"Wunnquartier Stade": A residential project in the heart of the city

The plots that fall within the scope of the competition include the site currently occupied by the Josy Barthel Stadium, a football pitch, a multi-use sports hall, tennis courts, the buildings of the CGDIS, the former Service Incendie et Ambulances (Fire and Ambulance Department) and the Service Hygiène (Sanitation Department), the Recycling Centre, a power plant, a crèche, and the building of the Franciscan Sisters, including an open space on their property.

83% of the 10 hectares of property involved belongs to the City of Luxembourg, while the remaining 17% belongs to the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Mercy.

The site is ideally located near the city centre and is well served by public transport, which is to be further developed by the extension of the tram system from Place de l'Étoile to Mamer. Once the "Wunnquartier Stade" project is complete, Route d'Arlon will continue to serve as one of the major traffic routes linking the capital to neighbouring municipalities to the west. To further promote active travel, plans have been made to add a bicycle lane to Route d'Arlon, as well as several vel'OH! bike share stations, and to create pedestrian and cycle routes linking the new residential district to the various parks in the vicinity (Rollingergrund, Limpertsberg, Belair).

As such, the properties are ideally suited for a mixed-use development project with a focus on housing, which is one of the top priorities for the college of the mayor and aldermen of the City of Luxembourg.

Varied and affordable housing

The ultimate purpose of the competition is to repurpose the properties by creating a residential district offering varied and affordable housing. In addition to the housing units, the project provides for local shops, communal and leisure areas, crèches, meeting places, sports facilities and playgrounds, which are just some of the essential services and infrastructure that will afford residents in the district a high quality of life.

A competition in two phases with civic participation

The urban planning competition is organised in two distinct phases, with citizen participation being an essential feature: the college of the mayor and aldermen attaches great importance to reaching out to the general public to seek their suggestions, and to undertaking a project that serves their concrete needs.

Phase I

Launch of a Europe-wide open call for tenders on Saturday, 18 May 2019: the call for tenders was open to qualified urban planners, who were invited to submit a draft project anonymously.

On 14 and 15 January 2020, a selection committee composed of representatives of the City of Luxembourg, the Ministry of Home Affairs (Ministère de l'Intérieur), the Ministry of Housing (Ministère du Logement), the Société nationale des habitations à bon marché (SNHBM), the Order of Architects and Consulting Engineers (OAI) and the Congregation of Franciscan Sisters, together with a professor of Architecture from the University of Luxembourg and several international experts, chose seven projects after reviewing the files and conducting an initial assessment of the draft designs.

The chosen projects were presented to the municipal council and were then made available for public consultation, on an anonymous basis, from 21 January to 1 February 2020. During this phase, the general public was given the opportunity to play an active part in shaping the new project: citizens were able to submit their ideas, which were then forwarded to the participants and, as far as possible, incorporated into their projects.

Phase II

For Phase II of the competition, each of the selected teams – whose names were then revealed – were invited for a paid consultation. These were conducted in the form of workshops to encourage a close exchange between the members of the panel of judges and the participants. All in all, three workshops, one seminar and one final meeting of the jury were held. Due to certain constraints imposed by the current public-health crisis, the "Wunnquartier Stade" project timetable had to be revised.

On 1 April 2021, the selection committee decided which teams were shortlisted, based on the extent to which the remarks raised by the jury and during the civic participation phase were taken into account. These were the following

  • 115060: "Smart Q - Parc central"
  • 121019: "LIVING IN THE FOREST – WUNNLAND"
  • 196971: "Hortus Colossus"
  • 352413: "cityzen"
  • 918475: "Quartier Belved'air, un parc habité"

From 27 April to 14 May 2021, the five shortlisted projects were presented to the public for commentary. This feedback was then related to the teams.

On 25 November 2021, the selection committee unanimously agreed on the proposal that would form the basis for the "Wunnquartier Stade" development project: "STADePARK" (formerly: "Hortus Colossus").

On 8 December 2021, the City of Luxembourg, represented by Mayor Lydie Polfer and the selection committee of the urban planning competition, represented by its chairman Mathis Güller, announced the winners of the "Wunnquartier Stade" competition at a press conference at the old fire station on Route d'Arlon.

Next phase

The winning project will serve as the basis for the preparation of a special development plan (plan d'aménagement particulier – PAP) that will be submitted to the municipal council for adoption.

Teams not selected in Phase 1

Team 290266

Urban planners: Octagon Architekturkollektiv and Yo Studio
Landscape architect: AREAL Landscape Architecture
Mobility expert: BEST
Energy expert: André Parniske

Team 190076

Urban planners: Beth Gali BBGG
Landscape architect: EMBA
Mobility expert: TR Engineering
Energy expert: Luxautec
Urban programming: Poliprograma

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