” Skyscrapers “deal effective property and office space in cities– and influence the appearance of a city like hardly any other structure, both in the instant surroundings and from afar. “In planning, this impact must be thought about with specific care, for instance near historical churches or in interaction with other crucial urban aspects. At the same time, high‑rise buildings can produce a connection to the broader urban context, for example by framing a square or marking a spatial border in between neighbourhoods. To do justice to their special function, an overarching idea is needed,” explains adj. Prof. Michael Schwarz, describing the choice of this year’s topic, which he and adj. Prof. Olaf Schmidt collaborated with the City of Dortmund.
The 2 architects collectively launched the International Spring Academy in 2013. In a ten‑day workshop, trainees develop new ideas for real planning areas in cross‑university groups, accompanied by teaching personnel from the participating European universities. This process produces international networks and relationships that accompany students into their professional lives: for instance, Italian alumni of the program have joined German architecture firms after finishing their studies.
Analysis of Central Districts
This time, the aspiring architects analyzed the Wallring and the B1 area between the Schnettker Bridge and the B236 in depth and established high‑rise principles based on the problems they recognized. “The teams found that the Wallring, which largely follows the historic city walls, has more than time been changed into a pure traffic path and now acts nearly like a barrier between the town hall and the surrounding property districts– both spatially and economically,” describes Michael Schwarz. “To enhance the central city, some trainee groups for that reason designed a framing of the major traffic gain access to points with high‑rise structures, recalling the old city gates.”
The B1 also brings many individuals through Dortmund every day, but can only be crossed at a few points, implying it separates metropolitan areas rather than inviting individuals into them. The trainees therefore developed a wide range of propositions that share a typical objective, says Michael Schwarz: “Since the federal highway likewise forms an essential east‑west axis at the regional level and connects high‑traffic destinations such as the Westfalenhallen or the arena, the groups included the city boundaries architecturally to offer tourists a strong first impression and an unforgettable final picture of Dortmund through brand-new visual accents. In addition, they integrate the B1 into the metropolitan context by using individual high‑rise buildings to produce targeted relationships with nearby neighbourhoods, for instance at the Westfalenpark.”
Exchange With the City
As part of the final critique on 11 March, the trainees openly presented their designs at the Baukunstarchiv NRW. This year, the groups dealt with true‑to‑scale 3D computer designs due to the large dimensions included; these had been prepared by TU students in a joint semester workshop. The final paperwork is likewise offered to the city each year. Olaf Schmidt states: “The extensive exchange creates numerous benefits for both sides. The students take advantage of practice‑oriented deal with existing urban‑development topics. Through the general public presentation of the outcomes, individual tasks or appropriate parts of them may flow into additional considerations of the preparation administration or at least supply motivation.” Another International Spring Academy is planned for 2027.