We are delighted to have won first prize in the Hammerstatt development competition in Bayreuth. Our urban development concept, Seven in One Go, won over the jury. It shows how a mature settlement can be transformed into a sustainable neighbourhood that combines social, ecological and economic aspects.

Hammerstatt is characterised by its history as a former textile district. We see this identity as a resource and are focusing on a three-pronged approach to internal development: moderate redensification, consistent greening and reorganisation of mobility. This will create a new home for many people – in the spirit of a contemporary garden city for the 21st century.

We are experiencing a shift in perspective in residential construction: reduction, structural rigour and the questioning of familiar standards are leading to new forms of architectural expression. The principles of ‘simple (urban) construction’, building type E and the Hamburg standard are becoming tools of a new normality.

The seven new buildings are typologically related to the location, comparable in size and can be realised in series. Load-bearing exterior walls and ceilings as prefabricated wooden elements, interior walls made of cold or clay bricks as storage mass, prefabricated sanitary cells and single-material construction follow a clear structural logic. Recycled concrete from existing buildings and a life cycle analysis of the building materials are part of the concept.

A hundred years ago, a similar necessity gave rise to the ‘New Objectivity’ movement. Hammerstatt is continuing this tradition – with the aim of understanding good housing construction as a social task. The increase in land value through quality improvement and densification remains in the hands of the cooperative. Co-determination and lifelong tenancy rights continue the social reformist idea of the garden city.

We would like to thank Bauverein Bayreuth eG and the jury for their trust – and look forward to continuing to write Hammerstatt's story together.