In Tübingen gestaltet OOW ein denkmalgeschütztes Quartier so um, dass es sich vielseitig nutzen lässt: Hier entstehen neben Wohnungen auch hochspezialisierte Laborräume für das Biopharma-Unternehmen CureVac – und für die Tübinger ein wild begrünter Innenhof mit Dschungelcharakter.
How can an old industrial site be brought into the modern age – and used in a wide variety of ways? This was the task facing OOW in Tübingen, where it designed a quarter that offers both affordable living and highly specialised research.
To this end, a former textile factory – the Egeria – is being extended by several new buildings, creating research laboratories, offices as well as flats (mostly subsidised housing). The buildings are connected by bridges through the OOW concept, so that residents and visitors can move easily from one building to the next.
What is more: this is not a screened-off site, but an accessible, public place. With a wildly planted courtyard whose plants are barely trimmed or pruned: a little mini-jungle for everyone – and at one of Baden-Württemberg's iconic locations.
The requirements for the laboratories needed by the future tenant CureVac are high – in terms of ventilation or hygiene, for example. In addition, the biopharmaceutical company must also be able to receive deliveries here without complication. OOW's architecture had to strike a balance: state-of-the-art workplaces for scientists and respect for an industrial building that is in fact a national monument.
The name Egeria is known to everyone in the university town: textiles were manufactured in the building for decades. At its peak, around 1,500 workers made hand and bath towels as well as bathrobes here. Almost all Tübingen residents have a connection to this icon – as does OOW founder and Tübingen native Mathis Malchow, whose mother used to buy the terry towels for the whole family at the Egeria.
However, the fact that many residents have emotions associated with this building complex was not only a special incentive for OOW. At the same time, the ideas had to be coordinated with many stakeholders – for example, the façade with the city’s design advisory board. “Once again, our early and speedy visualisations paid off,” says OOW CEO Malchow. This made it much easier for the advisory board members to understand how the new buildings would relate to the monument. It soon became clear: The design does justice to the historic building and lifts it into the modern era. In addition, the redesign arms the houses against possible risks in the future: Because Tübingen is located in a hazard area, the neighbourhood was designed to be protected against earthquakes and floods.
The special planting does not only make the building greener – this is also true in a figurative sense. In the basement, a so-called mobility hub is being created with lockers for high-quality bicycles, showers and changing rooms as well as a workshop for repairs. Parking spaces for e-bikes are of course planned, as are charging facilities powered by renewable energy.
