Luxembourg's identity is deeply rooted in its distinctive topography. Over centuries, the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers have carved deep, rocky valleys, creating a cityscape where urban formation is concentrated on elevated plateaus, encircled by lush green valleys. The result is a unique cityscape that seamlessly blends green corridors with urban infrastructure, forming a dynamic mosaic of natural and built environments. The development site is placed on the edge between the urban and nature, creating an opportunity to merge the cityscape and the landscape. Here, natural elements from the surrounding area will be incorporated into the new neighbourhood to strengthen biodiversity by connecting existing corridors, fostering a resilient neighbourhood.
NEI HOLLERICH Urban Development Plan
A Common Ground
In the city of Luxembourg, a new vibrant urban neighbourhood, Hollerich, is emerging. The area seamlessly blends green corridors with urban infrastructure, creating a dynamic mosaic of natural and built elements. Here, private and public functions not only coexist but engage in a synergistic interplay.
The vision for Hollerich is a synthesis of functions, thriving on the synergies between people, programs, and places. It is a social ecotope where diverse functions and users coexist, benefiting from the dynamics within a neighbourhood greater than the sum of its parts. By merging urban and natural elements, Hollerich aims to revitalise human connections while rewilding nature within an urbanised context - an approach that innovates urban development, placemaking, and social living forms.
Mixing retail, offices, and housing connected by public and semi-public green corridors and urban spaces, Hollerich represents sustainable growth. Working with a high degree of flexibility in the design means that both office spaces and residential units can adapt and accommodate changes in future needs.
A new "future proof" neighbourhood aiming to revitalise communities and foster connections between history, people, nature, and cities, creating an inclusive, safe, and vibrant new destination—a common ground for all.
Related content
- Location:
- Luxembourg
- Programme:
- Hybrid mixed-use, retail, office, residential
- Size:
- 33,000 m2
- Client:
- Fonds de Compensation
- Commission:
- International competition
- Collaborating Architect:
- Assar Architecs
- Landscape Architect:
- 1:1 Landscape Architects
- Other Collaboraters:
- SENSBOX
- Visuals:
- Filippo Bolognese
Situated in the heart of the Hollerich District in Luxembourg, a new urban neighbourhood, shaped by the city’s unique topography and distinctive location, is being developed. Merging multiple functions, the area will offer a rich and welcoming environment, facilitating living, working, and accessing basic needs within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from home.
The vision for the neighbourhood involves transforming it into a distinctive district with a strong sense of identity, emphasising community, cultural richness, social cohesion, and well-being. A new urban focal point and infrastructural node in the cityscape catering to a wide range of future users.
At the scale of the city, the site situates itself at an urban node connecting the topographically upper neighbourhoods of the modern Kirchberg in the north-east, passing through the historical centre, and the southwest district of the Cloche d’Or.
The development benefits from its location at the convergence of various transportation routes and movements. Consequently, the site will serve as both a gateway to the city and a vital connector, linking neighbourhoods within its vicinity as well as the city at large.
To enhance the urban presence around the city gateway, a tower is positioned on a prominent address on Place d’Esch, serving as a landmark and gateway to the city, while maintaining a slight setback from Route d’Esch.
By varying the scale of the buildings, distinct structures, each with its own unique expression are created. This fosters a clear identity and enhances orientation and wayfinding within the plan.
A new station will serve as a gateway to the city, easing the pressure on the central train station. Thus, the area will both serve as a buzzing urban destination and transit point, boasting a distinctly urban character while bordering a major green corridor.
The neighbourhood prioritises public transport and soft mobility. Movement within the site, as well as connections to and from public transport, occur within a pleasant and safe environment, enhancing the journey as a joyful experience.
The pedestrian avenue will become the primary urban link to the station area, connecting Avenue De Liberté and the historic city beyond, while Place D’Esch and the boulevard, in turn, will emerge as the new urban connectors to the city. The boulevard alongside the rail tracks delineates the city's edge, adjacent to a significant green corridor linking Drosbech in the east and Zéisséngerbaach in the west.
By integrating itself into the urban fabric and complementing existing functions with new programs, the neighbourhood will offer residents an urban environment that facilitates living, working, and accessing basic needs within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from home.
The district fosters cultural and social cohesion, extending its influence on nearby neighbourhoods while also nurturing its own distinct identity. Each neighbourhood serves as a space built upon human interaction and resident experiences, rooted in existing memories, the development of a sense of place, and the emergence of new values - a social ecotope.
The new neighbourhood embodies a distinct duality, functioning both as a bustling transit hub for commuters transitioning between modes of transport and as a tranquil residential enclave for residents. Thus, the space is organised into a series of well-defined public areas situated along the main pathways of the site. Following a hierarchical arrangement, spaces transition from highly public zones surrounding the station area to verdant green courtyards nestled within the residential districts.
Collectively, the variety of buildings, functions, and spaces coalesce to establish a dynamic city quarter where diverse users and functions converge, nurturing an inclusive, lively, and secure neighbourhood.
The design adopts a 'less is more' philosophy in construction, prioritising both embodied and operational energy efficiency, alongside resilience to future environmental changes. It proposes straightforward solutions, minimising unnecessary construction to reduce embodied carbon and employing passive strategies to lower operational energy demands.
Focus on environmentally conscious material consumption that emphasises resource circularity through energy, water, and waste reuse mitigates the overall life cycle impact of the structures. This involves incorporating biogenic materials like timber for structures and utilising biogenic, upcycled, or natural materials for façade cladding.
In residential buildings energy demand is reduced by optimising passive solar gains, while self-shading or active shading is implemented throughout the the office buildings, while also facilitating on-site renewable energy production.
The proposed green public spaces will act as small green generators, essential for providing distinctive green character to each new quarter. These spaces, interconnected by streetscapes functioning as green connectors, create local pockets within the green network while unifying the overall green fabric. Hence, it's crucial to plan streets with green structures such as trees and vegetation, ensuring lower temperatures and ample shade during summer.
To ensure financial sustainability, the winning design prioritises simplicity, flexibility, and adaptability. This involves creating simple, easily adaptable floorplates that minimise complex and costly construction while accommodating changing lifestyles and work patterns with minimal reconstruction.
Our building layout emphasises simple, repeated modules to maximise modularity and enable prefabrication, reducing costs, and construction time, and ensuring superior quality. The design employs efficient floorplates for office buildings suitable for large anchor tenants yet easily divisible for multi-tenant occupancy on each floor.
Office buildings are strategically positioned on prominent addresses, with provisions for individual entrances to accommodate multi-tenant configurations. Additionally, both office and residential buildings are designed with the potential for future conversion between the two uses.
