February 2015 – July 2015
Master Student
From the beginnings of mankind, people have settled near water. The city of cologne was foun­ded in the year 50 A.D. by romans on the banks of the river Rhine and flourished throughout the middle ages. During the last hundred years, the city has lost touch with the river, by making contact with the water impossible throughout most of the city.
For some years now the individual bank sections have been renewed and redesigned, starting with the Rhein­auhafen and the Rheintreppen. The focus is set on living space and representation, reducing public interaction as well as natural diversity in the process.
During a cooperation with Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, the concept ­Rheinfloß was created. Rheinfloß is a proposal on how a public space can be crafted, creating closeness to the river and inviting native ecosystems back into the city.