Kusel „West Palatinate Cloth Factory“

Context

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At the beginning of the 1960s, the economic structural change led to the closure of the West Palatinate Cloth Factory in Kusel, around 40km northwest of Kaiserslautern. The building was used by the army as a clothes depot until 1988 and then left vacant. The owner applied for demolition in 1988.

The overall area comprises around 3 hectares. The actual revitalisation area covers around 8000m2. The area and the building offered valuable urban development potential due to their location at the city centre fringe. The city therefore decided to buy up the area with the listed factory building in 1990 and to redevelop it.

The project was funded and evaluated as a model plan in the research project "Städtebau und Wirtschaft" (Urban Development and the Economy) in the federal research programme "Experimenteller Wohnungs- und Städtebau“ - ExWoSt - (experimental residential and urban development) in the period from 1990 to 1993.

Project description

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The building of the former cloth fabric in Kusel (pop. 6,000) was given new usage in the forms of trade, services, public offices and housing. An urban developmental enhancement took place by gutting the block's interior areas, demolition of auxiliary buildings which were no longer usable, greening the open areas and pathways across the former factory grounds. Job creation schemes were implemented in the gutting work. Two workers with few qualifications were given permanent jobs. Also, a production school for unemployed youths was created under the organisation of the charity Christliches Jugenddorf (CJD). The youths did building and fitting-out work and in doing this contributed to reducing the building costs. The urban integration of the building complex through the opening in the direction of the inner city and to a neighbouring park was of particular importance.

A block heat and power unit, which now provides heat for the building, was set up in the former heating centre. The electricity which is also produced is to be sold and the return used to cover repayments of loans taken to pay for the conversion work. The heating requirements of the refurbished buildings were, however, lower than originally assumed and thus also the amount of electricity produced. The return from the sale of electricity therefore only makes a small contribution to the repayment of the project costs.

The project progress was made dependent on the finance available and the acquisition of new tenants. Today, the former cloth factory is largely occupied. The space available in the buildings is 90-95% rented out. These are primarily public and private services (e.g. employment office, savings bank, teacher training college, library, law firm, insurance, electrical company). 200 jobs have been created. In the building in Trierer Straße, which still has to be redeveloped, two housing units are being created.

The grounds have developed into an attractive business location for future-oriented companies. The former factory has once again become a point of identification and a landmark for the city thanks to its mixture of commercial and public usage. Almost all measures are now complete and the final conclusion is expected for the end of 2005.

Project chronology

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Year	Event
1960s	Closure of the cloth factory, rental to the army
1988	Usage as a clothing depot by the army comes to an end
1988	Preliminary application for demolition of the cloth factory
1988	Alteration ban, preliminary planning approval for a legally binding land-use plan
1990 to 1993	Participation in ExWoSt research project "Städtebau und Wirtschaft" (Urban Development and the Economy)
1990	City purchases the factory building; development of a building and usage concept; conversion work begins
1991	The first tenant moves in
1992	The block heat and power system is installed
From 1992	More occupants move in
2003	Building fully in use
By the end of 2005	Completion of all measures

Aims

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• Reactivation of inner city wasteland for commercial purposes
• Re-usage of listed building stock
• Economic boost for the development of the inner city
• Urban developmental enhancement and integration of the factory ensemble into the surroundings

Types of measures

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• Alteration ban
• Legally binding land-use plan
• Building permit in accordance with §34 BauGB (German Building Code)
• Modernisation and conversion taking the preservation of historic monuments into account
• Greening of the open areas
• Pathway networking
• Block heat and power system

Innovations

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With the re-use of the West Palatinate Cloth Factory in Kusel, it was possible to preserve a building ensemble with great recognition and historic importance to the city and to develop it into an attractive business location for future-oriented companies. The combination of commercial and public usage makes the former factory an identification point and landmark for the city.

The project-related combination of urban development and structural policy with employment and social policy is to be highlighted. By involving job creation scheme workers and CJD vocational assistance groups in the renewal of the cloth factory, their chances of getting a job or apprenticeship improved significantly. Furthermore, ecological aspects - such as roof greenery using brick rubble, hemp plaster, rain water drainage in mill ditches - play an important role.

One innovation with regard to energy was the re-use of the old heating centre, the involved development of a neighbourhood-related heating supply network and the usage of this facility for financial purposes.

Sources

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• BBR (Client), FIRU GmbH (Contractor): Cross-Evaluation of ExWoSt Model Plan for Area Recycling, 2004 (unpublished report)
• IfS Institut für Stadtforschung und Strukturpolitik GmbH: Experimenteller Wohnungs- und Städtebau (experimental housing and urban development), research project for urban development and economy, topic field 1: Wasteland recycling and building re-use for commercial purposes, final report, Berlin, December 1992
• Kahnert, R.; Rudowsky, K. Nachhaltige Entwicklung im Handlungsfeld "Bauen und Wohnen", Wiedernutzung von Brachflächen. Eine Dokumentation von Fallbeispielen (Sustainable development in the field of building and living, re-use of wasteland. Documentation of case studies), No. 144, Stuttgart 1999
• BMVBW: www. werkstatt-stadt .de, innovative examples from the Experimental Housing and Urban Development, Berlin 2000

Further information

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• <http://vg.kusel.de/>

The projekt site ist to be found at postal code: 66869 - town: Kusel - street: Fritz-Wunderlich-Straße 47.

Protagonists

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• Project organiser: City of Kusel, Mayor, Jochen Hartloff, Marktplatz 1, 66869 Kusel, Tel.: 0 63 81 / 9 18 - 2 41
• Accompanying research: BGS Büro für Gewerbeplanung und Stadtentwicklung, Dr. Rainer Kahnert, Ostenhellweg 62, 44135 Dortmund, Tel.: 02 31 / 52 48 41, Fax: 02 31 / 25 60 59, E-Mail: <bgs.kahnert@t-online.de>
• On the focus issue of wasteland recycling: Institut für Stadtforschung und Strukturpolitik GmbH – IfS, Lützowstraße 93, 10785 Berlin, Tel.: 0 30 / 25 00 07 33, Fax: 0 30 / 2 62 90 02, E-Mail: <ifs-berlin@t-online.de>