ZOLLVEREIN ESSEN
Oplevering in 2006
Samen met landschapsarchitecten Planergruppe Oberhausen, Livht Kunst Licht uit Bonn en F1rstdesign uit Köln hebben we de opdracht gekregen om het park van Zollverein aan te leggen. Observatorium legt zich op het bouwen van OMNI's: sculpturale portiershuizen bij de ingangen van het park.
Hieronder een persbericht van de Entwicklungsgesellschaft van Zollverein
Zollverein is a product of the former regional heavy-industry – which doesn’t necessarily mean that the mine and the coking-plant are to be found in grey, dull and desolate surroundings. On the contrary: today’s World Heritage is surrounded by a far-reaching area of forest and green. When Zollverein was still operating in its original function, these large grounds were used as storage space and for delivery of resources. The local vegetation adapted to the conditions: a landscape developed with its very own character, which now accurately is called “industry-landscape”. This nature, together with the ensemble of Shaft XII, Shaft 1/2/8, the coking-plant and the connected settlements, are all part of the World Heritage which was put under monumental protection.
This “industry-forest” with its diverse flora, is being made accessible for guests and is an ideal enrichment to the existing and developing program at Zollverein. The preservation as a “monument” and as a heritage is highly respected and should not be changed – only new connections, means of transport and orientations will be added, which will mean a better connection between the World Heritage and the north of Essen.
One of the most important new elements will be a promenade around the former factory premises. Together with the already accessible transport bridges, it will open many new possibilities to experience the area from completely new perspectives. – or just to go jogging or rollerblading. Here the old railways play a big role: the section of tracks, arranged in a form similar to a harp, were the connection from the shaft facilities to the mine and the coking plant. This so called “rail-harp” will be preserved – thus the former transportation infrastructure will become a recreational infrastructure. The central point of the industrial landscape is the dump between Shaft XII and the coking plant, which invites you to relax and hang out – in the direct vicinity of Ulrich Rückriem’s monumental granite installation.
The newly designed industrial landscape of Zollverein has more to offer: in addition to an innovative path and directional system, a completely new lighting concept, including solar-fed accent lighting, is planned, which will make the landscape a place of visual discovery at night. This well-conceived project is based upon plans of the renowned office for landscape-architecture Agence Ter. The realisation is being carried out through the strong cooperation between the communication and landscape-agencies Planergruppe Oberhausen, F1RSTDESIGN, Licht Kunst Licht and Observatorium.
