Düsseldorf 3.0

Upgrading the Neighborhood

AbstractThis research was conducted in the “Sustainable Design” Master Studio, given by the professor Dietrich Schwarz, at the Uni versity of Liechtenstein. The main topic covered in the course is to find a balance between the resources that exist on Earth and the hu man consumption, so life can be supported in the future. Architec ture plays a very important role in the consumption of energy and resources but also on factors that affect the quality of life of society, therefore there is a need for visions to change the way in which the cities are organized, in order to achieve a sustainable way of life. The project in which the thesis will be based and that can serve as an ex ample in the search of this ideals, is located in Düsseldorf, Germany, where the student competition “Schlaun wettbewerb” takes place in order to get a new developement for the central area of the city.

The goal of this thesis is to give an introduction and an overview on the theme of sustainability and on how to apply it into an urban and architectural project. It has the intention of putting together different theories concerning the three branches of sus tainability: Ecological social and economic. It is based on the prem ise that in todays society people is looking always for the new, but sustainable design should be based on taking advantage of the ex isting, and its relation with the identity and the quality of life of the users. Therefore my research question is: How to design a sustainable project by keeping, reusing and transforming the existing and by bringing together an old and a new identity into one community?

The method was guided by an equal process between re search and design. The research was supported with information from databases and books, observation and documentation held on site, and by working with materials and construction methods. In all of the cases the process is compared to previous theoretical and practical approaches. At the same time the project is represented on drawings, plans and models. The design process is focused on four scales, which go from a global, regional and local perspective of un derstanding sustainability to the construction details and materials that are used. The result is a project that can serve as an example on how to adapt existing neighborhoods in the future. It shows a way to regenerate a part of the city by enhancing community living and by reusing and transforming what its already there.

“The building sector is responsible for more than 40 percent of glob al energy use and one third of global greenhouse gas emissions, both in developed and developing countries” (United Nations Environment Programme, 2009)

Contents

1.0 Introduction

2.0 Keeping, reusing, transforming architecture

2.1 Sustainability

2.1.1 Origins

2.1.2 Sustainability in architecture

2.2 Ecological Sustainability

2.2.1 Ecological footprint and biocapacity

2.2.2 Life cycle assessment

2.3 Economic Sustainability

2.3.1 Return of investment

2.3.2 Renovation vs. new construction

2.4 Social Sustainability

2.4.1 Existing theories

2.4.2 Equity, identity and community

3.0 Schlaun competition Düsseldorf

3.1 The Region

3.1.1 Metropolitan areas and population

3.1.2 Production and economy

3.2 The City

3.2.1 Historical context 3.2.2 Urban context

3.3 The Neighborhood

3.3.1 Site analysis 3.3.2 Existing buildings and styles

3.4 The Block

3.4.1 Existing situation

3.4.2 Materials and identity

4.0 « Upgrading the neighborhood »

4.1 1:world

4.1.1 Production and consumption system

4.1.2 Neustart Schweiz theory applied

4.2 1:2000

4.2.1 Urban strategies

4.2.2 Master plan

4.3 1:200

4.3.1 Community and social connections

4.3.2 Program and space distribution

4.4 1:20

4.4.1Energy efficiency and building physics

4.4.2 Construction and materials

5.0 Conclusion

6.0 Reference list

List of figures

1.0 Introduction

The degradation and possible restructuring of a neighbor hood can be caused by several reasons, but it gives architecture a space to rethink on new solutions or to bring the existing solution into a better version. The way in which our economy and our society work today has driven the actual systems into a collapsing situation. The consumerist and individualistic mentality of the population that has provoked a segregated society is the same that makes us think that we have enough resources to dispose and get something new. It happens the same with architecture, we have to think in new ways of reusing the existing and at the same time bring together the dis connected social connections.

One of the many neighborhoods that have to be reinter preted is currently located in Düsseldorf, Germany, where a student competition takes place in order to get a new project for the central area of the city. The area is characterized by multiple-story buildings in need of renovation. Its role as a modern urban space is not fulfilled and the quality is insufficient (Bartel, 2013). The answer could be giv en by discarding the existing or by reusing part of it. Through out history this would be the third version of that part of the city, which was built most of it at the end of the 19th century and beginnings of the 20th century, then it was damaged in the second world war and rebuilt from the 1950’s to the 1980’s. So, today there is a need to update it again.

If we could see architecture as if it was a product, we could focus on the last steps of its life cycle, where normally we would dis pose it and bring a “brand new” product (which is the base of the consumerist mentality of humans). For buildings, this means tearing them down and building completely new, but sustainable design should be based on taking advantage of the existing and bringing a dialog between the new and the old constructions, between socio economic levels and ages of population, between different identi ties, and by taking into account the resources that will be consumed by transforming this neighborhood and by its users in the future. Therefore my research question is:

How to design a sustainable project by keeping, reusing and transforming the existing and by bringing together an old and a new identity into one community?

The first part of the thesis has the intention of giving an introduction to the theme of sustainability and putting together different theories concerning its three branches: Ecological social and economic. The second part is focused on the analysis of the site in which the project will be developed, which was given by the Schlaun competition. The last part shows the architectural project, where the different theories are applied. This chapter is divided into four parts, that match with the design process that is focused on four scales, which go from a global, regional and local perspective of un derstanding sustainability to the construction details and materials that are used on the project. In each of this scales there are ecolog ical, social and economical factors that determine the design. This is the reason why, apart of the main research question, each of the parts requires also a specific question which will be answered with the project, these questions are:

1. How to create a system based on local production and consump tion for a Neighborhood?

2. How can an architectural intervention affect a larger system in the city?

3. How can architecture enhance social connections by the interven tion of an existing structure?

4. How to improve the energy efficiency of the neighborhood with the transformation of the existing?

The method which led to the result was guided by an equal process between research and design. The research was supported with information from databases and books, observation and docu mentation held on site, and by working with materials and construc tion methods. In all of the cases the process is compared to previous theoretical and practical approaches. At the same time the project is represented on drawings, plans and models. The result is a project that can serve as an example on how to adapt existing neighbor hoods in the future. It shows a way to regenerate a part of the city by enhancing community living and by reusing and transforming what its already there.

2.0 Keeping, Reusing, Transforming, Architecture

The continuous demand for housing and services in the cities, gener ates an expansion of settle ments, the re-densification of spaces or the restructur ing and rethinking of exist ing developments and in frastructures. The ideal way of doing it should be based on creating sustainable communities and a wise use of resources, which is connected to the topic of keeping, reusing and trans forming the existing and the relation between the old and the new.

In this Chapter I will give an introduction into the theme of sustain ability and its effects on the todays ecology, economy and society. This ideology, which has a deep back ground, involve also many subdivisions and aspects to take into consideration when designing any kind of product, including build ings, neighborhoods and cities.

Figure 1 : Demolition of a housing block in Düsseldorf, where a ques tion arises: What could be kept, reused or transformed?

2.1 Sustainability

Sustainability is the capacity of the world and its inhabi tants to maintain a balance so life can be supported. The term for humans is applied in a long-term maintenance of the resources of the Earth in order to survive. (The World Conservation Union, 2006) The objective of the Studio “Sustainable Design” and this research is to look for ways in which architecture affects this balance, and also on how to achieve a one planet Society. This means that our vision transforms the todays situation, and that the planet can renew its resources, so we can take only the necessary, changing also the way in which we consume. This ideology is focused in the environmental, social and economic factors that involve humans and our “appropri ation of space”, which leads to the growth of settlements and cities.

Figure 2 : Earth by night

A view of humans’ partial occu pacy on the Earth’s surface in the most populated regions and shown by one of the most valued resources: light.

The history of sustainability comes since the first civiliza tions that depended on ecological systems and resources. It arises as a need which is usually a result of the proliferation of a society, which runs out of some of these resources, causing crisis and usually the displacement or the decline of the civilization. Along the histo ry these problems came only in the regions where such civilizations were established, but after the industrialization, these concerns started to become wider. The struggles for the maintenance and survival and what can be called sustainability came only as a result but not as a conscious and planned system; this comes later proba bly first in forestry and agriculture and much later in other fields like design and architecture.

The word for sustainability in German language is Na chaltigkeit, which was a term used in forestry since the 18th centu ry. It means that humans can take only the necessary forest trees, the forest can renew. A balance should be reached between renew al and cutting so that timber could be used for ever, continuously and perpetually. It was first applied by Hanns Carl von Carlowitz, in his book ‘Sylvicultura oeconomica’. Carlowitz criticizes the contem porary short-termed way of thinking which was centered solely on making money: Woodland was being cleared because agriculture seemed more profitable than forestry. In the name of apparently quick profits, unrepairable damage had been done (Grober, 2007). Carlowitz created then a system for the wise and careful consump tion of resources. The idea was then developed in the 19tth century into the actual thinking.

This idea of sustainability was not globally known until the 1960’s and 70’s when different theories started to adress the limits of growth in the world. Probably the most influencial of these ideolo gies was stated by the Club of Rome in a report that was written in 1972. The report “Limits to growth” was focused on the nature of the global problems and on new pathways for world development in the future (Club of Rome, 2014). They outlined the problem of over population and that human race, especially in industrialized nations, uses more resources than our planet can cultivate and renew. This gave impetus to various initiatives by governments, institutions and society in general, and it still remains a main issue in the transforma tion of the future.

2.1.1 Origins

2.1.2 Sustainability in architecture

The orgins of sustainability in design and architecture also started with the “green Revolution” in the 1960’s. David Bergman in his book “Sustainable Design: A critical Guide” argues that ecodesign has evolved considerably since its beginnings, when it was captured in the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle”. The catchiness of the three R’s helped to expand the awareness about the subject, but at the same time its simplicity has led some people to conclude that once they have recycled their bottles and newspapers and converted a lightbulb or two, they’ve done their part (Bergman, 2011) . It happens the same in architecture where the green movement can be confused with covering the facades and roofs with plants or by just adding solar panels, but that is just a very small part, it has actually a much deeper theory and application.

In architecture and urbanism, sustainable design can be di vided in different scales, which go from the planning of the future growth of the cities to the construction detail in a building, but it does not have universal solutions, the designs should adapt to the different conditions of the place where the project is located. This means that the result should be based on local resources and local needs, it should take advantage of renewable energies and reduce the use of mechanical systems in the project This answer should be given through the use of interdisciplinary work (in which society and many other fields of study participate) with an integrated sustain able process and considering different facets in order to achieve a common goal. In each of these facets there is a great amount of fac tors that could lead to a sustainable or not sustainable project.

Architecture and urban planning are responsible for more than 40% of the global energy consumption, so these disciplines need to deal directly with the challenges that this can produce. There has to be a shift in the way settlements are growing and find a balance between the built and the natural environment. One of the solutions is to re-densify the cities and create nodes of activity which can be connected by efficient transportations, and with a wise dis tribution of resources. Densification should be planned according to population growth rates without actually promote their growth, so it should take place over a long-term period of time. There are different strategies that are focused in these aspects and also in the efficiency of land use, to free the space to increase productive land.

When creating new projects and developments, land use decisions are invariably complex, involving many stakeholders with different priorities. The frequency complexity of land use compe tition is expected to rise as human demands grow (WWF report, 2012). There is still a constant growth of population and therefore there is a need for a place to live, which leads to an urban sprawl, but also to rethink the existing neighborhoods and spaces in the center of the cities. The growth of settlements involves not only ecological issues, but also social and economic factors that have to be taken into account when designing a project, this is why sustainable de sign is normally divided in these three branches.

Figure 3 : Cantona archeological zone in Puebla, Mexico

There is a lot to learn from past cultures. This example shows an Olmec settlement. The image shows how the city grew adapting to the topography and site mate rials. The construction is still there after 3000 years. Durability is pri mordial in sustainability.

2.2 Ecological sustainability

Ecological sustainability refers to a balance between hu mans taking natural resources and the Earth’s ability to regenerate them. Environmental management is concerned with the preserva tion of this resources and the minimizing of the impact of human development on the natural environment. This pillar is mainly fo cused on topics like: energy transformation, reduction of fossil fuel consumption and emissions, food production, recycling and waste management. It is about the space that each person takes on the planet. There are ways to measure this relation from humans’ foot print to the Earth’s biocapacity and also from the building’s footprint to the total energy that it needs.

Figure 4 : Ecological footprint per person by country

Built-up land Fishing Forest Grazing Cropland Carbon

According to the Global Footprint Network (2011) an ecological footprint measures the land and sea area people require to produce the resources that we consume. This is a way to understand how many planets would we need if everyone had the same lifestyle as us in relation to food, shelter, mobility, goods and services. Humani ty’s average ecological footprint was estimated at 1.5 planet Earths; this means that humans use ecological services 1.5 times as quickly as Earth can renew them.

Biocapacity is the capacity of an area to provide resources and absorb wastes. Currently in the world 11.2 billion hectares are biologically productive. If we take into account that we are 7 billion people, it means that there are 1.6 global hectares available per per son, but the average is 2.7, so we are already exceeding the bioca pacity of the Earth.

As it is shown in Figure 3, more than Half of the countries depend on the biocapacity of the rest of the countries. This is how the balance is maintained in the world. The graphic also shows the division in the different consumption aspects per person. The carbon footprint is the one with greatest impact in most of the “developed” countries, while the “non-developed” maintain a balance between the parts. The construction and urban development take an import ant percentage of this consumption, so probably the first approach for a sustainable design and lifestyle would be to take advantage of what can be produced or reused locally and to look for an energy efficient life cycle in products and buildings.

2.2.1 Ecological footprint and Biocapacity

2.2.2 Life cycle assessment

The life cycle assessment (LCA) is a measure to understand and analyze the life of a product; from the origin of its raw materials to the manipulation of these materials during manufacturing, to the consumption of energy and resources during its useful life, to the im pact of its eventual end of life. At each face of the life cycle, there are material and energy inputs and corresponding environmental im pacts. An LCA attempts to qualify all of these inputs and then come up with values to represent their impact. (Bergman, 2012). This is in other words a cradle to grave approach, but normally it doesn’t take into account the possible recycling and transformation of materials. So, if we want to take this theory into the next approach, we should be analyzing products and also architecture in what McDonough and Braungart called continuous cycles in their book “Cradle-to-Cra dle: Remaking the way we make things”. They explain that the end of historical periods has been produced because of the need of re thinking the way of living and we are exactly in a similar point in history and that design will play an important role in this change of mentality.

The cradle-to-cradle approach divides everything that we might consider waste into two categories: biological nutrients and technical nutrients, the first one are biodegradable and in the sec ond one they are not, so they need to be kept in cycles of usage. It is very important to make clear that we must consider these products as waste, so there is the first step to change our way of thinking. We have to understand that there are plenty of things that we can still use, sometimes they need to be repaired or transformed, and they have even a greater value than a brand new product. In Figure 4 there are 6 points taken from the repair manifesto, that was made by ¨ Platform21 ¨ as a response to the consumerist mentality that normally makes us dispose the old and get the new; it takes part in the last step of the life cycle of a product. It happens the same when we speak about architecture; there are buildings that are still useful, or they only need to be renovated, or the structure can be reused or the materials can be recycled, so there should be an extensive analysis of each site before tearing down and building completely new, because it will probably take more energy, affecting in these way the life-cycle of the development. It could also be reflected in the economy, depending on each situation it could reduce the costs of resources, construction and maintenance.

REPAIR

1. Make your products live lon ger. Repair means taking the opportunity to give a product a second life.

2. Things should be design so that they can be repaired

3. What doesn’t kill it makes it stronger. Every time something is repaired, we add to its poten tial, its history, its soul and its in herent beauty.

4. Repair survives fashion, it shouldn’t be about styling or trends.

5. Repaired things are unique and they keep their own identity.

6. Repairing is about indepen dence. Don`t be a slave to tech nology, be its master. if it’s bro ken fix it and make it better.

8 Repair Reuse Transform

Figure 5 : Life Cycle diagram for products

The cradle-to-cradle approach can be applied in the same way to ar chitecture, all the materials with their different lifespans should be introduced again into a new cycle or give them a new purpose or serve as a nutrient to the planet if they are biodegradable.

2.3 Economic sustainability

The actual economic systems have taken the countries into a time of crisis and socioeconomic inequality; generally solved with short-term solutions, that create long-term problems. The housing market has had a great impact on this recessions, due to a rapid pro liferation in fast-growing countries, in which the demand of prop erty is growing proportionally to the increasing population. The buildings then become part of a “chain production” that normally is based on low cost materials, cheap labor and a fast and sometimes industrialized construction that reduces the costs and increases the profit for the developers. This has happened because there are still enough resources that can be exploited, but normally they are tak en from different parts of the world, instead of taking advantage of local materials and production and doing it in a sustainable way.

As the UK report on Sustainable cities suggest, sustain ability and economic development are inextricably linked in policy terms. In the world of austerity and the drive for economic recovery, this is likely to be accentuated for the future. A close focus on the benefit to the local economy as well as overall value for money is an essential part of the sustainability agenda. To start “fixing” the eco nomic model there is an opportunity in retrofitting buildings with energy and carbon saving measures; renewable energy technolo gies; redesigning utility networks; public transport infrastructures; public spaces; and ecosystem maintenance and protection. It is not a case of reducing the level of economic activity, but doing things differently, and crucially with different time-frames in mind.

Diagrams based on a study of the impact of sustainable construc tions in the costs and value of the building.

Figure

: Green Building Statistics

New Buildings Retrofits

We tend to think about sustainable design as an expensive option in comparison to conventional design, but in most of the cases it can be completely the opposite. The first one is focused on long-term solutions, so the savings should be seen along the life-cy cle of the product or in this case the buildings. It also takes in consid eration the responsibility of each of the aspects involved, resulting on a more efficient process. The second would be cheaper at the be ginning, for example in the construction costs or during the design process, but normally after the implementation there can be exter nal expenses like energy, transportation and maintenance costs and probably its durability is shorter, so at the end it turns to be the same or even more expensive than a integrated sustainable process.

Analyzing long-term costs involves looking at the return of investment (ROI). This is the amount of profit, from an investment made, usually expressed as a percentage of the original total cost invested. Such calculation takes into account the costs through its lifespan, inflation and interest rates and attempts to anticipate fluc tuations in the cost of energy. The formula to get it may be simply stated as follows.

ROI = (Gain from investment - Cost of investment)

Cost of investment

But while the above equation seems easy enough to calculate, a number of variables including repair and maintenance expenses and methods of figuring leverage (the amount of money with inter est borrowed to make the initial investment) come into play, which can affect ROI numbers (Davis, 2011).

2.3.1 Return of investment

Figure 7 : Energy ROI

Graphic taken from an article in the Scientific American Magazin, Showing the EROI’s of different energy sources.

Energy source Global production (PTW/H) Process

Return on investment (Years)

2.3.2 renovation vs. new construction

Depending on each case, there can be a reduction of costs when renovating or transforming a structure, rather than tearing down and building a new construction. The building stock is only changing at a rate of 1 to 1.5% per year. Therefore property develop ers may have a much greater impact with building renovations and restorations. There are even assumptions which tell that the green building community has generated excitement through the promo tion of highly sustainable new buildings, but the truth is that for in dustrialized nations the vast majority of the buildings of the future already exist. Furthermore, existing buildings are a large contributor to the disproportionate use of energy by the developed world. If we are to mitigate the effects of buildings on the environment, we must improve the performance of existing buildings. (Gelfand & Duncan, 2012)

There are many factors that have to be taken into account before taking the decision of what can be kept, reuse and disposed, but this actions may have a great impact not only in the ecology, but also on the social and economical aspects of the development. Some of the factors to take into consideration for ecologic and econom ic reasons are: The resistance of the current structure, the lifespan and possible reuse of the existing materials, the feasibility to create a sealed and insulated envelope, The transportation costs with and without demolition, the working hours and time of construction and the possibility to incorporate renewable energy systems into the ex isting. These variables can apply for the renovation of any building, but in these case the research is focused on housing structures.

Most of the housing developments that are built came after industrialization, and were based on a modern society, that can be seen as individualistic. In many of the European cities we can see apartment blocks that have been accused of being anonymous, mo no-functional containers in which inhabitants are isolated from one another. As it is mentioned in the book “Small scale big change”, The lack of communal space, shopping facilities, and cultural offerings have been seen as a failure of the concept itself. There are stakehold ers that call for the demolition of such developments, hoping to cre ate a tabula rasa on which to experiment on new concepts. Yet sim ply removing these structures without addressing the underlying reasons for their failure would only mask the social and economic

problems faced by the residents. Further, replacement housing comes with its own drawbacks including the wholesale dismantling of established communities.

Architects Fréderic Druot, Anne Lacaton and Jean Phillipe Vassal are among those who reject the calls for demolition, favoring in stead to retrofit existing structures. Through their work they aim to demonstrate that adapting and upgrading is both more econom ical and ecologically sound than tearing down and building anew. In 2005 the three won a competition sponsored by the Office public d’aménagement et de construction de Paris, to remodel a public res idential high-rise in northern Paris by showing that their proposal (Figure 8) would result in significant cost savings. (Lepik, 2010).

Figure 8: Transformation of Tour Bois-Le-Prétre And

The two pictures on top show the building after and before the ren ovation. The idea was to extend the space of each apartment with the addition of winter gardens to the facade, which also increased the energy efficiency of the build ing. Also the goal was to create more common spaces and to keep the same identity in the interior, shown in the picture on the left, so they included the residents in the design.

2.4 Social sustainability

Architecture can be a tool to generate social change. This can be produce by the implementation of large scale projects or by smaller solutions that have an immediate impact on their envi ronment. Normally the goal for any society is first to fulfill the basic needs of humans and further on do it with a good quality of life. This can be very subjective because it involves subjects like happi ness, love, belonging, etc., but I believe that architecture can play an important role in the achievement of these different aspects. In fig ure 9 we can observe the hierarchy of needs proposed by Abraham Maslow, which divided the pyramid in different steps that go from physiological needs to self-actualization, which is probably the ob jective of a person. It can be also inferred that if there is more people with the opportunity to achieve them, there is a higher social equity, which is the base of social sustainability.

A neighborhood can be the base for social integration. An inclusive society is one of the key goals of social sustainable devel opment. The United Nations suggests in their report “Creating an Inclusive Society: Practical Strategies to Promote Social Integration that this level of organization should be stable, safe, just and toler ant, and respect diversity, equality of opportunity and participation of all people, including disadvantaged and vulnerable groups and persons. The question now is how to make the concept of social in clusion operational, even in the face of resistance to change. One of the main factors is educational, moral and ethical, but the program and organization of spaces in the community can also promote it.

Figure 9: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

In the last centuries, social restructuring came as an answer to inequality, poverty, inadequate health services and inhumane living conditions, that were mainly produced after the industrial revolution and that kept growing with modernity. This has also gen erated in some places a segregated society that provokes problems like insecurity, corruption and a lack of life quality, that arise social questions. The architectonic solutions to these problems were not introduced by famous architects itself, but by entrepreneurs, scien tist and writers that made different theories, which some of them were taken into practice and some other served as a base to rethink architecture.

One of the early socialists to think about projects to solve social aspects was Robert Owen. He owned a factory in England at the end of the 19th century. He recognized, that the conditions of his workers were catastrophic. He developed theories to reform the capitalist economic system, arguing that higher salaries and short er working hours increase the productivity and life quality of the workers and therefore the efficiency of the company. He organized a colony that worked as a cooperative, where the workers and their families could live with all the services close to the factory. The build ings were organized in a closed block, having different spaces for community living. This system was not successful but it served as a model for projects that look for equality and concern about the quality of life of its inhabitants.

The building typologies that could house a community have also been studied and taken into practice. One of the first to think about this way of living was Charles Fourier. He proposed a scenario similar to a French palace (like Versailles), but instead of housing a king or a small amount of novelty, it would be a “palace” for 2000 people from all the socioeconomic levels and with no hi erarchies. The apartments were accessed by a gallery, which had a width of 12 meters and should serve as a communication area. This project was never built but he influenced later builders like Jean Baptiste Godin, who planned the “Familiestere”. Godin’s idea was to offer his workers a range of otherwise inaccessible services, and called them the “equivalence of wealth”. He believed that the idea of progress must be embodied in a superior form of architecture. The courtyard was a very important part for the sense of community, it

2.4.1 Existing Theories and examples

Figure 10 (up) and 11 (right): Familistere - J. Baptiste Godin

worked as a village square, the place where everybody converges. Originally the ground floor held shops, cafés, and common and dif ferent commercial spaces. It was also used for large events, dinners and parties. The Familiestere was made on brick, the region´s tradi tional building material, but he used it as ornament by designing patterns, emphasizing windows and using different colored cement. He believed that in this way the inhabitants would be identified with the building, increasing the idea of appropriation.

The different characteristics of the typologies that were mentioned before, were also taken by different architects of mod ernism and even until th 21st century they have been re-interpreted. To give an example; the internal communications, the program, the configuration of spaces and the way of bringing light and ventila tion into the building were taken by Le Corbusier as main principles to develop his collective housing building Cité Radieuse. They were also adopted by Bruno Taut and Martin Wagner that built the Hufei sensiedlung in Berlin (which was also influenced by the garden city).

Most lately the idea was reintroduced by Müller Sigrist Architek ten, which transformed the rue interieur as a common connection through the entire structure of the building in the project Kalkbreite. These same ideals can also apply for a 5 star hotel, where the com mon spaces are maximized for comfort but also to enhance social interaction.

Figure 16 (up) and 17 (Left): Kalkbreite - Müller Sigrist Arch.

Figure 14 (up) and 15 (Left): Hufeisensiedlung-Taut and Wagner

Figure 12 (up) and 13 (Left): cité radieuse - Le Corbusier

2.4.2 Communities and Cooperatives

The world’s society is organized in different scales that de fine the culture and identity of each person. The minimal unit of the society is the community, which can be formed with few members like in a family or by large amount of persons like in a neighborhood. By definition its members have something in common that keeps them together and identifies them. For these reasons the whole population of the planet, is also one community (simply for the lack of outsiders), and even though the organization and communica tion in this level is difficult, it should be achieved. Neustart Schweiz define this as a common, where everybody should have an equal say in everything. Nobody should be excluded on whatever grounds. Human fragility should be respected. A commons without a con sciously constituted community is unthinkable. Common usage must be based on reliable and equal communication and anti-oli garchical forms of organization (‘democracy’). Without such a social consensus, an unregulated commons will end in tragedy, given that this planet has ecological limits.

The idea of a common identity for the planet, has to start first in the small scale. For this reason the organization of the neigh borhood, where community living is encouraged, should be the base of the society. As the United Nations also outlines a commu nity should provide equitable opportunities and outcomes for all its members, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable. It pro motes and encourages cultural, ethnic and racial diversity and also Interconnected social cohesions between different age groups. It provides processes, systems and structures that promote connectiv ity within and outside the community at the formal, informal and institutional level. It increases social participation that refers to the possibility to influence decisions and have access to decision-mak ing processes. Social participation creates mutual trust among indi viduals, which forms the basis for shared responsibilities towards the community and society.

A way to organize these neighborhoods is by the formation of cooperatives. The International Cooperative Alliance defines them as an autonomous association of persons who voluntarily cooperate for their mutual, social, economic, and cultural benefit. In a housing cooperative, its members, through their elected representatives, se lect who may live there, unlike any other form of home ownership.

Members should pay a periodical fee, but it can also be made by the government for offsetting the housing charge as a subsidy of the low-income members. The objective of this is to achieve a social diversity between different socio-economical groups that can live in the same neighborhood. One example of a cooperative housing building is the project Kalkbreite (Figure 16, 17) or the housing unit Gesewo Gisserei (Figure 18, 19, 20) . Both of them are located in Swit zerland and they are characterized for having a mixed use program, a variety of typologies or units, by the connection of common spac es with corridors and a central courtyard and by a specific relation of building materials and colors. These type of projects intend to achieve a social equity, integration and participation and it has been demonstrated that they generate a common identity for its users.

Figure 18 (Left) and 19 (Down) Giesserei - Galli Rudolf Arch.

Figure 20 (Down): Mix of apart ments in Giesserei

3.0 Schlaun Competition Düsseldorf

The project with which I prove my thesis, comes from an urban and architectural competition based on a specific site in Düsseldorf, Germany. It is called “Schlaun Wettber werb” and is organized every year for students around the world. This year The goal was to Design an urban strategy and then focus on restructuring a block in the center of the city, which matched with the program of the Sustain able design studio.

In this chapter, it is explained the historical and physical context which led this part of the city into the actual situation. To make an analyze of the site and further on an architectural project, it is primordial to understand it from a large scale that goes from the re gion and its relation to the country and the world, up to the social, economical and ecological context of the plot.

Figure 21 (Down): Satellite image of the Schlaun competition area in Düsseldorf

3.1 The region

To locate the site where the competition takes place we have to look first to its relation to Europe, Germany, and the region, that can be defined with its political borders or with the organiza tion of production depending on its geographical conditions. In the first category, the project is located in North Rhine-Westphalia, a state formed in 1946 as a merge of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly parts of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf and its biggest city is Cologne. Its location at the heart of the “Eu ropean blue banana” (a discontinuous corridor of urbanization in Western Europe, with a population of around 110 million) makes it well connected to other major European cities and metropolitan ar eas. This also makes it an strategic point for production and distribu tion which affected this region throughout its history.

Figure 22 : Map of Germany and its regions defined by political borders

Site of the competition

If we look at the global organization, we can see that many decisions are taken depending on political limits, which sometimes generate inequality among the different subdivisions, this is why other organizational factors should also be taken into account; Ger many is already doing it. This institutional level of hierarchy can be defined for example by the metropolitan regions, the agricultural and productive land, watersheds and other geographical and even social conditions. If we look at figure 23, there is an example on how The country is divided depending on the productive land per person per region. In Düsseldorf this is regulated by the Landwirtschafts kammer Nordrhein-Westfalen, that is already focused on local pro duction depending on the distribution of resources in each territory.

Figure 23 : Map of Germany and its regions defined by agricultural organization

Site of the competition

3.1.1 Metropolitan areas and population

According to the European Union Report on “The cities of tomorrow: Challenges, visions, ways forward” , the new urban reality is characterized by peri-urban development. New relationships be tween the core city and its surroundings are developing, together with increasing individual mobility. People living in rural areas live urban lives and exploit urban services; urban residents use rural resources and exploit nature. This generates that commuting and other daily patterns are stretched over increasingly large areas. This is why there is an increasing importance of the city at regional or metropolitan level. Strategic planning and the delivery of public policies on economic development, the labour market, mobility and transport, housing, education, food, water, energy, waste, immigra tion, etc. should be adressed in this level of organization.

The idea of Metropolregionen was first developed in Germa ny in 1995, and was adopted as part of the German spatial develop ment strategy in 2005. It divided the territory into 11 regions. Their three most important goals are decision-making functions linked to : spatial concentration of economic centers ; presence of research centers and of a creative and competitive milieu; accessibility to and from international locations and good traffic infrastructures. They fulfill an important role in marketing, solving traffic problems and in creasing scientific–economic links. The largest of these metropolitan regions is The Rhine-Ruhr, and is located in North Rhein Westphalia, in which Düsseldorf and therefore the project site take part.

With about 17.6 million inhabitants on an area of 34,100 km² North Rhine-Westphalia is the most densely populated area in Germany. The area developed very fast after industrialization, and population also increased rapidly during the 20th century, but it is expected to stabilize and even shrink over the next decades. The Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area in the center of the country, with over elev en million inhabitants is one of the 30 largest metropolitan areas in the world and a central part of the European agglomeration. It now covers an area of 7,110 km2 and spreads from Dortmund-Bochum-Essen-Duisburg in the north, to the urban areas of the cities of Mönchengladbach, Düsseldorf, Wuppertal, Cologne and Bonn in the south. The metropolitan area is named after the Rhine and Ruhr rivers, which are the region’s defining geographical features and his torically its economic backbone.

Figure 24: Map of North Rhine-Westphalia and its agglom erations

Site of the competition

Figure 25: Population curve in the region untill now and prediction for the next decades

3.1.2 Production and economy

Of the total area of the Rhine province about 45% is occu pied by arable land, 16% by meadows and pastures, and 31% by for ests. Little except oats and potatoes can be raised on the high-lying plateaus in the south of the province, but the river-valleys and the northern lowlands are extremely fertile. The great bulk of the soil is in the hands of small proprietors, and this is alleged to have had the effect of somewhat retarding the progress of scientific agriculture. The usual cereal crops are, however, all grown with success, and to bacco, hops, flax, rape, hemp and beetroot (for sugar) are cultivated for commercial purposes. Large quantities of fruit are also produced. (Hugh, 1911). The region has also natural resources such as Anrthra cire, Lignite and Iron.

Even though agriculture accounts for a great part of the territory, this is also an industrial and economic center. As it was al ready mentioned, the economy raised after the Industrial revolution. Later, In the 1950s and 1960s, this region was known as the land of coal and steel. It was one of the most important industrial regions in Europe that contributed to the fast recovery of Germany after the second world war. The coal and steel production then decreasedand today there are other industires, among which are: Energy, Trans portation, Chemicals, textiles, glass, wood, concrete, machinery, electrical equipment and paper.

If we make a zoom-in in the region defined in the report “Landwirtschaftlicher Fachbeitrag zum Regionalplan Düsseldorf” (fig ure 26), we can see that the numbers change in some aspects. In this area the productive land accounts for 50%, the water 3%, the forests 15%, and 32% is occupied by the built area. This land has 3.2 million inhabitants, so if we consider the 172,000 hectares of productive land that are available, this means that there would be 600 m2 per capita. This would be truth if there would be a conscious and equita ble land use, but the distribution of resources is probably different. This is why a sustainable focus should take into account these re sources, so that everyone can take advantage of them locally, which can reduce significantly two aspects of the ecological footprint of the inhabitants: food and mobility.

Figure 26: Mappings of the region according to the Landwirtschafts kammer Nordrhein-Westfalen. The maps (from left to right) show: 1.the location of farms and pro ductive land, 2. the forests, 3. the urban agglomeration and 4. the productive land per person (that shows that most of the people depend on the production in the north part of the region).

Site of the competition

3.2 The city

Figure 27: Map of Düsseldorf with subdivisions.

Site of the competition (Located in the second densest district)

As many of the big cities in the world, Düsseldorf was estab lished close to a river, in this case the Rhine and the Düssel which is a delta that gives the name to the city, directly translated in “Village of Düssel”. This geographical conditions were very important in the development and history of the area. The urban agglomeration has expanded along the river and it has now a population of more than 1.2 million people, and almost 600,000 within its political borders. The city is divided since 1975, into ten administrative disitricts. Each district, has its own elected council and mayor. they are further sub divided into boroughs. There are 49 boroughs in Düsseldorf. The site of the competition is located in the district 1, in Stadtmitte, one of the areas that was first developed after the medieval town.

There are many aspects that have influenced the way in which the city grew, but there are main events that affected com pletely its history: Its founding, The industrial revolution and the different wars to dispute its possession. In 1288 the settlement was raised to the rank of a town by Count Adolf of Berg; from his succes sors it obtained various privileges. Then, after it had suffered greatly in the Thirty Years’ War and the War of the Spanish Succession, it re covered its prosperity under the patronage of Prince John William in the 18th century. Further on the town, after a violent bombardment, was surrendered to the French and was deprived of its fortifications. In 1805 it became the capital of the Napoleonic Duchy of Berg; and in 1815 it passed into Prussian possession. It remained that way, growing rapidly due to the industrial revolution, until the second world war when it was attacked. After the war ended, Düsseldorf be came the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia (Weidenhaupt, 1979).

The part of the city where the site is located, was mainly de veloped during the 19th century and reconstructed after the dam aged caused by the World Wars. The early settlement of the Rhine, that already in 1760 spread in the direction of the current munici pality, is clearly visible in figure 28, where the fortification of the city is shown and many streets are already recognizable in the pattern of the agricultural landscape. In 1878’s map Königsallee appears as a main axis and a railway station was built in the south of it. Until 1906 Düsseldorf`s industry boomed. It can be seen in figure 30 that the city expanded beyond the train lines. Thus, the station had to be removed and was rebuilt in the south-east of the area. Also, a tram network was developed and the densification of the city increased. Then Düsseldorf had a major setback during the world wars where many buildings were completely or partially destroyed. Later, a lot of the remaining ones were demolished due to major structural dam ages. In the figure 31 we see the buildings that remain, but in the area of intervention 85% of them were affected. In the next image the plan of 1957, it is shown almost the same image as we can see in todays situation. Most of the reconstruction was made during this period and in the next years the city continued with a slower expan sion and to the outsides of the city. There are only few buildings in this area that were built from the 1990’s until now. This is the reason of why there is a need to renovate, rethink and transform the neigh borhood again.

3.2.1 Historical Context

Figure 28: Map of Düsseldorf1760 Site of the competition

Figure 29: Map of Düsseldorf1878

Figure 30: Map of Düsseldorf1906

Figure 31: Map of Düsseldorf1949

Completely damaged Partially destroyed Remaining

Figure 32: Map of Düsseldorf1957

Figure 33: Map of Düsseldorf - Ac tual situation

3.2.2 Urban context

There are different factors that affect the ecologic, social and economic context of the city, in addition of the ones already mentioned in the regional scale. If we analyze the satellite image of the city, we can see that the agglomeration surpassed the barriers that the infrastructure and the river can imply, and the urban sprawl occupied the place of former natural resources. The transport net work, including the port and the airport, have been very important in setting Düsseldorf as an important economic and commercial center. At the same time this has increased the ecological footprint of the population and it has attracted many foreigners. But the dis tribution of resources and living conditions among the inhabitants are unequal. This, added to the traces of modernity generated an individualized society, therefore a disintegrated one.

Figure 34: Satellite image of Düs seldorf

The first means of transport in Düsseldorf is the car, but the city has implemented several alternatives to reduce its use, which is one of the main goals of the cities in the future. The solutions come first with an efficient public and massive transportation network, a good bike-ways system and different strategies and policies to pro mote the use of non-carbon emitting vehicles. According to the sta tistics from the city of Düsseldorf, the incoming and outgoing motor vehicle traffic has been reduced in the past decade, the same as the ownership (figure 35). At the same time the trains, trams and omni bus have incremented their occupancy in the last years. As comple ment there is a system of park and ride locations, to change from private vehicles into public, even though there is still a great offer of parking lots, that could be removed if the decrease of cars continues.

Figure 35: Transportation statistics from the city of Düsseldorf

Figure 36: Park and ride network in the center of the city

The main aspect about going from rural to urban, is the opportunity of jobs, services and education. In a big city like Düs seldorf, this attracts not only people from the surroundings, which is connected with the theme of transportation, but it also receives population from other countries. In the city 35% of the inhabitants are immigrants. On district one, it`s 20.8%. The “local Action Plan” from the city addresses that the living conditions of migrants in Düs seldorf vary significantly, a fact which becomes immediately appar ent when looking at the many different countries of origin (176 in total). The overwhelming majority of migrants are European citizens. While the Turkish, Greek and Italian inhabitants represent the larg est groups, the large Asian population is an important characteris tic of the city. Many of these communities are located on the area where the competition takes place.

Figure 37: Map showing the differ ent zones for migration

The social conditions in the city and in the area of interven tion provoked a segregated society. One reason for this is that only one of every sixth households is a family with one or more children. Many families cannot afford the rents in the center of the city, so they are pushed to move into surrounding areas. This is confirmed by the fact that the average is 1.8 persons per household. More than half of the population lives alone in an apartment, and only 5% of the inhabitants share their apartment with three others. Many of the housing units are divided in single rooms and many others are partially empty. The same happens with many commercial spaces, that are vacant; this can generate a decrease in the economy of the neighborhoods, which at the same time can cause other problems like street prostitution and different types of illicit activity.

The distribution of socioeconomic levels is also divided like in every big city, but at the end this distinction is generated by the income and the consumption of resources. The idea of mixing this levels and ages of population in the community is directly connect ed to sustainability. In Düsseldorf there is more less an equal distri bution between the different incomes, but we can also see that the expenses are mainly in living and energy, this is why architecture plays a very important part in the social integration, but also in the savings for the families in the future. As we can see in figure 38, many themes that are related to the urban context and therefore, the city planning, can be directly reflected in the footprint of the inhabitants.

Figure 38: Ecological footprint of the inhabitants

3.3 The neighborhood

Figure 39: Aerial view showing the time of construction

WW

The specific neighborhood that has to be transformed is an area characterized by multi-story, mixed-use buildings, located in the center of Düsseldorf. The defined blocks have mainly commer cial premises on the ground floor and offices and/or apartments on the upper floors, but its urban function as a modern and high-qual ity site is inadequate (Bartel, 2013). The area has some buildings that remain from the beginning of the 20th century, that give an identity to the site. The rest of the buildings were rebuilt between the 1950s to the 1970s, after the attack of the city in the second world war. This part of the city is a very dense urban structure, with a clear configu ration of streets and well connected to the transportation network (facing the train station), services, parks and the river.

Urban planning should depend on the context in which an area has developed. When we see the area of intervention we can identify many aspect that have taken this neighborhood into the ac tual situation and should have an influence in the future transforma tion. The next mappings show different analysis of the site that will be reflected in the project. Some of the investigation was provided by the competition organization and was further studied by a group research in the university studio. The main focuses were: the histori cal background and urban growth, population and identity, config uration and urban typologies, mobility and accessibility, open public and private spaces, usage profile and mix, attractors and landmarks, architecture, styles and materials.

3.3.1 Site analysis

Figure 40: Undamaged Buildings after the war

This plan can be compared with the figure 39; it can be observed that not all of the buildings that “survived” the war remain in the actual situation.

Figure 41: Ownership plots

The distribution of land, started with the first settlements of the area, and the configuration now, shows an irregular system, with out a clear planning on the parti tions inside the blocks.

Figure 42: Built mass

The footprint of the buildings oc cupies 24.8 hectares, these means 51% of the area of the total site (with streets) and 89% of the block (without streets).

Figure 43: Open interior spaces

The dense built mass is clearly re flected in the open spaces inside of the block. The free space in the courtyards, 3.2 hectares, rep resents only 6.6% of the area of the site.

Figure 44: Figure ground study

There is a clear configuration of the blocks to the street, but an irregular, structure to the inside. This can represent an advantage and an opportunity to respect the urban structure, and to focus the intervention in the internal distri bution of the courtyards.

Figure 45: Density

Figure 46: Parks and plazas

Due to the high density, there is a lack of parks and plazas in the area. The spaces for recreation are mostly located in direction of the old town and the river, but are still within a walking distance from the intervention area, therefore it should be important to under stand the streets and courtyards as an important public space for interaction.

Figure 47: Public, semi-public and private spaces

The transition between spaces is undefined. Different types of configurations coexist together and create a sense chaos, mainly on the interior of the blocks. On the outside, the apparently orga nized urban frame of Dusseldorf is interrupted by spaces defined by traffic, which have the potential of developing as links between the different areas of the urban tissue.

Figure 48: Existing streets

The spaces in between the blocks have a hierarchy in the distribu tion of flows; with primary con nections: that are normally alleys or boulevards, secondary streets: which work internally but they are also connected with border ing neighborhoods, and tertiary streets, that serve mainly for local flows.

Figure 49: Walking distances

In this map we can see the walk able distances defined by a radi us of 400 meters (inner ring) and 800 m (outer ring). The blue circle shows a central point in the neigh borhood and the red the distance from the train station.

Figure 50: Public transport and parking spaces

Within the walking distance, the neighborhood is also connected to the outside, by tram, bus and metro, but there is still a large of fer of parking spaces, which en hances the use of private vehicles inside of the intervention area.

Figure 51: Existing uses in the blocks

The highly mixed use programs set already the site as a center of social activity. The map shows two lines of colors, the outer one are the uses in ground floor and the inner one, the uses on the upper floors.

Housing Retail Offices Education Cult Parking lots

Figure 52: Hotels and prices

There is already a great offer of hotels in the area, due to its prox imity to the train station and the center of the city. They are an im portant contribution for tourism and the floating population.

Figure 53: facade materials

Materials represent an important part of the identity of the neigh borhood. This map shows the materials that prevail outside the buildings.

Natural stone Brick Plaster Concrete Glass

The map shows the location of the following street sections and pictures, that are part of the group documentation on site.

Figure 54: Stresemannstrasse

Ostrasse

Figure 56: Berliner Allee

Figure 57: Immermannstrasse

Figure 58: Worringer Strasse

3.3.2 Existing buildings and styles

Figure 59: Map with location of existing buildings neighborhood for intervention boock for intervention

Düsseldorf had a lot of transformations throughout its his tory and therefore many architectural styles have flourished in tan dem with its urban growth. The different use of materials and tech niques are reflected in the construction, distribution of spaces and facades of the buildings. These styles are part of the neighborhood’s identity and its close surroundings. There are representative build ings that can serve as an example of the type of architecture that was done in the past but that can be studied and reinterpreted for the future. The research starts with the first buildings buit in the me dieval town, until the post modern and contemporary ones. The idea is to understand the ideals behind these projects and the historical situation when they were built in order to achieve a solution that reacts to the existing and immediate context in today’s situation.

Some of the first buildings that still remain in Düsseldorf are in the old town (altstadt). They were built with certain architec ture but they had renovations in the next years or centuries, which change their styles. Examples of them are: the castle, built in 1260, of which only the tower now remains, the former Town hall which was build in the Renaissance style in 1570 but th shape was changed in 1749 into a baroque style and the Haus zum Kurfürsten, built in 1627, that is a similar example to the former town hall. It was mainly cultivated as a guest house, and it has aspect of the late Gothic (with the stepped gable) and some other from the High Renaissance, the style that prevailed when it was built. The main characteristics of this style are the symmetry, proportion, geometry and the regularity of its parts, which are reinterpreted from classic roman architecture.

Figure 62 (up) and 63 (left): Former Town Hall

Figure 60 (up) and 61 (left): Former Town Hall

The classical style continued to influence the architecture of Düsseldorf in the next centuries. When the city started to grow after industrialization, there was a search for an image of prosperity, power and durability, and the buildings reflected these ideals with the characteristics already mentioned and with the implementation of materials (Bricks and stones were often used because of their en durance), ornamentation (as a symbol of identity) and monumen tality (with clear shapes and proportional constructions). In the nineteenth century, there is an example of what can be called the Neo-Renaissance style. It is Kunstakademie, that was built by Her mann Riffart in 1875. The symmetry can be perceived in the floorplan, with a central corps and two wings, and in the facade with pro portional partitions and axis, reflected also from the structure.

A similar style was developed during the 20th century by the name of conservatism, which had, in its most important rep resentative, the architect Wilhelm Kreis. He built in 1924, The Wil helmam Marx Haus, where he worked with a modernist approach, giving all the services and mechanical systems to the building, and bringing light and ventilation to the spaces, but keeping the mate riality, visual elements and ornaments of past architecture. He also built the NRW forum and the Tonhalle in 1925. Another important building that was constructed within this movement and with the beginnings of modernism, is the train station, as it is today. It was built in 1932 by the architects Krüger and Eduard Behne. As the oth er buildings already mentioned, it was also covered with red brick, which created different patterns and textures in the walls.

Figure 64 (up) and 65 (right): Kunstakademie Düsseldorf

Figure 66 (up) and 67 (left): Wilhelm Marx Haus

Figure 68 (up) and 69 (left): Tonhalle Düsseldorf

Figure 70 (up) and 71 (left): Train station

In opposition to the idea of re-taking the classical architec ture, other different styles arose. Some of them are based on a more liberal and organic thinking or even on an eclectic design. First con trary to some aspects of the renaissance, came the baroque and Ro coco style, which transform the ornaments in forms of nature. These idea developed also later on into the Neo-Baroque and had a great influence in the art nouveau or Jugendstil as it was know in Germa ny. In Düsseldorf we find examples of these styles in some housing buildings close to the site (mainly built in the 19th century) , but the most representative are the Stalhof, and the Kaufhof Tietz, built in 1906 and 1907. The most important stylistic feature of these styles is its plastic and markedly three-dimensional treatment, therefore it was primordial the use of malleable materials. (Tschudi, 2002)

Figure 72 (up) and 73 (right): Stalhof

Figure 74 (up) and 75 (right): Kaufhof Tietz

There are also many examples of modern architecture in Düsseldorf, which is actually the style that out-stands in the compe tition site because of the time and the situation in which the build ings were constructed. Most of these buildings were designed to be functional and economical. As it was shown before, the majority was built or reconstructed after the war, so they minimized the resources and focus on fast production and in short-term solutions. This can be observed in the simplicity of the details in comparison to the already referenced projects. In addition to the housing and office buildings that prevail in the blocks, there are also some examples of construc tions that clearly reflected the ideals of modernity. Close to the site there is the Kaufhof in Bahnstrasse or the Kunsthalle (that can be defined as Brutalist). They were built in 1964 and 1967 respectively.

Figure 76 (up) and 77 (left): Galeria Kaufhof

Figure 78 (up) and 79 (left): Kunsthalle

Figure 80:

There are seven existing parking lot buildings close to the area of intervention. This image shows one that is neighboring the com petition block.

Figure 81:

The simplicity of the facades is not perceived because of the diversity that exists between each building within the narrow lotification of the blocks.

Figure 82:

Picture of the Berliner Allee, that shows an example of a more con temporary architecture and ur banism in the site.

We live on a time where there is not an specific representa tive style that can be followed. Most of the published projects go in the direction of eclecticism or have still an influence of the modern and post modern thinking. These factors, together with globaliza tion and a search for universal solutions, have resulted in a globally fitted design (with some exceptions), that can be replicated without taking into account many of the local factors. In Düsseldorf there are also many examples of contemporary constructions, built by world-renowned architects, which in the search of their own trade mark, create spaces that seem disconnected of the immediate context and the urban tissue. The result are socially disintegrated neighborhoods, which still give an image of monumentality and prosperity, reflecting the power of today’s economy.

Sustainable design has neither a defined style. The design should be based on local needs, identity, and resources. It has also to react to the natural and artificial context and to the ecological, social and economical situation of each specific site. If we take these as parameters, there are still infinite solutions for a project. We can also look in what Vitruvius defined as firmitas, utilitas, venustas , which states that architecture must be solid, useful and beautiful, but prob ably the result will still be subjective. This is why there are not uni versal solutions, but we can learn from what has been done before, in order to get a “better” answer to the particular needs of the actual inhabitants and users, but also thinking about the future situation with long-term solutions that surpass trends or fads, to create archi tecture with an identity that endures.

Figure 83 (up) and 84 (left): Media Hafen

3.4 The block

The block where the architectural project should be devel oped is located almost in the middle of the neighborhood of inter vention. It is already a high dense structure which accommodate a large number of inhabitants and external users, thanks to the va riety of uses that exist because of the role of the neighborhood as an activity node in the center of the city. The Schlaun competition states that a quality prospect for the future of the construction area is searched in the context of demographic and environmental chal lenges. The selected zone, offers good conditions for the develop ment of inner-city living that is based on mixed uses, different forms of housing typologies to meet the current and future requirements and also future-oriented forms of mobility and associated develop ment concepts.

The process of transforming an existing block of such con ditions, requires a careful analysis of the different parts that inte grate the present conditions (which are shown in the situation plan in figure 85). It also takes into consideration the physical, environ mental, social and economical factors that affects them. As it was ex plained in the previous chapter, the first question that arises is: what can be kept and reused and what can be disposed in order to bring a better version of the current situation? The research therefore is not only focused on completely new solutions, which normally generate gentrification, but on how to integrate the past identity and society into the future project.

Figure 85: Situation plan

The site is characterized by a clear external structure of buildings that extends irregularly into the internal courtyard. There is small-scale subdivision of the perimeter block, which generates a diversity of typologies, uses and styles, but at the same time cre ates isolation, which with the fact that the majority of the people in the neighborhood lives alone, generates social segregation in the neighborhood. The biggest plot from the block is occupied by a massive concrete infrastructure which gives use to a parking lot. Therefore the density factor is high and the free space for interaction is minimized. The following analyses show the relation between the different parts that conform it.

3.4.1 Existing situation

Figure 86: Axonometric of the block

3.4.2 Facades, materials and identity

The problem of aesthetic values, as it was already men tioned in the analysis about existing buildings and styles, is particu larly interesting because it refers to sociocultural dynamics. Different aesthetic values make up the identity of different groups and sectors of the population. In order to achieve socioeconomic diversity is es sential to conceptualize potential conflicts of identity. This identity can be given by a particular distinction in the projects. The building materials and colors can play an important role, so the people can be identified with a place, increasing their sense of appropriation. The facade is an important element to give this differentiation between the buildings. It is difficult to identify special features or characteris tics that distinguish one modern city from the next. The future city seeks to establish a unique and memorable sense of place to make every city different from other cities. (Haas, 2012)

The existing buildings in the block represent already a par ticular identity for its inhabitants. When introducing a new project it is important to create a relation between the old and the new and to identify characteristics that can be applied also in the new construc tion. There are some buildings that continue to meet basic needs for housing, but possibly the energy efficiency is not adequate. Ren ovations then can also be a solution to transform the existing, but in some cases it would be even more expensive than tearing down, so the solution may be conserving them, in order to avoid gentrifi cation. There are some other that may have the same problem, but their history and their relation with the context make them worth to keep. These decisions can only be taken after analyzing the ecologi cal, social and economic factors that are involved.

Mankind is forced to transform matter like all living beings for its survival and its culture, this consumes energy and happens in the time-space continuum (Schwarz, 2013). When realizing all the matter that already exists in the block, we have to take into account all the energy and resources that were involved during its contruc tion. We should take advantage about every aspect of the current situation and understand all the consequences of its transforma tion. This process happens everyday, not only with buildings, but with every product and material that we use. If we take this thinking into the intervention block, it should be reflected in the new project, with an improved version of the existing one.

Figure 92: Pictures of the ring bells in the building of the plot

The analysis was made by know ing the exact number of apart ment per building. These images also give an idea of the actual users, which are the possible in habitants in the future. It is a rep resentation of a personalized idea of design, where identity and the society are primordial aspects in the decision-taking process.

Figure 93: Ostrasse

Images from internal and external facades and plans (1:1000) of the external ones.

Figure 94: Charlottenstrasse

Figure 96: Grupellostrasse

Figure 95: Bismarckstrasse

4.0 «Upgrading the neighborhood»

The result of the different analysis and the ories, can be resumed in the urban and architectural project, with which I tried to give a solution to the different issues that were already mentioned. The idea of upgrading a neigh borhood, tries to deal not only with this specific task, which the competition, but to give certain parameters that can be applied in our every day life and that can serve as a reference for fu ture projects and visions.

In this chapter I will explain the idea, in dif ferent scales that go from a global perspective until the construction details of the project. In each sec tion there will be aspects focused on the ecological, social and economic feasi bility that a project of this magnitude entails, and on how to upgrade the neigh borhood in a sustainable way.

Figure 97: Rendering of a building in the upgraded neighborhood

4.1 1:world

Figure 98: image of consumption close to the site. There is a clear inequity related to the distribution of resources.

It is hard to realize the relation that one person has to the planet and the specific amount of land that each one occupies with the daily activities. The first exercise in the “Sustainable studio” deals with understanding this relation, by calculating our own ecological footprint and analyzing the reason and possible ways to change it. This numbers can be variable depending on the country in which we live, so another way of realizing is by comparing the average con sumption per country, where we can see the manner in which the economic and political system, the social and cultural dynamics and even the way in which the cities and neighborhoods are planned af fect the behavior and therefore the way to consume of each person. This situation affects also Germany and Düsseldorf; if everyone lived like the average German, we would need two and a half planets to survive. This made me realize that the first change can come from the way in which the neighborhood is organized and this led to my first research question:

How to create a system based on local production and consump tion for a Neighborhood in Düsseldorf?

The size of a person’s Ecological Footprint depends on de velopment level and wealth, and in part on the choices individuals make on what they eat, what products they purchase and how they travel. But decisions undertaken by governments and businesses have a substantial influence on the Ecological Footprint too. For ex ample, individuals generally have no direct control over the size of the built-up land footprint. The same is true for the way in which a country produces its electricity or the intensity of its agricultural pro duction. This “inherited” part of the Ecological Footprint can be in fluenced through mechanisms such as political engagement, green technology and innovation, and other work toward large-scale so cial change. (WWF report, 2012)

When comparing the average ecological footprints of dif ferent countries we can see how is the balanced still maintained. The “Less developed countries” that have a low GDP per capita and high rates of poverty are normally the ones with a low ecological footprint. They are countries where the social aspect is affected, nor mally with less education, insecurity, corruption, etc. but still with a higher population growth rate. Most of these countries have also growing economies looking on the neoliberal model that brought the developed countries in the situation in which they are today, where the majority has inhabitants that live with much more re sources than they need. So what will happen when these countries start to develop further? What are the factors that will affect it? and how will the balance be maintained?

99: Comparison of coun tries’ footprints, with my own and the world’s average

Figure 100: Social Population growth rate per coun try (percentage)

Figure 101: Economic GDP per capita ($,000)

Figure 102: Political Government ideology

Globalization has taken us to a point in which we consume the products after a long process which probably involves many countries. These involves great amounts of energy that affect direct ly the reduction of global hectares available per capita, when it is not done in a sustainable way. To put an example, the country where I am from, Mexico, is still above the average line that we need in or der to achieve 1 planet per person. The carbon footprint is very high compared to the countries biocapacity. This is caused by the trans port and distribution systems and also because of the construction process and an uncontrolled growth of the cities. Mexico also ex ports most of its raw material, to import it again after it is processed. The local economy and market is not promoted and the foreign trades, keep the country growing but at the same time it makes us completely dependent on these other countries, mainly the United States. These comes from a long background that involves our whole political and economic system.

Trying to find a solution to “fix” the hole system seems un reachable, but if we focus on a smaller scale we can create changes on a global perspective. Humans seem evolved for communities of manageable size, and most of the individual behaviors and attitudes that support sustainability are best nurtured at the community lev el. The political and economic structure and process necessary for a regionally, nationally, and globally sustainable society must be built on a foundation of local communities. (Prugh, Constanza, & Daly, 2000).

In the case of Düsseldorf, there are already government initiatives to encourage the local production and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. The chance, for the project relies on creat ing a direct connection between the neighborhood of the competi tion , with the local production and consumption system of the city and the region. These can be achieved by analyzing the production per level of organization, so the inhabitants of the site can depend directly on local resources and in that way reduce their personal footprint. This can only happen with an educational process that can start also in the community level. The idea would be to change their lifestyle, without affecting their quality of life. A solution for this kind of situation has been already studied by Neustart Schweiz, so I will base part of my idea in their theory and how can it be applied.

4.1.1 Production and consumption system

Figure 103: (From left to right)

1. Map of the world with the glob al hectares available per capita

2. Map of Europe with Number of agricultural holdings per country

3. Map of Europe with the ecologi cal farms per region

Figure 104: Maps of the region (From left to right)

1. Location of farms

2. Forests and non-productive green spaces

3. Built area- Urban sprawl

4. Productive land per person

Figure 105: Maps of Düsseldorf (From left to right)

1. Location of farms

2. non-productive green spaces

3. Built area- Urban sprawl

4. Productive land per person

Lammertz Hof - Organic farm

Production per level of organization

Planet, Subcontinent

General

Fossil fuels, communication, phar maceutical drugs, Scientific re search, transportation, electronic components, computers, soft ware, music, literature, films.

Agriculture

Seed Banks, spices, canned goods, coffee, tea, cocoa, tobacco, wines, cereals, fish, some fruits and vege tables, some dairy products.

Territory, Region

General

Energy, steel, Transportation, Chemicals, textiles, glass, wood, concrete, machinery, electrical equipment, paper, precision in struments

Agriculture meat, sausages, cereals, potatoes, vegetables, corn, sugar, beer, wine, milk, cheese, some fruits and vegetables.

City, Borough

General

Water, energy, textiles, shoes, met als, chemicals, electronics, trans portation

Agriculture some meat, cereals, potatoes, sug ar, beer, milk, cheese, some fruits and vegetables.

4.1.2 Neustart Schweiz theory applied

When analyzing the production per level of organization in a neighborhood scale, it is clear that only a few fruits and vegetables can be produced with the use of urban farming, so the idea is that the community depends directly on a piece of land from the region. According to “Neustrat Schweiz” (2009) the society should be first organized in neighborhoods, which will be micro-centers, with an area of one hectare, that will serve as a node of activity and services. They would be semi-autonomous because they would be connect ed to a piece of land (micro-agro) no farther than 50 km for their own production. It would provide agriculture, animal farming, dairy and food processing and a Depot. They propose 80 acres for a block of approximately 500 inhabitants. The result is an average of 1,600 m2 per person of land for production. The theory also states that by or ganizing groups of people in a common space and with a common identity will decrease their consumption of energy and resources.

The typology where the intervention takes place has a very similar situation than the one proposed by “Neustart Schweiz”. It has an area of 1.3 ha. with a capacity for a population of aprox. 680 inhabitants. If we take into consideration the analysis of the region from the previous chapter, we can see that there is an average of 600 m2 per person of productive land. If we keep this parameter so the whole population can be sustained, the land needed for the neighborhood would have an area of 39 hectares. The studio then analyzed the organic farms in the region and find out that there are three of them close to the site (distance from 8 to 20 kilometers) and could serve as an example for this vision. One of them is called Lam merz hof, it has an area of 40 hectares and it is located 12 kilometers to the east of the block (figure 105 - 1). this system could also be ap plied, not only for the block, but for the whole neighborhood. There should be distribution centers where the urban farming can be lo cated inside of the block. This will be further explained in the master plan. If we add to this idea, the densification and the efficiency of spaces, the encourage for local consumption and the production of energy in both the, micro and agro-center, the result should be di rectly translated in the reduction of all the aspects of the footprint of the inhabitants, which are: food, transport, housing, consumption and carbon. The ideal situation is then to reduce the average of land use per person from 4,300 m2 (average in Germany) to 1,930 m2, creating in this way a Neighborhood with a one planet society.

Micro-center

Agro-center

Figure 106: Neustart Schweiz the ory

107: Neustart Schweiz the ory applied in the block of the competition

Figure 108: Average land use per person for housing, food (agri culture and grazing) and carbon emissions (transport and embod ied energy)

4.2 1:2000

Figure 109: Picture of an exer cise done in the university studio, where I perceived the intervention as urban acupuncture in spcific parts of the city.

The actual urban situation in the area of the competition, which was already analyzed, shows a part of the city that has evolved for more than two centuries and has suffered a lot of transformation to result in the center of activity that it is today. The gradual adapta tion of its elements in a long period of time should still be a premise for the future planning. There is not a necessity to establish a tabula rasa, because as an urban base it works, and more transformation is also translated into more energy and resources that have to be taken. But from my point of view there is a need to bring the exist ing situation into an ecologically sustainable and socially integrated neighborghood. This can be done with small changes and by cre ating a common vision as a whole. There is also a need to make the existing spaces more efficient and to re-density the area to take ad vantage of its good location in the center of Düsseldorf. The result of these punctual and specific transformations should also be reflected in the scale of the city, as an example of what could be done in other areas and even in a visionary thinking of reducing the urban sprawl to live more space for natural resources. This brings to my second research question:

How can punctual interventions affect a larger system in the city of Düsseldorf

The architectural approach for the competition can serve as a model for the entire district, because it deals with the transforma tion of unused and non-efficient infrastructure and the re-densifica tion of spaces, which can be seen repeatedly in many of the blocks of the area. One example from the past that had a similar influence , acting as a catalyst, in the future development of the city is the Wil helm Marx Haus. This was the first high-rise in the city and had many architectural, functional and technical aspects that were replicated during the next decades, and still today, after some transformations, maintains the sense of endurance and its hierarchy in the urban tissue. The intention is to learn from what has been already proved and keep an optimal relation between the factors that conform the neighborhood. The variation of scales and heights within the city must be determined also by the existing context, the uses, the views, the solar incidence, the mobility, the future population and many other factors that have to be taken into account when designing a high-dense project. There are existing theories concerning many of these urban approaches, and they can serve as a base for the appli cation of sustainable principles in the scale of the city.

Figure 110: Internal courtyard of the Wilhelm Marx Haus in Düssel dorf.

strategies

There is a need to intensify urban economic, social and cultural activities and to manipulate urban size, form and structure and settlement systems in pursuit of the environmental, social and global sustainability benefits derived from the concentration of ur ban functions (Jenks, Burgees, 2000, p. 14). There are proved strate gies which their paradigms are fighting against: the chaotic growth of the urban area in the suburbs and the disconnection between neighborhoods, the congestion of roads by traffic and the gener al urban decay. One problem that they have is that they artificial ly control the supply of land and tends to limit the flexibility of the market. What usually happens is that the areas in which the projects are developed gain a greater surplus value, rising the socioeconomic standards, causing the existing population to leave. (Jenks, Burgees, 2000, p.133).

One of the goals then is to avoid gentrification in the neigh borhood and the other is to bring people from the outsides of the city, to live in this central space in Düsseldrof, in order to start “shrink ing” the urban sprawl. The sense of community and identity can play an important role in “convincing” the people living in the outsides of the city to move to a central location and for preventing families from moving out of the inner city as soon as they are able. For this reason it is very important to maintain the identity of the existing place but also give a new identity that promotes the space appropri ation. There should be a co-participative model between the devel opers and the society and also give a variety of possibilities for the residential areas and flexibility in the spaces so they can transform in a long-term period.

The new development should be focused on the relation with the “old” environment. These careful but intensive interven tions, that could have a resemble to what acupuncture does in the body, have been already studied. an example is the Integral Urban ism, which is focused on cities that are already developed and that already went through the modern and post-modern planning of the 20th century. It proposes punctual interventions that can have a Domino effect, catalyzing other interventions in an ongoing dynam ic process. In designing, planners and architects need to consider what surrounds the site in order to see that the barriers between spaces are, in reality, porous. The strategies to be followed are: Build

a city that promotes a hybrid and a sustainable natural environment. Reduce urban barriers, creating permeable spaces. To promote the appropriation of space, encouraging mutual respect between city and society and also between the new and the old, working on the re-integration of the urban context. See the project as a process and a system that integrates space and time. Create large networks of transportation and to densify areas with different uses to maintain social integration. (Ellin, 2006, p.16)

A Building’s impact on it surroundings depends on its position, shape, structure, material and energy needs. If we di vide the different uses of a city into units, we would have a spread of residential, commercial, leisure and industrial entities arranged in different ways. They normally disintegrate and become single units in the transition to the rural area, generating urban sprawl. By group ing together several units in a simple, compact volume can bring considerable environmental and economic benefits; for example: use of less land, a smaller building envelope, lower volume of mate rial used, reduce energy consumption and concentration of activity, reducing distances and increasing services for an area. The proxim ity to each other of housing, jobs, services and amenities can make for optimum use of space, with economical use of natural areas and efficient public transport as supposed by Dominique Gauzin-Müller (2002) in her book ‘Sustainable architecture and urbanism”. She states that the challenge is to ensure a sufficiently attractive lifestyle in comparison to a single-family house and a garden in the suburbs.

Figure 111: Picture of a street in Vauban, a sustainable mixed-use neighborhood located in Freiburg, Germany.

An important part of these theories is based on mobility and connections inside and outside the city. A Transit Ori ented Development is a city policy based on a mixed-use area de signed to maximize access to public transport. It creates nodes with high density and activity detonators containing a variety of uses, including housing, retail, offices, equipment and having as central space the public transportation that allows users to easily access their jobs. This may work as an incentive for investment in areas that were previously relegated (Soursourian, 2010, p.22). An example can be Curitiba in Brazil; it is one of the most accessible cities in the World, and it is considered one of the most sustainable. They im plemented a “Transit Oriented Development” policy. In Düsseldorf there is a very similar situation, where the use of the train and public transportation is stimulated, even though in the intervention area there is still a prevalence of private cars.

The use of non-carbon emitting and alternative ways of transportation should be encouraged. It is vitally important that eco-towns dramatically reduce the need to travel and provide sus tainable mobility options. Community facilities and workplaces need to be within easy walking and cycling distance. They should also ideally entirely avoid the use of fossil fuels as an energy source for both homes and transport. Whilst theoretically a renewable re source, bio-fuels have an ecological footprint and a carbon impact, so their use needs to be considered carefully (BioRegional & CABE, 2008).

Figure 112: Picture of a pedestrian steet in Curitiba’s center.

By the application of these different theories and the in tegration of elements according to the study of the area, I got to a conclusion that would regenerate the role of the neighborhood towards a sustainable way of living. The main points of the urban intervention, which are reflected in the master plan (figure 110) are:

-Punctual interventions

Strategic projects to re-densify the neighborhoods, they are cata lysts of activity that introduce new uses and enhance social integra tion. They repleace buildings with a lower density than the average of each block.

-Reuse and recylce of parking lots

Built infrastructures that can be transformed gradually with the re duction of cars in the area (there are 7 located in the area). In some cases the structure can be reused or its materials can be recycled

-Upgraded Neighborhood

Developed architectcural project that can serve as example on how to reuse and transform the parking lots and take advantage of the existing structure of the block.

-Food distribution and urban farming

Decentralized supply locations directly connected to the piece of land in the outside of the city. The urban gardens are educational, to understand the process and the conection human-land.

-Transport Hub

Park and ride hub, as an extension of the existing train station, to exchange from private car to non-carbon emission and public trans portation.

- Redefinition of the street system

Based on the current hierarchy of streets and with the implemant tion of the transport hub, the new system will be focused on pedes trian and bycicle accesibility, and the use of non-carbon emitting transportation for a gradual reduction in the use of the car.

4.2.2 Master plan

Figure 113: Master plan scale1:4000 Situation plan with urban inter ventions

Intervention area

Punctual Interventions

Reuse/recylce of parking lots

Food distribution and urban farming

System of streets (inside the inter vention area)

For all public and private transportation

Only no-carbon emitting transportation

Only for pedestrians and bicycles

Upgraded Neighborhood Hauptbahnhof

Transport Hub

4.3 1:200

Figure 114: Diagrams from an exercise in the university studio, where I criticized the division of the actual system into isolated units, which generate social segre gation. I thought about a method of subtraction where connection and unification of the existing and new structure creates spaces for social interaction and improves mobility and accessibility within the block.

The situation already defined in the master plan is further developed into a more detail architectural project. It is recommended by the competition that in the re-planning of the perimeter block, the development is encouraged to follow the en semble thoughts. The ensemble should have about the possibility of accumulation and ranking, a spatial and architectural interaction and to be structured as a whole. It is important to plan diversity in unity and unity in appearance. This goes directly related to the idea of taking advantage the existing situation and infrastructure. It also mentioned that it should be considered how to deal with the differ ent values of the existing buildings. Where can the lifespan continue and where it can be dismantled? Which are the existing buildings to be assessed against the background of the desired compaction?. The importance of the actual society and identity and its integration with the new project is clear in what it is expected from the project. This also made me think about my own and third research question:

How can architecture enhance social connections by the inter vention of an existing structure?

The territory that encloses a community offers proximity in a delimited space and promotes a collective way of life. As Keller (2003) explains The focus here is on life in common, resulting in sev eral attachments towards those who share one’s life space. Social bonds are also a result of the dynamics in a building or a neighbor hood and the design of the spaces can influence in this interaction (p.6). To foster a sense of community is important to create spaces where residents can live, so the design of the common areas is es sential. Generating different uses which people can share, can en hance the mobility and social interaction among the users.

Humans have a need of communication. The spaces for this to happen can be previously planned or can even be created by the inhabitants. If we take the Jewish Ghetto in Venice as an analogue situation, there is a possibility to learn from the implication of the enclosure of a society, even though it had a completely different background that the one in Düsseldorf, there is a similarity in the way of appropriation of an existing structure and the search of con nections in between the existing divisions. As it is mentioned in the

4.3.1 Community and social connections

Figure 115: Picture of a temple built by the Jewish on top of the structure of the Ghetto in Venice.

book “Acculturation and Its Discontents: The Italian Jewish Experi ence Between Exclusion and Inclusion”. The inhabitants built new structures with common uses on top of the existing buildings and created connections in between the walls. There is a passage that allwos a flow of people going to the outside of the Ghetto. Its cre ators constructed it with holes, or more accurately gates, that were open to constant two-way traffic during daytime hours

There are also other architectural solutions to give hierar chy to the connections in the building. The arcades for example can be an important element for the transition between a public and a probably semi-public space. Bernard Rudofksy in the book Architec ture without Architects, defines them as altruism turned architecture which is private property given to an entire community (Rudofksy, 1965). It is the idea of breaking the individual space in architecture in order to share it. It can be also be seen in Gordon Matta Clark’s crit ic to capitalism “Anarchitecture”, in which his architectural gestures had the potential to be statements against certain social conditions (Corbeira, 2000). Walter Benjamin also criticized the way in which society interacts nowadays. The way in which humans search for sat isfying their needs, can also be reflected on their buildings. These issues were already tried to be solved in some architcetural projects, which were already mentioned in the first chapter (Familiestere, Cité Radieuse and Kalkbreite) , where the sense of connection and com munity are primordial for the distribution of spaces and circulation.

Figure 116: Intersections in a house, done by Gordon Matta Clark in the search of dematerial ization.

The internal courtyard also plays a very important part in the ideal for social interaction. In the competition block it means an opportunity for organizing the chaotic growth of the internal constructions and at the same time create a node of activity for the neighborhood. For people living around the courtyard, the space provides a sense of safety and privacy; the courtyard is then a semi-public space that mediates between the home and the street. The accessibility to the public should be also defined depending on its uses and its capacity. A good example of a courtyard that was used as the attractor of community is seen in the USACE building in Seattle where it was designed as “commons”, which forms the social heart of the building and houses all shared resources to encourage interaction and create a sense of community. (ZGF, 2012)

In the project for the block in Düsseldorf, many of these concepts can be applied and can serve as a basis for the design. The answer for the research question is given by encouraging com munity living with specific interventions and uses that create a re lation between the past and new construction and that can set the program for a diverse society and users. From figure 113 to 116, it is shown the gradual transformation from the very divided existing block into an upgraded neighborhood, where also an ensemble with the present identity is achieved.

Figure 117 (up) and 118 (left): USCASE building by ZGF archi tects

Figure 119: Existing situation, showing the buildings with need of re-densification.

Figure 120: New buildings and uses, keeping what still works, re using what it is possible and trans forming only the necessary.

Figure 121: “Rue interieur/exter ieur” that connects the common and public uses and generates so cial integration.

Figure 122: Upgraded community that integrates the new and old constructions and identity and the different socioeconomic levels and ages of population.

4.3.2 Program and space distribution

The mix of uses in the project come from the analysis of the site where it was determined necessary to create mainly public and semi-public uses for social interaction and a housing building to accommodate families and different generations. The buildings are connected by an external and internal passage that brings the us ers through the different spaces of the project, increasing the social dynamics. The idea is also to increase the commercial spaces, based on the local production, and to give the inhabitants all the services needed in an accessible distance for pedestrians, which can also serve people living in the area. For this I created a commercial corri dor with an arcade that takes part of the “rue inteieur/exterieur” on the ground floor, where the srteets change also their usage accord ing to the master plan. On the ground floor the central courtyard will be used for bicycle parking (640 places are needed), so part of the existing concrete structure can be reused. On top of it Other spaces for interaction are added: such as a community kitchen, a laundry/ bar and a bookstore/cafeteria. The remaining garden will be partly for a plygoround and green areas for the community. The rest will be used for urban farming as part of the educational process of produc tion and the connection between humans and earth.

The intervention of the buildings that were not dense enough resulted in the demolition of the existing structures and the change of use in the new projects, which are a technical school, an office building and a health center, all of them focused on bring ing floating population to the site. The total population could al most double in comparison to the existing situation, if we make an assumption of the possible future users and an increase on the oc cupacy of the existing structure. The new passage also affects the use in the existing buildings that remain, generating retail spaces, a nursery and a fitness center. The “end” of this connection is in the fifth floor of the new housing building where a community restaurant and the community/events room serve for the reunion and personal use of all the inhabitants. The different projects are structurally and functionally based on a 3.5 meters axis system, which allows flexi bility, providing options for different types of families and groups of population with a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. These dimensions are based on the efficiency of internal spaces, which re sults in the reduction of squared meters used per person, affecting directly the ecological footprint of the users.

Figure 123: (Next page) Top view Picture of the model

125: First floor 1:1000 N

127: Third floor 1:1000

129: Fifth floor 1:1000 N

4.4 1:20

Figure 135: Facade of the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf.

An image of a building that is probably not energy efficient in many aspects, but that for me, represents a strong identity in the city.

The materials and style of the building represent a visual identity, but its choice to construct different elements of the project should also depend on technical and energy efficiency matters. As the Energy Manual for sustainable architecture refers, the outer shell dominates the external appearance of the building and enters into a dialogue with its surroundings. The history of the building envelope is dominated by features and attributes that govern appearance, proportions, choice of materials and cultural aspects. Its primary function is to protect the building against external conditions, but as comfort demands have grown, the building envelope has taken on a more complex, climate-regulating function. The decision in favor of certain materials should be governed by objective aspects such as physical or chemical properties, dimensions, costs, its life-cycle , but at the same time it encloses subjective factors like identity, which place a very important role in the relation that the existing buildings have with the new project. This led to my fourth research question:

How can materials improve the energy efficiency of the neighborhood and keep the identity of the existing buildings of Düsseldorf?

The development of an energy concept should begin with the question of whether and to what extend specific energy services can be omitted without users suffering any loss in quality. This is also directly related to the decision of keeping, reusing or transforming the existing matter that is already in the site, which can lead to great amounts of energy that can be saved and a reduction in the carbon emissions and even in the costs. It is also important to make sure that the energy requirements are kept low by employing suitable constructional measures. The building, individual constructions and materials should be harmonized at the start of planning in such a way that the building provides a comfortable internal climate as long as possible without a need of extensive technical installations.

The energy efficiency planning of the building envelope means guaranteeing that the interior climate conditions neces sary can be maintained over the whole year with low energy re quirements and essentially without any costly energy supply tech nologies. A building envelope optimized for energy aspects has a maximized passive capacity and hence represents the foundation for viable energy concepts in the future. Analyzing the energy effi ciency, should not only rely in the results of energy demand of the building, but also on the on the whole process and life-cycle of the construction, and all the resources that were and will be taken for the realization of a project. Therefore to consider again the idea of the “local” processes, which at the same time should be done in a sustainable way and with long-term solutions, is crucial to reduce the impact of a construction in the ecological environment.

The buildings are designed to achieve the Minergie-P and ECO standars, which is a label focused on comfort and energy effi ciency. The assessment criteria includes a completely sealed envelop , production of energy, mechanical systems, gray energy, light, noise, interior air, raw materials, construction and deconstruction and a heating demand of less than 30 Kwh/m2a. It also specifies that the consumption of fossil energy must lie 50% below the average state of the art. In the case of the analysis made for an avergae section of a new building from the project, the result for the heating demand is 12 Kwh/m2a. It is a low demand that would make easier to take the energy from renewable resources in the project like solar panels, solar collectors and heat pumps.

4.4.1 Energy efficiency and building physics

Figure 136: Comparison of exist ing building’s efficiency with new building’s type and renovations

Existing buildings’ type

Renovations’ and new buildings’ type

4.4.2 Construction and materials

Energy and sustainability considerations overlap when choosing a material. So considering the energy processes does not mean looking at one area, but rather is always integrated into an overall view of the sustainability theme. It is necessary to appraise the effects of the application of a material differentiated according to energy, environment and sustainability. The use of certain mate rials should then be based on their life-cycle, since the moment they are extracted, until the possibility to reuse or recycle them after their lifespan is finished. Therefore the construction details and even the planning of the process of implementation is primordial to under stand sustainability as an integrated system through the different scales of design.

In the case of Düsseldorf many of the most influential build ings of the last century were done with brick, a material that has a high embodied energy and doesn’t have the best performance, even though its color, textures and durability can give a peculiar identifi cation to a building. My idea then was to experiment with a material with a low embodied energy, available in the region, and that could reflect a new identity for the area. My choice was wood, which is a material that also allows to create different patterns and details with a string position in its surroundings, but maintaining the style of the representative brick buildings. Wood is also produced close to the city and it can give a high energy performance to the envelope of new buildings, and its light enough to use it as well for renovations, covering the existing facades after the implementation of an insulat ing material.

Figure 137: Analysis made for an exercise in the university studio, where I looked for similar relations that could be found in brick and wood as a representation of iden tity.

Wood can also be used for the structure in buildings not higher than 8 levels. In this case I decided to use Bresta that is a sys tem of massive slabs that take the horizontal forces and transmitted to wood columns and to a concrete core located in the center of the building that serves for movement resistance and fire protection. As it is mentioned the structure is very regular and the building shape is very compact, allowing a better efficiency in the use of the mate rial and energy. It is also a material that can be easily recycled and as we can see in figure 22, the embodied energy and the CO2 emissions during its lifetime are low in comparison to a brick construction, that would be an alternative construction with probably more durability but less energy efficient.

Another important feature for the new construction is that all the concrete used will be recycled on site, taken from the exist ing parking lot structure. 1800 m3 (4,320 tons) of concrete, of which 80% can be reused as aggregates, can be crushed in one week of work. These not only reduces the energy demand for construction but also the transportation and probably some operational costs. The concrete base gives a solid and very durable appearance for the part of the facade that is directly in contact with the street. The other part that needs more protection is the roof, which is covered by solar panels, similar to natural slates, to keep the identity of the neighbor building, while producing energy. The facades then create a relation to the direct context and to the styles that reflect an endurance in the city and at the same time the energy efficiency is improved.

Figure 138: LCA of 1 m2 of differ ent elements of the construction. The first graph showing the total embodied energy and the second the global warming, both after the addition of the elements.

Ceiling covering Wall covering Roof clading Windows

External walls covering Roof External walls Foundation Excavation

brickwood wood

Figure 139: Ostrasse

Figure 140: Charlottenstrasse

Figure 141: Section Charlotten strasse

Figure 142: Bismarckstrasse

Figure 143: Section courtyard

Model Pictures

5.0 Conclusion

The physical universe is temporal; its physical characteristics are defined qualitatively and quantitatively in and by time, space, and matter. A definite portion of matter occupies a definite part of space at a definite moment of time. (Institute for Creation Research, 2012). Architecture must be defined by analyzing this three con cepts. Humans transform matter, which consumes energy, in order to define spaces to satisfy different needs. The role of an architect is to understand the needs of the users of such spaces in a specific period of time, in order to have a better comprehension of the cur rent situation and of the context in which a project will develop. Sus tainable design is based on using the less amount of energy during this transformation and by creating long-term solutions to maintain a balance of resources so life can be supported in the future.

The era of industrialization has somehow ended, giving way to an era of regeneration. The need of rethinking the way in which things are done is clear after all the changes and transforma tions that the world lived during the last century. There is no scenar io in which today’s lifestyle can remain as it is; there are simply not enough resources for a population that keeps growing every second that goes on, and this can be reflected on the social inequality, the economic recessions and the ecologic degradation that can be seen almost everywhere in this world. The possible solutions, not only in architecture but in every-day decisions, should be focused in these aspects. As it was shown in the book, there are already a lot of theo ries and examples on different ways to achieve these ideals, so that there is a chance to do it.

Figure 144: (Previous page) De tailed section and facade

Figure 145: (Next page) Rendered image from the housing building to the internal courtyard

The resulting project for the Schlaun competition in Düssel dorf searches also for answers that can set a vision for the buildings, the neighborhood, the city and even in a global scale, towards a sustainable way of life. They are also focused on the three branch es of sustainability: by reducing the future ecological footprint and promoting a local economy, by making precise interventions only where it is needed, by transforming and reusing existing structures, by enhancing social interactions and creating a common identity for its users. In this way the project itself answers the thesis question on: How to design a sustainable project by keeping, reusing and transforming the existing and by bringing together an old and a new identity into one community?

6.0 List of references

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7.0 List of figures

Figure 2: NASA (2011). Earth by Night. Retrieved from http://design collector.net/black-marble-earth-by-night/

Figure 3: Wikimedia Commons (2012). Cantona C. Retrieved from commons.wikimedia.org

Figure 4: Living Planet Report (2012). Biodiversity, Biocapacity and Better Choices. Retrieved from http://wwf.panda.org/

Figure 5: Daily Design Idea (2013). Eco-Friendly. Retrieved from dai lydesignidea.wordpress.com

Figure 6: Pro Source Floors (2011). Green Building Statistics. Re trieved from www.prosourcefloors.com

Figure 7: Scientific American (2013). EROI. Retrieved from http://www.nature.com/scientificamerican/journal/v308/n4/box/ scientificamerican0413-58_BX2.html´ç

Figure 8: Lacaton & Vassal (2011). Transformation of Housing Block - Paris. Retrieved from http://www.lacatonvassal.com/index. php?idp=56

Figure 9: Wikipedia (2013). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow’s_hierarchy_of_needs

Figure 10: Seed-S (2010). Le Familistère. Retrieved from http://seed-s.tumblr.com/post/2110436550/utopian-experi ments-le-phalanstere-vs-le

Figure 11: Adda, Catherine (2011). Le Familistere, Une cité radieuse au XIXème siècle. Retrieved from http://www.arte.tv/fr/architec tures-le-familistere-une-cite-radieuse-au-xixe-siecle/

figure 12: DICAT (2013). Unité d’habitation. Retrieved from www.di cat.unige.it

Figure 13: DUBON (2013). La cité radieuse. Retrieved from http:// www.dubon.fr/blog/le-maitre/

Figure 14: Quadralectic Architecture (2013). Hufeisensiedlung. Re trieved from http://quadralectics.wordpress.com/4-representa tion/4-1-form/4-1-4-cities-in-the-mind/4-1-4-2-the-future-city/

Figure 15: PREZI (2013). Hufeisensiedlung. Retrieved from http:// prezi.com/hj9thnfhiygv/die-kultur-in-der-weimarer-republik/

Figure 16-17: Müller Sigrist (2013). Kalkbreite. Retrieved from http:// www.muellersigrist.ch/#wohn-und-gewerbesiedlung-kalkbre ite-zuerich

Figure 18-20: Galli Rudolf (2012). Mehrgenerationenhaus «Giesserei». Retrieved from http://www.galli-rudolf.ch/no_cache/werkliste.htm l?tx_tpgrprojekt_pi1%5Bitem%5D=132

Figure 21: Google Maps (2013). Retrieved from http://maps.google. com

Figure 22: My German City (2013). German States. Retrieved from http://www.mygermancity.com/german-states

Figure 23: Räumliche Verteilung von Betrieben des Ökolandbaus (2013). Retrieved form http://www.agrar.hu-berlin.de/lndw/proj_ main/proj_ress/oekolandbau/oekolbmain

Figure 24: Wikipedia (2013). Nordrhein-Westfalen. Retrieved from http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Flüsse_in_Nordrhein-West falen

Figure 25: Population growth (2014). Retrieved from http://de.wiki pedia.org/wiki/Nordrhein-Westfalen

Figure 26: Maps of the region (2013). Retrieved from http://www. landwirtschaftskammer.de/landwirtschaft/landentwicklung/regio nalentwicklung/pdf/fachbeitrag-duesseldorf.pdf

Figure 27: Map of Dusseldorf (2013) Retrieved from http://en.wikipe dia.org/wiki/Düsseldorf-Stadtmitteç

Figure 28-33: Histrical maps of Düsseldorf. Retrieved from the docu ments provided by Schlaun Wettbewerb 2013/14

Figure 34: Mapping of transport in Dusseldorf. Retreieved from pre sentation by G. Asani, I. Bolanz & L. Pacolli

Figure 35 : Transportation statistics. Retreieved from presentation by G. Asani, I. Bolanz & L. Pacolli

Figure 36: Park and Ride in Düsseldrof. (2013). Retrieved from http:// www.vrr.de/de/fahrten/haltestelle/auto/parkandride/index.html

Figure 37: Map of Migration in Düsseldorf (2011). Retrieved from Demografiebericht 2011: Bevölkerungsentwicklung für Düsseldorf bis 2025.

Figure 38: Ecological footprint of the inhabitants (2014). Retrieved from presentation by I. Bolanz

Figure 39-43: Analyses of Düsseldorf. Retrieved from the documents provided by Schlaun Wettbewerb 2013/14

Figure 44-53: Analyses of Düsseldorf. Retrieved from the research made in the Sustainable Design Studio at the University of Liech tenstein

Figure 54-58: Pictures and street sections in the neighborhood. Re trieved from presentation by Marion Thibault.

Figure 59: Map of the center of Düsseldorf. Retrieved from the doc uments provided by Schlaun Wettbewerb 2013/14

Figure 60: Düsseldorfer Schloss. Retrieved from http://www.dues seldorf.de/stadtmuseum/sammlung/04/015/10301.shtml

Figure 61: Schlossturm Düsseldorf. Retrieved from http://www.kuh pfad.de/kuhpfad_niederrhein_schloss/schloss_schlossturm_ddorf. htm

Figure 62: Floor plan of Former Town Hall. Retrieved from presenta tion by Christian Neher.

Figure 63: Düsseldorf - Marktplatz - Rathaus. Retrieved form http:// commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Düsseldorf_-_Marktplatz_-_ Rathaus_01_ies.jpg

Figure 64: Düsseldorf, Kunstakademie. Retrieved from http://com mons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Düsseldorf,_Kunstakademie_er baut_von_1875_bis_1879_von_Hermann_Riffart,_Grundriss.jpg

Figure 65: Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. Retrieved from http://www. duesseldorf.de/eng/tourism/discover/kunst/index.shtml

Figure 66: Wilhelm Marx Haus. Retrieved from http://www.de ka-sterne-in-düsseldorf.de/wilhelm_marx_haus/flaechen.html

Figure 67: Wilhelm Marx Haus. Retrieved from http://www.baukunstnrw.de/objekte/Wilhelm-Marx-Haus--1048.htm

Figure 68: Tonhalle, Bauwerk des Jahres 2009. Retrieved from http:// www.aiv-duesseldorf.de/aktuelles/bauwerk_des_jahres/2009/in dex_ger.html

Figure 70: Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof. Retrieved from http://www. railteam.eu/de/fur-ihre-reise/im-bahnhof/dusseldorf-hauptbahn hof/

Figure 71: Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof. Retrieved from http:// commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hauptbahnhof_in_Duessel dorf-Stadtmitte,_von_Suedwesten.jpg

Figure 73: Stahlhof. Retrieved from http://structurae.net/structures/ data/index.cfm?id=s0021487

Figure 74-75: Kaufhof Tietz. Retrieved from presentation by Cristina Benzo

Figure 76: Kaufhof berliner Allee. Retrieved from http://de.wikipe dia.org/wiki/Berliner_Allee_(Düsseldorf)

Figure 78: Kunsthalle. Retrieved from http://www.kunsthalle-dues seldorf.de/index.php?id=192

Figure 79: Kunsthalle Düsseldorf. Retrieved from http://www. baukunst-nrw.de/objekte/Kunsthalle-Duesseldorf--1187.htm

Figure 80-82: Google street view in Düsseldorf. Retrieved from https://maps.google.com

Figure 83: Media Hafen at night. Retrieved from http://www.eias3d. com/category/gallery/architecture/page/10/

Figure 84: Media Hafen. Retrieved from http://de.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Hafen_(Düsseldorf)

Figure 85: Situation plan. Retrieved from the documents provided by Schlaun Wettbewerb 2013/14

Figure 92: Doorbells in Düsseldorf’s block. Pictures by Steffano Schi avon

Figure 93: Facades in Ostrasse. Pictures by Dima Palamarchuk.

Figure 94: Facades in Charlottenstrasse. Pictures by Naznin Sharlin

Figure 95: Facades in Bismarckstrasse. Pictures by Helena Porras

Figure 96: Facades in Grupellostrasse. Pictures by Denisa Balaj

Figure 100: Population Growth rate per country (2013). Retrieved from http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overpopulation

Figure 101: GDP per capita per country. Retrieved from http://wired brazil.blogspot.com/2011/09/infographic-gdp-per-person.html

Figure 102: Political government ideology. Retrieved from http:// sindhuwriting.blogspot.com/2012/12/political-ideologies.html

Figure 103: Land available per capita

1. Retrieved from http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_pub lications/living_planet_report/

2. Retrieved from ec.europa.eu/agriculture/rica/

3. Retrieved form http://www.agrar.hu-berlin.de/lndw/proj_main/ proj_ress/oekolandbau/oekolbmain

Figure 104 - Maps of the region and the city of Düsseldorf. Retrieved from http://www.landwirtschaftskammer.de/landwirtschaft/ landentwicklung/regionalentwicklung/pdf/fachbeitrag-duessel dorf.pdf

Figure 110 - Wilhelm Marx Haus. Retrieved from http://commons. wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wilhelm-Marx-Haus_in_Duesseldorf-Stadt mitte,_von_Suedwesten.jpg

Figure 111 - Vauban. Retrieved from http://www.presseurop.eu/en/ content/article/43491-vauban-revolution-will-not-be-motorised

Figure 112 - Curitiba. Retrieved from http://innacuritibastyle.blog spot.com/2011/03/exposicao-em-homenagem-aos-318-anos-de. html

Figure 115: Temple in the Jewish Ghetto in Venice. Retrieved from http://www.i-italy.org/events/2009/6/2?filter2=consulate_event

Figure 116: Gordon Matta Clark’s intervention. Retrieved from http:// artobserved.com/2009/12/go-see-santiago-chile-gordon-mat ta-clark-at-museo-nacional-de-bellas-artes-nov-11-through-janu ary-24-2009/

Figure 117: Federal center south building courtyard. Retrieved from http://issuu.com/zgfarchitectsllp/docs/gsa_federal_center_south ?e=5145747/2639141