A proposal by the ANALOG PLUS team (composed of: Artur Górski, Katarzyna Gromek, Aleksandra Milanowska, Elżbieta Zdebel, Michał Czeszejko-Sochacki and Mateusz Modzelewski) in cooperation with urban planning and landscape architecture studio Coqui Malachowska Coqui and Yellow Zet studio, qualified for the final stage of the German urban planning competition IBA'27. The organization, which seeks urban development opportunities and the best planning, social, cultural, economic or ecological solutions, was looking for a way to sustainably develop post-industrial sites on the outskirts of the Murr River town of Backnang.
The main idea of the project is to connect the historic part of the city with the new development, and its axis - the Productive Road, which, as the architects write, will not only unify the city, but will also be its core, attracting residents and performing city-forming functions along an irregular route, which, intertwined with the meandering riverbed, will create a new genetic code of the city.
scheme submitted for the 1st stage of the competition
© ANALOG PLUS
In the competition concept, the architects took into account the preservation of the existing urban fabric, some of the forms and some of the functions of the buildings, selected blocks were expanded, others were reduced, mixed-use structures and completely new buildings were introduced. The varied needs of potential residents of the area influenced the diverse typology of housing developed. One of the proposed solutions are the experimental IBA houses - located on a floodplain near the river - which, the project's authors write, challenge the search for new ideas and solutions to the problems brought about by ongoing climate change. Placed on poles, the buildings are intended to be part of research into new, resilient structures that will respond to issues related to rising waters, unpredictable weather conditions and human coexistence with nature.
visualization of a portion of the premise
© ANALOG PLUS
Ola Kloc: You are connecting the historic part of the city with the new development through the Productive Road, which is supposed to be the core of urban life. How would you like your proposed spaces to attract residents, what elements of architecture or open spaces could help with this?
ANALOG PLUS: In our proposal, the Productive Way intertwined with the Murr River is the main element supporting the urban metabolism. It is where the dynamic exchange of goods and services is supposed to take place. At the center of each of the three development clusters is an urban plaza or extended tract surrounded by dense housing. Key to these open spaces is the proximity of a variety of functions - from residential, workshops and offices to cultural and educational buildings. The individual squares, however, have different characteristics. The first is marked by the presence of an old factory, which, transformed into the Museum of Technology, is a reminder of the city's identity. The second complex integrates local energy and food production, with a market and catering facilities at its heart. At the end of the Productive Way, the open spaces have a more informal character and are subordinated to numerous workshops. We tried to preserve the industrial atmosphere of this part of the city and give a piece of the space back to the factories that have been operating in the area for years.
situation
© ANALOG PLUS
Ola: You have also included different types of housing in the project, including IBA houses located near the river in a flooded area. Tell us, please, about these solutions and what challenges they involve.
ANALOG PLUS: These are experimental forms of housing in response to the effects of climate change. Due to their location in a flooded area, we decided that the houses should be built on stilts. They should also interfere with the environment as little as possible. In keeping with the idea of a sponge city, the detachment of the buildings from the ground allows water to soak in in situations of heavy rainfall. By design, they are home-workshops, open to creative and non-intrusive production, geared toward recycling equipment and materials. Due to the specific nature of the conditions, they are also objects that could be show-off concepts of the architects invited to design the various objects of the exhibition.
axonometry of a section of the premise
© ANALOG PLUS
Ola: In addition to the IBA houses, how would you like to integrate the river into the life of the city?
ANALOG PLUS: Thegreen areas are an integral part of the landscape thread of Backnang's DNA helix, which is the meandering river. It is the green spine of the city, integrated into its structure by a network of pedestrian and bicycle paths. It is an area made available for recreation and leisure, with a small proportion of development, which are IBA houses. Due to the industrial use of the river, this is an area that should be rehabilitated. The course of the river was regulated by man in the past - we believe that it is necessary - if possible - to restore the original condition. The main challenge is the removal of paved surfaces - which are very close to the bank - and the introduction of retention basins. In a way, this is an area given back to the city and residents - once inaccessible and industrialized, in the future - open and diverse.
cross section
© ANALOG PLUS
Ola: Are the competitions held in Germany significantly different from those held in Poland? How do you assess these differences?
ANALOG PLUS: This competition was unique in that it was held in the formula of an open two-stage competition, meaning that anyone with the appropriate credentials could send a work to the first stage. Twenty-one teams were selected for the second stage, six of them through a direct invitation to submit a paper, and the remaining fifteen were chosen from the papers submitted for the first stage (there were more than a hundred). It is customary for competitions in Germany to be limited to about twenty participants, five of whom are selected by the competition organizer, and the remaining fifteen are notarized at random from among all other applicants who meet the requirements of the contracting authority. Each participating team receives a plaster cast of its immediate surroundings with an insert for further work, which it completes with its design and, about two weeks after turning in the drawing part, sends back to the organizer.
project mockup
© ANALOG PLUS
Such a method of conducting competitions developed as early as the 1990s and was a reaction to the unnecessary "extravagance" of the architectural community taking part in a competition for, for example, a three-unit kindergarten in a small town together with other five-town architects. In Poland, for the time being, there is not yet such a need to restrict access to competitions, although of course there are sometimes heavily staffed ones, after which participants may ask themselves whether the judges had enough time to properly evaluate the submitted works.
Ola: Thank you for the interview.
