Future of the Kaufhof building: competition for Braunschweig's redesign!

Future of the Kaufhof building: competition for Braunschweig's redesign!

Bohlweg-Damm, 38100 Braunschweig, Deutschland - The former Galeria Kaufhof Am Bohlweg-Damm in Braunschweig has been largely empty since October 2020. The spacious building, also known as Horten, now awakens the interest of the city and the Volksbank Brawo eG, which together are planning an architectural competition. This step is no coincidence: the vacancy is a recurring topic that is repeatedly discussed in different cities and regions.

In the summer of 2024, the city and Brawo agreed on a procedure to gradually redesign the area of the Kaufhof and its surroundings. The competition bears the promising working title Boma+, which is for Bohlweg, Magniviertel plus environment. The preparations should have started with the necessary votes in the first quarter of 2025, but the preparations have dragged on. The city has now decided on the binding template for the competition process.

competition for a sustainable city center

dr. Christos Pantazis, Chairman of the SPD Braunschweig, can gain a lot of positive things to the project. It emphasizes the importance of redesigning for the attractiveness of the city center and the quality of life of the citizens. But what exactly is planned? The competition process, to which five nationally and internationally recognized architecture and urban planning offices are invited, is intended to develop creative solutions for the future use of the Kaufhof building. From complete preservation to partial or full termination with a new building, all options are conceivable.

foreticals for the competition are also the improvement of the quality of stay and maintaining more green areas. The aim is to connect the Magniviertel better to the pedestrian zone and the castle arcade center-a challenge that is to be addressed with fresh ideas.

public participation and jury work

The process is not only dependent on exclusive expertise. The procedure provides for public information events to integrate the citizens: inside the planning. The jury, consisting of representatives of the city and brawo and external experts, will choose from the submitted designs. The costs for the procedure amount to around 460,000 euros , whereby the city takes over half of it.

The planned measures for upgrading the city center are not only a selective project, but part of a larger urban planning concept. According to bbsr are reversal of vacancies and improve the infrastructure elementary Approaches to combat vacancy in cities. These initiatives can make a significant contribution to increasing the attractiveness of the city center - a concern that the city of Braunschweig is now offensive. The path is clear: creative ideas are required to tackle the decline in shops and the challenges of urban life.

In times when vacancies threaten in many places, it is important to set the course for a lively and sustainable city. The developments around the Kaufhof building could not only act as a model for Braunschweig, but also for other regions.