SoSe 23

In the introductory project “Building Bridges for Vibrant and Regenerative Spaces in Bettenhausen,” we are exploring the fundamentals and mission of the 2024 HNW Award (formerly the Paul Bode Prize). This award aims to connect the neighborhoods of Bettenhausen and Unterneustadt with downtown Kassel and to address the problems arising from the planning of a “car-oriented city” in the area of Platz der Deutschen Einheit and the roundabout, which is causing significant developmental disruptions in these neighborhoods. Our goal is to explore the site’s potential, discover and strengthen its identity, and in doing so, create innovative spaces for living, working, and daily life.

In the introductory project, students will work on a section of the competition site and develop a spatial program of their own design to create hybrid urban building blocks with additional indoor and outdoor amenities.

The focus is on issues of social sustainability. To foster a dense and vibrant urban structure, the planning area will be divided into parcels, and each team of two will be assigned a portion of the new neighborhood to be developed. In this way, all designs contribute to formulating a shared vision for a hybrid urban building block characterized by a high quality of life, diversity of uses, and social diversity.

Semester Schedule:
- warmUP “regenerative spaces”
- Field Trip Week: Workshop, site visit + Kassel’s Unterneustadt & Bettenhausen
- Research: “Hybrid Concepts in Space and Program”
- Design “Structure/Spatial Sequence/Transformation”
- Development and Presentation

Tutors:
B.Sc. Sunijia Wang, Reham Alhadidi, B.Sc. Jonas Baumann

We look forward to an exciting collaboration!

In collaboration with the architecture departments of three universities—the University of Innsbruck, the University of Kassel, and UCL Bartlett School of Architecture—spaces for meditation and quiet were created on the center’s grounds.

The six interventions were conceived as temporary, experimental structures that connect with the surrounding natural environment and engage the senses. The project primarily involved working with and experimenting using regional materials and construction methods. The six installations were realized with the students in cooperation with local partners.

The “Places of Transformation” were inaugurated on June 8, 2024, during the Architecture Days and will be accessible to visitors of the Buddhist Center throughout the year as part of the Capital of Culture program.

More information about the project

As part of the Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024 Capital of Culture, the project “Gomde: Places of Transformation” was implemented in collaboration with the architecture schools of three universities—the University of Innsbruck (AT), the University of Kassel (DE), and the UCL Bartlett School of Architecture (GB).

The project consists of six artistic interventions in the form of temporary sculptures designed to support meditation. The sculptures are conceived as artistic, experimental structures that connect with the surrounding nature and appeal to the senses. Regional materials (wood and clay) were primarily used in their creation to exemplify aspects of sustainability, such as demountability.

The six artistic interventions are located in the area of the site dedicated to grassland (see map). The sculptures are designed and created by the students as part of their coursework. The goal is to create contemporary artistic interventions that blend into the landscape of the Bäckerberg and invite visitors to find peace and quiet. Furthermore, the artistic and exemplary use of sustainable materials and production methods is intendedto contribute to a substantive discussion within the framework of the Capital of Culture.

The design, construction, and documentation of both art installations on a 1:1 scale are key aspects of the project, through which students gained experience and learned by combining the use of advanced technology (extended reality and 3D scanning tools)with traditional woodworking methods. Local experts and carpenters collaborated with us to steam-bend locally sourced larch wood strips (ideal for outdoor use) in order to achieve the complex geometry of both projects: one hangs from trees in a forest, and the other is lightly positioned on a meadow. Both projects explore sustainable ways to dismantle and/or reuse all project materials in the future.

Project Sponsor: Rangjung Yeshe Gomde Germany-Austria

Contact Person(s): Hergild Heifler, Birgit Meiche

Mailing Address: Bäckerberg 18, 4644 Scharnstein, Austria

Web: www.gomde.eu and https://www.salzkammergut-2024.at/veranstaltungen/gomde-orte-des-wandels-eroeffnung/

Project participants:

Students from the University of Innsbruck (AT) under the direction of Dipl. Ing. Dr. Clemens Plank

Students from the University of Kassel (DE) under the direction of Prof. Mag. Arch. Marie-Therese Harnoncourt-Fuchs

Students from the UCL Bartlett School of Architecture (UK) under the direction of Dipl. Ing. Dr. Fiona Zisch

Project Supervisor:

Prof. Mag. arch. Marie-Therese Harnoncourt-Fuchs
M.Arch. Sarah Blahut
M.Sc. Harun Faizi

Student Assistant

Vanessa Nadine Fricke

Students:

Adrian Sohl, Till Steyer, Sunijia Wang, Alina Ditenbir, Jonas Baumann, Chiara Nickolmann, Emmelie Schwegmann, Evelyn Kozlov, Meryem Nisa Demirel, Edwin Koch, Max Schulz-Helbach, Sara Fee Panzer, Malin Dettke

Instructors: Prof. Mag. Arch. Marie-Therese Harnoncourt-Fuchs, M. Arch. Sarah Blahut