Former army complex to become new city district

An ambitious masterplan called PHVision has been approved by Heidelberg City Council for the 100 ha Patrick Henry Village (PHV) development, designed by KCAP. The masterplan was created in a collaborative design process set to transform a former military site into a new district, accommodating 10,000 residents and 5,000 workers in an area almost the same size as Heidelberg’s city centre.

Situated in the district of Kirchheim, Patrick Henry Village was built in the 1950s by the US Army as a residential complex containing around 1,500 housing units, schools, a supermarket, sports facilities and a cinema. PHVision retains the basic design characteristics, with detached houses and rows of buildings forming a central green space at the heart of the quarter. This new ‘garden town’ will be augmented by existing park areas surrounding the former officers’ residences, which will be transformed into a start-up village. Micro-quarters have been designed with a mixed-use concept for living, working and urban production, with educational and cultural facilities provided at the heart of each quarter.

The planners believe that the intelligent and socially responsible use of smart city technology is a key element of the design for PHV, named as a ‘knowledge city of the future’. Anouk Kuitenbrouwer, partner at KCAP, stated: ‘In addition to the design of innovative building typologies, open space solutions and technical infrastructures, the Dynamic Masterplan deals with implementation strategies, operator models and governance processes. The aim was to design a toolbox of instruments for the development of a future-oriented urban district.’

As a result of the masterplan, PHV is expected to become a model location demonstrating the use of digital technologies, innovative mobility concepts and climate-neutral energy supply.  Prof. Michael Braum, Managing Director of IBA Heidelberg, who is coordinating the planning process, said: ‘Urban planning in the 21st century must be more diverse as well as ecologically and socially sustainable than before. With PHVision, we want to show a way to achieve this.’

Lucy Nordberg
TenderStream Head of Research

This tender was first published by TenderStream on 30.07.2019 here

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