LOCATION
Close to the old town of Roth, at the foot of Ratibor Castle, so to speak, there is a special piece of the city in a recessed location close to the river.
On an island between the Rednitz and the so-called Mühlkanal lies the planning perimeter, inscribed in a wonderful piece of natural space.
As a landscape, as a floodplain, areas were wrested from it over many years that were needed for a steadily growing production company. A place where industrial progress directly meets a natural floodplain landscape washed by water. However, this growth also came at the expense of the ability to experience the natural space described above and a possible interconnection of the urban network of paths. The succession of these stages in the company's development is still clearly recognisable in the form of the building stock. Coming from today's "island entrance", the spatial commitment of the existing buildings with the so-called "cable drum" as the entrance kiosk together with the buildings set on the right with the striking wall mosaic and the left, robust reinforced concrete construction of the administration building appear as a strong, contained space.
TASK
How can this island, which is being used piece by piece, be turned into a livable, habitable and sustainable piece of Roth that can become a robust and modest home for people for the next decades, a place for work and recreation, but also for education and research, i.e. a piece of productive city? First of all, it seems crucial to weigh up what degree of use the urban space can bear, how much space living, working, learning, recreation should occupy on this scenically unique piece of city. In addition, it seems relevant to decide in which density, i.e. in which urban impression, life should be lived here in the future. Finally, the question arises as to which mix of uses can be realised here in Rother Neuland and in what proportions, or which will or may be realised in the course of the process of "converting Leoni Werk" into "Rother Neuland". In addition, there is the possibility of realising an exemplary quarter for urban redevelopment, existing buildings, an established atmosphere of tackling and doing, an increased mix of uses, a reorganisation of traffic as a quarter of short distances under the premise of using existing resources.
ROTH CIRCLE NEULAND - A CIRCULAR QUARTER.
The conscious use of existing resources on the island plays a central role. First of all, the green resources, i.e. the natural space with its trees, alluvial meadows and floodplains, play a role that is both experience-related and relevant to the urban climate. The contrasting talents of the initial situation are thus strengthened under the premise of sustainable and climate-silient urban development and continue to be legibly integrated into the new concept. The flowing landscape space is supplemented with new tree plantings and pathways and linked to the new as well as existing urban space. New recreational areas, raingardens, vegetation structures, play areas, tree squares and gardens break up the existing sealed surfaces, but also integrate them where functionally necessary.
