Revitalizing steel and coal based communities in Germany
For 160 years, the industrial complex of PHOENIX West in Hörde has been an icon for both the city of Dortmund and the German steel branch. Developed as the industrial heart of Dortmund, the local economy was based on coal and steel. Profound fluctuations in these industries affected the area for decades, with multiple ups and downs in industry and urban settlement.
Towards the fourth industrial revolution
Steel production in Dortmund ended with the closure of the Phoenix West factory in 1998 and Phoenix East in 2001. Most of the machinery and buildings were dismantled and sold. Phoenix West remains as a standing monument to the history of the area, and will be an important part of the future as the area transitions to new economy. The vision is a more modern local, mixed use economy based on services, knowledge, technologies and logistics, while respecting the history and DNA of this interesting community.
This is the first step in the direction of the fourth industrial revolution.
Close collaborations
Walas will work in close collaboration with the city of Dortmund on the development of these historic buildings and the Phoenix West area. Work will begin with a new, circular Innovation Centre in the open space in front of the blast furnace. The revitalization of the historic Schalthaus will follow soon after, then the development of the new building, The Fourth Wave, will pass through the blast furnace. This area will be the future home to new ideas in technology, services, farming and innovations, economy and entrepreneurship. Phoenix West is destined to be a place where people want to live, work and play, filled with local communities, restaurants and businesses, including the new global Earth Embassy.
Urban development
Urban development means more than real estate and district design. Urban development brings together the activities, desires and interests of people, companies and a city. It unites them into a living and livable whole – economically, socially, sustainably, ecologically and financially. The PHOENIX West project in the historic city Dortmund, Germany is urban development in the broadest sense of the word.
