Freiburg-Rieselfeld „Women Plan and Build - and not only for women“
The project in the new urban district of Freiburg-Rieselfeld implements theoretical standards on gender-friendly architecture and urban planning in a residential facility with 68 residential and several commercial units in an exemplary fashion.
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Context
Source: Dagmar Zschocke, Karlsruhe
On the west urban fringe of Freiburg, the new urban district of Rieselfeld has been in development for around 10,000 residents since 1991. The city extension project was a reaction to the increasing housing requirements of the time. The urban district was designed around the concept of avoiding the shortcomings of existing large housing estates and making a contribution to filling functional gaps in house building. The principles which made up the urban district's overall concept included principles for gender-friendly planning.
Project description
Source: U.E. Müller
As part of citizen involvement, a women's initiative developed a "catalogue for female-oriented planning" which was primarily oriented to the usage value of the housing and the housing environment. This particularly involved the accessibility of facilities, short distances between home and work, the adaptability and utilization neutrality of the housing layouts, children-friendly arrangement of public and semi-public development and open areas and also the promotion of neighbourly and community-oriented life.
In 1993, this initiative founded the organisation "Stadt & Frau e.V." (City and Woman) whose aim is to practically implement theoretical priniciples. Between 1996 and 2001, three four-storey buildings were built on a central piece of land for a women's housing project with 68 flats in total. These include both publicly funded rental flats and occupant-owned flats, and also freely financed units. 40 residential units were completed in the first and second building phases. In the third building phase, 28 flats and three commercial units were built on the basis of the winning design from a female architects' competition.
The range of housing is characterised by its great variety. The flats with between 31 and 116 m2 (with 1 to 5 rooms) each have a central combined living room and kitchen or a multi-purpose family room. They are made up of rooms which are almost the same size but can be divided or combined at will or supplemented by optional rooms and largely dispense with transport areas. 450 m2 communal areas in the entrance area and on the top floor with access to the roof terrace and the generously dimensioned access balcony way allow child-friendly and community-oriented living.
Intensive neighbourly relationships have formed thanks to the joint planning and construction process. The housing facility is now being self-run by the residents in the form of the "Genossenschaft Stadt & Frau e.G." (Society of City and Woman). The Housing Office carries the occupation rights for the funded flats and cooperates closely with the society.
The project is characterised - according to those involved - by a high level of satisfaction with the housing on the part of the residents, and by social stability, and takes on an important integrating role in the urban district.
Project chronology
Year | Event |
---|---|
1993 | Founding of "Stadt & Frau e.V.", development of the project idea |
1995 to 1996 | Female architects' competition |
1996 | Founding of "Wohnungsbaugenossenschaft Stadt & Frau e.G." |
1996 to 1998 | Completion and habitation of the 1st and 2nd construction phases |
1998 to 2001 | Completion and habitation of the 3rd construction phase |
Aims
Source: www.thor-klauser.de
- Implementation of gender-oriented principles in housing:
- Infrastructure facilities accessible at short distances
- Mixture of living and working
- Adaptability to different life concepts and phases
- Integration of different social groups and generations
- Range of space for co-existence with a changed understanding of roles
- Promotion of neighbourly living
- Buildings designed to promote communication and be child-friendly
- Differentiated green area and access system
- Resource-conserving and energy-saving construction
Types of measures
Source: Ramesh Amruth, Freiburg
- Involvement of tenants and owners in planning and administration
- Construction of varied housing types with usage-neutral layouts and optional rooms
- Concept of housing which is suitable for everyday use, with central combined living room and kitchen or family room
- Well-visible, clear stairways and access balconies
- Communal rooms for self-organised usage
- Free and green areas with sight and vocal contact to the flats
Organisation in a housing society
Accredited with the 2nd prize in the competition "Wohnen mit Kindern" (Living with Children) organised by the federal state of Baden-Württemberg (2002)
Innovations
Source: www.thor-klauser.de
With this "Frauenwohnprojekt" (Women's Housing Project) is can be seen that principles of gender-oriented planning can lead to a high-quality and varied range of housing and communally usable areas. The society organisation, combined with the mixed occupancy, leads to a stable, integrative neighbourhood.
Sources
- Humpert, Klaus (Ed.) (1997): Stadterweiterung: Freiburg Rieselfeld. Modell für eine wachsende Stadt. (City Extension: Freiburg-Rieselfeld. Model for a Growing City.) Stuttgart.
- Müller, Ursula E.; Bert, Renate (2002): Frauen setzen neue Maßstäbe. Deutschlands größtes Frauenbauprojekt entstand im Freiburger Rieselfeld. (Women set new benchmarks. Germany's biggest women's construction project took place in Freiburg-Rieselfeld) In: RaumPlanung 104, October 2002
- Zibell, Barbara (Ed.) (2001): Auf den zweiten Blick. Städtebauliche Frauenprojekte im Vergleich. (At a second glance. Urban development women's projects in comparison) (no place given)
- Arbeitsgemeinschaft Baden-Württembergischer Bausparkassen (2001): Wohnen mit Kindern, Öffentliche Räume/Wohnräume/Spielräume. (Living with Children, Public Spaces/Living Spaces/Play Areas)
Further information
- Sabine Reben, Die familien – und frauengerechte Gestaltung der Wohnung, Wohnen und Bauen aus Sicht von Familien und Frauen (The family and female-oriented housing design, living and building from the viewpoint of families and women), Verband der Wohnungswirtschaft in Niedersachsen und Bremen (Association for housing economy in Lower Saxony and Bremen), Lower Saxon Ministry for Women, Labour and Social Affairs (2000)
- Petra Preuß, Prof. Dr. sc. techn. Barbara Zibell [Ed.], good practices, Praxisbeispiele zum Thema Wohnen und Versorgung (Practical examples on the subject of living and provision)
- Zweckverband Großraum Braunschweig (ZGB), Faculty for Architecture + Landscape, Institute for History and Theory, Dept. Planning and Architecture Sociology, University of Hanover (July 2005)
- ExWoSt research project: Gender mainstreaming in urban development, >> more information
The projekt site ist to be found at postal code: 79111 - town: Freiburg - street: Adelheid-Steinmannstraße 4.
Poject site on Google-Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/cA7Bo2RNYEv
Last update: 26.02.2018