REGENSBURG QUARTER NUREMBERG
Behles & Jochimsen have designed a new neighbourhood in Nuremberg. Located directly adjacent to the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds, nearly 400 affordable flats, along with supplementary uses, have been created. The guiding principle was: city, not settlement! The site, situated between a railway line and the main road towards Regensburg, had excellent transport links but lacked urban integration. It was therefore crucial that the new neighbourhood develop a strong identity of its own.
The “Regensburger Quarter” was completed in autumn 2024. The developer was Siedlungswerk Nürnberg, a company owned by the State of Bavaria, whose mission is to provide affordable housing. 381 flats, offices, commercial spaces and a family centre were created. Already in 2016 Behles & Jochimsen, together with TOPOS landscape architects, had won the urban design competition.
Now completed, the "Regensburger Quarter" presents itself as a colourful and diverse neighbourhood. The buildings appear related, yet distinct. The variation in building heights emphasises corners and gateways; to the east, a low-tech high-rise marks the city's entrance. Kinks in the layouts and varied façades create a lively, dynamic image. By articulating the individual houses the architects aimed at encouraging identification and communication between neighbours in this highly diverse community.
The 35 buildings are arranged into four manageable blocks, separated by narrow lanes. At the centre lies a small square with shops and a café. Here, too, is the family centre which mediates in scale between the new buildings and the existing terraced houses. They are part of a listed complex designed by leading Nazi architect Albert Speer. As a reaction to the uniformity and anti-urban nature of that earlier settlement the ambition of the architects was: As much city as possible! And despite financial constraints, every opportunity for differentiation was welcome.
The area surrounding the quarter is very noisy. A closed perimeter development with noise-protection layouts, as well as a parking garage, a heat plant and an office building along the railway line, help to shield the noise. A ring road around the quarter keeps most cars out. Noise considerations influenced not only the masterplan and layouts, but also building structures. Walls are made from sand-lime brick, floors are in concrete. The windows had to be as small as possible. Due to the thick insulation, they are set deep into the walls. This led to a characteristic design feature, the wide window reveals and two-tone frames that enlarge and ennoble the wall openings. A rough, through-coloured scratch render underscores the massiveness of the buildings.
Despite the high standard of finish, the overall costs were rather low. The structural works were very cost-effective because the building forms are simple, despite the variations in plan and height. Raised ground floors reduced expensive earthworks and enhanced the quality of the lowest flats. Few basic layouts were repeatedly used in various combinations. The number of bespoke details was minimised. This gave room to invest in better materials, f. e. local natural stone and timber doors in the stairwells. Nearly half of the flats are subsidised, but there is no differentiation in the standard of accommodation between subsidised and private flats.
Significant investment was also made in ecological aspects: the neighbourhood was built to the German Efficiency House 55 standard, and the heating plant supplies electricity and heating based on biogas. Despite the high density, all rainwater is allowed to infiltrate naturally on-site. The forest edge surrounding the neighbourhood was enhanced. The courtyards benefit from mature trees, which were painstakingly preserved, alongside extensive new planting.
CREDITS
Limited open urban design competition 2016, 1st Prize (with TOPOS)
Urban masterplan 2016–2017 (with TOPOS)
Architectural design and realisation 2018–2024
Developer and Client: Siedlungswerk Nürnberg GmbH
Architecture: Behles & Jochimsen
Landscape Architecture: TOPOS, Berlin
Tendering and Construction Management: GAPP, Munich
Artworks: Martin Wöhrl, Munich; S. Kuhn and C. Ruckdeschel, Nuremberg
