Rorschach: Architectural competition for Feldmühle site decided
Steiner AG and the Steiner Investment Foundation want to develop an inner-city quarter on the Feldmühle site in Rorschach (SG). A project by Baumberger & Stegmeier Architekten from Zurich won the competition.
Since July 2017, the Steiner Investment Foundation and its Swiss Development Residential investment group have owned the Feldmühle site in Rorschach, where the world's largest machine embroidery factory once stood. Together with the city, a concept was developed for the site, which has been vacant since 2015, based on the "Seestadt Rorschach" urban development program. According to this, a quarter with mixed uses for residential and commercial purposes is to be created.
Seven project proposals were submitted in an architectural competition; the jury recommended the project by the firm Baumberger & Stegmeier Architekten for further work. "The project is convincing because of the individual characters of the various buildings and the diverse possibilities for use," says Beat Käser, project manager at Steiner. The placement of the buildings is overlaid by a green outdoor space that connects the buildings and the inner courtyards in between.
Commercial and public uses on the first floors enliven the open area, which can be traversed via alleys and stairways. Individual buildings of historical value and identity are to be preserved and placed in context with new buildings. Around 40 percent each of condominiums and rental apartments are planned. The remaining 20 percent of the area is earmarked for commercial use.
A rezoning is necessary so that apartments can be built on the Feldmühle site. The project by Baumberger & Stegmeier Architekten will serve as the basis for this and for the future design of the site, Steiner says. The architectural quality from the competition is to be secured by means of a design plan in which, among other things, building dimensions, use, architecture, accessibility and environmental design are bindingly regulated. If the project proceeds smoothly, completion is planned for 2025.
"For our foundation and the pension funds affiliated with us, the Feldmühle site development is one of the most significant and innovative lighthouse projects in the portfolio," says Ralf Labrenz, CEO of the Steiner Investment Foundation. (ah)
