“We intend Pioneer to be a showcase project,” is his remit for the two managing directors of LEG Hessen-Hanau, Dr. Marc Weinstock and Martin Bieberle. The company, owned jointly by the municipal BauProjekt Hanau GmbH and DSK | BIG Gruppe (active throughout Germany) is to develop an attractive new district on the site of the former barracks in Hanau’s Wolfgang district. AS+P is expected to give a clear face to new quarter with around 1,500 residential units.

As part of what is known as a multiple commission selection process, LEG Hessen-Hanau commissioned three renowned planning companies to devise an urban development concept for the almost 50-hectare site. The planners drew up usage and construction concepts, and came up with an idea of the shape the new residential area for up to 5,000 inhabitants could take. Experts examined all the designs submitted in several evaluation stages. “It was not an easy decision,” the two managing directors said, “but ultimately we decided unanimously in favor of AS+P.” 

For AS+P as the planners, the site represents “a unique resource in the Rhine-Main region”. “’The site’s unparalleled location, not to mention Hanau’s extraordinarily vibrant development, provide an opportunity to create a very special quarter, which will strongly reference the historical spirit of the place and will feature very special qualities,” comments Dr. Michael Denkel, member of the Executive Board of AS+P Albert Speer + Partner GmbH. The proximity to both the Bulau nature reserve and downtown Hanau are one of the project’s great strengths, he added, as this provides an ideal setting for high-quality living close to nature. AS+P closely studied Hanau in detail as long ago as 2012, when the company drew up the “urban planning masterplan 2020-2030”, in which it envisaged a possible future for the Wolfgang industrial park. 

According to the plans drawn up by AS+P, “our basic idea for the Pioneer site is to make its green look the very “trademark” by which it is defined, and to create a unique type of “park town”. The fact that natural and environmental aspects play a crucial role in the development of the area also underscores the fact that with the “Climate-Pioneer-Quarter” project the City of Hanau was included in the Federal government’s Urban Restructuring program, which offers particular support to innovative energy concepts. As part of the program, an integrated urban development concept for the Pioneer site is currently being devised, which will coordinate objectives, strategies, and measures, and as such serve as a roadmap for the next ten years. Public, private and civil society players will also be involved in the process. Before the end of August there will be a kick-off meeting for “local partners”. The revised plans and models will then be presented to the public in the fall. The will form the basis for the compilation of the legal zoning plan.

Work is due to commence as early as next year, as demand for housing in the Rhine-Main region is high. Citizens of Hanau will then also be able to get an idea of the extensive site during an open day in late October.

Link to the press release of the City of Hanau