In Du¨sseldorf, MVRDV and LOLA are transforming a neighborhood with the Green Center project. This project, led by Cube Real Estate, is a new way of changing cities. The goal is to build almost 500 new colourful apartments, with half of them being for social or affordable housing. They also want to create spaces where people in the neighborhood can enjoy being together and feel good.
The Green Center project starts in Flingern-Süd, where there's an old shopping center, a supermarket, and a parking lot that people don't use much. The nearby Kiefernstraße is known for people living there without permission since the 1980s and for vibrant street art. MVRDV and LOLA worked a lot with the people living there to make sure their ideas were part of the plan.
Sustainable and Friendly Design
MVRDV and LOLA talked to the people in the neighborhood through meetings and discussions. They found out that keeping the supermarket, making it easy to go to other parts of the city, and having public spaces were important. The design they chose for the Green Center has buildings around a big green space—a choice the people living there liked.
This green area has things like small shops, places to play sports, and areas for kids to play. It's good for nature and makes the neighborhood nicer.
Working Together for a Better Place
To keep the big green space, they added a tall building for offices in a corner, even though the city's plan didn't want tall buildings there. The final design has 17 floors, with the lower part fitting with the Green Center and the upper part turning a bit to match the neighborhood.
They're also doing things to help the environment, like planting gardens on the roofs, using special panels to get energy from the sun, and using a special kind of wood for the floors.
The buildings will look different, with some walls having art made with the people from Kiefernstraße.
In busy Du¨sseldorf, the Green Center is a special project that brings together sustainability and what the community wants, making the neighborhood a nicer place for everyone.
Project Details
Project Name: Gru¨ne Mitte
Architects: MVRDV
Location: Du¨sseldorf, German