Europan 10 "Inventing Urbanity": Regeneration - Revitalisation - Colonization

The competition brief, asking to reorganize the northern bank of the Neckar River is answered by a series of complementary yet independent interventions. The three anchor sites and the connecting waterfront draw from the specificities of the neighboring fabric and bring these to the front.
All interventions are linked through the Red Thread, a multipurpose strip of the traditional red sandstone that continues until the historic landmark of Heidelberg, the Schloss.
This historic icon is counterbalanced with a new, contemporary landmark, representing Heidelbergs cutting edge University with a conference center and public venue in the river.
All interventions aim to emphasize the transition from urban to natural that takes place at the Wieblinger Wehrsteig, the lock marking the western end of Heidelbergs Neckar.

01 The Red Ribbon, a nearly 3 km long red sandstone line, a multipurpose element — sometimes bench, sometimes information board, sometimes sidewalk— that connects the Schloss with the University.

02 The Bikeline integrates local and regional cycling routes. At pinch-points near the Zoo, the bikeline is diverted to a dedicated bicycle route.

03 The Römerlawn, a 2-way tilted green plane and stage towards the city and broader landscape, hidden beneath an urban building.

04 The Max Planck Terraces introduce multiple levels for pedestrian movement through re–graded topographies that are enhanced as a new green landscape.

05 The Upper Garden Terraces at the Surgical Hospital expand upon the existing private gardens and extending a series of colourful public parterre gardens that descend to the river.

06 The Water Gardens serve as a demonstration site to illustrate the functional power of biological processes as a strategic tool to clean storm water and revive the biotopes of the river ecology.

07 The Campus Boulevard is guided to the water at its southern end and strengthened in its urban character by framing buildings on both sides.

08 The University Plaza, square and green backbone of Poplar trees defining the main pedestrian entrance to the University Campus.

09 The Boulevard Balcony opens the view to the city at the southern end of the Campus Boulevard. It is the new lively meeting point of citizens and students with a rich public program at the waterside.

10 The Glass Tower frames the Boulevard Balcony and houses the student centre and educational programme of the University.

11 The Neckar Island is conference and congress centre, a symbol for the innovative research of the University, exhibit of the natural forces of the river and its diverse flora.

12 The Water Taxi connects the Neuenheimer Feld and the Neckar Island with the university areas in the old centre of Heidelberg.

13 The Neckar Theatre, public beach and a terrace for open air events, bridges formally and symbolically the two sides of the river, city and university.

14 The Bicycle Bridge is an extension of the ‘Wehrsteg’ on its east side to add a dedicated bicycle connection and facilitate crossing. The northern landing is lengthened to provide level access for cyclists.

15 The Neckar Falls are a series of 6 terraces with a magnificent view over the Alt-Neckar on the western ‘Wehrsteg’ side.

16 The Zoo-Satellite is an outlet of the zoo — for example an aviary with exotic birds — next to the southern Wehrsteg landing, transporting the Zoo to the city.

17 The Glasshouse Patchwork proliferates the glass house structures found in the botanical garden as a architectural identity for the university on the riverfront. The transparent structure creates a campus for all seasons, including student centre, study rooms, and community functions.

18 The Diversity Hills are planted as a collection of native dry meadows serving as part of a system of connected habitats. These native landscapes offer a satellite of the Botanical garden and mark the separation of the promenade and bike line.

19 The Biodiversity Centre offers a new entrance to the Zoo and ties it and the Botanical Garden together. The public roof cafeteria is accessible via the diversity hills which slope towards the rock-like building.

20 The Aviary Passage is an elevated walkway which folds through the aviaries and savanna sceneries, offering surprising perspectives to the animals on different levels.

21 The Neckar Loop provides a panorama over the Alt- Neckar’s islands native habitat and vegetation without disturbing the sensible habitat.

22 The Giraffe Walk creates an eye-to-eye confrontation with the giraffes of the zoo and links the zoo extension to the existing path network.

23 The Amazon allows to witness the emulated Amazon’s habitat above and below water level.