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Wehrle Planing

The Wehrle-Charette - Development plans up to 2025

The Factory and the College inside the Wehrle-Werk

Looking at the present stock of the Wehrle plant from the roof view gives a good overview. Of particular interest here is first of all Hall 2, visible here through the light blue roof on the left side of the plant site. According to the results of the charrette Emmendingen insebsondere the areas west of hall 2 and the western third of hall 2 could be used for the university. In addition, the southern quarter of the hall should be able to be included as an area.

To the left of Hall 2, the old boiler house can be seen, which is to be demolished and would thus provide an open area, a space for the university. The old factory canteen on the left edge of this square could also be used by the university as a meeting and dining hall.


As-built plan 2012
Bestandsplan 2012

 

Of great importance for a redesign of the plant site are the existing open spaces on the right side of the plan towards Moltkestraße.

In a first phase by 2015, a new hall could be built on this side of the plant site by first demolishing the small Hall 10. The deconstruction of further buildings and sheds including the boiler house will create a square or open space (green) for the university on the left side, which can be used for different purposes, for exhibitions and research but also as a public space for all Emmendingen residents.

 

Masterplan 2015
Masterplan 2015

The measures on the right (eastern) side are to be seen as the most important urban development change. Until now, residents had an unrestricted view of the open warehouse, the crane operation and the loading and unloading processes with corresponding noise. This situation will be improved in terms of urban development by the structural closure of the plant site.

The current entrance for heavy transports to the plant premises on Schlosserstraße is made by dismantling the existing fences. This creates the problem that transporters often have to wait in Schlosserstraße east of Moltkestraße while the fence is dismantled.

The plan, as shown in the 2015 Masterpla, is to construct office buildings (three-story plus extended roof) in the form of a perimeter block development along Moltkestraße and Hochburger Straße. This ensemble forms a work yard that protects the surrounding residential development from potential noise. The crane is relocated to the yard and can thus hardly be seen or heard.

The design of the office buildings is designed to fit into the existing structure of the neighborhood and form a harmonious ensemble.

To address the issue of transportation disturbance to residents on Schlosser Street, a new entrance gate is provided on Hochburger Street that leads directly into the new plant yard. The gate itself is set back to provide approximately 20 feet of standing room for the transporter. This standing area ensures that Hochburger Strasse will not be blocked by any heavy transporters.

Masterplan 2020

Masterplan 2020


The Master Plan 2020 shows the development of the area between Hall 5 and Markgrafenstrasse.

Here, the old buildings with social and washrooms as well as the 3 buildings in which the offices are still located today will be demolished after the construction of the new perimeter block development along Hochburger Straße, Moltkestraße and Schlosserstraße.

This deconstruction creates more open, research, teaching and experimental space for the university.

Masterplan 2025
Masterplan 2025

5 years later, the site has developed significantly. The Master Plan 2025 shows the development of the site between Hall 5 and Markgrafenstrasse. Here, the last two old buildings are being demolished (on the left behind the Bismarkstr. entrance) to make room for a new expansion of the university. A new building along Bismarckstrasse will serve as additional living space for the university's students.

Masterplan 2025 - Roof top with opening of the Mühlbach-brook in the university part
Masterplan 2025 - Öffnung des Mühlbachs

The areas of the planned European College of Human Ecology are kept in sand tone. The newly developed areas and the new access roads to the Wehrle plant are shown in light gray.

The plan shows a public path between the corner at the parking garage and the corner of Bismarkstraße/Markgrafenstraße, leading through the halls of the university, along the course of the Mühlbach. The brook could be partially reopened, or symbolized as a shallow linear "Bächle" the original course. Dividing the halls allows the college to establish and expand in phases. The college's individual building sections could also be connected by glass bridges on the upper floors.

As a result, the Wehrle-Werke will fit into the cityscape in a much more compact way and at the same time will be better closed off from the outside. In contrast, the university's site will be far more open and better connected to the city center.

How harmoniously it could fit the facades of the Wehrle-Werke into the streetscape of Hochburgstrasse is conveyed by the following two planning variants.

 

Facade of the Wehrle-Werks in the Hochburger Straße
Fassaden Hochburgstrasse

 

The top two rows show the location and views of all existing buildings along Hochburger Strasse.

At present, as the second row from the top shows, the facades of the existing buildings appear very massive, unattractive, and unrelated to the human scale. Individual facades could certainly be attractive. However, in the context of the dominant halls and the parking garage, the effect is lost. Each building stands alone and the halls do not form a cohesive ensemble.

 

The two bands below show design options that could be used here, depending on price and feasibility, to achieve a more attractive streetscape. The individual facade elements of each building need to be emphasized in the context of its neighbors. In this way, the massive overall structure of the plant's facade would be broken down into highlighted elements that would dignify the individual buildings and thus harmonize the overall effect.