Double success in VDI design competition for students from the University of Stuttgart

The jury meeting and award ceremony for the VDI design competition on the topic "Rooftop Living - CentrO - Sustainable Transformation of Parking Decks in Neue Mitte Oberhausen" took place on June 30, 2023. 

The competition explored the question of if and how underutilized parking deck areas can be transformed into residential space in the course of the mobility transition and what potential lies in the conversion of unattractive inner-city traffic areas through contemporary inner-city densification. Specifically, the project involved the transformation of large-area parking decks in the Neue Mitte Oberhausen, adjacent to the CentrO leisure and shopping center. 

For the competition, participants from various universities in Germany and Austria presented their solutions. With their excellent designs, the two winning teams from the Institute for Design and Construction (IEK) stood out from the crowd. Third place went to RWTH Aachen. Two special recognitions went to the Vienna University of Technology.

In addition to the architectural-building design concept, the most important structural details were also required as part of the design to show how the conceived concept could be transformed into reality. In addition, the design must also apply solutions for flexible, sustainable, and resource-efficient construction to create livable spaces for residents and visitors. This proved to be a complex and far-reaching challenge.

The designs submitted by students from the University of Stuttgart were very diverse and were characterized by a high standard of design and creative approaches to finding solutions. Criteria such as design and construction quality, technical building equipment and the energy concept were all taken into account. Furthermore, sustainability, energy efficiency, the integral approach and how to deal with the existing building, as well as the deconstruction concept were evaluated.

All six entries from Stuttgart were shortlisted and invited to Düsseldorf for the award ceremony. In the end, two of the design groups from Stuttgart prevailed. The team comprising Youssef Alshalal, Matthias Fitzner, Niklas Oettinger, Marcel Spielvogel and Jan Widmaier took first place. Their design, "The Valley," stood out due to its cohesive and coherent concept, clear representation of housing types, and potential feasibility. The team received EUR 2,000 prize money.

The second prize of EUR 1,500 euros, went to Kazim Bilgi, Sina Drechsler, Justine Niemitz, Simon Theisen, Felix Queck and Evelyn Schurig. Their design "Over the Top" scored particularly highly for its clear structure and landmark character. 

Supervision of the design work:
Dr. Franz Arlart, Dr. Christian Dehlinger (Institute for Design and Construction)
Alexander Enders (Institute of Structural Design, Institute Director: Prof. Ulrike Kuhlmann)
Prof. Jürgen Schreiber (Institute for Building Materials, Building Physics, Building Systems and Design).