Wohnen am Park E

LOCATION / HISTORY

In the 1980s, Saurer AG delivered the last truck in Arbon (canton of Thurgau). A design plan has existed for the former «Saurer Werk Zwei» since 2007, for this disused industrial site to be slowly transformed into a new city quarter of Arbon. In 2012, HRS Real Estate bought the plot covering a generous 200,000 m2, west of the train station, for continuous development, for example a 20,000 m2 municipal park and a walk named after Franz Saurer, founder of the Saurer company. In 2016, the first milestones on the «Saurer Werk Zwei» site were set: The «Hamel» project was launched with shops and loft apartments as well as a new Jumbo market. The «Presswerk Arbon» art and culture centre was inaugurated in September 2017. Since then, HRS Real Estate AG has continued to develop the site with other projects.

On the western edge of the site, where Saurer’s warehouses used to stand, the «Wohnen am Park» project described here was built, containing 18 owner-occupied and 63 rental apartments. Thanks to its proximity to the aforementioned new municipal park, Lake Constance and Arbon railway station, the apartments were very popular on the residential market.

DESIGN / ARCHITECTURE

The development consists of six buildings in total which are spread out in a well-balanced manner over a green area. The architect has ensured clear views in all directions with this alignment. The cleverly-arranged terrain gives the inner courtyard an attractive presence while creating a private area for each unit.

Both buildings to the west, with a direct view over the municipal park, contain 9 owner-occupied apartments with 2 to 4 bedrooms each. The other four buildings comprise 63 1-, 2- or 3-bedroom rental units. The comprehensive colour concept and the choice of materials pay homage to nature. Touches of green add accents, break up and structure the volume of the buildings with lighter and darker tints, add a lively feel and provide a means of navigation.

Horizontal, lightly protruding bands surround the buildings while ceiling-height windows accentuate the clear structure. The large terraces and balconies are noteworthy, as are additional garden areas of over 100 m2 on the ground floor. The upper floors each comprise generously-sized rooftop apartments with partly-covered outside spaces.

Both the floor plans and the interior fittings with top-quality oak parquet flooring reveal the architect’s love of detail and skill. This includes the clear separation of the living and sleeping areas with a corridor, which increases the quality of life and creates quiet islands or the storage space near the kitchen.

The development is built from classic concrete, with the ground floor placed one meter above the ground as a mezzanine floor as protection against flooding. The basement storey contains cellars and technical facilities as well as a central underground car park with direct access to the apartments.

The inner courtyard is crossed by fixed paths and gravel surfaces. The areas between these cannot be used as classic lawns, but serve purely as natural living spaces for trees and flowering plants. The free spaces for inhabitants can be found in the municipal park or on the shores of Lake Constance.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Toxic waste first had to be eliminated from the building site: old concrete elements from the former warehouses were exposed and dug out. The subsoil consists of soft, unstable layers with deposits of sand, lake clay and silt. The new building thus needed to be anchored using 300 posts in a 40-metre deep moraine, using a large drilling machine. The posts have a diameter of 600 mm and were filled with concrete on-site. During the static safeguarding of the building, it was necessary to constantly work in the groundwater. Despite this difficulty, the development was completed two months before the original deadline.

ENERGY CONCEPT / SUSTAINABILITY

The «Wohnen am Park» development corresponds to the strict standards of the Minergie label; certification itself was not sought. Energy is supplied using an environmentally-friendly district heating system. Separate connections to the Morgental energy park district heating were installed for the rental and owner-occupied apartments. The energy park, operated by Elektra Birseck Münchenstein (EBM), produces district heat mostly from sewage gasses from the ARA Morgental waste waters as well as from scrap wood.

The development’s flat roofs are covered extensively with greenery. Increased storage volume on the roofs ensures that rainwater flows into the drainage system with a time delay.