The Green Heart

Bad Lobenstein (DE) - Runner-up

TEAM DATA

Associates: Sebastian Plötner (DE) – architect
Contributor: Lisa Heiderich (DE), Laura Wietschorke (DE), Pascal Florian Mänz (DE) – students in architecture, Marvin Schaller (DE), Jasmin Micke (DE), Annerieke Busch (DE), Marcel Andre Höhnlein (DE) – students in landscape

thegreenheart_BL@web.de/

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TEAM PORTRAIT

VIDEO (by the team)

INTERVIEW
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1. How do you define the main issue of your project in relation with the theme “Living Cities Imagining architecture taking care of the milieus”? And in which way do you think your project can contribute to an ecological and/or social evolution?
Bad Lobenstein is a small moorland spa in the region „Thüringer Wald“ which, like many villages in this region, is severely affected by demographic change. With the design "Green Heart", we want to give Bad Lobenstein an appealing and inviting appearance with the help of contemporary open space design, blue-green infrastructure and modern architecture. This will attract young people to the region.

2. How did the issues of your design and the questions raised by the site mutation meet?
In order to make the village more attractive to young people, the existing green spaces and points of interest will be connected to each other via green arteries. New buildings will be constructed along this green infrastructure to create training and work opportunities in the medical sector. The existing potential of Bad Lobenstein, especially that of the green spaces, is now fully utilized.

PROJECT:

3. Have you treated these issues previously? What were the reference projects that inspired yours?
The problem of demographic change is not new in Thuringia, which is why we were already dealing with it before our EUROPAN 17 participation. However, the individual conditions on site and the ideas of the city representatives have also brought new challenges. We were also inspired by the projects Therapeutic Park Brilon, Forest Park Bad Lippspringe and Tannenhof in Bayerischzell.

SITE:

Overview of the lake with the old town in the background

The current parking lot of the ARDESIA thermal bath

The ARDESIA thermal bath with the caravan pitches

4. How can your project be implemented together with the actors through a negotiated process and in time. How did you consider this issue in your project?
We have already given some thought to the implementation during processing. The first step is to reactivate the potential areas. This will be followed by the establishment of a therapeutic landscape so that Bad Lobenstein can retain its status as a health resort. The next step is to renovate the existing architecture. Finally, the long-term preservation of the facilities must be ensured.

REFERENCES:

5. How did you form the team for the competition and if so what are the skills you associated?
Our team formed through an interdisciplinary project between architecture and landscape architecture during our master studies. The different courses of studies were crucial for our project and led to a diverse field of expertise and skills which benefited each other during work.

6. How could this prize help you in your professional career?
Being awarded with a winning prize at EUROPAN 17 has been an honor for all of us. It serves as a reaffirmation regarding our interests and shows that the collaboration between architecture and landscape architecture can be of great importance. Our winning proposal will hopefully help us in the applications after our studies and lead to more exposure at the start of our professional careers.

TEAM IDENTITY
Legal status:
Team name:
Average age of the associates: 25 years old

Has your team, together or separately, already conceived or implemented some projects and/or won any competition? if so, which ones?
No