Architecture and urban planning firm 'Mathis Güller' won the competition launched around the new residential quarter 'Kuebebierg' ('Crows Hill') in Kirchberg.
On 2 Mars, their project 'Si ville, si nature' was officially chosen as the winner from a shortlist of candidates. Even though parts of the forest on the northern side of the plateau will now have to make room for construction, the new residential quarter will not be just another space full of concrete.
When the Kirchberg Fund launched the competition, they made it clear that the district should be "part city and part nature" so that eventually, "every apartment will be in direct contact with nature". At the same time, the area will be connected to the rest of Kirchberg with a new tram line.
Read also: New Kirchberg residential quarter to be completed by 2035
Aside from focusing on nature, the new residential district should also become a vibrant and dynamic living space. The Ministry for Mobility and Public Works and the Kirchberg Fund thus envision two new squares at the northern end of Kirchberg: the 'Porte Frieden' and the 'Place du Kuebebierg'.
The first one will connect the area to other districts and further have shops, restaurants, and service-based businesses. The local tram station will also see pupils make their way to the new campus of Michel Lucius secondary school. The second square is thought to become the "beating heart of the future district". The space will be just as big as Place Guillaume II in the Luxembourg City centre and have room for both economic and leisure activities.
The south-western part of the plateau will have a recreational field, community gardens, as well as a natural swimming pool.
© Impression écran Fonds Kirchberg
No need for cars
The project is certainly ambitious in terms of its vision for future living. Cars are expected to be of no need in the new district, as Mathis Güller personally emphasised: "Cars will no longer be part of the urban picture."
The Kirchberg Fund demanded that on-street parking opportunities be reduced to 0.5 spots per apartment. To compensate, a shared parking space will be set up further away from the residential buildings, thereby leaving most of the area to pedestrians, cyclists, and trams.
© Impression écran Fonds Kirchberg
