A fragmented orchard, Kirchberg, Luxemburg

OKRA won the competition to design a public space between office buildings in the Gruenewald area of the Luxemburg city borough of Kirchberg. OKRA thought of how to give the fragmented neighbourhood a consistent identity of its own. As the area lacked a clear programme, OKRA chose to come up with their personal programme for an 'urban orchard'. By planting apple and pear trees, OKRA has attempted to create cohesion between the scattered spaces and buildings. Thus the theme of the 'edible city' gives this public space its coherence. The urban orchard consists of many little orchards, each with its own atmosphere – but everywhere passers-by are invited to pick the fruit.

Grünewald Kirchberg, image courtesy OKRA Landscape Architects

Grünewald Kirchberg, image courtesy OKRA Landscape Architects

Site

This design is for public spaces for the Grünewald district, Kirchberg, Luxembourg. The assignment was to create public spaces between apartments buildings.

Grünewald Kirchberg, image courtesy OKRA Landscape Architects

Grünewald Kirchberg, image courtesy OKRA Landscape Architects

Fragments

The orchard stands in a fragmented layout of squares and passages organized in a grid system togheter with buildings and private parcels. The jury awarded the strong identity that the project introduce for this part of the Plateau of Kirchberg and also the gesture towards the rigid atmosphere of the buildings. A gradual change in the types and the densities of plantation creates a high quality link between the higher part of the district, more business and urban a-like, and the southern part, more natural, leading towards the Klosengroendchen park. Different atmospheres of orchard are created to provide a specific sense of place to each areas of the new district. A network of lines bind the different pieces of public space in order to create a narrative and spatial link between each of the existing public spaces fragments.

Grünewald Kirchberg - Master plan, drawing courtesy OKRA Landscape Architects

+ Project credits / data

Project: Public spaces for the Grünewald district, Kirchberg
Location: Kirchberg, Germany
Landscape architect: OKRA Landscape Architects | http://www.okra.nl/
Client: Fonds d'urbanisation et d'aménagement du Plateau de Kirchberg
Nature and dimensions of area: 2.8 Ha
Building costs public space: 150 Euro /m2
Design: 2008
Implementation first phase: starting in January 2009

+ All images and drawings courtesy OKRA Landscape Architects

Holstebro, Denmark: If it is outstanding, celebrate it twice

The city of Holstebro has celebrated the completion of the public realm project around the Storaa stream and new cultural facilities, designed by OKRA and Schul Landskabarkitekter, in collaboration with Åsa Frankenberg from Berlin, Germany for the lighting design. The project is funded by the City of Holstebro and Realdania, a Danish foundation who contributes to public cultural projects.

Holstebro Storaa Stream - Layout plan, drawing courtesy OKRA Landscape Architects

Focal point
The project makes a major difference in the city and a connection between the two parts of the centre. The north part and the south part of the centre of Holstebro will be linked by a new focal point. The public spaces around the cultural buildings, like cinema and dance theatre, provide new élan to the city by transforming them into an outdoor stage. The project is the catalyst of changing the riverside from a backside with functional connections into a 'place to be'. Previously, the riverside was neglected and the city had turned its back towards the water.

Even just after the opening one can notice that the riverside is already that attractive that the quality of public space will be a catalyst for further development. On the north side of the project new developments in the next years will create frontages towards the riverside, where it is now just the backside of commercial activities and parking places. In the further future we can envision that more private owners want to turn their faces towards the river scenery. It can be envisioned that some extension of the buildings combined with underground parking supplies in a future second phase, where parks, playgrounds and small planted squares will form an extension of the beautiful riverside area.

Holstebro Storaa Stream, image courtesy OKRA Landscape Architects

Riversidewalk
The relatively deep position of the river is transformed to a public theatre by making sculptural space. A continuous space is created by 'foldings', sometimes the fold is a path, sometimes-small spots and sometimes a place to sit. Thus a space is arisen, where the user component becomes of the set. Logical routes for pedestrians and bicycles are provided in an informal way by making smooth inclines. Sitting places are provided just to watch the water floating and are inviting people to stay. On other days small or larger events can take place. On the south bank a stage area is created with steps to sit on.

Holstebro Storaa Stream, image courtesy OKRA Landscape Architects

The bridge takes a central position, tying the folded urban realm of both riverbanks together. The bridge is created in a place where people can pass or citizens can stay and watch the scenery.

Holstebro Storaa Stream, image courtesy OKRA Landscape Architects

Dynamic theatre square
The former parking space in the south of the theatre is transformed into a public realm that expresses the activities in the buildings. To adjust to the cultural impact of this area the square on the south side of the cultural building is regarded as an outdoor theatre. The space has become a hybrid between park and square, where green and stone go together. The dynamics of the space are reinforced elements, which can change. A large water element ensures a changing focus in the space. The film of water on a paved area is sometimes a fountain or a place for children to play with, sometimes just an object to watch from the adjacent stairs. The long stairs, where people can sit on and watch the scenery, are combined with a vast dike, planted with trees on a lawn. While being a bit little higher than the rest, it borders the area and cars outside the area are not visible.

Holstebro Storaa Stream, image courtesy OKRA Landscape Architects

Interactive light
Special attention is given to the light plan, designed by Åsa Frankenberg. The light along the riverside is more than just direct artificial light. It contributes in positive sense to the picture of the area, when it presents a theatre-like impact during the evening hours. Especially in the early hours of the evening during winters, the artificial light has substantial meaning. The artificial light reinforces the urban use of public realm and creates a scenery based on a program of additional dynamic light, which plays with the visitor. Activities from the theatre building can expand to the riverside and use the bridge as a stage.

+ Project credits / data

Project: Holstebro Storaa Stream
Landscape architect: OKRA Landscape Architects | http://www.okra.nl/
Area: 2,3 hectare
Program: Dancing theater, square and walking promenade along the Storaa.
Budget: € 5,0 milj. (excl. VAT)
Realization: Designing competition 2006, 1st price
Realization:  2007 – 2009
Location: Holstebro, Denmark

+ About OKRA Landscape Architects

Office statement
Our office work concerns designing open spaces, both private and public spaces. Our strength lies in the ability of making abstract conceptual plans to very concrete detailed implementation-designs.

Often we have a design-studio way of working, whereby different designers, sometimes from outside the office, join their creativity to make a good design for a high-quality open space. Because of our different backgrounds and expertise, we can cover the whole range of concept plans till specifications- and detailed drawings. This way of working and our experience make it possible to make special and realistic designs.

Most of our projects are complex projects in public space. Therefore in most of the projects we cooperate with other participants and consultants. Our office can work flexible and is capable of providing various demands of efforts. We work on the projects because we like to design good functional and beautiful spaces. Thus we are willing to increase the efforts and the amount of people working on projects if a project needs it.

In our office we the design-team is organised so that the project manager mainly controls the project. The project responsible architect has regular contact with the project manager and the other designers at OKRA, through all the possible communication modes (phone, fax and e-mail).

In our documentation you will find several projects that are situated outside Holland. In these projects and working surroundings where are used to work in multinational teams. Even our own office is such a team with employees from Demark, Great Britain and Germany.

Team members
For projects we put together a project team suitable for the specific project. Within OKRA we have a broad expertise in Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning, Architectural Design and Civil and Green Engineering. The following people are available to participate in the project team, and have worked on varied assignments in the past.

Partners
Ir. Christ-Jan van Rooij (1963), landscape architect and partner
Christ-jan van Rooij is one of the four founders of OKRA. His strength lies in managing the design-process combined with realization of large inner city projects. Projects under construction at this moment are the station surroundings of Enschede and the city-center of Zutphen including shopping area and a central square. He is interested in the more conceptual side of landscape architecture, which resulted in an entry for the design contest in Hannover in 1996. Before OKRA he worked as a landscape architect for the city of Apeldoorn and the Stichting Cultureel Erfgoed (Foundation for Cultural Inheritance) in Utrecht.

Ir. Martin Knuijt bnt (1966), landscape architect and partner
After the formation of the office, Martin Knuijt's contribution in the design team has been primarily in the bigger urban developing projects. Projects he has been working on are: the IJssel quay of Doesburg, the station-surroundings in Enschede and the master plan for the TU (Technical University) Eindhoven. He has taken part in the design studio for the southern waterfront of the river IJ (inner city-plan Amsterdam) with designers from Bureau Alle Hosper. Recently he has produced spatial use and mobility studies for Rijksplanologische Dienst (Dutch National Planning Department). Before OKRA he worked for several years as designer in a team of Urban Planners and Landscape Architects with the municipality of Rotterdam, district Rotterdam-centre. Here he made a master plan for the open spaces in the inner city, and several designs for squares and shopping areas.  He is author of several publications, including the book ‘Modern Park design, recent trends’, together with Hans Ophuis and Peter van Saane.

Ir. Boudewijn Almekinders bnt (1966), landscape architect and partner
Since the formation of the office Boudewijn Almekinders has worked on a wide range of urban design projects and has coordinated the implementation and graphic presentation of most projects.  He is also responsible for internal organization of the office.  He worked as a designer for the Floriade 1992, where he supervised foreign exhibitors and artists in making gardens and objects for the open spaces on the Floriade. In this exhibition the link between design and completion was very strong.

Ing. Wim Voogt (1977), landscape designer
Wim Voogt specializes in the visualization of ideas at all stages of the design process from detailing of designs to the implementation of projects. Projects he has worked on include; the designs for the communal gardens of Ypenburg-9 (a VINEX-location, new housing area), the IJssel quay of Doesburg, and the van Heek-square in Enschede.

+ All images and drawings courtesy OKRA Landscape Architects

German architectural firm Peter Ruge Architekten proposed renovation and reconstruction of an old factory into a high quality hotel and office building in Hangzhou, China.

The site is the historical Hangzhou Machine factory, the building concept aims to create a harmony of the sites inherent industrial character with a modern interior aesthetic.

The Xintiandi old factory will be renovated into a high quality building with a combination of functions including offices, retail, hotel and multi-purpose area.

Xintiandi Factory Hangzhou - Existence, image courtesy Peter Ruge Architekten

Xintiandi Factory Hangzhou, render courtesy Peter Ruge Architekten

It plays a most important role in our design proposal to maintain the existing industrial structure and characteristics as much as possible. In order to accomplish the transition of the interior structure all the new spaces distributed across the four floors are organized along the exterior elevation, while in the central area of the architecture, a capacious space is retained. The length of the space is equal to the existing fabric on the horizontal level. In elevation it extends throughout all the floors. The beautiful steel roof frame structure will be retained and encased by a new glass roof, flooding the space with natural light and forming a connection between the buildings interior and exterior.

Xintiandi Factory Hangzhou, render courtesy Peter Ruge Architekten

The energy of the architecture and its surroundings will flow through the capacious lobby in an undulated way and exert positive influence on the architecture.

Xintiandi Factory Hangzhou - Elevations, drawing courtesy Peter Ruge Architekten

The existing concrete facade and window to the south and north sides will be completely removed. The protruding steel-frame structure extends 1 meter beyond the existing skin. The form of the building will conserve the structure of the foundries old steel funnel. The regular structure of the steel frame echoes the horizontal and vertical grids of the architecture. Consecutively, the protruding parts of the steel-frame structure on all floors highlights the wall new connection of the existing brick walls.

Xintiandi Factory Hangzhou - Structural concept, drawing courtesy Peter Ruge Architekten

These steel- frame structures are creating a double curtain wall facade. The outside layer is constructed of fall-protection glass with air seams, and the inside layer is a flexible sliding door with insulation glass. A two-storey tall outer elevation steel- frame structure and a LED multimedia display screen can be viewed from the roads near the south and north elevations.

The design of this new facade will not only demonstrate the harmony between modern and historical industrial structures, but also establish a unique architectural language that considers both past and present.

Xintiandi Factory Hangzhou - Sustainabilty diagram, drawing courtesy Peter Ruge Architekten

+ Project credits / data

Project: Xinitiandi Factory Hangzhou
Location: Hangzhou, Zheijang Province, P.R. China
Size: Plot: 8.100 sqm, GFA: 17.900 sqm
Duration: 2010-2011
Completion: Circa 2013
Client: Hangzhou New Land Group Co., Ltd
Architect: Pysal Ruge Architekten | http://www.peter-ruge.de/
Peter Ruge, Matthias Matschewski, Hysook Ahn, Alexander Andrejew, Byoung Gil Jung, Lucas Gray, Tatjana Sinelnikova, Maria Katschalova,
Project partner: DBH Stadtplanungs GmbH, Hangzhou
Brief: Renovation and reconstruction of an old cast iron workshop into a multi-functional modern complex for shopping, offices and hotel in order to maximize the preservation of the industrial heritage
Scope of services: Analysis, concept, design planning, preperation of approval documents, main detail planning, coordination of local engineers, monitoring of approval and execution documents.

+ All drawings and images courtesy Peter Ruge Architekten

+ Other refurbishment projects on +MOOD

Palazzo Grossi | HOF

The Belvedere | De8 architetti + 2 architetti