MVRDV has released updated renderings and other details about its forthcoming Grüne Mitte (or “Green Heart”) plan that calls for a redesigned new green district in the culturally rich German city of Düsseldorf.

The firm’s plan, which entails the construction of a colorful residential component totaling 500 units (half of which are considered social housing) around a small landscaped public space from fellow Dutch designers LOLA, was the product of an intensive community input process that included members of the diverse Flingern-Süd community.  

The area has been considered a "hot spot" for squatting since the end of the 1980s and features equally popular shopping spaces and a parking structure that was built only 11 years ago before the land was acquired by the developers Cube Real Estate. 

As part of that process, residents selected the Green Heart proposal from a trio of outline primers. Their solution calls for a 36% reduction in paved areas, with a new 17-story office tower added to the southwestern corner of the site and defined by its two offset blocks separated by an intermediate floor reserved for breakout areas and other user amenities. Three total access points will serve the plan, which borders Kiefernstraße and includes a playscape created through a related children's feedback process, overall. 

Each of the five buildings in the proposal features a green roof with varying facade treatments to make their appearance “less imposing” to users. The office tower also features a range of key sustainability features that include rooftop PV panels and CLT floors. The character of the block will further be retained thanks to the redevelopment of an existing grocery store and the special inclusion of graffiti and wall art at the ground level that compliments the neighborhood’s long-held artistic reputation. 

“With the pandemic, a part of the participation process happened online, which was a blessing in disguise. We saw active participation from the attendees, with many adding comments in the chat, and excellent moderation”, MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs offered finally. “These online meetings allowed us to do an architectural version of ‘live-cooking’, where requests from the audience were tested on the spot using quick models. Besides offering a fun way to develop the project, it sped up the design process and increased the community’s involvement. The result was a clear choice for more greenery in the neighborhood, which was combined with the understanding that a taller volume would therefore also be needed.”

MVRDV originally received the commission in 2021 and is currently engaging in another community-influenced design process for a similar proposal in Berlin's Kreuzberg district that is one of two finalists in an international competition with Henning Larsen.