MVRDV and LOLA Landscape Architects have just revealed the new development of “Grüne Mitte” in Düsseldorf, Germany. Centered around open communication, negotiation, and compromise, the project aims to introduce 500 new apartments and community spaces to enhance the neighborhood. Approximately 50% of the scheme is designated as social or affordable housing, which was designed in participatory processes with the residents.
Located in Flingern-Süd near a busy road, the property currently houses a supermarket, an underutilized shopping center, and a parking park complex that was built 11 years ago. The site is adjacent to Kiefernstraße, a well-known area known for its colorful street art and history of squatting since the 1980s. To that, the involvement and participation of the diverse Flingern-Süd neighborhood and the immediate neighbors is crucial to the project's success.
This paved the way for an extensive participation process, where the developer's concepts were considered within the desires of the residents and the objectives of the city planning office. Workshops were facilitated by MVRDV and LOLA, involving interviews with residents, group brainstorming sessions, and visualized walk-throughs. Interestingly, the studios held a separate workshop concentrating solely on additions for youth and an online conference where the design team modeled suggestions in real-time.
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MVRDV Unveils WärtZ Masterplan in the Netherlands: Transforming a Former Business Park into an Innovation HubThis approach produced several community needs, including maintaining the supermarket as an important social hub, enhancing connectivity to nearby regions, and incorporating public spaces to foster an inclusive social atmosphere. Residents were asked to assess three basic plans; the "Grüne Mitte" design, which consists of blocks encircling a central green space, proved to be the most well-liked and consecutively.
The center green area reduces the percentage of paved or built surfaces from 98 to 62 percent, serving as a communal hub for the residents. With its diverse attractions, the area aims to promote biodiversity and foster a comfortable microclimate. Aside from greenery, the area accommodates a variety of facilities, ranging from stalls to sports amenities and play areas. To make the project economically feasible, a spatial compromise was found involving an office high-rise on the southwest corner, which the city's high-rise committee approved.
After a community input process, the high-rise was designed to be 17 stories tall with two stacked blocks. This design was chosen to meet the community's needs and blend in with the neighborhood's salient features. Additionally, the community’s feedback also led to the project's sustainable elements, including cross-laminated timber flooring, photovoltaic panels, green roofs, and an urban mining strategy for recycling parts from the previous shopping center.
MVRDV has just announced the WärtZ master plan that repurposes a former business park near the railway station into a dynamic innovation hub. Additionally, MVRDV's latest exhibition, "ReviveR," has been inaugurated at the Shenzhen Women & Children’s Centre. The exhibition centers on various narratives associated with its hosting structure, exploring themes such as the significance of play and social engagement. Finally, MVRDV and Orange Architects are collaborating on the NUVO project, a new mixed-use complex to be built in Ukraine’s capital.
