Südtirol | South tyrol | Alto Adige - alpitecture

workshops
46
workshop 1: ArchiTecTure in Alpine AreAs - commerciAl AnD inDusTriAl AreAs
group lisA koFink: “The new unTen” – visions For bolzAno souTh
Participants:
Heinrich Geier | Klaus Höller | Lisa Kofink | Thomas Pucher | Stephen
Williams | Johannes Wohofsky
Initial situation
Bolzano South is the largest commercial and industrial zone in South Tyrol. It
covers almost the same size as the rest of the city of Bolzano and is the first
part of the town seen by new arrivals coming from the south. In addition to a
few heavy industry businesses (steel), mainly processing is done. However,
there are also service providers, retail, and technology-oriented businesses.
In recent years, Bolzano South has become an attractive location for leisure
businesses (bars, discos). The area has a high level of soil sealing; it also
has a climatically unfavorable location, as it also warms the hot southerly
winds before they reach the city center. The area has optimal accessibility,
both for individual traffic and public transportation.
» Bolzano South industrial zone
Challenge
The task facing the team was formulated as follows:
Plan and design a new district of Bolzano that meets the needs of the
industrial heritage and does justice to the social and architectural variety of
the city.
Vision
In the discussion, the working group chose to concentrate on the aspects of
economy, society, and urban planning from the broad scope of the task.
Under the demand – From Post-Industrialism to “Süd-Tirolism” – guidelines
were drawn up based on the objectives that looked at the existing situation
and then defined the process and pointed out options for communication.
The south of Bolzano is still “the” location, given the need for large space for
commercial and industrial use. This means that the economic aspect is also
a primary consideration when redesigning the area. The goal should be to
promote sustainable economic feasibility without damaging the immediate
economic feasibility. In the discussion, no hierarchy was specified, but it
was determined that all three levels (economy, society, and urban planning)
should be addressed equally.
This location is currently subsidized to counteract the high vacancy rate
of 30 % of the space. The main commercial use of the area is for trade,
industry, commerce, fairs, services, and discos. The transformation process
is concentrated on diversifying the already existing “mixed market” with
high quality, local products. The communication of the location can be made
under a mutual umbrella brand “A company from South Tyrol”.
Ultimately, in a multifaceted society, people bring life even to industrial zones
and by enjoying the time they spend there, they contribute to a qualitative
upgrading of the area. The goal should be to enhance the quality with a
“mixed culture” of living, working, leisure, and cultural variety. The existing
structures are currently marked by a negative industrial image, which
is slowly but surely being infused with a positive subculture. In addition, in
South Tyrol, the separation between the German and the Italian culture still
exists. The formation of a mixed culture could be the basis for a “global village”,
both from the social and urban planning standpoint. However, this experiment
in progress must be guided appropriately in order to communicate
the resulting new feel of this district.
Objective Sustainable feasibility
Immediate feasibility
Economy Society Urban/Spatial Planning
Existing Building Subsidized
30% vacancies
Program: airport, fairs, shopping, offices,
trades, heavy industry, discos, events
= mixed usage
Process
„The New Unten“
Concentration on mixed markets with
high quality products
Communication “A Company from South Tyrol” (umbrella
brand)
Urban and spatial planning form the environment for repositioning the industrial
zone with the goal of variety and overlapping different uses. The central
location of the area with its clear borders and appropriate infrastructure for
the requirements, the lack of green areas, and the ensuing high soil sealing
and negative influence on the climate in the center of Bolzano (see Workshop
3) are the existing conditions.
The process of a new vision “The New Unten” is initiated by urban development
changes. This urban development process can begin by converting
industrial buildings to industrial landmarks with open uses (housing in a
historical building). Crucial for sustainable projects is a long-term perspective
for short- and mid-tem use (monitoring, project support). Dealing with
public and private spaces must be the focus. Vertical spatial planning will
play an increasingly important role when there is less available space. This
can be the starting point for developing a future-oriented building typology.
Undoubtedly a favorable starting point for communicating a “hip new district”,
for discovering new living spaces.
Quality of life
“mixed culture”
Housing-working-leisure
Cultural variety
“ Negative” industrial image (heavy industry
moving out)
“Positive” subculture (scope) increasing
Cultural division Ger/Ital
Mixed culture Ger+Ital
“Global Village”
experiment in progress
Variety of uses
Overlapping uses
Central location | Clear borders
Good infrastructure
Lack of green areas
High soil sealing
Negative impact on climate in city center
Urban planning = process
Change from industrial buildings to industrial
landmarks with open uses (living in a
historic building)
Long term perspectives for short- and medium-tem
use (monitoring, project support)
Vertical spatial planning
Dealing with free space
Experimental building typologies
New feeling of life Hip district
“ From Post-Industrialism to Süd-Tirolism”
Discovering new living space
workshops
47