Turning out for Kaufhof Bremen: A new courage for urban design?

Turning out for Kaufhof Bremen: A new courage for urban design?

Bremen, Deutschland - in Bremen is the former Kaufhof in the crossfire of urban planning. Beautier Özlem ünsal (SPD) calls for the demolition of this controversial building and suggests a courageous redesign of the location. The demolition could create space for new ways, places and living space for young people and enable public offers. This advance surprised because the SPD and the Greens had previously pleaded for a renovation. The left, on the other hand, supports the demolition as an opportunity to eliminate a "building seasons of the past", according to Weser Kurier.

Currently the Kaufhof building is only used by Saturn, which is already looking for a new location. The urban development company Brestadt, which acquired the building in November 2024 for 37.2 million euros, has the task of promoting the project. Brestadt is a newly founded company that is equipped with 300 million euros of start -up capital and aims to implement projects faster and without tendering process. The tests regarding demolition and conversion should be completed by the end of the year and are included in the planning. This happens in a context, in which, even in construction, demands are increasingly not to tear out existing buildings, but to renovate, as [nd current] (https://www.nd-aktuell.de/artikel/1189118.stadt Development-Baupolitik--sanieren-aBezen.html).

demolition in the context of increasing requirements

The condition of the Kaufhof raises questions about statics and the financial risks. Entrepreneur Kurt Zech has expressed concerns who also heat the discussion about the future of the building. It is also planned that the adjacent parking garage will be demolished in the middle of 2027. In view of increasing vacancies in many cities, where new buildings often create expensive living space, the question arises whether the demolition is really the best solution. Initiatives in other cities, such as in Berlin, are increasingly committed to preserving and creative conversions instead of demolitions to counter the ecological challenges of the construction industry. It is required to check the use potential of existing buildings before each demolition permit.

How is the former Kaufhof go on? The Brestadt urban development company still takes into account all possibilities - from demolition to a conversion of the building, which could optically and functionally set new accents in the heart of Bremen. However, the decisive results and the future plans are still pending and are eagerly awaited, while the pressure for creating living space and public areas is increasing. A new building from the Munich architecture firm Hild and K. for the neighboring property of the parking garage could already open the next chapter in Bremen's urban development.