Rough shell, urban core

A solid frame of thorough craftsmanship and the ruggedness of a former port set the scene for the development of the new urban housing scheme at Zollhafen.

Its open spaces are conceived by recycling and recombining the site’s atmospheric elements and basic materials. 

The basic zoning of the Zollhafen is easily intelligible: encircling the historic quays, a rough shell of recycled cobblestones adapts modern inlays connected to the new housing scheme. This contrast between the rustic of the past and a subtly comfortable simplicity along the borderlines between the living areas and the public quaysides characterizes the entire open space scheme along the “loop” which accesses the new neighbourhoods. Based on the simple set of materials, play with proportion, trees and greenery creates a wide variety of space typologies along its course. 

North and South riverside quays are connected by a new flap bridge for pedestrians and cyclists, which sits on historic bridge heads. sinai was also involved in the custom-design of the bridge. 

Landscape Architecture: SINAI