Wirkbau Chemnitz Roof Garden

WIRKBAU CHEMNITZ ROOF GARDEN

Meyer-Grohbrügge

Wirkbau Chemnitz Roof Garden
© Johannes Richter

ARCHITECTS
Hanna Kosharna, Jenny Kurth

LEAD  ARCHITECTS
Johanna Meyer-grohbrügge

LANDSCAPING
Gehrhardt Landschaft

PHOTOGRAPHS
Johannes Richter
, Louisa Schwope, Ernesto Uhlmann

AREA
1500 M²

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
Chemnitz, Germany

CATEGORY
Landscape Architecture

Wirkbau Chemnitz Roof Garden
© Johannes Richter

Text description provided by architect.

Wirkbau Chemnitz is the former largest factory for textile machinery in Germany.

It is in the process of being revitalized into a sustainable working community including start-up offices and spaces for production.

The heart and center of the whole development is the 1500m2 roof garden on top of an exhibition hall which is accessible 24/7 to the whole community.

Wirkbau Chemnitz Roof Garden
© Ernesto Uhlmann
Wirkbau Chemnitz Roof Garden
© Louisa Schwope
Wirkbau Chemnitz Roof Garden
© Louisa Schwope

People can take a break and have lunch there, but also perform outdoor meetings, lectures, events, and parties.

The one-story building underneath lost its upper story due to bombings in the second world war.

This fact allows for the extra load of big trees, which are positioned on top of the columns grid, rebuilding the initial story as a green hall, and tracing the original structure of the building.

Wirkbau Chemnitz Roof Garden
© Ernesto Uhlmann
Wirkbau Chemnitz Roof Garden
© Louisa Schwope
Wirkbau Chemnitz Roof Garden
© Louisa Schwope

The trees maintain transparency on the roof level whilst offering protection from the sun and views of the adjacent buildings.

Each tree was carefully selected and is from a different species.

They are individual characters for this place but are visually connected to the forest nearby.

Wirkbau Chemnitz Roof Garden
© Louisa Schwope
Wirkbau Chemnitz Roof Garden
© Ernesto Uhlmann
Wirkbau Chemnitz Roof Garden
© Ernesto Uhlmann

The undulating pattern of paths offers various walks and creates different pockets of space.

Some are planted with grass to lay down, some with perennial flowers or bushes, and some are filled with water-bound pavement, which color is taken up from surrounding bricks, to offer space for furniture or bigger groups.

Wirkbau Chemnitz Roof Garden
© Ernesto Uhlmann
Wirkbau Chemnitz Roof Garden
© Ernesto Uhlmann

The ground is moving up and down depending on the kind of plantation and its needs. Together with the different heights of plants, it forms a flowing landscape.


Wirkbau Chemnitz Roof Garden
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Wirkbau Chemnitz Roof Garden
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Wirkbau Chemnitz Roof Garden
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Wirkbau Chemnitz Roof Garden
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Wirkbau Chemnitz Roof Garden
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