At the end of June, the Lower Saxony Chamber of Architects is once again inviting visitors to the state-wide Architecture Time. The final event is the Day of Architecture on Sunday, June 29. In Wolfsburg, too, architects and landscape architects as well as the Forum Architektur will be offering various guided tours, some of which will provide an exclusive look behind the scenes. A special highlight this year is a bike tour with the First City Councillor and City Planning Councillor Kai-Uwe Hirschheide. In Wolfsburg, the committee of the Chamber of Architects has selected two projects for this year's Architecture Day. The central open space in the Wiesengarten residential district by Pro Garten, Berlin, and the Eastgate office complex on Dieselstraße by Wehmeyer Planungsbüro, Braunschweig.

Completed in September 2024, the open space in Wiesengarten is a green, car-free meeting place for families and children. The footpath and cycle path are accompanied by trees that create shady spots without blocking the view. A strip of grass in the middle allows for ball games and exercise, while the peripheral areas merge into meadow areas. The design of the playground under the motto Wild Meadow Confusion was developed in a participatory process together with children. The Pro Garten office offers guided tours at 3:30, 4 and 4:30 pm.

The five-storey Eastgate office building, with its two-storey entrance and sloping columns, forms a striking new landmark at the eastern entrance to the city. The complex comprises 19 separately usable office units, designed as modern working landscapes. The first floor houses a conference center and two test laboratories for automotive development. The building, which will open in September 2024, is the first building block of a planned complex for residential and commercial use. Guided tours by the Wehmeyer planning office will be offered at 10 am, 12 pm and 2 pm. The foyer is open to visitors throughout the day.

Cycle tour to projects not open to the public

A special offer is the Forum Architektur bike tour with city planning officer Kai-Uwe Hirschheide. "The Day of Architecture offers the often unique opportunity to visit building projects that are otherwise not open to the public and to receive first-hand explanations. I look forward to talking to people interested in architecture in Wolfsburg about the buildings and projects presented during the cycle tour," says City Planning Councillor Hirschheide.

In addition to visits to Eastgate and Wiesengarten, including short guided tours by the planners, the program also includes a stop at Hellwinkel Terrassen. The first phase of building construction has largely been completed there and the implementation of the open space design has begun. As part of the cycle tour, it is possible to take an exclusive look behind the construction fence of two blocks of flats of the Reislinger Reihe and Dorf type with Stauth Architekten from Braunschweig.

The village type extends over two building plots, each of which consists of a group of several buildings surrounding a village square-like inner courtyard. Private gardens and loggias provide a transition to this communal open space, while communal roof gardens are also being created. A total of around 70 one- to five-room apartments are being built. Around 70 apartments, some of which are wheelchair-accessible, are also being built in Reislinger Reihe around a shared green inner courtyard.

Single-storey apartments, maisonettes and townhouses over three floors are being built in apartment sizes between 40 and 95 square meters. Green façades contribute to improving the microclimate. The approximately three-hour tour starts at 2 pm. Registration is required by June 25 by e-mail: forum.architektur@stadt.wolfsburg.de.

Guided tour of the art museum's architecture

As part of the Architecture Time, a guided tour of the architecture of the Kunstmuseum will take place on Thursday, June 19 at 5:30 p.m. as part of the series ACHTUNG postmodern! of the Braunschweigische Landschaft in cooperation with the Forum Architektur and the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg. With the construction of the ensemble of buildings comprising the art museum and town hall extension in 1994, an important urban development at the southern end of Porschestraße was realized according to a design by Peter Schweger.

On the tour, Professor Wilhelm Meyer, former partner at Architekten Schweger Partner, and Ute Lefarth-Polland, Head of Education, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, will provide insights into the history of the building, the original architectural concept and the current requirements of modern museum operations. The event will be moderated by Esther Orant, City of Wolfsburg, Head of Forum Architecture and Nicole Froberg, City of Braunschweig, Department of Cityscape and Monument Preservation. Registration is not required. Meeting point and start is at Hollerplatz. Further information is available on the Internet at www.braunschweigischelandschaft.de/arbeitsgruppe/ag-denkmalpflege.

Information on the Internet and in a brochure

All offers are free of charge. The entire program for the Day of Architecture and Architecture Time can be found on the website of the Lower Saxony Chamber of Architects at www.aknds.de. The brochures with all the projects and events are now also available in the town hall and at the tourist information office at the train station.