3. OBJECTIVE
To build a district with a good mix of
functions (residences, leisure and cultural
facilities, commerce and agriculture) by
taking into account environment protection.
4. INTRODUCTION
The local authority in the city of Hannover decided in the
1990s to develop the new district of Kronsberg, close to the
areas of the comingWorld Exposition Expo 2000.
Kronsberg is an eco-district in Hannover built on 1,200
hectares of mainly agricultural land on the city margins.
It is located in the south-east of the city and was the last
remaining area in Hannover suitable for a large-scale
building project.
Kronsberg is a settlement with exceptionally high ecological
standards, buildings offering above-average quality of
accommodation and semi-natural open space design.
5. INTRODUCTION
It represents a comprehensive example of visionary
urban planning and construction where it enjoys all
the advantages offered by an urban neighbourhood,
yet it is in close vicinity to the countryside.
In the early 1990s, the issue of housing shortage was
one of the central topics on the political agenda. A
study predicted that by the year 2000, there is a need
for 20,000 apartments in Hannover.
Planned: To accommodate 6,000 dwellings for
15,000 people plus commercial areas with a clear
ecological ambition – “Ecological Optimization at
Kronsberg”
7. CONCEPT
The development of Kronsberg followed the regional planning
principle, according to which residential development should expand
along local rail public transport routes and be concentrated at urban
densities in the catchment areas of the stops and stations.
The EXPO 2000 World Exposition was the occasion to apply this
planning approach to the Kronsberg area. Expo 2000 act as the
catalyst for the development of the Kronsberg area.
A concept was devised in 1994 for the entire area that covered the
EXPO grounds, the new settlement and the countryside.
8. CONCEPT
Principal planning aim
To use space saving construction through high density.
The apartment blocks closest to the tram line have a floor space index
relative to the site area of 1:2. The density decreases gradually the
farther away from the tram line the buildings are located.
Sustainability
It is a priority to have close links between living and working.
2,000 jobs are located in the western section of the district. The district’s
services proposed were 3 daycare centres, a district art and community
centre, health centre, elderly care and shopping areas.
Residential structure
To secure a stable social of mix residents.
10% of the housing stock were densely placed single-family homes, built
in the uphill building zones. They were mostly terraced and owner
occupied.Another 90% were apartments in multi storey buildings.
9. FUNDING
• Subsidies by the city and other sources, including
the EU, paid for the extra costs in both the larger
systems development and the building
construction to allow the project to function
within the guidelines of the ecological standards.
• Publicly owned land was sold to private
developers to raise money for public amenities.
• Federal, state, and local officials created a
housing fund to ensure that a mix of persons
from different income levels would be able to
afford to live in Kronsberg.
11. CONCEPTS
Space saving construction through high density
Mixed use : Residential and commercial
Resource efficient construction
Environment would not be disturbed by
reconstructions and alterations.
Low energy house construction
Non toxic certified materials used
Traffic minimilisation concept
Water saving fixtures
Most buildings are alligned parallel to the contours,
enabling them to make use of natural light through
mainly west-east facing windows
12.
13. Compact Structures & High Building
Density
Aim : Low land take by means of high density construction.
Principle : Decreasing density and building height as one
approaches the countryside.
The district is shaped by its wide meshed rectangular grid
layout – creates frames for very varied block structures.
The built up, urban quality of the town scape is the result of
design parameters that set the no of storeys, building
heights and lines along the streets.
The highest densities, with a floor space index of 1.2, were
achieved in the relatively compact 4 to 5-storey blocks
along the main access road. As one approaches the hilltop
the development becomes looser, with 3-storey blocks and
pavilion structures giving way to a terraced house
development beside the border avenue.
14. Low Energy House Standard
This was only possible when the design had a compact
building form with few projections and recessions.
Required space heating index – 55kWh/m² was made
possible through:
Thicker insulation layer of walls.
Airtight and windproof building envelops.
Avoidance of thermal bridges.
Installation of very well insulating windows.
Passive energy houses were also introduced:
The grassed, ridged roofs were equipped with solar panels.
Walls were pre-fabricated and super insulated.
Houses were connected to district heating system.
Required 1/7 of the heating energy compared with
conventional new house.
18. CONCEPTS
Tram route:
A new direct light rail transit service links the settlement with the
city centre (17 minutes). 3 rail stops are located so that nobody
has to walk more than 600 metres to catch a tram.
The main motorised traffic flow is channelled along the edge of
the development beside the tramline to minimise nuisance to
residents.
Traffic calming:
In the residential area the car access is forbidden, except for
Kronsberg residents.
Narrow sections on the roads, 30 kph zones, and priority to the
right at junctions, are effective traffic calming measures.
19. Parking space:
Car parking spaces are mainly arranged in small areas, either set
into the hill-side or at ground level.
To reduce the parking space needs in the inner courts, a parking
space ratio of 0.8 per apartment was set at Kronsberg.This was
compensated for by a 0.2 increase in the ratio for parking spaces
on the public streets, which means that they are better used over
the day, and the area needed for motorised access in built-up
areas is reduced.
Cycle priority layout:
A cycle-friendly street layout with a designated cycle street
running the length of the district offers, together with a dense
network of rural and urban footpaths, an attractive alternative to
private motorised transport.
21. CONCEPTS
Flexible accommodation to cope with changing housing
needs.
Mixture of large and small apartments, and apartments
suitable for families and for new lifestyles.
Giving different housing options, housing for disabled,
housing for different ethnic; etc.
Objective: Avoid social segregation. A good social mix is the
most important requirement for lively and successful
communities.
In addition to mixed use and large numbers of workplaces,
priority is given to children and the elderly and to affordable
housing.
22. Central facilities:
Arts, community & advice center
Church & neighborhood center
Health center
Social Infrastructure:
‘Kinderhouse’ with community bakery
Kindergartens
Primary school
Middle / secondary school
‘FOKUS’ housing project
‘Habitat’ international housing project
Decentralized support for senior citizens
Space allocation for community use
26. CONCEPTS
Planning and construction emphasised on:
Environmentally friendly energy supply systems
Environmentally friendly building.
Preservation of natural resources.
This developed into the “Kronsberg-Standard”,
obligatory for all developers, and was applied
across the board.
It especially affected the areas of energy,
rainwater, building materials, and the ground.
The goal is to reduce CO2 emissions and
household energy consumption.
27. Ecological standard energy:
Energy use optimisation.
District heating systems : Heating for all buildings is supplied
either through decentralised gas-fi red cogeneration (CHP)
plants, which are between 80-95% efficient, or through
alternative and renewable sources of energy.
Low energy buildings.
Electricity saving measures.
28. ‘Solar City’:
Solar district heating system
Passive solar houses : Passive solar houses in the project use heat
exchangers to meet their heating needs. One of the CHP plants is
run by fuel cells, and was a demonstration project for the
Exposition.
Wind turbines : Two wind turbines provide 3,000 dwellings with
electricity.
Photovoltaic cell technology.
29. Water:
The Kronsberg Water Concept deals with the effects that a large
development can have on the local water table, the necessity for
water conservation, and raising awareness of water issues through
visible systems.
“The ‘Mulden-Rigolen’system for decentralized retention and
infiltration of rainwater” was used throughout Kronsberg to create a
system of retention and infiltration that would not cause large
changes to the local water ecology.
Drinking water economy measures.
All precipitation on bult up and paved areas is absorbed., collected
and gradually released. Equiptment of all apartments with water
devices.
30. Waste:
The Kronsberg Waste Management Concept includes building
waste, and domestic and commercial waste.
Developers are required to use materials for construction that are
non-toxic and recyclable, 80% of construction waste was not
landfilled.
Systems for pre-sorted waste collection, encouragement of
home composting, and encouragement for retailers to use low-
packaging retail goods were part of the domestic and household
waste plan, as well as a “dense network of repair and alteration
services” throughout the development that encourage people to
follow the motto ‘mend it, don’t dump it’.
31. Open spaces:
Each building plan complemented to have open space; the space
need to meet up with high design and ecological standard set up
by municipality.
Street lined with trees and front gardens. Several large
playground are laid out close to the apartments.
Open space is generally deived from the hillside location; this is
particularly apparent in the front garden with terracing and
retaining walls.
