How can a campus in Bremen-Blumenthal foster synergy between education, business and heritage?
Kämmerei Quartier Bremen
In Bremen, the former Bremer Woll-Kämmerei site is being redeveloped into a vibrant campus where education, business and heritage preservation converge. The campus will accommodate around 4,000 students and 300 teachers from five vocational schools. Businesses that complement the various educational programmes will also be established on the site. A multifunctional building housing the police department, a library, a café and other public amenities will be constructed in the former town hall. Three schools will be given new buildings, while two other historic buildings will be converted to incorporate a combination of new and existing construction. The historic buildings that define the site’s character will be preserved. Distinctive elements of these, such as window sizes and building forms, will be incorporated into the new buildings. This will result in deliberate contrasts: alongside the brick façades of the historic buildings, the new buildings will soon feature wooden façades. De Zwarte Hond was selected by a jury as the winner of the competition for the campus. The functional design was then carefully coordinated In collaboration with Chora Blau landscape architects and a wide range of stakeholders. Historic buildings were examined for their reuse potential and their suitability for educational purposes. The Kämmerei Quarter will provide Blumenthal with a new, versatile public space that can be used all year round, bringing a new vibrancy to the neighbourhood.
data
- Location
- Bremen Blumenthal, De
- Size
- 8 ha
- Client
- WFB Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen GmbH
- Discipline
- Urban Design
- Program
- Offices, Urbanization Strategy
- Period
- 2023
- Status
- Completed
- themes
From Wool Combing Mill to a Campus for Business and Education
The Bremer Woll-Kämmerei was founded in 1883 in Bremen-Blumenthal, where sheep’s wool was primarily processed. At its peak in the 1950s, BWK employed around 5,000 people. About sixty years later, however, the situation changed drastically, and production was halted in 2009. The historic, partly listed complex now stands largely vacant but holds great potential as a place of identity for Blumenthal.
The new Kämmerei Quarter focuses on intertwining business and education. The site is being developed for small-scale craft and industrial activities, combined with five vocational schools and a comprehensive school. By fostering interaction between education and enterprise within a single district, both worlds can learn from and strengthen each other.
1. Bildung und Gewerbe: Da die Berufsschulen mit ihren anwendungsbezogenen Lernformaten, wie beispielsweise den Werkstätten oder Bauhöfen, sehr praxisorientiert sind, ist diese Mischung beider Funktionen an diesem Standort optimal
2. Das Campus-Prinzip: Die Schulen verzichten auf reguläre, abschließbare Schulhöfe zugunsten eines gemeinsamen Außenbereichs, der das Campusgefühl erzeugt. Gleiches gilt auch für alle weiteren geteilten Nutzungen wie Sport, Mensa und Fahrradabstellfläche
3. Freiraum – der Ort als neuer Campus in und für Blumenthal: Das Campusareal ist maximal mit dem innerstädtischen Gefüge vernetzt. Im Freiraum soll der Fokus auf den menschlichen Maßstab gelegt werden: sich kreuzende Wege, kleinteilige Raumabfolgen, Gruppen von Großgehölzen zur Raumbildung.
4. Fußgänger*innen first: Ein Campus ist ein Ort auf Augenhöhe. Der menschliche Maßstab und die Art, wie wir uns zu Fuß durch das Quartier bewegen, hat hier Priorität.
5. Komposition als Prinzip: Die historischen Bestandsgebäude im Kämmerei-Quartier bilden bereits in sich Kompositionen, welche auch für die weitere Gestaltung der Campusarchitektur als Prinzip weiterverfolgt werden soll.
6. Schrittweise und flexible Entwicklung: Da die Schulen Schritt für Schritt auf das Campusareal ziehen werden, ist es unabdingbar, von Beginn an sowohl ein starkes Zielbild zu verfolgen als auch in seinen vielen Realisierungszwischenständen die Funktionsfähigkeit und Qualität sicherzustellen.
Ontwerp openbare ruimte – Bedrijfs- en beroepscampus Kämmerei-kwartier
Funktionen auf dem Campus
Campus features
Step by step towards a vibrant campus
The Kämmerei Quarter will create a future-oriented campus in Bremen-Blumenthal that exemplifies the connection between education, business and historic preservation. Its flexible, phased development will enable it to respond dynamically to new demands and opportunities, gradually bringing the campus to life. Even during the initial construction phases, attractive spaces for learning and working, as well as diverse public spaces, will be created to permanently enliven the area. In the coming years, even more schools and businesses will establish themselves, continually increasing the synergy between professional practice and education. The historic buildings will be further developed with care, and preserved as key identity markers. The development is based on a new zoning plan that legally enshrines the integration of education, business, and public functions. Business premises will be marketed early to allow companies to establish themselves during the initial phases. Particular focus will be given to quality assurance and the development of shared facilities, which characterize the campus as a principle of added value. Sustainable mobility concepts, such as the planned mobility hubs and the early design of the outdoor spaces, will ensure a high quality of life and climate resilience.
Close collaboration between all the stakeholders, the city, schools, businesses and residents, is resulting in the creation of a vibrant place that will have a lasting impact on Blumenthal’s cityscape and give a new impetus to the entire region.
