OBSOLETE TYPOLOGIES: the anti-machine

Lehrveranstaltung: Projekt-integrierte Veranstaltung
Prüfungsleistung: Portfolioprüfung
Leistungspunkte: 15
Modulnummer: 40375

Prüfrecht: Prof. Claus Steffan
Betreuung: WM Daniel Korwan, LB Sandra Lentes

Upon its opening in 1979 Rathaus-Center Ludwigshafen was a massive, state-of-the-art hybrid structure. As such it followed a general trend to merge the types of town hall, shopping mall and transport hub, thereby reinterpreting the traditional city layout that had always been characterized by the proximity of market and town hall. 40 years later it is perceived as an energy devouring concrete monster that can only “breathe” using artificial ventilation and that is now threatened by demolition.

We think that this is wrong.

Given the situation of our planet, it is no longer feasible to destroy a building solely based on monetary considerations. During the almost three years of its construction, enormous amounts of energy and resources were transformed into an adaptive structure that is far from the end of its lifecycle. Tearing down the building means accepting that these resources are lost for good.

Instead, we will treat the existing structure as the starting point of the design process where it works as a framework that is awaiting a spatial and functional transformation.

In the face of the events of the recent months, indoor spaces – and especially those that are dependent on a central HVAC system – have become restricted environments where human beings are perceived as possible threats, concealed behind masks. At the same time, both town-hall and shopping-mall are typologies that rely heavily on the interaction of human beings.

Given the size of the building and the complexity of the urban situation the studio is designed as an interdisciplinary journey: In collaboration with students from the field of landscape architecture you will be working on the reconfiguration of the existing superstructure. Emphasizing the role of the outdoor space we will transform Rathaus-Center into a post-pandemic town hall and city center.