The decision has been made in the two-stage urban planning selection process for the ‘Oskar-Jäger-Straße south of the Low Line’ project. The selection committee, chaired by Prof. Kraemer, awarded first prize to the design submitted by ASTOC ARCHITECTS AND PLANNERS GmbH and GREENBOX Landscape Architects. The project area is situated in Cologne’s dynamically developing Weststadt district (Ehrenfeld/Lindenthal). The plan is to develop an urban neighbourhood comprising around 450 flats and approximately 15,000 m² of commercial space along the future ‘Low Line’ green space and footpath network. The project is being led by a joint venture between DIE WOHNKOMPANIE NRW and Art-Invest Real Estate, which aims to develop its approximately 3.5-hectare site into a forward-looking neighbourhood.
The winning design particularly impressed the selection committee with its clear urban structure and its ability to develop a coherent overall concept from the diverse requirements for housing, work, mobility and open space. The various building uses are sensibly organised into five sections. A particular strength of the design lies in the harmonious balance between urban character, building use and generous open spaces. Particularly successful are the opening up of the previously inaccessible site, the new network of pathways and the close integration of the future Low Line with the neighbouring urban areas.
Katrin Eming, Managing Director of DIE WOHNKOMPANIE NRW, comments: “We are delighted to be working with Art-Invest Real Estate to create much-needed housing and commercial space tailored to local needs for Cologne in the Oskar-Jäger-Straße neighbourhood. We are particularly proud that our project will help shape a section of the future Low Line. In future, we will enrich the attractive network of paths and green spaces running through the west of Cologne with valuable communal spaces. The winning design now provides a compelling basis for taking the next steps in collaboration with the City of Cologne and moving the detailed development plan process forward.”
Arne Hilbert, Managing Director and Head of the North Rhine-Westphalia branch at Art-Invest Real Estate, adds: “The site offers the opportunity to create a sustainable neighbourhood. Alongside new flats, modern commercial spaces are being developed here, providing space for businesses, services and new jobs. The winning design successfully combines economic development, urban living and high-quality open spaces for Ehrenfeld.”
The two-phase urban planning qualification process was carried out by the project developers DIE WOHNKOMPANIE NRW and Art-Invest Real Estate in cooperation with the City of Cologne. Seven teams specialising in urban planning and landscape architecture contributed their ideas to the process. The selection committee comprised experts in architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture, as well as representatives from politics, the civil service and the landowner. Four teams were selected for the second phase and further developed their designs, taking into account the committee’s recommendations from the first phase as well as suggestions from a public information event. On 13 October, the winning design by the team ASTOC ARCHITECTS AND PLANNERS / GREENBOX Landscape Architects was finally selected.
Andree Haack, Deputy Mayor for Urban Development, Economic Affairs, Planning and Construction, says: “The outcome of the competition provides a compelling urban development and open-space planning concept for the development of the neighbourhood on Oskar-Jäger-Straße. We are delighted that around 450 new flats will be built here, making an important contribution to the creation of much-needed housing in Cologne. The spacious park along the former railway line will restore large swathes of the previously intensively used land to green space, in line with the principles of liveable urban development, whilst also forming the first building block in the realisation of the Low Line.”
About the project
The ‘Oskar-Jäger-Straße south of the Low Line’ development aims to transform a site in Cologne-Ehrenfeld – currently predominantly commercial – into an urban, mixed-use neighbourhood. The aim is to create new housing, commercial space and high-quality public open spaces. The development will be complemented by a wide range of transport options.
Around 450 flats are being built in the neighbourhood. At least 30 per cent of the floor area will be allocated to social housing. In addition, approximately 15,000 m² is earmarked for commercial use.
A key feature of the neighbourhood development is the ‘Low Line’: as a linear green corridor running along a former railway line, it will in future provide an attractive route for pedestrians and cyclists. The planned green corridor and pathway is intended to link several neighbourhoods in the west of Cologne and create new public open spaces.
With the development of a section of the Low Line, the neighbourhood is helping to gradually bring this overarching axis to fruition in the west of Cologne. The section of the Low Line being developed in the neighbourhood will be complemented by new spaces for relaxation and socialising, thereby extending its influence beyond the neighbourhood’s boundaries into the wider district.
