Visions of the future for Dortmund: Students design the new station forecourt!

Visions of the future for Dortmund: Students design the new station forecourt!

Students from the Technical University of Dortmund, the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences, the University of Naples Federico II, the Eindhoven University of Technology and the University of Ghent have been working on innovative design ideas for a new train station forecourt in Dortmund over the last ten days. The intensive project work was carried out as part of the annual International Spring Academy, which this year focused specifically on the area between the main train station and the St. Petri city church. The students used the space from the Harenberg City Center to the RWE Tower as their creative playground to redefine urban space.

When developing their concepts, the participants were inspired by the city's rich history, especially the historic Wallring, which represents an important part of the city's identity. Apl. Prof. Michael Schwarz and adjunct Prof. Olaf Schmidt, who headed the academy, attached great importance to the students incorporating the needs and perspectives of the city of Dortmund into their designs. Stefan Szuggat, head of the city of Dortmund, presented the city administration's perspective on the station area to the participants and thus supported the targeted development of sustainable ideas.

Concepts for a better urban experience

The students from five different universities have developed a total of twelve proposals that integrate the train station into the urban context as a transport monument. Particularly noteworthy is the inclusion of the line of sight to St. Peter's Church as well as the football museum and the city and state library. These elements reflect the cultural and social diversity of the region.

To illustrate their ideas, the participants created a scaled wooden model of the planning area. These haptic models, which were created in collaboration with a model making workshop, enabled the students to make their concepts tangible and tangible. The results of their work were finally presented in the Baukunstarchiv NRW during a final critique.

Outlook for the future

A group of students from Naples already has plans to continue the project work in the form of a master's thesis. This shows the long-term commitment and diverse exchange that is promoted by the International Spring Academy. Since its founding in 2013, the academy has dealt with various thematic focuses, including “conversion”, “large settlements” and “city harbor – port city”. The academic collaboration extends across several European universities, including the Dipartimento di Architettura of the Politecnico di Torino and the School of Architecture of the University of Strathclyde.

Another International Spring Academy is already planned for 2026, which would like to continue to integrate students and teachers into the exchange on current urban development issues. The academy is therefore not only a place for learning, but also a catalyst for new ideas in urban development.

The commitment and creativity of the students during this intensive work phase illustrate how important interdisciplinary exchange is in architecture. Their work could make a significant contribution to the redesign of the station forecourt and thus sustainably improve the urban experience in Dortmund. tu-dortmund.de reports the details of the event while wilo-foundation.de the educational aspects of the academy are highlighted. For further information on the historical and cultural classification of the academy and its developments you can also tu-dortmund.de be consulted.