Garden City Seseke-Aue

The goal of building an ecological housing estate is now a current housing theme but it was quite ambitious over 15 years ago at the inception of this housing estate. Building such an estate with a group of investors made up of housing associations and private owners is an additional challenge, but one that was successfully met in the case of garden city Seseke-Aue.
When the former coal mine site came to be given a new function as part of the IBA Emscher Park, a concept was developed that included the establishment of a new garden city, a technology park and the renaturation of the Seseke river. Work began on these developments in 1992 as a pilot project in the Experimental Housing and Urban Development (ExWoSt) research programme and was supported with public funding from the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The housing estate was based on the historic garden city model, giving residents an opportunity to grow vegetables and flowers in their own gardens. 173 rental flats, 40 privately-owned flats and 93 terrace houses and single-family homes were built using natural building materials made from renewable raw materials and all meet low-energy housing standards. Residents at garden city Seseke-Aue live around a green common area that forms a green axis reaching to the Seseke river that creatively incorporates residents’ gardens and an integrated storm water treatment concept. Future residents were consulted during the estate’s development on fundamental issues such as the floor plan design and fixtures of the flats.

Author: Route der Wohnkultur
Last changed on 04.08.2023

Categories:
Urban Design » Square and Neighbourhood Planning
Architecture » Residential buildings » Multiple Housing