Newsletter of 16th July 2010

Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA) Fürst-Pückler-Land

1. Dancing away: Samba in Sachsendorf
2. Exhibiting achievements: IBA Lusatia at WERKSCHAU exhibition in Hamburg
3. Moving in to land: IBA satellite in Berlin Carré
4. Furnishing in style: Furniture for the Lusatian Lakeland
5. Taking notes: Post-mining plans for Welzow
6. Extending the network: Marketing for the Energy Route
7. Inspiring ideas: Rhineland lignite mining district on a quest for ideas in the Lusatian Lakeland

(1) Dancing the night away:

Samba in Sachsendorf

The fifth production in the “Paradise 2” art project developed for the final year of the IBA was staged on 4 July in the Sachsendorf-Madlow district of Cottbus. Plans to set up a “paradise table” in the middle of Gelsenkirchener Allee were shelved when temperatures soared above 30 °C. But spirits were high under the “tent”, the new Sachsendorf landmark in the town square, and no more so than when musician Christoph Hillmann started to perform his urban samba with over 100 musicians. The Samba Kids, the Cottbus brass band, the Ostrower Drums, the Manteca SGB9 musical ensemble, the wind section from Sachsendorf grammar school, pupils from the Europaschule primary school, the Machtlos e.V. social welfare association for people with disabilities, and the “Homeless” drum group from the Cottbus aid organisation for immigrants were just some of the acts which ignited a spark which spread like wild fire among the 400-strong crowd. The aim of the project was to draw attention to the developments in the urban district but also to mobilise the residents to join forces and do something together.
www.iba-stadtpfad.de

(2) Exhibiting achievements:

IBA Lusatia at WERKSCHAU exhibition in Hamburg

While the IBA Fürst-Pückler-Land is drawing to a close, the IBA Hamburg has reached the halfway point and is putting on an exhibition to take stock of its work. It has been working on development projects on the Elbe islands and in the harbour since 2007 and will continue to contribute to the future of the city until 2013. There will be a number of exhibitions, events and guided tours attracting visitors to Hamburg this year to “see the future”, as suggested by the heading “IBA 2010_Zukunft sehen”. The IBA Lusatia will be showcasing its work until 23 September in the Hanseatic city in the dual exhibition “IBA WERKSCHAU” and “Cidade Para Todos - Ways to Vision”. The IBA projects which will be on display in the art association in the Deichtorhallen gallery buildings are the F60 visitor mine, the landmark and the floating footbridge. The other exhibit on show in the art association is the German contribution to the 8th International Architecture Biennial 2009 in Sao Paulo. Guided by the question “What strategies do we have for the future of our cities?”, Germany was at the Biennial for the third time and made its contribution under the category entitled “Cidade Para Todos - Ways to Vision”. Curated by the IBA Hamburg, the exhibition showcases flagship concepts from all over Germany, including the IBA projects in Lusatia.
www.iba-hamburg.de
www.deichtorhallen.de

(3) Moving in to land:

IBA satellite in Berlin Carré

The IBA will be running a satellite outpost of its current exhibition “The Reconquering of a Landscape” until the end of August 2010 at the Berlin exhibition “Forum - Zukunftsraum Historische Mitte” in the Berlin Carré retail centre located in Alexanderplatz. The aim of this abridged version, which summarises the achievements of the IBA, is to raise the profile of the work and projects of the IBA Fürst-Pückler-Land outside Lusatia. The exhibition is free of charge and will be open from 12:00 to 18:00 hrs. from Monday to Friday. IBA Director Prof. Dr. Rolf Kuhn will be holding a presentation on 26 August at 18:00 hrs., in which he will take stock of the work, and this will be followed by a discussion.
www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de
www.berlin-carre.de

(4) Furnishing in style:

Furniture for the Lusatian Lakeland

When it comes to adding the finishing touches to a man-made lake district, the largest one in Europe clearly deserves that extra something. The IBA and the special-purpose Lusatian Lakeland development associations of Brandenburg and Saxony commissioned students from the Product Design Faculty of the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences to develop, under the supervision of Professor Walter Hardt, benches, tables, litter bins and bicycle stands of a uniform design which would have an instant recognition factor and would cater to the specific requirements of the Lakeland. The main challenge was to combine robustness and practicality with good looks. There are now 20 designs on the table. The financial backing of the two development associations enabled the students to extend the presentation of their designs beyond pictorial form to the construction of scale 1:10 models. The winning design will be decided at the beginning of August by a panel of judges made up of representatives of the development associations, IBA Director Prof. Rolf Kuhn, and Prof. Hermann Weizenegger, Professor of Industrial Design at the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences. The designs will be exhibited on the IBA Terraces in October.

(5) Taking notes:

Post-mining plans for Welzow

Welzow is home to what is currently the largest working open-cast mine in Europe. Not only does this generate energy but it also takes its toll on the landscape - on a massive scale in both cases. In recent months a multidisciplinary project team has worked with the IBA to devise three alternative development scenarios for the post-mining landscape based on the existing lignite plan. The potential strengths and drawbacks of the main themes were discussed, these being adventure/tourism, wilderness and energy. The project report is now available. The opinions of the local people are now being sought. One idea recorded in the 2009 regional development plan is that of seeing the Welzow open-cast mining area as the centre of a regional park in which local municipalities, companies, private clubs and associations work together and take a joint approach to the main focal points for the development of their region. The scenarios offer “food for thought” and the task now is to add flesh to the bones and develop a dynamic master plan for the coming decades.

(6) Extending the network:

Marketing for the Energy Route

Launched in 2007, the “ENERGY Route through Lusatia’s Industrial Heritage” links 10 attractions in Lusatia which testify to the region’s rich industrial past but which also symbolise the contemporary modern-day development in the region. 12,000 euros from lottery funds and 3,000 euros of own funds have now been invested in setting up the website www.energie-route-lausitz.de and erecting signs at the various sites along the route. Another column has been added to the landmark on Lake Sedlitz, the latest beacon of architectural prowess in the Lakeland, offering information in two languages about the site itself and about the project as a whole. Display units were also purchased to add to presentations about the route. The IBA projects and sites in question include the IBA Terraces visitor centre, the F60 visitor mine, Plessa power station, the Lauchhammer bio-towers and Marga garden city. Other stops on the route are the Industrial Museum of Saxony Knappenrode Energy Factory, the Cottbus dkw Diesel Power Station Art Museum, the Louise briquetting plant, the Welzow-Süd working open-cast mine, and the Schwarze Pumpe power station. Anyone interested can take an IBA tour to trace the steps of these industrial giants. The next tour is scheduled for 2 October. Individual tours can be booked at any time through the IBA tour service.

(7) Inspiring ideas:

Rhineland lignite mining district on a quest for ideas in the Lusatian Lakeland

The supervisory board of the development company Indeland and partners from the Rhine lignite mining district visited the IBA at the beginning of July to find out about the structural transformation in the Lusatian lignite mining district and the post-mining development prospects. Like the Lusatian Lakeland, Indeland is regarded as a showcase area and a model for a new, sustainable post-mining landscape fit for future purposes. RWE Power AG is expected to extract some 23 million tonnes of lignite from the area each year until 2034. Indeland 2060+ is looking to the future beyond this, developing visions for a thriving tourism and leisure industry centred around the Blausteinsee man-made lake and the emerging “Indesches Meer” water body, a cross-generational residential development on the water, and optimum conditions to encourage the inward movement of companies and new business set-ups with proximity to research institutions and an attractive infrastructure. The Indeland development company left Lusatia with more ideas and inspiration for future projects. On the two-day research trip the 17-strong delegation visited projects in the Lakeland, Marga garden city, the F60 visitor mine and the Lauchhammer bio-towers.
www.indeland.de