Play areas in a listed building shell
(North-Rhine Westphalia)
Photography: Robert Schmell, BBSR im BBR
In the densely populated Severinsviertel in the south of Cologne's inner city, buildings and areas of the Prussian railway from the time around 1900 were released after the last user, the German Federal Mail, moved out of the premises. This complex borders directly on the housing estate, which was built as part of the urban redevelopment in the 1980s, on the area of the former "Stollwerck" chocolate factory.
Photography: Robert Schmell, BBSR im BBR
The listed brick building was converted for public facilities: a former administration building now accommodates a school. In the former warehouse, the cultural centre "Bürgerhaus Stollwerck" (citizens' house Stollwerck) was set up. Between the structures, a wide grass area was created, which forms one of the few green areas of the neighbourhood.
A further project - the conversion of a former railway coach hall - addresses children and youths of the urban district in particular and rounds the complex off.
The more than 60m-long and 24m-wide building was divided into three equally sized parts like in the original layout. The south facade, which was originally completely closed except for the gates, was opened for large light slots.
The east part of the building was converted into a large weatherproof play hall for the most diverse purposes. It remained without any further installations but the roof and the original large roof lantern were kept. The hall opens towards the large grass area to the south with a gate and large windows. Warm-air heating was installed for the cold season. The children and youths of the urban district here find a necessary meeting and recreation room for all seasons.
In the middle and west hall nave, a day-care centre for children was established for five groups. Above the west part of the hall, the roofing was cleared away. Only the outer walls and the old steel construction of the roof trusses were maintained. The courtyard resulting from this now serves as an outdoor play area for the kindergarten.
"The former mail dispatch hall of the Prussian Railway has now been converted from a large shell to a relatively small utilisation area" the jury wrote on the occasion of the award of the Design Prize of the Wüstenrot foundation in 1999. And further: "The usage corresponds to the requirements of the entire neighbourhood. This makes (the conversion) ... an excellent example of intelligent urban renewal."
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| Starting 1990 | Federal Mail moved out |
| 1990 to 1992 | Reconstruction of the warehouse to the citizens' house and the cultural centre |
| 1997 | Completion of and moving in of the day-care centre for children "Zugasse" |
| 1999 | Design prize of the Wüstenrot foundation |
Photography: Robert Schmell, BBSR im BBR
Photography: Robert Schmell, BBSR im BBR
1999 Award of the Design Prize of the Wüstenrot foundation
Photography: Robert Schmell, BBSR im BBR
By converting the three listed brick buildings and creating the large grass area, a high-quality public space was created in the densely populated Severin neighbourhood. With only a few building measures, the listed railway hall was redesigned and an attractive offering for children and youths was created. This provided urgently needed free space, especially for the younger inhabitants of the inner city neighbourhood.
The projekt site ist to be found at postal code: 50678 - town: Köln - street: Zuggasse 2.
Record inserted on 17.09.2004 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: 13.02.2009
