New housing in a prefabricated estate
(Brandenburg)
Photography: Büro Zimmermann + Partner
With over 12.000 apartments, the housing estate „Sachsendorf-Madlow“, constructed in 1974-1986 in the southern fringes of Cottbus (pop. 101.000), used to be Brandenburg state’s largest housing estate realized in prefabricated architecture. Owing to the social and economic problems, as well as high vacancy rates, the district was included in the federal and state programme “Social City” in 1999. The most urgent tasks include a reduction of housing stock, upgrading the residential environment and adjusting the social infrastructure.
Photography: Stadtbüro Hunger
The elaboration of an urban design outline plan in 1997 formed the basis of an overall concept linking urban design, housing policy and social aspects. It was possible to trigger a cooperative planning process furthering the conversion of the mono-structured site into a greened location for various types of housing.
At the transition point between the large housing estate and a directly adjoining, older estate composed of single-family buildings, a very critical area in urban design terms, two of the three prefab high-rise buildings were comprehensively refurbished and upgraded (e. g. improved ground plans, new entrances, loggias, photovoltaic system). A third building was carefully demolished, prefab slap by prefab slab. On the very same site, five 2- and 3-storey „town villas“ were constructed from the recycled prefab components. Almost a third of the construction components could be put to a new use this way.
The new residential buildings feature high-quality exterior spaces and mediate between the very disparate building dimensions (11 and 1,5 floors). The offset arrangement of the buildings reduces mutual shading and allows for visual relationships with the surrounding green area. 13 self-contained apartments and maisonettes in a range of sizes (2, 3 and 5 rooms) were created in the town villas in various combinations. The ground floor apartments come with gardens. This apartment range is a reaction to changing demands in the housing market and served to vary the dwelling types offered as well as the resident mix. The town villas meet the highest ecological criteria and were 15-20 % less expensive to build than comparable new buildings.
The urban design structure and residential quality of the area could be markedly improved by restoring human dimensions, providing high-quality public spaces, better lighting and room for new types of residence. The town villas hence contribute to the creation of a new, positive image for the entire estate. This and other urban restructuring projects in Cottbus Sachsendorf-Madlow are introduced on a „City Path“ circling the district. It is a part of the international architectural exhibition "IBA Fürst-Pückler-Land", which will support various decentralized projects in the southeast of Brandenburg state between 2000 and 2010.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Urban design outline plan |
| From 1998 | Redevelopment of high-rise buildings along Gelsenkirchener Allee |
| 1999 | Inclusion in the federal and state programme “Social City” |
| May 2001 | Prefab building demolition start |
| August 2001 | Town villas reassembly start |
| May 2002 | Residents move into town villas |
| 2000-2010 | Inclusion in the international architectural exhibition “IBA Fürst-Pückler-Land” |
Photography: Stadtbüro Hunger
Photography: Büro Zimmermann + Partner
Photography: Stadtbüro Hunger
The opportunities created by a shrinkage process were successfully exploited in a large housing estate beset by architectural, spatial and social problems. Spaces for new types of residence were created along with a residential environment that is worth living in. This project demonstrates an alternative to short-lived façade cosmetics and complete demolition. The recycling of dismountable construction components appears innovative for ecological and economical reasons.
The projekt site ist to be found at postal code: 03050 - town: Cottbus - street: Storm-Straße 10.
Record inserted on 01.03.2004 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: 02.03.2010
