Hannover-Linden „Former sausage factory Ahrberg“

Context

to the top

The “Ahrberg” project is located in the former working class urban district Linden in Hanover. The former sausage factory consisting of several buildings worthy of preservation on an area of 20,000 m² was threatened with demolition in 1992. After several years of negotiation it was sold in 1997.

Project description

to the top

Eight private groups of investors, among them the Workers’ Welfare Association (AWO), acquired the complex and initiated the redevelopment of the old buildings in collaboration with the architectural office agsta Architects and Engineers. The buildings were stripped out and divided into smaller segments, so that new living space and several business units could be created. A neighbourhood for approx. 400 “new citizens” - inhabitants and employees - emerged. The aim of the investors was to include the future inhabitants in the planning and design of the 70 flats and to minimise the building and conversion costs through personal contributions. Already during the conversion phase, individual solutions for the layout and the development of the flats were developed. The project organisations expressed right from the start that the project was to have a positive effect for the whole urban district and was to accommodate a wide range of inhabitants. By allocating heritable building rights for individual flats, it was also possible for households with little capital of their own to acquire flats. The combination of living and working is a special characteristic of the project. Large-scale freehold flats, rented flats in different sizes, 30 offices, shops, studios, social and cultural facilities were built. The Workers’ Welfare Association is one of the main users with its “Haus der Sozialen Dienste” (Social Services House). The following newspaper article sums up: A “lively quarter has been created, which opens itself to the urban district Linden with its social and cultural services”.

Project chronology

to the top

Aims

to the top

• Conversion of housing stock worthy of preservation
• Creating jobs in smaller industrial units
• Providing economically priced living space in an attractive neighbourhood in an inner city location
• Maintaining identity, social stabilisation and improvement of the urban district

Types of measures

to the top

• Allocation of heritable building rights for individual flats
• Diverse and small-scale mixed use
• Combination of freehold flats and rented flats
• Personal contributions to reduce building costs
• Targeted allocation of flats to inhabitants of the urban district
• Early inclusion of the inhabitants

Innovations

to the top

The project shows the successful reuse of a former industrial site for freehold and rented flats and jobs in the service sector. Maintenance and use of the existing building fabric largely took place without drawing on public funds. Through the inclusion in the urban district, a contribution to the stabilisation of the urban environment is made.

Sources

to the top

• Johaentges, Karl; Preuße, Uta (2002): Ahrberg. Neues Leben in der Wurstfabrik (Ahrberg. New life in the sausage factory). Hanover (site plan, photo 1)
• Müller, Heidi; Schmitt, Gisela; Selle, Klaus (2002): Stadtentwicklung rückwärts: Alte Probleme und neue Herausforderungen (Urban Development backwards: Old Problems and New Challenges). In: Stadt und Raum (City and Space), Magazine 3/2002; volume 23, June 2002 (project description)
• Niedersächsisches Innenministerium, Pressereferat (Ministry of the Interior of Lower-Saxony, press office) (ed.) (2002): Neue Nutzungen für alte Strukturen: Revitalisierung von Brachflächen (New Use for Old Structures: Revitalisation of wasteland). Hanover (project description)

Further information

to the top

• http://www.hannover.de/

The projekt site ist to be found at postal code: 30449 - town: Hannover - street: Plaza de Rosalia 1.

Protagonists

to the top

• Private groups of investors
• agsta Architects and Engineers, Plaza de Rosalia 1, 30449 Hanover, Tel. 0511/21978-200, eMail: mail@agsta.com
• Arbeiterwohlfahrt Bezirk Hannover (Workers’ Welfare Association Area Hanover), Deisterstr. 85, 30449 Hanover