Zeitschrift
archithese 3.2011
Dichte
In contemporary discourse, hardly any urban development topic meets with greater acceptance than that of density. The postulate of a condensed city has become the antidote for a settlement structure characterised by suburbanisation and housing sprawl. The voracious consumption of land appears unabated in Switzerland as well, and it would be desirable, if at all possible, to turn the centrifugal tendencies into centripetal ones. Many factors speak in favour of densification: the compact, dense city is more sustainable in terms of energy, the cost of mobility is reduced and consumption of the landscape’s resources is curbed. Furthermore, the compact, non-functionally-segregated settlement structure is consistent with the attitude towards life held by an essentially middle-class core of European society. However, to some extent, structural densification is also caused by the fact that the amount of living space taken up by each member of the population is still growing and the number of single-person households has increased. Thus, the ambitious construction of new accommodation in the past decade in Zurich has barely provided any relief for the housing market.
Actually, as shown by a number of articles in this issue, it must be conceded that density cannot be taken as an absolute: density is not the answer to everything. Density resulting from maximum exploitation of real estate properties is no guarantee of a city worth living in. The qualities of Berlin, for example, arise more from the extensively under-used open spaces than from the profit-oriented city districts that were built almost overnight after the German reunification, and that by no means achieve the quality of life seen in the city districts from the 19th-century Founder Epoch. Therefore, it would be misleading to define density in purely quantitative terms. Ultimately, qualitative criteria are what matters, even though it is difficult to obtain a universal understanding of them. The city of the future will be rather like a patchwork of highly condensed and less condensed districts. Indeed, New York consists of more than just the high-rise neighbourhoods of Manhattan.
The fact that unchecked growth and high densification also cause problems is demonstrated by Asia’s mega-metropolises, the infrastructural systems of which have not kept up with the pace of concentration trends. Moreover, rural depopulation is emptying the backcountry, parts of which can no longer be farmed. Similar trends are also shaping Russia: while metropolises like Moscow are practically suffering a heart attack, small towns and rural regions are bleeding dry. Density is not only reaching its limits, it also has a downside. Anyone who talks only of the „European city“ is not looking at the whole picture.
The editors
04 Editorial
Architektur Aktuell
12 Christ & Gantenbein Architekten. Wohnhaus VoltaMitte, Basel | Elena Kossovskaja, Philippe Cabane
20 Valerio Olgiati. Auditorium an der Landwirtschaftsschule Plantahof in Landquart | Gespräch mit J. Christoph Bürkle
26 Valerio Olgiati. Neuer Zugang zum Grossen Rat des Kantons Graubünden in Chur | Gespräch mit J. Christoph Bürkle
Dichte
32 Urbane Kondensation. Ein Streiflicht zur Frage der Dichte im jüngeren Städtebau | Robert Kaltenbrunner
38 Enger zusammenleben. Die Zukunft der verdichteten Stadt | Markus Bogensberger
44 Wechselnde Dichte. Phasen von Ver- und Entdichtung in der Entwicklung Berlins | Jürgen Tietz
50 Nicht ganz dicht. Die räumiche Entwicklungsstrategie der Stadt Zürich | Patrick Gmür
58 Das Glücksblatt in der Magerwiese. Überbauung Klee in Zürich-Affoltern von Knapkiewicz & Fickert Architekten | Steffen Hägele
64 Glattalstudie. Die Gruppe Krokodil plant eine neue Stadt neben Zürich | Hubertus Adam
69 Das Prinzip Faltung oder: Die gescheiterte Hoffnung. Rebstockpark Frankfurt am Main | Uwe Hinkfoth
72 Wachstum, Flut und Fluch. Dhaka und Lagos: Dichte in gefährdeten Regionen Martin Zettel
Rubriken
80 Interview: Die existenzielle Dimension der Architektur | Hubertus Adam im Gespräch mit Christian Kerez
84 Junge Architektinnen und Architekten: bhend.klammer architekten | J. Christoph Bürkle
86 Buchrezension: Berliner Villenleben
88 Neues aus der Industrie
94 Lieferbare Hefte
96 Vorschau und Impressum
Actually, as shown by a number of articles in this issue, it must be conceded that density cannot be taken as an absolute: density is not the answer to everything. Density resulting from maximum exploitation of real estate properties is no guarantee of a city worth living in. The qualities of Berlin, for example, arise more from the extensively under-used open spaces than from the profit-oriented city districts that were built almost overnight after the German reunification, and that by no means achieve the quality of life seen in the city districts from the 19th-century Founder Epoch. Therefore, it would be misleading to define density in purely quantitative terms. Ultimately, qualitative criteria are what matters, even though it is difficult to obtain a universal understanding of them. The city of the future will be rather like a patchwork of highly condensed and less condensed districts. Indeed, New York consists of more than just the high-rise neighbourhoods of Manhattan.
The fact that unchecked growth and high densification also cause problems is demonstrated by Asia’s mega-metropolises, the infrastructural systems of which have not kept up with the pace of concentration trends. Moreover, rural depopulation is emptying the backcountry, parts of which can no longer be farmed. Similar trends are also shaping Russia: while metropolises like Moscow are practically suffering a heart attack, small towns and rural regions are bleeding dry. Density is not only reaching its limits, it also has a downside. Anyone who talks only of the „European city“ is not looking at the whole picture.
The editors
04 Editorial
Architektur Aktuell
12 Christ & Gantenbein Architekten. Wohnhaus VoltaMitte, Basel | Elena Kossovskaja, Philippe Cabane
20 Valerio Olgiati. Auditorium an der Landwirtschaftsschule Plantahof in Landquart | Gespräch mit J. Christoph Bürkle
26 Valerio Olgiati. Neuer Zugang zum Grossen Rat des Kantons Graubünden in Chur | Gespräch mit J. Christoph Bürkle
Dichte
32 Urbane Kondensation. Ein Streiflicht zur Frage der Dichte im jüngeren Städtebau | Robert Kaltenbrunner
38 Enger zusammenleben. Die Zukunft der verdichteten Stadt | Markus Bogensberger
44 Wechselnde Dichte. Phasen von Ver- und Entdichtung in der Entwicklung Berlins | Jürgen Tietz
50 Nicht ganz dicht. Die räumiche Entwicklungsstrategie der Stadt Zürich | Patrick Gmür
58 Das Glücksblatt in der Magerwiese. Überbauung Klee in Zürich-Affoltern von Knapkiewicz & Fickert Architekten | Steffen Hägele
64 Glattalstudie. Die Gruppe Krokodil plant eine neue Stadt neben Zürich | Hubertus Adam
69 Das Prinzip Faltung oder: Die gescheiterte Hoffnung. Rebstockpark Frankfurt am Main | Uwe Hinkfoth
72 Wachstum, Flut und Fluch. Dhaka und Lagos: Dichte in gefährdeten Regionen Martin Zettel
Rubriken
80 Interview: Die existenzielle Dimension der Architektur | Hubertus Adam im Gespräch mit Christian Kerez
84 Junge Architektinnen und Architekten: bhend.klammer architekten | J. Christoph Bürkle
86 Buchrezension: Berliner Villenleben
88 Neues aus der Industrie
94 Lieferbare Hefte
96 Vorschau und Impressum
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