a former freight depot with a diverse industrial history
Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries in Rotterdam
The practice engages globally in providing solutions to contemporary architectural and urban issues
research-based design method involves clients
stakeholders and experts from a wide range of fields from early on in the creative process
which enable our cities and landscapes to develop towards a better future.The products of MVRDV’s unique approach to design vary
ranging from buildings of all types and sizes
Built projects include the Netherlands Pavilion for the World EXPO 2000 in Hannover; the Market Hall
a combination of housing and retail in Rotterdam; the Pushed Slab
a sustainable office building in Paris’ first eco-district; Flight Forum
an innovative business park in Eindhoven; the Silodam Housing complex in Amsterdam; the Matsudai Cultural Centre in Japan; the Unterföhring office campus near Munich; the Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam; the Ypenburg housing and urban plan in The Hague; the Didden Village rooftop housing extension in Rotterdam; the music centre De Effenaar in Eindhoven; the Gyre boutique shopping center in Tokyo; a public library in Spijkenisse; an international bank headquarters in Oslo
Norway; and the iconic Mirador and Celosia housing in Madrid.Current projects include a variety of housing projects in the Netherlands
and other countries; a community centre in Copenhagen and a cultural complex in Roskilde
the transformation of a mixed use building in central Paris
and the renovation of an office building in Hong Kong
MVRDV is also working on large scale urban masterplans in Bordeaux and Caen
France and the masterplan for an eco-city in Logroño
Larger scale visions for the future of greater Paris
and the doubling in size of the Dutch new town Almere are also in development.MVRDV first published a manifesto of its work and ideas in FARMAX (1998)
Spacefighter (2007) and Skycar City (2007)
and more recently The Vertical Village (with The Why Factory
2012) and the firm’s first monograph of built works MVRDV Buildings (2013)
MVRDV deals with issues ranging from global sustainability in large scale studies such as Pig City
pragmatic architectural solutions for devastated areas such as New Orleans.The work of MVRDV is exhibited and published worldwide and has received numerous international awards
designers and urbanists develop projects in a multi-disciplinary
collaborative design process which involves rigorous technical and creative investigation
MVRDV works with BIM and has official in-house BREEAM and LEED assessors.Together with Delft University of Technology
an independent think tank and research institute providing an agenda for architecture and urbanism by envisioning the city of the future
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Germany.Photo: Courtesy MVRDVSave this storySaveSave this storySaveIn an attempt to bridge the gap between tradition and the future of design
Dutch architecture firm MVRDV has unveiled its plans for a 6,500-square-meter mixed-use tower it’s calling the Milestone in the German town of Esslingen
the Milestone will appear almost transparent by day and act as a beacon for the surrounding area by night
Its distinctly geometric qualities and a MVRDV’s design concept seems to play with the very idea of depth
Sections of its volume will be pushed in and even removed entirely
leaving a hollow center that absorbs and reflects light in ways that creates the illusion of sharp
Set in the public square of Neue Weststadt
a former freight depot near the city’s central railway station
the building will be a major landmark for the area
In addition to such amenities as cafés and meeting spaces at its base
the building’s design includes what MVRDV calls the Esslinger grotto
an open walkway inside a hollowed-out core that will offer views of the surrounding landscape while also reflecting the topography of the surrounding area
Construction isn’t slated to start until 2020, but MVRDV already expects the project to put Esslingen on the map, offering a message “to the people who pass by on the train, and to those that look at the city from the hills: ‘Here We Are.’”
 On the building site: Managing Director Holger Laugisch (left) and Johannes Paßmann
Head of Purchasing and Service Stations at Knauber Mineralöl GmbH
Knauber's new project is planned as a clean affair - for the environment
The nationwide energy provider has demolished its old car wash on Karlstrasse and is building a new one
The facility in the immediate vicinity of the combined heat and power plant is being built to meet ecological standards: energy needs will be covered by green electricity (467 square metres of photovoltaic system)
the wastewater will be collected and mostly recycled
the waxing agents used will be biodegradable
"We feel committed to people and the environment
That's why this sustainable planning fits our corporate concept," says Holger Laugisch
Managing Director of Knauber Mineralöl GmbH
the responsible use of water is part of a sustainable concept
about 85 litres of the 120 litres of water needed on average for a car wash will be treated wastewater
The scaffolding on the site only gives a vague idea of what the car wash will one day look like
But a lot has been done underground in the past weeks
Huge basins have been sunk into the ground where the wastewater is collected and treated
the car wash is being built on an area of around 2200 square metres
including covered self-service car wash boxes for exterior and interior cleaning
there will be a 200-square-metre wash tunnel (similar to a car wash) with two portals: in the first area
The cars will not be transported on a conveyor belt but controlled by the driver
Around 20 vehicles can be processed there per hour
Knauber says it is investing a total of around three million euros
the first drivers will be able to get their vehicles washed as early as this summer
"We are sure that our new car wash park will be accepted by many Bonn residents," says Laugisch
The company had put the old self-service car wash into operation in the early 1980s as one of the first in the region
"We are simply continuing our tradition," adds the managing director
The car wash will be open from 6 am to 10 pm
Knauber hopes that this means there won’t be traffic jams on the already very busy access roads even during rush hours
more staff are to be deployed when there are a lot of customers
we want to better coordinate and optimise the processes," assures Laugisch
The competition in Bonn is quite formidable
In addition to the many car washes at filling stations
there are large providers such as Top Wash in Pützchen (Am Weidenbach) and in Dransdorf (Wolfgang-Paul-Straße)
or the self-service car wash centre Boxenstopp in Bad Godesberg (Mainzer Straße)
which is also heavily frequented by customers from nearby Remagen
Wash chain has also been operating its two-storey car wash on the corner of Bornheimer Strasse and Brühler Strasse for a good 13 months
The management there could hardly have wished for a better start in Bonn
very satisfied," is how branch manager Stephanie Meißner describes the first year in the city
It is not only private individuals who regularly have their vehicles spruced up at Mr
"The many car dealers in the neighbourhood also come," she reports
craftspeople and the public sector have their fleets washed and polished on Bornheimer Straße
There was a particularly large number of customers in mid-March
when the so-called "blood rain" drove many a motorist up the wall
the staff washed around 2200 vehicles in just one day
The Bonn police are increasingly checking people in the centre of Bonn without a concrete suspicion as part of a strategic manhunt
they want to combat pickpocketing and drug trafficking
Police Commissioner Frank Hoever has once again ordered a strategic manhunt for his agency
This allows police officers to check people without concrete suspicion for 28 days from 9 June
The focus is on the districts of Tannenbusch
where police say there is an increase in pickpocketing and drug dealing
"I have ordered the measure again in order to gain more in-depth knowledge about the groups of offenders operating in the Bonn city area and then to be able to fight them better," says Hoever
The police are concerned with averting danger
question them about their identity and inspect objects and vehicles
the Bonn police ordered a strategic manhunt in winter
Hoever saw the success confirmed: The measure had led to a decrease in the number of cases of housebreaking and pickpocketing
but also to the citizens' sense of security
the Bonn police recorded an increase in pickpocketing cases of 384 cases
the number of cases has decreased slightly compared to the previous year
but is still at a high level compared to the five-year average
Weststadt and Zentrum are particular hotspots
Drug trafficking has repeatedly led to complaints in Tannenbusch
clashes between rival groups of offenders for dominance in the local drug trade culminated in a shooting on 30 October
three suspected drug dealers were arrested and about nine kilogrammes of marijuana
about 75,000 euros of suspected deal money and a firearm were seized
The Bonn police have been countering the situation since January this year with the "police action programme for crime control in Tannenbusch"
Other places of drug trafficking in Bonn that have been known for many years are the areas around Bonn's main railway station as well as the green areas at the Hofgarten and the Old Customs
The black-yellow state government anchored it in the NRW Police Act in 2018
It must have a reason and be limited in time and location
it can be extended for the same period of time
the CDU's coalition partner in the state parliament
They consider the encroachment on civil liberties too far-reaching when measured against the results
Original text: Nicolas Ottersbach and Sofia Grillo / Translation: Mareike Graepel
 Parking along the banks of the Rhine is popular with motorists as it’s free
Do you like parking at Brassertufer or Kölnstraße to go shopping in the pedestrian zone
Or do you take advantage of a rare free parking bay on Lennéstraße or Baumschulallee while you go to a lecture
Insider tips like these on where you can park free of charge will soon be a thing of the past
the council coalition is planning to extend the areas with a mandatory parking fee in the town centre
Pay and display is also going to be significantly more expensive
for example up to four euros per hour in the current zones 1 and 2
And that will include Sundays and public holidays
The city of Bonn is planning to extend areas for residents-only parking and introduce some parking fees in neighbourhoods adjacent to the town centre
So free parking in town is going to become a rarity
The aim is to keep cars out of the city as far as possible
to make it easier for residents to find a parking space near their homes
and to make other means of transport such as bus
The coalition wants to use the additional revenue from parking fees
for example to introduce 19-euro monthly public transport passes for schoolchildren and “Bonn Ausweis” holders
the higher fees will make the parking garages in the city centre more attractive
motorists pay 1.50 euros for the first three hours
or even less in the Stiftsgarage; the Südstadtgarage on Bonner Talweg even offers a five-euro rate for a whole day
which is already being put into practice on Venusberg
the city already made changes in the area between Endenicher Straße and Endenicher Allee and between the autobahn and Wittelsbacherring at the end of last year and introduced parking with residents' passes on about half of the public parking spaces
While the initial response among residents has been broadly positive
employees of the office buildings and the few tradespeople are more reserved
"It will be more difficult for our clientele
of course," says one office supply store in the Musikerviertel
Paul und Freunde" has for years been calling for a mobility concept that goes beyond mere "parking space management"
there is at least a tendency to reserve certain streets exclusively for residents' parking
But these plans would only work if there were effective checks
confirmed to the General-Anzeiger: "At least a third of the cars parked at the side of the road are parking illegally
based on a count conducted by the neighbourhood initiative
The new fines will be even more severe than before
Schöck is convinced that there would be no problem there if only residents parked in the old town
(Origialtext: Rüdiger Franz; Translation: Jean Lennox)
the city council is expected to decide on the motion of the coalition made up of the Greens
Left and Volt to merge Bonn’s city zones 1 and 2
This would expand the area with mandatory parking fees
The cost of pay and display will go up at the same time
There will also be no more "Brötchentaste" (bread roll button) for short-term free parking
and electric cars will also no longer be allowed to park for free
The motion is an addition to the administration plans
the city wants to successively reorganize parking in 19 Bonn neighbourhoods
Key changes include the creation of metered parking spaces in these neighbourhoods as well as more