NHW Award
All Bachelor and Master students of the Faculty of Architecture - Urban Planning - Landscape Planning (ASL) of the University of Kassel are eligible to participate. Interdisciplinary cooperation of at least two courses of study is particularly welcomed. Other students of the University of Kassel and the School of Art and Design Kassel are eligible to participate in cooperation with students of the ASL faculty.
Project work between students from A, S and L is recommended — best in groups of two. Individual projects, such as master's theses, are possible. In the case of interdisciplinary projects, larger groups can be formed. However, these groups should not include more than two students per program.
"Live Different!" at Wesertor—Rethinking Community: Socially Productive, Densely Populated, Energy-Generating, Climate-Improving, Green and Resilient
The NHW Award 2026 is offered by Faculty 06 Architecture Urban Planning Landscape Architecture at the University of Kassel in collaboration with theNassauische Heimstätte | WohnstadtGroup,and is organized by the Department of Design and Sustainable Construction.
The NHW Award 2026 is located in the Wesertor neighborhood, between Franzgraben and Fuldaaue. The competition site is situated in the northeastern part of Kassel, near downtown and the University of Kassel. Despite its central location, the area is sparsely developed and disconnected from the urban fabric. Large-scale retail and commercial buildings, as well as oversized parking lots, dominate the site, resulting in a very high degree of soil sealing and limited potential for open space.
Ysenburgstraße marks the western boundary of the competition site. To the north, the competition site is well defined along the Franzgraben by multi-story residential buildings and a row of trees. The eastern boundary of the area is formed by the perimeter fence of the municipal wastewater treatment plant. To the south, along Schützenstraße, the area borders a community garden complex that lies significantly lower in elevation.
The competition seeks forward-thinking models of dense, closely interconnected, and community-oriented coexistence. Using approaches from urban design, landscape planning, infrastructure, and building design, students are tasked with reimagining the highly dense urban neighborhoods of tomorrow and developing sustainable and exemplary concepts from these ideas.
The award ceremony will take place on October 29 at 18.00 in the ASL-Neubau, ground floor, rooms 0105 and 0106.