Competition Youth hostel Castle Vogelsang (GER)

project Competition for the realisation of a youth hostel with youth centre on the terrain of Castle Vogelsang in Schleiden/Eifel client Deutsches Jugendherbergswerk, Landesverband Rheinland e.V. (GER) planning WW+ architektur + management sàrl, Esch/Alzette (LUX) - Tatiana Fabeck Architecte, Koerich (LUX) - Ernst und Partner, Trier (GER) - BLS Energieplan (LUX) net floor 8.450 m² volume 32.900 m³ construction costs 11.317.000 € incl. VAT and ancillary construction costs placing 2nd prize

Draft idea
Spatial integration into the surrounding area / topography

The draft responds to the “genius loci” by tying in with the existing structure from the point of the urbanistic concept but nevertheless shows a new contemporary picture within the scope of the whole building complex. Our draft embedds the Redoute into a new ensemble and creates a harmonic transition to the existent comradeship and group of a hundred buildings. These three units, which follow the contour lines, are surrounding the central Adlerhof, today’s “Forum Vogelsang”.
The positioning of the two new buildings for the youth hostel and the youth centre result from the natural lay of the ground, the extant topography. Both buildings are integrated parallel to the contour lines into the existing terrain. The youth centre and the youth hostel enclose the Redoute and are positioned in an orthogonal way to it. The angled parts of the buildings are deduced from the topography as well as from the exploitation axes accompanying the buildings. Outside facilities and buildings are designed in a way to reduce the necessary earthwork to a minimum.
The new building of the youth hostel is three-storey, that of the youth centre is two-storey, whereas the lower floor of the two buildings are designed as elevated ground level, carrying the height difference from East to West. The buildings are two- resp. three-storey downhill and single resp. two-storey uphill, like the Redoute. The existant 48 m high tower, which is affiliated to the forum, marks the whole complex Vogelsang. All other existing buildings are arranged strongly horizontal. This “horizontality” allows for the embedding of the existing buildings in a very nice way into the topography.

Our draft is also influenced by this architectural language and makes it possible to maintain the visual orientation inside the building and to respect the impact of the project on the distant effect of the whole complex. Great importance is attached to the visual orientation inside the project. The arrangement of all building volumes allows for a lively and clear space between the youth centre, the Redoute and the youth hostel.
 

Schleiden-Vogelsang – Redoute

The competition area is located in a special artistic area of conflict between historical, national socialist and new architecture, in the midst of the national park Eifel. The designing of the open space takes over a special role at this.
It must be connector and intermediary on the playing field of the different components on the one hand and on the other hand it must be possible to achieve a first-class overall impression concerning functionality and design. These guidelines and also the characteristic of the site are the basis of our attitude to plan the surrounding area of the Redoute with calm, cautious but nevertheless clear creative statements.
 

Open space conception
Our concept is decisively influenced by the new central reception area – the “Piazza”. The youth centre and the youth hostel are directly developed from there.

While in the North the terrain of the youth hostel with its versatile leisure time and sport facilities is spaciously attached, the open-air ground of the youth centre in the South provides mainly woodland and grassland areas.
 

“Piazza”
The reception place is the centre of the whole area. By digging off the terrain the Redoute is pleasantly “exposed” and a generous, homogeneous square situation is created, which invites for a stay with exterior terrace and benches overlapped by trees. The height difference to the youth centre (appr. 50 cm) is bridged by a seat wall, steps and a ramp (barrier-free). We propose waterbound covering (basalt) and polygonal slabs