Future-Proof and Livable

To develop a city or neighborhood sustainably, it must be considered as a whole with all its facets and fields of action. This includes not only architecture but especially the design of public space.

At our architectural firm greeen! architects, we continuously work with ethical, ecological, and economic perspectives, which are incorporated into our visionary projects – for people, the environment, and our future. The three “e” in greeen! architects stand for ethical, ecological, and efficient.

Progressive, sustainable, and livable architecture today is conceived and built responsibly and remains future-proof. Interdisciplinary and visionary work that places human needs at the center is therefore essential. Sustainable urban and neighborhood development offers the opportunity – and indeed the obligation – to consider and shape our future living spaces. Future-oriented, holistically conceived architecture must be flexible in order to become resilient. A mix of uses including affordable and high-quality housing, work, retail, and leisure activities with appropriate infrastructure contributes to high quality of life in the neighborhood and to a compact city.

Public urban and neighborhood spaces, such as squares and streets, flow almost seamlessly into one another, so the city as a whole – buildings, streets, and squares – forms a constantly dynamic spatial sequence. Understanding the interaction of a building within a street and the street within the city through public space is a fundamental part of designing sustainable urban and neighborhood development. It is therefore essential that a building in planning and construction is not considered in isolation, but in the context of the entire urban environment. The quality of the space beside and behind the building is just as important as its façade.

Future challenges – such as the energy, resource, or mobility transition – are already emerging but cannot yet be fully quantified. The same applies to social changes driven by advancing technological developments and global trends. We are convinced that the success of sustainable urban and neighborhood development will be measurable through the quality of public space. To develop a city or neighborhood sustainably, public space must be thoughtfully designed. Streets, alleys, squares, promenades, parks, and canals serve a wide variety of functions and must be diverse, flexible, safe, and open to multiple uses. What they all share is unrestricted accessibility for all residents and visitors and the freedom to make use of these spaces.

In Bocholt, we planned the Ibena Green Campus neighborhood on a currently unused industrial site with former textile production halls. On the site of the Bocholter Aa cultural quarter and Industriestraße, a diverse neighborhood with historical and local relevance is being created as part of a progressive and urban mixed-use concept. The emerging area creates a tension between historical identity and a modern, sustainable campus. The final element of the holistic Ibena Green Campus concept is its forward-looking planning as a car-free neighborhood, enabling the development of a compact, walkable district.

At Harkortstraße near Düsseldorf Central Station, we planned three Hotels with ground floor restaraunts for GBI AG and a newly dedicated pedestrian pathway from Konrad-Adenauer-Platz to Mintropplatz. The interplay of the different building forms, as well as the choice and arrangement of materials, creates diversity within unity, designed consistently from all sides. As the planning architectural firm, it is important for us to consider the direct impacts of this new construction on its immediate surroundings. The previously unused potential of the site is thus activated, allowing the city and its citizens to regain a high-quality neighborhood that generates positive impulses in the surrounding area. A holistic consideration of the planned building as a direct response to its location and surroundings is therefore fundamental to the functioning of a city. These changes mark the beginning of a sustainable, vibrant, and diverse station district with a future.

This article was published in the GBI AG E-Magazine on June 17, 2021.
Here is the direct link to the Magazine.