Future visions for Kohlscheid: Architecture students shape new living space

Future visions for Kohlscheid: Architecture students shape new living space

The 13th architecture competition of Sparkassen Immobilien GmbH (S-IMMO) and the University of Applied Sciences Aachen offers a platform for creative design of the future of a district. This year, the focus of the district development in Kohlscheid, a district of Herzogenrath. Eleven master students designed innovative ideas for the area on Pestalozzistraße, where a possible conversion of the school location is discussed.

Future -oriented living concepts at a glance

The students' suggestions aim to create a new neighborhood for around 200 apartments. This is done in connection with the consideration of the city of Herzogenrath to give up the existing buildings on Pestalozzistraße in favor of an extended school location on Zellerstrasse. A central aspect of this development is the combination of funded and free housing construction, which should meet the needs of different population groups.

funding beyond the competition

The importance of the competition goes beyond individual architectural designs. For the city of Herzogenrath, the new ideas are an impetus to redesign the district. Franz-Josef Türck-Hövener, the technical deputy, emphasizes how the city's suggestions could help the city's students to develop the area sensibly. "So some aspects of the ideas have already helped us," he says.

sustainable construction in the focus

Another important point of the competitive conditions was the implementation of resource-saving and circulatory construction methods. This underlines the growing awareness of ecological responsibility in construction and the need to integrate sustainable solutions into new residential projects. The participants were asked to develop barrier -free concepts and to consider different apartment sizes.

award winners and their visionary designs

The jury honored a total of six award winners for their different approaches. Janina Rakipi, who won the competition for the second time, was enthusiastic about the practical handling of the inventory and the challenge of creatively integrating existing structures. Professor Ulrich Ecke, who has accompanied the competition for years, emphasized the high quality of the submitted work and emphasized that he was impressed by the personal responsibility and commitment of the students.

a milestone for the regional architecture

The architectural competition is not only regarded as a versatile exercise, but also as a valuable source for municipalities who want to include innovative ideas in their plans. In the past, several cities have benefited from the impulses of this initiative. Managing Director Dietmar Röhrig from S-Immo sees this competition a way to carry fresh architectural impulses into the region and to strengthen networking between the university and practical application.

- Nag