ESSEN
Spatial and Temporal Scale:
Since being shut down in 1986, it has become a shrine of industrial culture, the only one of its kind in the world, and in 2001 was designated a World Heritage site by the United Nations.
The process of rehabilitation as a long term process was started successfully with structural transformation project in 1989. Zollverein has become a new production site and workplace. The exploitation and expansion of this potential will determine further developments in the coming years. The construction of the design school zollverein d/s/z and of the Industrial Design Park together with the first world design exhibition which will be held here in 2005 will give additional impetus to the transformation of Zollverein into an international forum of design and culture.
Issues and Targets:
The rapid rise and gradual decline of the mining industry made a tremendous impact on the urban and social structure of the north of Essen. The major challenges in the coming decade will be to keep this history alive and at the same time to give Katernberg, Stoppenberg and Schonnebeck their first opportunity to build on the past and use it for the future. Their model will again be the central mining complex Zollverein 12, the exploitation of which is to become the driving force behind developments in these three districts.
The foundations of this development were laid in the 1990s under the aegis of the site office set up for Zollverein Mine 12 and the architects Böll & Krabbel, who drew up exemplary preservation strategies based on the careful reconstruction of the buildings and plants for the culture, design, entertainment and tourism sectors. As so often happens, the artists at Zollverein have proved to be seismographs of the special qualities of the location. It is not least due to Ulrich Rückriem, who set up his contribution to Kassel’s documenta IX in Hall 10, that the “art and design” usage concept has gained momentum. Further milestones were the rebuilding of the boiler house after a draft by Norman Foster to house the NRW Design Center, and the reconstruction of the mixing plant in the Coking Plant as a space for temporary exhibitions, which was carried out according to plans by Jürg Steiner drawn up together with the architects Böll & Krabel.
In the coming years, it will be necessary to hand down the standards of quality prescribed by Schupp and Kremmer and maintained during the reconstruction work of the 1990s, as well as recommencing use of the Zollverein area as an innovative business location as part of a sustained integrated development concept. The Design Platform as a professional education and research institute, the Metaform as an international design exhibition, the Zollverein Design Park as an industrial area and the relocation of the RuhrMuseum as an exhibition site for industrial culture, natural history and cultural history will be further building blocks of this development. The necessary outline plan for urban development was developed by Rem Koolhaas and the OMA office in Rotterdam. The requisite new buildings are to be erected at the periphery of the site and will enclose the monument like a frame.
A budget of approximately 61.3 million EUR is needed to carry out the expansion work. Approximately 18.4 million EUR will be provided by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, another 12.3 million EUR by the City of Essen. A lively business location with numerous jobs in the areas of planning, design, cultural management, education and tourism is to be created. Demand and figures make clear the enormous task facing the preservers of the site. Unlike a monument which can be merely preserved as a museum, or an old town whose historical layers have grown up slowly, the preservation of such a large area as the Zollverein Mine and the improvement of this industrial monument as befits a World Heritage Center, to be implemented in less than five years, must break new ground. The direction to be taken here is indicated by the pit complex Zollverein 12 itself, which arose during an era which has many parallel to the present: we too are standing at the end of a period of political and economic upheaval in Germany. At that time, this upheaval was reflected artistically in the transition from expressionism to cubism and functionalism. The experience of being active in a globally linked economic structure, which at that time was quite new, has now become a matter of course. In this situation, the greatest challenge is to hand down the material and idealistic working character of Zollverein as a site for production, architecture, building culture, creativity and as a symbol of regional identity.
Coal Washing Plant
The Entwicklungs-Gesellschaft Zollvererein has commissioned ambitious redevelopment and reconstruction work to be carried out in the Coal Washing Plant by 2006. For 101 days after this work has been finished, it will be the home to ENTRY, a forum for design and architecture. Afterwards, both the RuhrMuseum and the Visitor Center for the Ruhr area will take up residence there. The Coal Washing Plant is a part of the Zollverein mining complex, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Center in December 2001.
The large-scale Coal Washing Plant project is being carried out jointly by the architects OMA, Office for Metropolitan Architecture (Rotterdam), and Böll & Krabel (Essen). The concept for the rebuilding of the Coal Washing Plant was drawn up in close collaboration with the curators and future users. It meets the highest architectural, climatic and safety requirements. The draft is based on the existing buildings on the one hand and the spatial programs of the future users on the other.
Visitors will reach the 24-meter level via a glazed “gangway”, which means that they will experience the Zollverein World Heritage Center from the time they enter the building. In order to make the form and size of the building tangible, the essential parts of the machinery located there have been disconnected from the subsidiary equipment. The machinery will thus become part of the Visitor Center. The exhibition areas are located underneath the 24-meter level. These areas will be cleared as far as possible. In contrast to the Visitor Center, they are not marked by machinery, but by the existing architecture. As synergies will arise from the uses to which the building will be put, the spatial programs were meaningfully combined. The Visitor Center will receive the infrastructure needed by the users
Zollverein School
The Japanese architects SANAA (Tokyo) emerged as winners from the competition for the new construction of the Zollverein School of Management and Design staged in July 2002. The office was contracted as the general planner for the realization of the building scheme in February 2003. They are working on the implementation of the architectural concept together with the Essen-based office Böll & Krabel. The design plans were presented in December 2003, after detailed planning and adaptation of the spatial requirements in cooperation with the users and the builder-owner.
SANAA drafted a cuboid structural shell for the new building. The shell, which measures 35 meters by 35 meters and is 34 meters high, reflects the dimensions of the Zollverein mine. The revised competition draft includes an imposing facade with windows in three different sizes. The seemingly coincidental organization of openings everywhere on the facade create an unusual interaction with the surroundings and the interior. The site development depended on both use and orientation. The building has four floors with ceilings of varying height as well as a roof garden. The idea of stacking open floor plans was developed in compliance with the demands made by the various functions. A multi-level presentation hall, exhibition and foyer areas for public use will be available on the ground floor. The second floor - the Design Studio – will be a production level, home to the creative workplaces. The third floor will accommodate the library together with open and glazed seminar rooms as well as several separate, quiet workplaces along the north-east façade. The fourth floor will be the office level, with working areas of various sizes and characters, separated by glass dividing walls. Windows in the exterior walls and appropriately distributed lighting will guarantee daylight and visual connections for all workplaces. The garden on the roof can also be used on a temporary basis, and will serve above all as a viewing platform over the Zollverein World Heritage Center.
Infrastructure
Plans for the new infrastructure on the site of the Zollverein mine have been under way since mid-2002. They cover the development scheme for the Industrial Design Park on the White Side of the Coking Plant, for which the architect Rem Koolhaas and his office OMA drew up a preliminary design. They still include a new network of paths, the necessary sewage works, the new link from the Zollverein site to Gelsenkirchener Strasse and Schonnebeckhöfe, and the new parking system. This system will accommodate stationary traffic above ground and in underground car parks. All outside areas are incorporated in an integrated overall concept drawn up by the landscape planning office Agence Ter in Karlsruhe, well-known far beyond the borders of Germany.
Industrial Landscape
The landscape planning office Agence Ter from Karlsruhe, renowned far beyond the frontiers of Germany, is redesigning the outside areas and open spaces of the World Heritage Center as part of the masterplan drawn up by architect Rem Koolhaas. There will be an “inhabited wood” and a promenade around the former mining complex. Together with the conveyor bridges, which will serve as connecting axes, this will open up an entirely new way of experiencing the site as a whole. The prominent buildings and plants are enclosed within a single footpath which runs all the way round the World Heritage Center. Here visitors can go walking, jogging or inline skating. Numerous connecting paths will be built between this 3,500 meter long ringway and the surrounding streets, thus connecting the World Heritage Center to the north of Essen.
A series of gardens will be created in which visitors can observe the ongoing natural developments at Zollverein. The rail tracks will play an important part here. The rails, laid in the shape of a harp, were the connection between the pit complexes and the coking plant. This harp is to be kept. The former transport infrastructure will become a leisure infrastructure: a boulevard which will be the most important area for recreation, activity and movement. To the north, on the Black Side of the Coking Plant, most of the tracks will be either removed or converted into concrete paths. The track boulevard repeatedly widens out to areas measuring 100m?, which can be used flexibly, for example as gardens, stages, events areas or platforms for the museum railroad.
The three open areas of the World Heritage Center are linked via conveyor bridges. These bridges, which in some cases reach dizzying heights, are being rebuilt and made accessible to visitors. In this way, visitors will be able to view the site from an unusual perspective and follow the coal path on foot.
Industrial Design Park
10,000 m? of the Zollverein site are to become home to companies from the fields of design, architecture, exhibition construction, advertising, marketing and communication. Design competence will be concentrated here and make an important contribution to the economic situation and the job market. The prestigious environment of a World Heritage Center will guarantee a high profile. At the same time, the continuance of the Zollverein concept will be secured. The established companies will be located on the “White Side” of the Coking Plant; the “Creative Village” is being constructed on the site of the former materials store of Zollverein Mine 1/2/8. Here there will be space for start-ups and young companies. Here students and graduates of the Zollverein School of Management and Design will be able to make professional contacts or found a company themselves. The Industrial Design Park as a market for new opportunities: for companies, for the economy and for Zollverein.
Route of Industrial Heritage The Route of Industrial Heritage, a project by the Association of Communities in the Ruhr Region (KVR), links sights from 150 years of industrial history in the Ruhr over a circuit 400 kilometers in length.
In all, 1,500 signs were put on display on highways, inner-city roads and public transport stops in order to show visitors and tourists the way to the attractions. The “Industrial Culture Route” consists of a core network with 19 anchor points: the industrial and cultural highlights of the region. These include such impressive industrial constructions as the gasometer in Oberhausen, today the largest “exhibition drum” in Europe, or the Henrichenburg ship lift in Waltrop. For purposes of recognition, all anchor points are marked with the same signs, visible from a long way off. Moreover, visitors will in some cases find multimedia information both inside and outside, relating to the anchor point itself and to ther sights worth seeing along the route.
25 thematic routes branch off from the anchor points, and can be explored by car, bus and rail, by bike, by ship and even via the mine railway. Depending on their interests, tourists can visit and admire sights as varied as “Industrial Chemistry and Energy” or “Gardens and Parks”.
The Industrial Nature Route has a special character. It presents particularly beautiful former industrial areas which have given rise to a unique natural environment with many varieties of exotic plants and animals.
The thematic route “Landmark Art” is also blazing a new trail. Artists have used various means of expression such as art, sculpture and lighting to give new interpretations to numerous industrial culture sites and to give the landmarks a unique form by night and by day.
As well as the 19 anchor points, the Route of Industrial Heritage also covers six technically, socially and historically significant museums, nine viewing platforms with panoramic views and twelve settlements which are well worth visiting. The central visitor center for the Route of Industrial Heritage is located at Zollverein Mine XII in Essen.
Red dot design museum
The permanent exhibition in the red dot design museum is the largest display of contemporary design in the world. The products all won prizes in the “red dot award: product design” competition. All were distinguished with the “red dot”, the seal of quality for good and very good designs.
The exhibits come from all areas of industrial design, from sanitary and kitchen products via home and lifestyle, lamps and illumination through to industrial and transport design or jewelry and accessories. Special exhibitions focusing on various design themes are held at regular intervals.
Triple Z - ZukunftsZentrumZollverein AG for the promotion of start ups
Centre for establishing start ups and small and medium-sized companies at the Schachtanlage 4/11
in the former Zeche Zollverein mineworks, Essen-Katernberg.
Ground area: approx. 17,000 sqm, space for letting approx. 7,000 sqm. Realization in two construction stages. Premises from 30 sqm for approx. 50 to 70 small companies. Continuous utilization since March 1987 in line with completion ready for occupation. Balanced mixture of different sectors from traditional craft trades to services and high tech companies.
http://www.triple-z.de/
ETEC GmbH
Essener Technologie- und Entwicklungs-Centrum
With the aim of promoting and supporting technology-oriented small and medium-size companies, ETEC (Essen Technology and Development Centre) was set up in Essen in 1985. To date, 22,000 m? office, production, and laboratory areas have been erected in several stages for around 100 technology-oriented companies that translate innovations and new technologies into ready-for-market products and services.
Primarily, ETEC aims to attract business start-ups to Essen newly established companies but it also supports existing small and medium-size companies as well as innovative teams from established major corporations.
http://www.etec.de/
The Essen model for targeted early detection of crises and crises management
Within the framework of preventive crisis management, the aim of this model is to offer to all companies in economic difficulties the most effective assistance quickly and unconventionally in all fields that are important to secure the continuation of the business. Since 1995 the
EWG - Essener Wirtschafts-
förderungsgesellschaft has acted as a mediator for a continuously growing circle of business and socio-politically relevant parties for this purpose.
Management and Partnership Description and Key Stakeholders Analysis:
The rehabilitation process in Katternberg includes broad spectrum of measures, projects and programmes financed from various sources (see the chapter “Financing”)
Various fields of project or measures can be characterized by different profiles of stakeholders. Their involvement has started with the problem definition, via initiation of the rehabilitation activity, policy definition, project development, financing up to maintaining and utilization phase. Main role in the process of the rehabilitation has been played by the city of Essen and County North Rhine Westphalia. The rehabilitation project Katernberg became a part of the county program „City Districts with Strong Rehabilitation Need“ in 1993, now „Social City“. Special role takes the District VI „Zeche Zollverein“, especially since it was declared as a part of the „World Cultural Heritage“. A lot of projects were successfully finished; some of them are just in the process. The rehabilitation projects are coordinated by the City of Essen and realized under the leadership of various stakeholders. The City of Essen has financed the Bureau for City Renovation and Soil Management, which plays important coordination role. The organization of the rehabilitation process in Katernberg is shown at the following scheme:
Participation and Governance Improvement:
The rehabilitation process in the Katerneberg is a positive example of a very informal active participation process, involving various social groups of inhabitants, various stakeholders from the private enterprises, public bodies, financial institutions, cultural institutions, schools etc. Broad participation joints the rehabilitation process from the very beginning, as it can be shown in the example of the workshop, organized in 2000. This is not only a example of best practice transferable from Essen, but it is a positive example of current implementation of broad spectrum of new methods in to the governance of the city development processes in Essen
In May 2000 a moderated Goal-Workshop was realised in Katernberg, with above 100 participants representing the officers, politicians, institutions, citizens, etc. After overall analyses of the rehabilitation process effects in Katernberg, 10 most important positive revitalization projects were chosen. New set of goals and visions were discussed in the working groups and in plenary session. Based on this discussions, main project proposals for next 5 years have been formulated, priorities defined and implementation probability assessed. For 4 main projects the project groups have been created.
Financing:
A budget of approximately 61.3 million EUR is needed to carry out the expansion work. Approximately 18.4 million EUR will be provided by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, another 12.3 million EUR by the City of Essen. A lively business location with numerous jobs in the areas of planning, design, cultural management, education and tourism is to be created. Demand and figures make clear the enormous task facing the preservers of the site. Unlike a monument which can be merely preserved as a museum, or an old town whose historical layers have grown up slowly, the preservation of such a large area as the Zollverein Mine and the improvement of this industrial monument as befits a World Heritage Center, to be implemented in less than five years, must break new ground. The direction to be taken here is indicated by the pit complex Zollverein 12 itself, which arose during an era which has many parallel to the present: we too are standing at the end of a period of political and economic upheaval in Germany. At that time, this upheaval was reflected artistically in the transition from expressionism to cubism and functionalism. The experience of being active in a globally linked economic structure, which at that time was quite new, has now become a matter of course. In this situation, the greatest challenge is to hand down the material and idealistic working character of Zollverein as a site for production, architecture, building culture, creativity and as a symbol of regional identity. |
