With the completion of Parc Dunant, life has returned to the approximately three-hectare vacant site of the disused teacher training college in Essen-Rüttenscheid. Following the adoption of the development plan in 2017 and the laying of the foundation stone in 2019, the project was completed in 2021. The result is an urban and family-friendly neighborhood consisting of 28 apartment buildings with a total of 304 barrier-free apartments. Of these, 102 were publicly subsidized. The apartments range in size from 45 to 159 m². Each of the floor plans of the one-and-a-half to four-and-a-half-room apartments is clearly structured.

The complex task of developing the site was to reintegrate it into the urban fabric and create a connection to the formerly sharply separated neighboring districts. The project developer and investor gentes Group from Düsseldorf set itself the goal of providing a new qualitative impetus for Essen-Rüttenscheid with the Parc Dunant. The development of the brownfield site was intended to create an urban connection to the existing surroundings. To this end, a competition was launched together with the city of Essen in order to map the possibilities for urban development and architecture in as many different ways as possible. The result of the process can be seen in the modern and sophisticated architectural language as well as the integration of public and semi-public zones through to private garden courtyards and loggias, which form an ensemble that promotes togetherness as well as privacy. A development plan was developed in advance for Parc Dunant, so the building regulations correspond to the competition concept. A development plan procedure was carried out with public participation in collaboration with the city of Essen and specialist planners. In the end, a district was developed with a wide range of spaces, including a boulevard, a district square and inner courtyards. In a welcoming gesture, a square opens up to the west of the Parc Dunant, forming the prelude to a sequence of squares that runs through the district as a key identity-forming feature. Here, too, the coexistence of public and private is evident: a slightly sloping surface mediates between the two spaces. The squares within the quarter are also structurally defined as town squares: Here, the row structures are condensed by widened row heads and connecting single-storey plinths.

The urban character that was intended for Parc Dunant dictated the modern architectural language. With its linear cubatures, it is timeless, modern and clear. In combination with the multifaceted differentiation of the façades, the ensemble provides residents with a variety of spaces to experience both for themselves and in the community. Loggias ensure private areas, even in the areas adjacent to the apartments. The façade design takes up the traditional material of clinker brick and interprets it in a contemporary way in terms of color and appearance. The fine texture of the split clinker brick has a calm yet lively effect. In order to facilitate orientation, special attention was paid to the building entrances in the design.

Parc Dunant is the first district in the city of Essen with its own mobility concept. The project development has thus contributed to today's standards. The concept favors non-motorized traffic through a close-knit network of paths that extends beyond the district. In particular, the connection to the future cycle path of the Rommenhöller Gleisanlage enables fast commuting even without a car. The rental modules for cargo pedelecs, which are available to both residents and the general public, are also aimed at car-free mobility. Those who cannot or do not want to do without a car altogether will find car-sharing stations and charging stations for electric cars in the 300-space underground parking garage. The first floor apartments each have a terrace with a garden. The apartments on the second floor and above are equipped with a loggia and some of the apartments on the top floor have spacious roof terraces. Elevators provide step-free access to all apartments, cellars and laundry rooms. The buildings are heated by district heating.

www.gentes-gruppe.de

Photos:

Philip Kistner
www.philipkistner.com

(Published in CUBE Ruhr Area 01|23)