Housing estate follows ideas from the classic modern period
(Thuringia)
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Photography: Roland Wehking
The withdrawal of the Soviet armed forces from a barracks area within walking distance of the historic town centre of Weimar (pop. 63.000) made the former barracks site available for the development of a new urban district. The proximity to Goethe’s garden house and to the “Haus am Horn”, a model building for a planned 1920s Bauhaus residential estate and an important monument of the classic modern period, has served to inspire the estate’s architecture.
Source: Bauhaus-Uni Weimar
Initiated by the Bauhaus University Weimar, in cooperation with the Thuringia State Development Company “LEG Thüringen” and Weimar council, the former barracks site was dedicated to the planning and development of a new urban quarter. It is situated on the so-called „Horn“, a very green slope facing the south-west. Against the historical background of the planned but never built Bauhaus estate, a residential quarter of a high architectural quality has been constructed.
The 5 h site was developed in an open planning process. Based on a cooperative expert opinion commissioned at the start of the planning, the realization process was characterized by workshops, competitions and public involvement. All stages of the planning and realization process remained flexible enough to allow for adjustments reacting to changing demand.
Student hostels, a residential care home and two- to three-storey buildings have been created in an open architecture. A local music university has meanwhile moved into the listed „Streichan-Building“, which is situated directly to the north of the development area.
The development is based on a so-called „urban design grammar“. The site was subdivided into variously sized working fields containing parcels. Uniform regulations were defined for the development via location, dimension and layout specifications. The results are compact buildings containing up to five apartments and rooms for flexible uses. The combination of workplaces and residences was recommended, as was the use of ecological materials. The ambitious urban design and aesthetic aims of the project were safeguarded via the legally-binding land-use plan. An advisory body for the development composed of representatives of all project stakeholders monitored compliance with all specifications and supported the realization in an advisory function.
By June 2004, 45 of the 73 parcels had been developed. For the further development of the area and as a contribution to the promotion of architectural culture, the LEG has commissioned nine European architects with so-called pilot plans for the as yet undeveloped parcels. The planning suggestions comply with the specifications for the location and are an offer for families interested in building.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Foundation of an ideas workshop for the development of the site |
| 1997 | Conclusion of planning workshop and commissioning of the legally binding land-use planning |
| 1999 | Statutory resolution of the legally binding land-use plan |
| 2000 | Topping-out ceremony for the first buildings |
| 2001 | The Music University moves in |
| 2003 | The opening-up for development is completed |
| 2004 | Pilot plans for free parcels |
| Summer 2004 | Symposium on the project "Neuen Bauen am Horn" |
Source: Bauhaus-Uni Weimar
Photography: Philipp Wiegandt
Source: Bauhaus-Uni Weimar
Notable is the continuity with which all parties involved in the project aimed to realize a high-quality architecture and urban development on the former barracks site. The open planning process, which involved all the stakeholders, enabled the creation of various building typologies conforming to a uniform design canon.
The projekt site ist to be found at postal code: 99425 - town: Weimar - street: Georg-Muche-Platz 3.
Record inserted on 13.10.2004 by Lehrstuhl für Planungstheorie und Stadtplanung, RWTH Aachen and updated by theFederal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) within the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR).
Last update: 02.05.2011
