Rickenbach Quartier Wolfurt

The site occupies a gently rising slope at the foot of Bildstein Hill, characterised by its historic importance as a transport route, pilgrimage site and industrial centre. The built surroundings are heterogeneous – detached houses tightly packed around a tangle of narrow streets, small squares and forecourts – but this gives rise to an interesting and convenient sequence of public spaces. Each building has a noticeably different character, shaped by the area’s industrial past. These unique qualities of the place must be preserved, enhanced by the new additions and integrated into a distinctive semi-urban mix of residential, services, gastronomy and light industry. The core ensemble of hammer smithy, engineer tower and guesthouse will be complemented by a new, three-storey volume which naturally closes the small-scale historical composition while respecting its scale and typical forms. In the area around former factories, a new ensemble is being developed based on the structure and footprints of the small-scale, semi-urban development patterns of the existing buildings, integrating them into the new structural system on all sides and increasing density overall. Irregular pentagonal volumes were chosen as the most effective use of the site. As they are geometrically so efficient, their façade sections are shorter – facilitating a natural progression of open and closed spaces while adapting better to the surrounding buildings and streets. Thanks to their directional neutrality, the overall structure can be recognised as a loose “pearl necklace” of freestanding buildings alternating with generous outdoor spaces from which the surrounding landscape can be enjoyed. Existing pathways mesh with new laneways which interconnect every building. Various themes, such as square, park and landscape, differentiate the spatial quality of the neighbouring areas, with some expanded to form meeting places. The Rickenbach stream has been opened up, forming the central connecting element and deciding the atmosphere of the neighbourhood. The proposed concept offers the potential to sensitively develop the Rickenbach district from an industrial location to a high-quality, diverse habitat for all generations

Design Team: Andreas Cukrowicz, Anton Nachbaur-Sturm, Tobias Schnell, Stefan Prattes in cooperation with Vogt Landscape Architects Zürich
Client: Doppelmayr Seilbahnen GmbH, Wolfurt
Competition 2018 3rd Prize