promenade des fleurs | Kennedy S端d | Luxemburg City
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Main elements of the planning area - and its direct surroundings 1 Central Park 2 Avenue Kennedy 3 Promenade des Fleurs 4 Central square 5 Valley Park 6 Weimershof 7 Future connection with Cents 8 Neudorf Valley 9 Secretary general of the EU 10 South-west part of Kennedy S端d 11 North-east part of Kennedy S端d
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Position of the project area in the City of Luxemburg
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Future connections on the Kirchberg Plateau through the project area, with 1) Parc Central; 2) connection with Cents; 3) large scale European areas
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Principal | Fonds d’urbanisation et d’aménagements du Plateau de Kirchberg Team | Urbis urban design, Bosch Slabbers landscape architects, Wittteveen+Bos engineering and consulting Location | Luxemburg city Type of project | Masterplan urban planning and urban space Period | 2011 - 2013
Introduction The Kennedy Süd district will be developed along a main access road of Luxemburg City. The commissioning client is the Urbanisation and Development Fund of the Plateau of Kirchberg, a state organization entrusted with developing the entire Plateau of Kirchberg. The Fund launched a design competition for the southern margin of the Avenue J.F. Kennedy. In 2011, 8 international teams were selected to send in a design for the new quarter. The winning entry was awarded in 2012. The project is currently in the process of being incorporated in the city’s general land-use plan, with the intention to begin construction in 2016. At this time both public and private urban spaces are being worked out. Given the size of the project, it is likely the build will take 15 years to reach completion.
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Background information of the task and local situation The Kirchberg Plateau was designated to become a new part of the city of Luxemburg after the government had purchased the territory for the installation of the European Institutions (1961). Later the rapidly expanding banking sector and national institutes set up their headquarters at the plateau (’80 -’90). These developments led to a large, mono-functional city district that existed mostly of solitary buildings in a non-defined public space, with no public life in the streets. In the 1990s the centrally situated expressway was remodelled as an urban avenue: Avenue J. F. Kennedy. In the meantime the Kirchberg began its diversification, in order to encourage urban variety. Densification and the development of residential areas were initiated. The development of Kennedy Süd is an important part of this ongoing process of change; it must bring more liveliness to the Plateau and to Avenue Kennedy. Kennedy Süd is not only part of the Plateau with its large number of (high rise) office buildings; it also borders the village-like old neighbourhood of Weimershof and the natural valley of Neudorf that runs through the City. Kennedy Süd has the task to integrate all these atmospheres and connect them with each other. Other important features of the plan are its strategic focus, accommodation of new types of programs and a high level of sustainability. THE PLAN ‘PROMENADE DES FLEURS’ General The Kennedy Süd area covers approximately 16 hectares. The development focuses on providing housing on the Plateau of Kirchberg. Also the area will be transformed into a lively part of the city by creating a great variety of other amenities next to the housing function. Developing urban life on and around the Avenue Kennedy is a key objective. The area will finally be home to around 2.000 people and 44.000 m2 for tertiary activities. The design was tailored to fit the area’s topography. All greened areas and the original nature of the Neudorf Valley will be connected to each other by new green and urban public spaces in the Kennedy Süd planning area. This was the only entry in the competition that did not introduce a new road over the length of the planning area but takes advantage of the existing roads. Instead a rainwater collection line shapes the border of Weimershof and Kennedy Süd, it is in effect the backbone of the project.
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Concept Kennedy Süd - 1.Valley Park, 2.Promenade des Fleurs, 3.Weimershof, 4.South-western and more dense part, 5. North-eastern and less dense part
View of the former highway that is now an urban boulevard - rhythm of blocks and squares
Model of possible future parcelling and building masses
Valley Park At the other end of the Promenade des Fleurs is a green public space, the Valley Park, which creates the prelude towards the steep, rough valley that is adjacent to the planning area. Since it is the lowest point of the project area, it houses the final retainment area of the rainwater collection system. Both in the Valley Park as well as in the Central Square, the Promenade des Fleurs will be marked with a piece of public art. In the park this object is also an inviting play object. The Promenade des Fleurs itself is shaped as a public urban space with meandering beds of low, flowering plants. This is the urban connection at the large scale of the Kirchberg Plateau. Simultaneously, on a smaller scale, it provides the public quality for all building blocks created around it.
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Promenade des Fleurs The dividing line between the denser urban area and the less dense area, takes the form of a strip called the “Promenade des Fleurs”. It is the natural extension of the Neudorf Valley running up into the Kirchberg and makes a connection with all parks at the plateau. The Promenade des Fleurs forms a visual connection between the Avenue/ the Parc Central and the Valley. The Promenade des Fleurs meets the Parc Central at a new central square that connects Kirchberg with Weimershof and in the future with the Cents-district. This is the place where the residents of Weimershof finally get a nice lively urban place for relaxing which includes restaurants, terraces and cultural functions. In the vicinity of their own homes, an intimate green part of the square is reserved for a barbeque area or a small playground.
Strategic development The realization of this plan will take at least 15 years. That is why this is not a blueprint plan, but a plan with sufficient room for future views and needs. For the further development the Fund works with a system of competitions per block. Each block receives three types of preconditions: One for the urban volume and program, one for the outdoor space (both public and private/communal) and one for sustainability. Within these preconditions architects and developers are free to develop a building complex. In the design of the urban space this is also taken into account; the connections between urban space and building leave room for a variety of solutions within the blocks. The ‘backbone’ of the plan - the water system - also steers in the phasing and direction of development. The water retention zone in the Valley Park has to be realised first and no block can be built without being connected to the waterline. This is why the lowest part of the plan has been worked out in more detail up to now.
The robust framework of public spaces, together with the size and principles of blocks and the various visual and physical connections, ensure that both flexibility and quality will be realized. The North-eastern part of Kennedy Süd The concept for the terrain that borders Weimershof is based on ‘connection’. A series of urban spaces is created at right angles to Avenue Kennedy. In this way, the “wall effect” (both a physical and a visual barrier) is avoided. These squares are designed according to the principals of ‘shared space’, thus making it redundant to add another road parallel to the Avenue, which is already 70 metres wide. The building blocks, which are oriented on and accessible via these squares, follow the natural slope of the site from its highest point on Avenue Kennedy to the lowest on the ‘back’ of the project area. The more densely clustered and taller buildings are situated along the Avenue, designed for the mixed functions of shops and offices on the lower floors and apartments on the upper floors. The purely residential and more open buildings will be situated on the Weimershof side. In this way the plan fits in with the densely grouped and lofty buildings on the northern side of Avenue Kennedy on the one hand, and with the small-scale buildings in Weimershof, on the other. The core of each block is a landscaped, traffic-free area. Here there is room for communal gardens (possibly vegetable gardens), roof gardens and private terraces. The design of these gardens will take place at a later stage, in the competitions for development and architecture per block. During this process there will be ample room for the future inhabitants to create their own ideal garden.
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Four possible outcomes of the preconditions for urban design/building masses, public and private outdoor space and sustainability for block 8.
Phasing and strategy of development. The block 1 and 2 can be developed in their own timing, since they don’t depend on the water line.
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Sustainability Kennedy Süd will be an highly sustainable district. One of the features of this intent is the solar-driven design process. Compared with a traditional plan, this method takes into account the potential of solar energy in addition to aspects like cultural history and aesthetics. The blocks have been designed to optimize energy recovery and cooling. Another new concept for Luxemburg is the water system with its combined open runoff and peak storage for rainwater. By placing this water storage system at the border by the backyards of the existing houses at Weimershof, the privacy of the current inhabitants at Weimershof is ensured.
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The various blocks are separated by smaller squares. These squares have several functions: they build the visual and functional connections for pedestrians and cyclist between Weimershof and the European District. They also take care of the transition from an urban atmosphere to a more village like atmosphere. Finally they provide access to the building blocks for cars (into car parks under the blocks), deliveries and slower traffic. The combination of blocks and squares has an important role in the strategic intent of the plan. They are designed in a way that makes it easy to develop a planning process block by block with enough future flexibility, without losing quality.
The South-western part of Kennedy S端d This area is situated directly along Avenue Kennedy. Taller, freestanding, buildings are created in front of the high rise for the EU Secretary-General situated on the opposite side of the Avenue. Due to this topology a lot of visual and physical connections between the Avenue and the Valley Park - situated nine meters lower - are created. A new footpath including a new crossing of the Avenue connects the main entrance square of the EU-Secretary-General with the Valley Park. A pavilion marks this important route and the visual connection that arises here. In this area most of the housing consists of urban apartments that benefit from a wide view over the historic heart of Luxemburg City. In between the buildings there are roof gardens providing green views, without blocking the visual connections between the Avenue and the valley.
Promenade des Fleurs - view from the north
View from backyard Weimerhof. Envisioned atmosphere for the communal gardens inside the building blocks. Upfront the water retention line at the border.
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View from Weimershof. The squares connect the small scale area Weimershof to the large scale urban spaces along the Avenue Kennedy.
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mixed use Avenue J.F. Kennedy
parking Rue des Muguets
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Section through block 7 in the north-east part of Kennedy S端d
building block - including communal garden
private plot Weimershof
promenade des fleurs | 6 View from over the Neudorf Valley to the Valley Park, with its extension in the Promenade des Fleurs. On the left hand the south-east part of Kennedy S端d and on the right hand Weimershof. In front is the art-object that marks the beginning of the Valley park, which can also be used as a viewing tower, a slide and a playing object. The higher situated Weimershof and its school are connected via a rope bridge. The curved areas are the retention basins for stormwater that follow the natural slopes. These basins will only be filled in case of an extreme storm, in the mean time the basins are green parts of the Valley park, and offer an extra invitation for playing.
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Section of the Valley park with tower, water playground and parkmeadow and urban housing in the park. bl. 5
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