Readymade

2007

The project “Readymade” stands for the urbanistic re-integration of the area around the former Völkl industrial halls (so far regarded as “blind spot”) into the context of the city of Straubing. The building fabric of the former Völkl halls, an orchard green space and finally the place of refuge of a garden landscape, which are quite present in the mind of the people of Straubing, are being re-interpreted »readymade« in the sense of an “objet trouvé” and thus further developed.
The existing building fabric is completed by units of atelier apartments and by an entry-showcase with a multi-purpose hall on its up most level and parking spaces attached to it. “The canyon” of the former Völkl-halls is becoming a place of urban diversity, combining cultural and leisure-orientated utilizations with atelier housing units and workshops, and thus overcoming the traditional separation of working, living and leisure. “The central orchard” green space remains an extensively designed landscape and recreation space and stretches between the two designated areas of construction. “The new residential quarter” in the northern part of the site is creating a platform providing different living scenarios, separated from its environment by a 1m high pedestal. Thus it is clearly defining a neighbourhood facing the green space while leaving it as far as possible untouched by bundling the entrance area. “A gallery” is defining a pervious spatial border emphasising the site by contrasting it. The gallery stages the link between the three different urban landscapes by integrating different atmospheric landmarks found at the site.

2008-2012

The primary municipal focus was on questions of property rights, strategic aspects, and – since the start of the financial crisis in 2009 – also increasingly on budget issues, which led to the strategy of revitalising the former Völkl halls as a first step in developing the total area.
A presentation of a measurement of the hall structures was followed by a first step towards a general restructuring plan, which “topotonic” was commissioned to work on. This covered not only the space potentials and possible new uses of the existing buildings, but also the technical, static and structural-physical condition of the halls.
The success of the project mainly arises from the integrated urban planning process, which was proposed in the competition phase itself. The potentials outlined and the resulting suggestions offered a gradual optical and functional enhancement through simple means, with low investment requirements and initially alternative programmes. This encouraged the city to initiate a transformation process in the former industrial area in the south, to create a multifunctional and sustainable district by taking the first steps to remodel the existing factory halls.