paths to the sides a bit darker, but still lit roadworthy. The Promenade Places are accentuated by directed lights with different illumination angles. They get a stage-like character, which also makes them attractive places at night. Although the implementation of the park is not completed yet and the construction of the surrounding buildings isn t to start until spring 2011, the park as a high-quality open space for the northern part of the city centre is already heavily used by local residents, students and visitors. landscape design ; implementation: ; client: Grün und Gruga Essen, as well as development agency university quarter Essen; construction sum: 6.4 Mio. ; size: 5.1 ha; competition: 1. prize June 2007; completion: 1st phase March 2010; 2nd and 3rd phase July 2010; 4th phase presumably autumn 2015 Landscape architects: scape Landschaftsarchitekten GmbH, Düsseldorf Water management: Dahlem Beratende Ingenieure GmbH & Co, Essen Photos: Matthias Funk, Düsseldorf, Rainer Sachse, Bonn; aerial view: Hans Blossey, Essen

15 FREIHEIT EMSCHER What will happen to the former mining areas in the north of Essen and Bottrop south? How can the hectare large area in the Ruhr area between the two big cities be rearranged? What opportunities open up for the neighborhoods? Since early 2017, this has been the subject of a feasibility study by IKEP_Mitte on behalf of the cities of Essen and Bottrop and RAG Montan Immobilien GmbH. Under the name "Freedom Emscher", it develops a model for the development and development of the former Berbauflächen and the surrounding neighborhoods. Former site of Ruhrkohle AG As reported, the joint development project of the two Ruhr district cities covers a 1700 hectare area in the north of Essen and the south of Bottrop. The intention is to open up former mining areas or those that will no longer be used by Ruhrkohle AG (RAG) in the foreseeable future. Prerequisite is a transport connection. Here, too, the spokeswoman for the consortium had to announce positive things: The distance on the A 42 between the junctions Bottrop-Süd and the motorway junction Essen-Nord was by no means too small for another motorway junction. This was "technically deposited". Of course, this should still be discussed with the State Roads NRW, said Waldow-Stahm. Now, as the six-lane expansion of the highway is planned, the time was right. This further motorway connection is the key to the success of the project. Commercial areas at the Sturmshof north of the Rhine-Herne Canal and the Emil-Emscher area to the south are to be connected to the A 52 in Bottrop via an access road still to be built. Realistic is the completion of such a road that would cross the Rhine-Herne Canal, in the years 2026/2027, Waldow-Stahm.

16 Members of the Council Committee called this ambitious. According to the planner, the city of Essen initially needs to connect the southern part of Emil-Emscher to the B 224, so that at least half of the 40-hectare site could be marketed. It's also about visions "Freedom Emscher" is to move the previous backyard of both cities into the center and set standards in the development. There is talk of a new urban landscape along the canal, where digitization and broadband access are no longer a future project for everyone, but a reality. Even a "Model Space for Mobility" should become "Freedom Emscher". Whether to Vogelheim then one day trams or self-driving buses, that was not yet made, said Waldow-Stahm. One already guesses: It is also about visions. Source:

17 The Botanical Garden The Flora of the World collected together in one place The Hortus botanicus assindiensis and the GRUGA form the nucleus of today s Grugapark. The Botanical Garden was planted as early as 1927 as a teaching and experimental garden for scientific purposes. The aim was and is to arrange plants, shrubs and trees systematically and to classify them according to their characteristics. The botanical attractions include the Alpinum, the Westphalian Farmer s Garden, the Rose Garden, the Shrubbery, the Conifer Collection, the Asia Section and the Heath Section. The History of the Botanical Gardens On its foundation in 1927 the Botanical Garden was intended to be an outdoor laboratory for scientists, a public education centre and an education centre for schools in equal measure. A garden of this size and with such ambitious aims was then completely new in Germany apart from university botanical gardens. Generous benefactors and dedicated local politicians and civil servants made the ambitiously designed project possible. In fact, unemployed people had been putting it into effect since 1925 in 41,000 working days. Alongside the scientific activities it has always been a central concern to bring the people of the city closer to the variety and wonders of nature. International seed exchange

18 Research and scientific work has always been carried out in the Grugpark. The park s specialists make active exchanges with about 900 botanical gardens worldwide. The botanical gardens international seed exchange serves to grow and preserves plants from all parts of the world. In this way it is possible continually to enrich the stock of plants. Currently, seeds from about 850 types of plants are offered which are exclusively sent to other botanical gardens on every continent. About 5000 seed samples are sent annually. The furthest distance seeds are sent include consignments to Clayton, Australia and to Ulan Bator in Mongolia. Between the Waters Marjetica Potrč OOZE Architects Ooze: The project Between the Waters: The Emscher Community Garden is located at one of the narrowest points on Emscher Island, between the Emscher River and the Rhine-Herne Canal. The walk through the project starts next to the Rhine-Herne Canal, with visitors entering the Community Garden; it then leads uphill beside the fully exposed water supply and treatment installation. The walk ends on an elevated platform above the Emscher River dyke. Here visitors can view the challenging topography of the landscape and see for themselves how the highly polluted (and for this reason fenced-off) Emscher River is elevated above the nearby towns, which have sunk as a result of mining activity in the previous century. Looking down the slope towards the Rhine-Herne Canal, they have a clear view of the complex water processing installation, which works with the water on the site between the two waterways.

19 Museum Folkwang Museumsplatz 1, Essen (Wed 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) The admission to the permanent collection is free Today Museum Folkwang is one of the most prominent art museums in Germany with outstanding collections of painting and sculpture from the 19th century, Classical Modernism and the post-1945 period, as well as photography, to which Museum Folkwang has dedicated its own department since The museum sees a fantastic opportunity to develop even further in this direction, maintaining and advancing the museum s tradition of presenting a diverse range of mediums and a combination of visual and applied art, for which Museum Folkwang was so famous up to 1933 and which lent it the title the most beautiful museum in the world. In August 2006, Professor Berthold Beitz, Chairman of the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen and Halbach- Foundation s Board of Trustees, announced that the foundation would act as the sole sponsor and supply Museum Folkwang with the funds required for a new building. David Chipperfield Architects then emerged as the winners of an international architectural competition tendered by the city of Essen in March The building was constructed by Neubau Museum Folkwang Essen GmbH, a member company of the Wolff Group, and opened its doors in January 2010.

20 Duisburg

21 Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord Restructuring of a former industrial zone in the Rhur basin, new park in the north of Duisburg Previous state Duisburg is a city in the Ruhr basin, one of Germany's most densely populated areas due to heavy industrial growth which took place from the mid-nineteenth century. The river Emscher runs through the Ruhr region and has two million inhabitants who live in 17 cities. It is known for the landmarks which bear witness to its important industrial past: mines and iron and steel works

22 which are largely disused, and a road and rail network which crosses the region, next to the river Emscher which was channelled to provide a sewage collector. The former iron and steel works, Thyssen Hochofenwerk Meiderich, located between Duisburg's Meiderich and Hamborn districts, was an example of the establishment of heavy industry in the Emscher area. Its facilities covered a surface area of 200 ha. and comprised a mining and cokeproducing zone, the iron and steel works, cement tanks for materials as well as an extensive network of industrial railways. When the old Thyssen plant stopped production for good, in the mid-eighties, the site it had occupied, which was closed off and unknown to most of the residents in the surrounding area, revealed high levels of land and water pollution. In spite of this, the lack of activity had fostered spontaneous ecological renewal which gave encouraging prospects for new uses of the zone. Aim of the intervention The priority of intervening in a region undergoing an advanced process of deindustrialisation led to the creation of the body IBA-Emscher Park, in Its programme addressed the ecological and economic renewal of the area cut through by the river Emscher. The programme was based on the conviction that future economic competitiveness should involve the ecological quality of regions and, in line with this, the main task of renewing the zone should seek to eliminate urban and ecological shortcomings in order to obtain a new basis for its future development. The specific aims outlined by the body were: the ecological transformation of the fluvial system of the Emscher along a 350-kilometre stretch; the modernisation of workers' housing developments; the reassessment of old industrial sites; the conservation and reutilisation of industrial monuments as witnesses to history; and the preservation and reconstruction of the regional landscape. Indeed, the core topic of IBA-Emscher Park, during its ten years in existence, was the creation of a major landscape park in the Emscher region, a network of green spaces which needed to be preserved and linked up through new uses and new values given to old industrial sites. The Duisburg Park, which is part of this territory, shared many of these aims as it stood for, on a local scale, the recovery of an important green area, the preservation of an industrial

23 monument and the renewal of the river Emscher. Essentially, the park was to contribute to ecological renewal and give the broadest consideration to ecological reserves which could be made use of, and to strengthen cultural development and the shaping of identity both locally and regionally. It was also a question of improving living conditions and housing in north Duisburg through the creation of a large green space for public and recreational use. Description The site of the park comprises a surface fragmented by motorways, roads, railway lines, walls and industrial facilities where it is impossible to recognise an original landscape. For this reason, the intervention sought basically to recover a landscape shaped by former manufacturing industries and to open it up to new uses. The planning of the park had to anticipate the full complexity of elements featured on the site of the old iron and steel works and to work with all of them in order to create a public space with the main character of a public space. First of all, the difficult conditions of the site, due to pollution caused by industrial activity, were taken into account, as was the need to integrate ecological capacities in terms of the vegetation and fauna growing spontaneously on the site of the old Thyssen plant. At the same time, it was decided not to demolish the industrial facilities of the factory -this would have been unviable for financial reasons- and to appraise it as a historic landmark. The demands of the residents' associations were also taken into account; they presented a number of options of a cultural and recreational nature. These suppositions meant that the park was divided into a number of systems amongst which was the fundamental one: the water system. The channelled river Emscher which runs through the park has been regenerated due to the supply of rainwater which throughout its cycle, until it enters the river, utilises the factory s old cooling tanks. One of the other systems in the park is formed by the railway lines which have been used to provide overhead walkways which run through the site and afford superb views of the area. The presence of the tracks together with other built elements mean that vegetation does not grow in a uniform way but is fragmented and has adapted to the characteristics of the soil. For instance, vegetation similar to that of the steppes has grown on a surface comprising smelting materials, sand and ash. The pollution of the land is visible in some areas but underground in others. A number of interventions have been carried out in order to clean it up, according to the type of pollutant materials. This means that there are areas where the land has been covered in new layers, but there are others which have been closed off and will be unable to be used until a long period of time has elapsed. The main structure of the old blast furnaces now serves to illustrate the site s industrial past; its great height means that it can be used as an observation deck for the area, and its centre contains an auditorium for large-scale concerts. The Metallic Square has been built in the unoccupied space between the furnaces, formed by blocks obtained from the smelting of recycled material, which acts as a central area in the entire park and a venue for all kinds of events. Furthermore, the disused tanks contain closed gardens where different kinds of plants grow. A walkway linking the different areas of the park enables us to view these gardens at the back of the tank structures. Steps and other means of entry have been made using recycled material obtained from the site.

24 The direct participation of residents associations from the area in defining the park is clearly shown in the use of the cement walls of the old material warehouses for climbing and the use by the scuba-diving club of the underground water which has penetrated the subsoil of the mineral strata forming deep caves. The club plans to convert the old gasometer into a large water tank where people can learn to scuba dive. The buildings at the entrance to the park house a small museum which illustrates the past of the site. It is run by a company set up for this purpose. Lastly, an educational farm has been set up on the south-east side of the park. It is aimed at schools from the neighbouring schools, and brings them into contact with animals and introduces them to a rural garden. Assessment The conversion of a site occupied by a disused mining zone and an iron and steel works in a landscape park involved a completely innovative decision without any previous examples. In spite of the complexity of the enterprise, today everyone considers the old Thyssen factory a park with clear landscape values and an industrial heritage which has been converted into a new generation of park. The case of Duisburg should serve as an example to other similar cases which will succeed one another throughout Europe as deindustrialisation makes available land with major ecological shortcomings. The intention is to make greenery a dominant feature of the old industrial facilities in the park, but this will be a slow process due to the degree of irreversibility of the situation inherited as a consequence of the serious pollution levels of the site. The park has also achieved its objective of opening up to the inhabitants a large-scale complex -previously only accessible to the employees of the iron and steel works- since the time when most of the activities performed there have been the result of residents' groups and associations in the zone. Today, all the surfaces in the park can be used freely, its is the venue for a varied range of cultural and recreational activities, and these will increase when the restoration of the disused power station has been completed. Its 5,000 m2 will provide an "indoor park" in winter. Mònica Oliveres i Guixer, architect [Last update: 02/05/2018]

25 Innenhafen Duisburg Duisburg citizens once founded the Duisburg outer and inner harbor over 150 years ago. An initiative aimed at both the structural change of the industrial era and the common good of the city. Today, the city is again in the midst of a structural change that not only creates jobs in the service sector, but also offers high leisure attractiveness. Once again, the inner harbor sets new standards for Duisburg and gives the region a new, post-industrial significance. Based on the master plan, which was set up as part of a competition by the team of Sir Norman Foster and Partners, the Landes Entwicklungsgesellschaft ( LEG ), the Treuhandsteile Essen GmbH ( THS ) and Kaiser Bautechnik, the approx. 89 ha former port area is being developed under the main objective "working, living and leisure by the water" to a nationally significant service park. This is a project of the International Building Exhibition Emscherpark ( IBA), a program of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which has the conversion of the old industrial district (Emscher region) with regard to a structural change to the content. The development of the inner harbor of Duisburg is controlled and coordinated by the company, founded in 1984 for this purpose, which in each case was half of the city of Duisburg and the state of North Rhine Westphalia, the inner harbor Duisburg Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbh. The inner harbor is closely linked to the development of the city of Duisburg. On the trail of his history, we have to look back to the 12th century. Once there, where today lies the inner harbor, the Rhine flowed.

26 Due to the immediate vicinity of the city center to the Rhine is here very early to observe a very busy trade. Duisburg ships sail upstream to Strasbourg and north to England. Since 1670 there have been uninterrupted ranks between Duisburg and Holland, arriving and leaving all goods coming from Holland destined for the Rhine region, and all goods destined for Holland coming from the Bergisch and Märkish factories. The city is considered to be the best place to drop and moor between Neuss and Thiel in the Netherlands, and regular fairs and markets make Duisburg quickly become the undisputed mercantile trading center of the entire region. However, when the Rhine changes after a strong flood around 1200 its current flow, causing Ruhrort from the left to the right bank of the Rhine comes to lie, this has devastating effects on the trading city of Duisburg. Two kilometers from the waterway, only small boats from the Rhine can reach the Ruhr estuary into the Dickelsbach to be unloaded or loaded at the Schwanentor. The transshipment points, which were built around 1670, are located on the banks of the Rhine near Neuenkamp-Essenberg, too far from the city center. There is no warehouse, no loading facility, so that the loading and unloading of the ships in laborious, often day-long, work must be done. This unbearable state of affairs for the trading city of Duisburg, which relies on the handling of goods, gives rise to numerous harbor concepts in the following years. In 1696 plans for the construction of a canal from Duisburg to the Rhine were for the first time forged. Also, in 1765, the government advocated the establishment of a canal, which would "considerably boost the economy." More concrete port projects are being developed in the years 1802 and Also, a relocation of the Rhine current to the Schwanentor is seriously discussed. When, finally, the construction of a canal was finally decided in 1805, the political situation as a result of the French occupation stood in the way of a realization and in 1810 even brought the entire Börtschiffahrt to a standstill. It was not until May 1815 that the Westphalian Provincial Governor Ludwig von Vincke brought trade and shipping back to life. He arranges 1818 the relocation of the main tax office to the old Ruhr arm "on silt". But the roads leading there are not fixed. When it rains, the transports get stuck in the morass. Furthermore, the technical equipment for loading are in a very poor condition. In addition, silting up of the Ruhr makes it impossible to get to the silt for shipping despite constant dredging. Again, a channel is being considered - and this time, the conditions seem more favorable. But the roads leading there are not fixed. When it rains, the transports get stuck in the morass. Furthermore, the technical equipment for loading are in a very poor condition. In addition, silting up of the Ruhr makes it impossible to get to the silt for shipping despite constant dredging. Again, a channel is being considered - and this time, the conditions seem more favorable. But the roads leading there are not fixed. When it rains, the transports get stuck in the morass. Furthermore, the technical equipment for loading are in a very poor condition. In addition, silting up of the Ruhr makes it impossible to get to the silt for shipping despite constant dredging. Again, a channel is being considered - and this time, the conditions seem more favorable. It is the Duisburg merchants, represented by their board of action, the later chamber of commerce, which finally takes the initiative. The main impetus offered by the imminent relocation of the main tax office due to the poor conditions silt in the 1825 newly expanded Ruhrort harbor, which is feared enormous economic losses for Duisburg. To finance the facility, the so-called "Rhine Canal", which today forms the outer harbor, is therefore officially a "call to Duisburg's wealthy citizens." In 1826 all preparations were made and the "Rhein-Canal-Actien- Verein" was founded with the participation of well-known Duisburg merchants Carl Böninger, Friedrich Castanjen, Johann Jacob vom Rath, Samuel Gallenkamp, Ferdinand Schoeler and Johann Wilhelm Davidis. The creation of this canal system is also received enthusiastically by the citizens of Duisburg. When the ground-breaking ceremony took place on April 10, 1828, there was an exuberant celebration and the Marientor was decorated with wreaths of flowers and the inscription: "Father Rhine, make your wave clear and bright as it used to do in the past, right up to the wall of our city."

27 Old Town Park Duisburg The Altstadtpark stretches from Johannes-Corputius-Platz to the Philosophenweg. Nestled between the Jewish community center and the AWO senior home is the Garden of Memories, designed by Israeli sculptor Dani Karavan.

28 Garden of Remembrance Opening the inner harbor area for leisure and recreation of the Duisburg was an important point in the concept of the new city district. Free areas should not only be used for workplaces or apartments, they should also become consciously designed green spaces - like the Altstadtpark. He makes in connection with the green area Kuhlenwall the pedestrian connection to the city. At the same time, it is home to a senior center and the Jewish Community Center. An exciting mix and a difficult task that the internationally known Israeli artist Dani Karavan tackled. Based on the basic idea of a "garden of remembrance", he has worked out the special significance of the inner harbor and its industrial history. His garden is not only adorned with green areas and trees but also remains of the demolished former warehouses. The grounds of the Altstadtpark were last used commercially. Large purchasing companies were based here, but also the general land and sea transport AG, Hermann Ludwig. The design of green and water areas with the help of the old buildings as "artificial ruins", as designed by Karavan, is a new approach for landscape planning and an enrichment for the city of Duisburg. Karavan described his idea of the "Garden of Remembrance" as follows: "The main concept of the project is to preserve part of the old warehouses, which are completely demolished, and to keep the layout of the buildings. The site where the demolished buildings stood will become green lines framed by white lines. Vegetation will cover the area and replace the buildings. Between the white concrete lines, we will integrate different types of grass. Wheat is grown as an agricultural element and reminds of the name of the district "Brotkorb des Ruhrgebiets". From the remains of the demolished buildings, we will make a kind of rock garden. It takes the form of a triangular hill with a variety of plant growth. Trees were planted in a natural composition. We wanted big trees, and we chose them for their shapes and colors in spring, summer, fall, and winter. "In addition to the lawned outlines of the former buildings, other areas were filled with water. Particularly striking are the two remaining staircases of the former administration building of the companies Spar and Ludwig.

29 MKM MUSEUM KÜPPERSMÜHLE OF MODERN ART, DUISBURG

30 Rhine Park Atelier LOIDL Atelier LOIDL: The subsequent use of the Thyssen-Krupp steel mill in Duisburg-Hochfeld created the opportunity to turn the property, which had been used for industrial purposes for 150 years, into a lively leisure park on the river, thus strengthening Duisburg s profile as a city on the Rhine. All the design approaches serve to strengthen the perceptibility and experience of the river landscape. If the topographic relationships (incisions, prominences) between the park and the Rhine are examined, a type of folded landscape can be seen in which the existing railway tracks (which were intrusive until now) can be viewed as the comforting link in the search for the horizontal line. The folded landscape, i.e. the interplay of varying high and low places, let a number of different spaces and utilizations develop. Landscape Architecture: Atelier LOIDL 1st prize International Competition Location: Duisburg, Germany Area: 40 ha Design: 2009 Photos by Philipp Obkircher Lehmbruck Museum Immanuel-Kant Park

31 König-Heinrich Platz In the heart of Duisburg, a post-industrial town in the Ruhr area, the König-Heinrich Square offered an ambivalent space, half main square and half quiet little park. It had broad, muchfrequented lawn spaces and it adjoined a lively pedestrian zone. With a series of new amenities under construction (a convention center, a casino and a shopping center), the city envisioned re-arranging this precinct to make it more urban and representative. The landscape architects of Agence Ter won the subsequent competition with a project inspired by the luxuriant green of the existing square. They considered that an ample expanse of lawn in no way conflicted with the location at the center of town, and was even a major luxury in so dense an urban fabric; they therefore preserved the existing grass expanse. At the same time they refused to be satisfied with grass pure and simple. By subtly multiplying and refining their horizons and adjusting heights and border lines, they contrived to create a calm, elegant space that was both simple in concept and easy to maintain. Thus the square is occupied, at its center, by raised pastures whose metal edges create an effect of levitation with the shadows they throw. At night, this floating effect is emphasized by the lighting arrangements, which consist of illuminated bands set into the ground beneath the overhanging metal edges. At intervals along these edges are benches of white Corian that invite you to sit and watch the people passing between and across swaths of green which in spring are made colorful by crocuses planted in the grass. Landscape Architecture: Agence Ter Client : City of Duisberg Budget : 3,5 M ex tax Area : 1.6 hectare

32 Holten

33 Play_Land As young people spend their leisure time on skateboards, bikes and skates, it regularly leads to conflicts with the local residents. By a building, that disappears under a green, terraced hill, it is possible to create a separate place for the young people, which does not exclude them as roughnecks or expect a suitable behaviour.

34 The open side of the building is determined by simple concrete walls and glass façades protected by vandalism-proof wood cladding. The outdoor facilities playfully continue the theme of the concrete walls and offer own playing areas to small and larger children. Play_Land also works without a user as a country-style, which determines the open space sculptural. Within the Emscherumbaus, were the open sewer is tubed, the building of the former youth centre Oberhausen-Holten was located in the route of the planned canal construction project. The project was suggested as an object for the Emscherkunst In the sense of a restoration of the landscape along the , and the use of the excavation of the new canal for the building project, a diverse and usable landscape sculpture was developed together with the artist Apolonija Šušteršič. The important design components are security, accessibility, usability, the promotion of senses. As the youth center with its landscape playgrounds is located on the edge of the district and bordering on one side to water, the robustness of the facility and the safety play an important role. The landscape sculpture wants to be experienced and used, the extensive, mostly fortified road network allows accessability in many areas and offers in many places not prefabricated movement and play incentives with degrees of difficulty determined by user. The assortment of games are designed according to the user groups, integrated into an overall spatial and design concept; nevertheless, the rooms are not separated, the entire building is open for use and a meeting point for children, young people and families. Particularly is the fact that the spaces and roadways are accessible and comfortably designed (site concrete paths) and all the play elements are to access. PLAY_LAND youth centre with skate park and playground in Oberhausen, Germany Conceptual design: wbp Landschaftsarchitekten GmbH together with the artist and architect Apolonija Šušteršič and Banz+Riecks architects, design and detail planning Website: construction site management: wbp landscape architects with Guido Bauer design scaterpool: Carve, Elger Blitz together with the kids detail planning and construction site managemant of scaterpool: Maier landscape architects Project location: Oberhausen Holten, Germany Design year: 2012 Year Built: 2013

35 Dusseldorf

36 Wehrhahn-Line Düsseldorf / netzwerkarchitekten The Wehrhahn Line is the largest and most sophisticated recent urban development project in Düsseldorf, reaching its successful conclusion this weekend after 15 years of construction and planning. One highlight of the route is the design of the new U-Bahn tunnel and the six U-Bahn stations. Architecture and art strikingly come together, characterizing impressions of the spaces. The artists also contributed to the remarkable decisions as equal partners from the beginning of planning and have not permitted any advertising spaces in the new stations. The project was implemented by the office of netzwerkarchitekten from Darmstadt together with artist Heike Klussmann, who together in 2001 won the EU-wide architecture competition for all six stations against major international competition. Together they developed the overall concept of a U-Bahn tunnel as an underground continuum, similar to a giant snake as it slips through the earth, widening at the respective stations before continuing on its path. In contrast to the colored spaces of public space, it features a light relief-like grid structure. The smallest graphic unit of the design is a rhombus generated by the structural joints and constantly varied, resulting in a spatial drawing. The structure of Continuum systematically shrinks or expands resulting in a dynamic spatial effect. The stations are connected via openings to the urban space, each maintaining its own identity while acting as a connection to the city above. The central guidelines for the design of the stations were spaciousness, generous sightlines between platform levels and concourse levels, clarity, easy orientation and allowing as much natural light as possible deep into the stations. During the second competition in 2002, artists Ralf Brög, Ursula Damm, Manuel Franke, Enne Haehnle and Thomas Stricker were selected. Together with the architects each developed a specific design for the access areas of a specific station. Additionally, Heike Klussmann undertook the design of Pempelforter Straße. Ralf Brög designed the three new entrances to the Heinrich-Heine-Allee station as visual and acoustic venues for the performance of changing sound compositions as an Auditorium, a Theater and a Laboratory. Each of the three model spaces boasts a high-quality sound system, enabling the most wide-ranging acoustic interventions possible; they can be used in coming years to present works by as broad an array as possible of composers and sound artists. For the opening, contributions by author and director Kevin Rittberger (Theater), composer

37 Stefan Schneider (Laboratory) and musician Kurt Dahlke and artist Jörn Stoya (Auditorium) were to be heard. The Laboratory focuses on the experimental use of tones. Sound sculptures hang in space while opposite the Interference Atlas visualizes optical phenomena. In the Theater a theater curtain can be discerned on the ceramic surface. Messages and other sound material is audible. Viewers find themselves asking where they stand: Are they a part of the play or are they the audience? The Auditorium is equipped with 48 loudspeakers that can be individually controlled. The 3D wall elements enable the spread of sound to be modulated, thereby optimizing the acoustic properties of the room. This equipment facilitates a unique compositional approach and an equally unique listening experience. Kunsthalle Dusseldorf

38 Neanderthal Museum Solera Supermarket / Masquespacio

39 Köln

40 Neubau der Domtreppe - Neugestaltung des Bahnhofvorplatzes Köln (Germany), 2010 The diversion of traffic coming to the station has made it possible to construct a stairway giving access to the cathedral and to re-create the original topography of the old city centre. Previous state Although it is one of Europe s biggest gothic churches, the Cologne cathedral has been notably affected since the nineteenth century by the presence of the neighbouring Hauptbahnhof (Central Station), a national and international railway transport node of gigantic dimensions and a flow of 250,000 passengers every day. Just after crossing the River Rhine over the Hohenzollernbrücke, a metal bridge coming directly at the cathedral, the railway lines entering the station describe quite a closed arc to avoid the building, passing a scant fifty metres away from the apse. The great cover protecting the railway lines is at an oblique angle to the main axes of the cathedral, giving the Bahnhofvorplatz, the square shared by both buildings, a triangular shape and setting it at a considerably lower level than the cathedral. The allied bombing attacks of the Second World War almost totally destroyed the station, temporarily freeing the cathedral from its awkward neighbour. However, with the urgency and haste of post-war reconstruction, the chance of rebuilding the Hauptbahnhof on available land that was further away was not taken up. Opened in 1957, the newly-built station not only occupied the same site as its predecessor but it took on even greater dimensions, thereby reducing the distance separating it from the cathedral. In order to provide vehicular access to the station, the Trankgasse was opened up in

41 the 1970s, this being an underground road with several traffic lanes passing less than five metres away from the foundations of the cathedral. Another level was opened up beneath this road to construct a tunnel for the U-Bahn, the city s underground railway. The metro level and that of the cars were connected with the station by means of a complex system of passageways and escalators that took up considerable space. The entire area was covered by a platform which, from the level of the northern entrance to the cathedral and by way of an extravagant complex of polygonal landings and slanted stairways, led down to the level of the Bahhofvorplatz. This intervention obliterated the topography of the promontory on which the cathedral had been constructed and the profile that had allways characterised the historic centre of the city. Aim of the intervention In 1998, the city council decided to re-route the traffic coming to the Hauptbahnhof towards the northern façade of the building. This made it possible to narrow the section of the Trankgasse tunnel by half and to reduce and simplify the platform covering it. It was thus possible to free a space that would offer a better view of the northern façade of the cathedral and to restore the original topography of the promontory on which it is built. Description The intervention replaced the overcomplicated pre-existing platform with a stairway seventy metres wide in line with the main axis of the cathedral. Its flights of steps start from the northern entrance of the cathedral, leading down to the Bahnhofvorplatz, which has gained considerably in its dimensions. Both the stairway and the square have been covered with a paving of granite pieces that fuse them into a single entity, thereby reinforcing the impression that the ground is folding up to reproduce the promontory s original topography. In some places, the stairway is divided by bronze handrails with inlaid lighting so that the space around them is lit up at night. The line of the eastern side of the square is broken up by seven large light poles along the route between the station and the cathedral. The system of underground passageways and escalators that connected the station with the different subterranean levels has been replaced with a simple nucleus of lifts that open on the surface, closing off the western edge of the stairway and giving access to the different levels of the underground railway, the Bahnhofvorplatz and the entrance to the cathedral. Assessment The Cologne cathedral still suffers from the oppressive proximity of several modern buildings, for example the Ludwig Museum, which are clustered too closely around it. Nonetheless, the new stairway has brought about a partial recovery of the original profile of the old city centre and has freed a majestic space that greets the visitor arriving in the city by train with a fine view of the cathedral. As on many another occasion, this civilising action in favour of public space has meant rectifying the harm done by the excessive presence of the private vehicle in the European city in the second half of the twentieth century. David Bravo Bordas, architect [Last update: 02/05/2018]

42 Rhine Boulevard Planorama Landschaftsarchitektur Planorama Landschaftsarchitektur: Through the competition Rheinboulevard Cologne, the city of Cologne seised the opportunity to improve the district of Deutz on the east side of the river. With the hope that its improvements would help connect the right side of the Rhine bank with the city center, which had previously been divided. The competition took place in light of the urban development funding program Regional PLANORAMA won first place including the work phases 1-8 (HOAI) of the project in the 2007 european competition for the city of Cologne. The new development on the previously inaccessible banks of the Rhine are characterized by a very high an complex watercourse architecture, constructed to extensive flood protection requirements. Furthermore, archaeological finds from the construction site helped illustrate the city s 2000 years of history and parts have been integrated into the design. For the mediation of the project, a number of procedures for citizen participation and joint planning workshops were carried out. In July 2015, was the opening ceremony for the Rhine bank steps, since then it has become a destination for Cologne s citizens. As the project was organized within the framework Regionale 2010 program, it received funding from the urban development program, in the category of supporting urban renewal. The recovery of areas by water as recreation spaces and the creation of atmospheric places on the water is still a major challenge for many cities in Europe. With the planning and realization of the Rhine Boulevard, we believe that through means of landscape architecture alone we have created a place that has changed the relationship between the city and river in Cologne, as well as making important contribution to discussions over city s and their river banks. The city district Deutz, previously considered the less apealing side of the river, now offers generous access to the water and a place from which to enjoy the impressive panorama