R:27 | Winter Semester 2022/23
At the end of the winter semester, the Faculty of Architecture - Urban Planning - Landscape Planning at the University of Kassel once again hosted the semester exhibition Rundgang. From February 7 to 9, 2023, students and lecturers provided insights into their semester projects on the ASL campus and in the city.
With over 40 projects and other contributions from seminars, the Rundgang exhibition offered an enormous variety of concepts, planning ideas and designs in the context of the city, open space and landscape. Numerous projects addressed key current issues relating to climate change, biodiversity and sustainable land use.
The R:27 Rundgang exhibition was organized by academic and student employees from the Departments of Landscape Development / Environmental and Planning Law under the direction of Prof. Andreas Mengel.
Detailed information on the exhibited projects and the programme can be found in the exhibition magazine on the R:ein website.
Impressions R:27
Selection of Projects
Back to the future climate - Kassels Stadtklima im Wandel der Zeit
Back to the Future Climate - Kassel's Urban Climate through the Ages
Rising temperatures, in particular the increase in hot days (≥30°C), more drought in summer and the increased occurrence of heavy rainfall events are more and more becoming the focus of architecture, urban and landscape planning. Urban heat islands with higher temperatures in built-up areas are already occurring in medium-sized cities such as Kassel, further increasing the risk of heat stress. But to what extent is the City of Kassel adapted to climate change? What has been the heat risk on the University of Kassel campus in the past and today? And what role did and does the University of Kassel play in urban climate and climate change adaptation?
Sixteen Bachelor and Master students of architecture, urban and regional planning and landscape architecture and landscape planning (ASL) have compiled and analized existing climate and weather data, historical city maps and previous scientific studies and developed them further using simulations in order to make local statements on climate change. Students looked at the City of Kassel's climate change adaptation concept on the one hand and examined individual buildings and structures on the University of Kassel campus on the other.
Both the City of Kassel and the University of Kassel have been dealing with the topic of urban climate and climate change adaptation for some time. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement for both, e.g. in terms of the concrete implementation of measures. There is still an urgent need for adaptation in Kassel to counter the advancing climate change with its many risks such as forest fires, soil erosion, heavy rainfall and, last but not least, heat.
The project is part of the exhibition series "The Kassel Model". In June 2023, the results will be shown in a joint exhibition with the project "Stadtnatur Kassel - Lessons Learned?" in the ASL1 foyer.
Lecturers
Prof. Britta Jänicke, Department of Environmental Meteorology
Dr. René Burghardt, Department of Landscape Planning and Communication
Gewässer und Auen in der Region Frankfurt-Rhein-Main
Water Bodies and Floodplains in the Frankfurt-Rhine-Main Region
As the "lifelines" of landscapes, streams and their floodplains are of particular importance as habitats for numerous animal and plant species and as reference axes for the biotope network. They form cold and fresh air conduits, natural floodplains or, as alluvial soils, often have high soil fertility. Water bodies and floodplains also form important natural open spaces that are of great importance for experiencing nature and for recreation, especially in populated areas and areas close to settlements. The functions mentioned correlate with different demands on streams and floodplains from nature conservation, water management, agriculture, urban land-use planning and recreation, which regularly lead to conflicts, but can also be usefully combined (synergies).
The heatwaves and droughts of recent years have shown us how precious water is and how endangered water bodies and aquatic life are. The devastating consequences of heavy rainfall and flooding also show how high the (potential) risks posed by water are. These challenges, which are increasing as a result of climate change, require practical concepts to be reviewed and adapted. Nature conservation and landscape conservation have the task of developing concepts for objectives and (types of) measures for water bodies and floodplains that take into account the above-mentioned functions, consider the requirements of neighbouring areas and are effective in terms of climate protection and climate adaptation.
Lecturers
Prof. Andreas Mengel, Dr. phil. Dipl.-Ing. Markus Schwarzer, Department Landscape Development / Environmental and Planning Law
Less: Heat - C³ City Climate Canopies
The studio accompanies a design process in the context of structural design, global warming and urban planning. With a focus on structural design, the aim is to develop a workflow that ultimately allows a schematic design of a convertible roof, including pre-dimensioning, to be realized. The focus here is on interdisciplinarity and the consideration of various collaborations and their further development in detail. The inclusion of the collaborations and their detailed working methods for the development of a roof at a specific location in terms of construction, climatic conditions and urban planning aspects also plays a role, as does the use of various programs that accompany and allow the process to be viewed in a technical sense.
The topic of the urban heat island effect is an additional component of the project. The aim is to reduce heat islands at the university locations by means of various convertible structural designs. The use of textile components such as shirts, shirts, pants etc.: In the context of the heading "Return to Sender", textiles that have succumbed to the "fast fashion industry" and therefore no longer correspond to a circular return and are actually downcycled are to be used.
Lecturers
Prof. Julian Lienhard, M.Sc. Dongyuan Liu, M. Sc. Gregor Grünkorn, Department of Structural Design
Zirkuläre Stadt - Hamburg Langenhorn
Circular City - Hamburg Langenhorn
The growth of major European cities continues unabated, but there is a lack of space for inward development. The history of European cities shows that individual buildings or entire city segments have repeatedly fallen into disuse. Such urban obsolescence has always formed the basis for the palimpsest on which our cities are built. Megatrends such as digitalization, changes in mobility or religiosity are their drivers today. Their effect on space creates a significant reservoir for the circular city that does not consume any new space.
Lecturers
Prof. Stefan Rettich, Department of Urban Design
Prof. Ariane Röntz, Department of Landscape Architecture | Design