Urban planning projects

A private investor would like to build his company headquarters on the site of the former company Naturstein Billen. Through a high-quality new development at this location, the traditional site at the Berliner Brücke can be appropriately and experientially designed as the eastern entrance to the city and at the same time serve as an important stimulus for the adjacent commercially characterized city quarter. The procedure was carried out as a parallel multiple commissioning in the form of a structural engineering expert procedure on the basis of the urban development structure concept for the Dieselstraße commercial area. The offices of khs architekten (Wolfsburg), Reichel und Stauth architects (Braunschweig) and struhk architects (Braunschweig) took part in the procedure.

The following criteria were used by the expert panel to evaluate the work: overall urban concept, architectural quality, quality of open space, functionality and sensible integration of the listed pavilion. Under the chairmanship of Prof. M. Schirmer, the panel recommended that the contribution by Reichel and Strauth be further processed.

In the Dieselstrasse commercial area, a number of publicly used buildings and commercial operations require medium- to long-term changes. The associated restructuring potentials provide space for new development perspectives with more intensive and higher-quality utilization possibilities as an impulse for a necessary upgrading process.

Dieselstraße as an eastern extension of the city axis Heinrich-Nordhoff-Straße and Heßlinger Straße forms an important city access road, which has a high centrality in terms of traffic, especially in the intersection area with the Berliner Ring. The associated public perception and the immediate proximity to the city center in connection with central attractions such as DOW (Designer Outlet Wolfsburg), Autostadt, Phaeno and the ErlebnisWelt Allerpark call for a distinctive urban development.

With the urban development structure concept, the Dieselstraße commercial area is given new functional development perspectives as well as framework-setting goals and measures that define the character and design of the area in perspective. Based on the structural concept, urban development studies for the former Billen property, the new fire station building and the Alte Baumschule residential development were prepared in parallel and are currently being implemented in planning law.

Hellwinkel

The new urban quarter (approx. 750 residential units) is surrounded by existing housing units from the 1950s on the eastern edge of the city center. With the conversion of the two allotment garden areas currently still located there, the largest remaining inner-city land reservoir will be activated.

By converting the allotment garden area into a residential area, it will be possible to respond to the demand for new living space in Wolfsburg. The development of this largest remaining inner-city open space will be carried out in two construction phases. While the first construction phase was started in January 2017 - the first structural engineering measures are now in place here - the development of the second construction phase is planned from the beginning of 2019.

Further information on the residential quarter

Old Town

The "Höfe" to the west of Porschestrasse are the "" of the modern city of Wolfsburg. They were built between 1939 and 1942 as the first residential quarter for the workers of the VW plant. Buildings, courtyards and street spaces form a closely interlocked unit. Tranquility, closeness to nature and a superordinate design context represent a great quality for inner-city living and give the courtyards their strong character.

Because of their significance in terms of urban history and their special features in terms of architectural and open space history, the city has been applying for funding for the "courtyards" from the federal urban development subsidy in the "urban monument protection" program component since 2010. Parallel to this, in-depth studies were prepared for the preparation and implementation of redevelopment measures. In September 2014, a further funding application was submitted to the Lower Saxony Ministry of Social Affairs in the "National Urban Development Projects" program component.

This largest still undeveloped site at the Nordkopf is waiting for a suitable structural development. Together with the site next to the JobCenter, this offers the opportunity to implement an architecture at a central location in the city that is placed in the core area of the urban development dynamics both in terms of urban planning and with its range of uses and can sustainably shape the important transition from Nordkopf to Porschestrasse.

Lighting master plans aim to strategically enhance the appearance of urban spaces. The city of Wolfsburg has also decided to position itself in this respect. The city should be attractive even in the dark, accentuate its special features as landmarks and create quality of stay. Added to this are the aspects of orientation and a sense of security. In the course of the discussion about energy consumption and sustainability, the aspect of improving the city's night image while reducing energy consumption is gaining in importance.

In addition, the negative effects of light smog, the "loss of night" and the gigantic annual loss of nocturnal insects are addressed.

The master plan is developed in 3 steps. A comprehensive analysis was followed by the concept, which presents and explains the guidelines for functional street lighting, accent and architectural lighting and advertising lighting in Wolfsburg in plans and a brochure. Proposed measures are derived from this. Following the implementation of two pilot projects and the participation of citizens, retailers and other public interest groups, a resolution will be prepared for the city council.

The new municipal utility administration building, the so-called Wolfsburg Nordkopftower, is to be built at the Nordkopf by 2017. The aim is to create a dominant urban feature with a new building at the Nordkopf and thus to upgrade the entrances to the Designer Outlet Center, the Autostadt and the city center. The high point is formed by a multi-storey building in the area of the intersection with Heßlinger Straße. The new administration building will create additional office space. This also includes additional parking spaces, which will be accommodated in a parking garage inside the block.

North Head

Today, the "" presents itself as a contemporary city center - where drafty expanse prevailed 20 years ago, a new image of the city is now condensed in the transition area of the main train station, Porschestrasse and the Volkswagen car world on the other side of the Mittellandkanal. On the basis of the "Masterplan Nordkopf" developed in 2007, the urban planning department is supervising the implementation of all public and private building construction projects in this area of the city, as well as the development and design of the newly created public spaces.

In recent years, for example, a new hotel building has been constructed opposite the main train station and a new triangular square has been built in front of it, enriching the network of public spaces at the Nordkopf with another place to stay. Below the new square is a newly built underground parking garage, which forms a network with the parking facilities under BKK and Phaeno.

Currently, the changed local traffic concept in the greater Braunschweig area makes it necessary to build a new platform and a new track for the train connection to Stendal behind the phaeno. The city will use these measures to integrate the new spatial situation along the tracks into the context of the existing open spaces.

The parking areas to the west of the main train station and the Cinemaxx form the large area reserve for the (inner) urban development of Wolfsburg in the coming decades. In the immediate vicinity of the ICE stop, the linking of the different modes of transport is the most important issue for the future.

South header

Porschestrasse is the backbone of Wolfsburg's inner city development. The most important public and cultural buildings are lined up here like a string of pearls. This central street axis is also called the "Koller axis" after the planner and later city planning councilor of Wolfsburg Peter Koller. The important shopping facilities are also concentrated here. The "Porschestrasse master plan" adopted by the city council in 2004 is the basis for the redesign of the pedestrian zone, which has made a significant contribution to increasing the attractiveness of the city center. The public life of the city essentially takes place in this "living room" of Wolfsburg. The agglomeration of public and cultural functions at the two ends of Porschestrasse are referred to as the "southern head" (at Klieversberg) and the "northern head"(at the main train station).

The "" as a landscaped estuary of the Porschestraße at the Klieversberg is a cultural hotspot of Wolfsburg with Hans Scharoun's theater, the Kulturhaus by Alvar Aalto, the art museum , the planetarium and the congress center. Its perception and design will gain in contour and charisma in the coming years through the expansion of the Neue Schule with the Bildungshaus. An "educational landscape" in the literal and figurative sense is to be created here. The planning processes - from fundamental considerations to the design of the open spaces to the arrangement of the planned new buildings - are continuously accompanied by the urban planning department.