Leipzig, Germany

TERZ

SMAQ

Leipzig aims to upgrade the inner city around the prominent Wintergarten Tower in direct proximity to the central station. SMAQ is proposing to integrate the Wintergarten Tower into an ensemble of buildings: TERZ. Two buildings are proposed to mediate the juxtaposition of the five story Victor’s Residenz Hotel at the Georgiring and the sudden verticality of the tower: one new building is built to reflect the height of the hotel, the other rises up gently towards the Wintergarten Tower. At the same time, the buildings are placed in such a way that they allow a direct visual connection between the square in front of the train station and the new urban space of the ensemble. While the new structures are programmed as a hotel and loft spaces for creative industries, the lower levels have public amenities like sport fields, playgrounds, and a pool which enhance the new and attractive character of the neighbourhood.

In the urban figure TERZ (“third”) two new buildings swirl around the existing “Wintergarden Tower” and meld themselves together as a grouping on an urban square; the ensemble of stacked buildings is sited within a context of high reference points. TERZ draws out the three-dimensional potential of the city – volumetrically and programmatically – and establishes a special place in a central location of Leipzig.

TERZ negotiates the particularity of the site between the inner city, which has large and partially public programs, on the one hand, and the “Grafischen Viertel” neighbourhood, which has mixed-use programs, on the other. This section of the city has diverse and, in part, conflicting requirements for the future development of this site. The challenges include maximizing floor space and permeability, as well as responding to the context and symbolism of the site.  In response to these goals, the proposed two L-shaped buildings following a two-fold strategy:  1. Verticality: high points allow the project to increase density in the neighbourhood accordingly, but without over-building. These buildings correspond to the verticality of the Wintergarden Tower and create an ensemble. As such, the site is established as a distinct place in the inner city. The building heights are also stepped down in order to frame a perspective view towards the train station and Viktor’s Residenzhotel. 2. Horizontality: The bottom 3 to 4 storeys of the buildings form bases which organize the street space. They are aligned with the contours and heights of the neighbouring, and thus form urban block edges. The street edge of Wintergartenstrasse is recreated and Querstrasse becomes a distinct space of its own. The two proposed buildings create an interface between the “Grafischen Viertel” and the inner city. These Horizontal and Vertical strategies create public spaces with pedestrian pathways in the “Grafischen Viertel.” It is thus simultaneously a gateway into the city and a destination.

A total of 17,500 m² gross floor area is generated on the site in the two buildings: one with staggered heights of 3 and 13 storeys, the other with staggered heights of 4 and 8 storeys.

Europaconcorsi Beta

TERZ