Transition Studio 2.0 --------> Precedent Studies Pratt Institute:: Graduate Architecture and Urban Design
Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord LATZ + Partner (landscape); Peter A. Poelzig, Pahl + Weber-Pahl, Bahr und Spitzenboom, Baucoop Arthur Mandler, Düster & von Büttner, Günter Lipkowsky (architecture) It was the city of Duisburg that suggested the abandoned Thyssen blast furnace plant be selected for the IBA Emscher Park project in 1989. Built in 1903 and used to manufacture iron for 82 years, it was not demolished after closing due to public protest. The complex was purchased with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia’s property fund. Teams of landscape architects were invited to the site to brainstorm. Many of the buildings were kept, including the blast furnace plant as well as ladder tracks and infrastructure. The site is now a mixture of designed and wild areas. Sports facilities and playgrounds liven up the old industrial structures. The gasometer was filled with water for the purpose of diving. The blast furnace is utilized as an open-air theatre/opera/film stage, as are the former gas turbine and machine halls. British engineer Jonathan Park has been creating art out of the complex every night since 1996 with his lighting installation. Different colors and specific types of LED lamp highlight components of the buildings. The lighting can also be customized to suit events.
BETA VERSION
Since IBA concluded in 1999, an administration building has been converted into a youth hostel, and the site’s rail station has been recomissioned to serve as a transition point for tourists arriving by train. The park is open for twenty-four hours daily, and attracts 700,000 visitors per year.