The two so-called BRIDGEHEAD BUILDINGS, which like the NIBELUNGENBRÜCKE itself were erected by NAZI ARCHITECTS (Roderich Fick) in the course of the "FÜHRERSTADT"-planning, SYMMETRICALLY enclose the PATH from the BRIDGE to LINZ's MAIN SQUARE and articulate themselves like a FORTRESS against the BANKS OF DANUBE, as well as against URFAHR and the MÜHLVIERTEL on the northern bank. The QUESTION of whether PEOPLE IMPRISONED in the MAUTHAUSEN CONCENTRATION CAMP were FORCED to MINE RAW MATERIALS for or even were forced to work on the CONSTRUCTION of the two buildings themselves continues to HEAT UP DISCUSSIONS to this day. Various ARCHITECTS and ARTISTS have already tried to literally BREAK THE SHELL of the buildings with their WORK: The "NIKE OF LINZ" by the Upper Austrian LOCAL HEROES HAUS-RUCKER-CO on the roof of the WEST BUILDING was also seen as a SIGN of OVERCOMING Linz’s NATIONAL SOCIALIST and FASCIST PAST; HTIO STEYERL and GABU HEINDL almost ENGRAVED a MAPPING of ways of DEPORTATION during the THIRD REICH on the FACADE of the EAST BUILDING; KARIN SANDERS' "TRANSZENDENZAUFZUG” breaks, in her own words, "the MONUMENTAL SYMMETRY of the architecture"; and after the CONVERSION of the two buildings for USE by the UNIVERSITY OF ART AND DESIGN by ADOLF KRISCHANITZ, a book was published about this work entitled "STRATEGY OF OVERCOMING".
LEON SCHLESINGER also has to deal with this BURDEN in his PROJECT. However, as he is also INTERESTED in the UNRESOLVED CONNECTION between Linz’s MAIN SQUARE, the bridgehead buildings in front of it, the bridge itself and the DONAULÄNDE that begins at its feet, he focuses on the area between the Danube and the East Building, where all these SPACES OVERLAP. At least in THEORY - because in REALITY there is a MAZE of ON AND OFF RAMPS, TRAFFIC LIGHTS and RESIDUAL SPACES. Leon's INTENTION was therefore to undertake a kind of MEDIATING “TERRAFORMING” here - less in a classical LANDSCAPE sense, more with TERRACING between the individual CONTOUR LINES of SQUARE, the bridgehead buildings ARCADES, the bridge, and the bank. The lowest level is reserved for a new TRAM LINE along the Donaulände, in favor of which MOTORIZED INDIVIDUAL TRAFFIC will be BANNED from there and which will also make it possible to break up the TRAFFIC MESS at the bridgehead. By CROSSING the new east-west oriented tram line with the old north-south oriented lines, the new RIVERSIDE TERRACES thus become a TRANSPORT HUB. This use OCCUPIES the entire western part directly adjacent to the bridge - the new tram itself runs along the massive REINFORCED CONCRETE BASEMENT walls of the eastern bridgehead building in the rear part as seen from the SHORELINE. Directly adjoining the bridge at HALF LEVEL is a MULTIFUNCTIONAL EXTENSION ROOM that is to be used by STUDENTS as a WORK AND EXHIBITION SPACE. In direction Donaulände and KULTURMEILE, a path leads through increasingly OPEN TERRACES where, among other things, a CAFÉ, RECREATIONAL AREAS and PUBLIC SPACE without CONSTRAINTS OF CONSUMPTION are planned – the ALT_PARK as Leon calls it. The IMPRESSION of an ADDITIONAL LAYER inserted between the RIVER and the CITY, REFLECTING the STRUCTURAL HETEROGENEITY of the PRE-1938 bridgehead FABRIC without resorting to RECONSTRUCTIVE STRATEGIES, is further enhanced by HEAVY GREENING of the terraces.
This project is a result of the studio “Interregnum I: Urban Agencies & Dei Ex Machina”.
Concept and teaching: c/o now - Andrijana Ivanda & Tobias Hönig + Markus Rampl, Paul Reinhardt, Duy An Tran, Ksenija Zdešar
