Conceptual town planning for the west of Leipzig

The industrial district of Plagwitz was once the centre of industrial production in the west of Leipzig, large sites here are now available for development.Two extreme concepts were drafted for the development of the site:

1. "Open space and islands of utilisation" foresees minimal development of the site. The open space will make up a key proportion of the site.

2. "Commerce in a green framework" foresees the maximal development of commerce, with the intensification of area utilisation. In this case, the open space forms a framework upon which the development can progress.

Both of these extreme scenarios aim to reorganise the necessary "shrinkage" from the edges of the area in order to be able to completely remove streets and infrastructure with accompanying structures, at the same time reinforcing and revaluating the remaining areas. The actual development will alternate between the two extremes. The dual strategy of demolition and revaluation is a central point of all conceptual considerations.

The structures of the commercial district development are arranged in such a manner that the green framework and the central axis will remain in any case, forming an underlying framework. The developments on the construction sites within this framework can remain variable. Old structures may be removed, applying a modular principle. Replacements may be open spaces created with no specific life span, which may be employed for new commercial operations as required. This provides flexibility, without questioning the functional ability of the overall complex.

Signature Picto: commercial development using the modular principle