THE DECISION IS MADE!
DKFS Architects London/Cologne win the international architectural competition.
KAESER Kompressoren SE, the compressed air systems supplier, is commissioning a futuristic public EV charging station alongside the A73 on the northern edge of the city of Coburg. The architectural competition for this significant investment in the future capacity of the region and city has now concluded. First prize has been awarded to DKFS Architects, a practice operating out of London and Cologne. The design integrates nature, technology and life to create the new generation of infrastructure.
“AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE CAPACITY OF THE CITY”
The KAESER Ladepark Coburg represents an investment in the future capacity of Coburg, fulfilling the current and future needs of businesses and citizens alike. KAESER is pursuing an immediate goal of carbon neutrality and views the project as an important milestone on its journey to becoming self-sufficient in energy. The proposal also fits perfectly with the Coburg City Development Plan, providing an integrated response to the demand of citizens and local businesses for future mobility infrastructure.
The project also promises to be pioneering in terms of its underlying architectural vision. KAESER intends to create a place for efficiency and emotion, with a unique interplay of architecture, landscape and vehicle technology. This ambition in particular is what sparked the imagination of the prize-winning designers from DKFS Architects.
“EFFICIENCY MEETS WELLBEING”
The KAESER Ladepark Coburg is trailblazing for extensive electric mobility in the region, thanks to the creation of exceptionally high charging capacity in an area that still lacks charging capacity. The numbers speak for themselves: The total surface area located in Coburg’s northern commercial zone amounts to almost 3.5 hectares. No fewer than 60 state-of-the-art 300 kW HPC points are planned for use by passenger vehicles, along with 4 lorry fast chargers and 40 non-charging parking spaces.
Thanks to exemplary architecture and perfectly integrated experiences, arrival, charging and spending time are tightly interwoven. Efficiency is guaranteed thanks to a strategic design of entry and exit routes to avoid traffic jams, a smart parking information system, not forgetting the fast charging technology. Meanwhile, the innovative customer service concept and the design of the construction and landscape convey a parallel sense of wellbeing.
“A DESTINATION FOR ALL”
The KAESER Ladepark Coburg will offer something for everyone – its garden-styled charging area and surrounding parkland catering not only for passing EV drivers but also offering memory-making opportunities for day-trippers and families. An elegantly swept roof over the charging station echoes the surrounding topography, while a characteristic elevation creates a welcoming impression. On arrival the quality is evident, and spending time here is a perfect combination of function and aesthetics.
Under the roof, it is the pleasingly warm tones of a timber construction that dominate. Customer-service areas including a café and shop, e-bike hire, vending machines and a children’s play area are all accessible without getting your feet wet. Green lanes guide the user via a wheelchair and pushchair-friendly ramp to an upper level of rooftop terraces and the adjacent parking spaces. A garden environment planted with small trees, and dotted with benches along a network of attractive paths, invites you to stretch your legs and relax. A barn located at Hessenhof in the southern part of the parkland has potential for renovation as a multipurpose event location to provide an additional attraction. Not least, the project will also provide improved access to the already much-loved local recreational areas at the Goldbergsee lake and Glenderwiese wetlands. The 40 new car parking spaces and a network of updated footpaths and cycleways associated with the construction of the charging station access road will both contribute to this.
“NATURE, TECHNOLOGY AND LIFE IN HARMONY”
The KAESER Ladepark Coburg demonstrates how well nature, technology and life can coexist, because it not only reduces its ecological footprint, but also makes it tangible through architecture that takes its inspiration from the nature around it. Just as the installation seamlessly blends with its landscape, its mission is also to contribute to the conservation of this environment. The materials used in the roof construction are not only fully recyclable, they are also an effective means of reducing CO2 emissions thanks to PV shingles that generate electricity from solar energy. It goes without saying that the EV charging points are powered by 100% green electricity too. Along the former Christenstrasse, which will be remodelled to access the site, the treeline will be largely retained and will become the heart of a new climate forest. Complementary planting will consolidate the line of trees to create a shaded grove.
The development will significantly reduce the sealed surfaces thanks to the predominant use of permeable asphalt and turf joint paving. Soakaways are also planned for storage of rain water and to regulate temperature by means of evaporation cooling.
“A PROJECT THAT SETS THE STANDARD”
Coburg will very soon have one of Germany’s most up-to-date charging stations. The manner in which factors such as future-proofing, effectiveness, comfort and sustainability have been combined here promises to create an attraction that will extend beyond regional and national borders and pull in visitors from across Europe.