CULT NATURE Planning of the outdoor facilities at West colliery, Kamp Lintfort

Based on the Bergwerk West master plan, an open space concept was developed for the areas of the former Friedrich-Heinrich mine, taking into account the "Cult Nature" concept.

The aim of the design is to transfer the "Cult Nature" idea of the productive park into an attractive open space design, which offers space for local recreation and future development opportunities in equal measure.
For this purpose, the area was divided into two halves: The eastern half, which is intended to be a park in the long term, and the western half, on which new buildings for office and residential use are planned, and which is therefore only available temporarily.

TEMPORARY PRODUCTION AREAS
The planning of the biomass fields in the temporary part of the park takes into account the construction windows defined in the Bergwerk West master plan in order to enable as smooth a transition as possible from the temporary use with energy plants to the planned neighbourhood use. In the selection of plants, preference was given to classic energy crops with high yields. In addition to a rapeseed rotation with winter wheat and Phacelia, Chinese reed and through-grown silphia were selected. This selection is supplemented by tulips and gladioli which accentuate special places and interfaces to park entrances and increase the attractiveness of the fields with their bloom for local recreation seekers.

Another selection criterion of the plants is the harvest time in order to create a changing picture and changing spatial impressions throughout the year when walking through the fields: In spring, tall Chinese reed dominates accompanied by tulip and rape blossom. In summer, silphia and gladioli bloom before they are harvested. Phacelia flowers until November, when the Chinese reed has grown up again. The tall growing energy plants rape, silphia and especially Chinese reed create a particularly dense feeling of space, which contrasts with the wide parking areas, emphasizes the linearity of the space and creates clear axes. Simply gravelled paths underline the temporary character of the areas. At the same time, the space can react to a possible use for LaGa2020 through its temporary design.

LONG TERM USE AREAS
In the park area, the focus is on combining production areas with local recreational quality. While generous meadow areas in the north of the area provide local recreation and appropriation space, the south is dominated by production areas in the form of short-rotation plantations and wild shrub plantations. These areas are connected by two central north-south axes, which act as the backbone of the park. The first axis forms the border from the temporary to the permanent park and the second one opens up the permanent part. These axes offer space for transit uses and are also accompanied by wide mowing strips in the southern part, which also offers appropriation and dwelling areas within the spaces used for energy generation.

Action fields are attached to both axes, which offer space for special uses. These can be soccer cages, as well as playgrounds or dog runs. Along the eastern axis, it was taken into account that these fields will be attached to building windows in which residential uses are planned later. Should the LaGa 2020 take place on the site, the action fields offer space for experimental fields, which make the "Cult Nature" concept tangible.

Wild plant mixtures are used as energy plants in this part. These offer ecological advantages over conventional energy crops, as their flowering and biodiversity provide attractive habitat for birds and bees in particular. A particularly long flowering period is achieved through two mowing dates. In the seasonal change, the staggered mowing dates open up new spaces along the main axis, opening up the space for the visitor in depth. The large energy areas are transformed into smaller partial areas and offer space for special activities, such as kite flying. The linear layout of the mowing areas also reinforces visual relationships with the relics of the colliery and draws attention to the history of the area. Furthermore, it emphasizes the functionality of the space and makes the use as an energy production area legible. These axes are reinforced by row plantings of fruit trees which, as extensive strips, provide refuges for many bird species and insects.

In the short rotation plantations, tried and tested plantings are used which have a fast growth rate and thus large biomass growth. These are silver willows, balsam poplars and weeping birches. Red dogwoods structure the areas with their striking red branches even in winter and when harvested. The short rotation plantation forms a contrast to the wide park areas in the north. The typical wave structure created by the perennial harvesting cycle gives the space a strongly functional appearance, which clearly distinguishes it from the adjacent forest to the north and makes the "CultNature" concept legible for the visitor. Here, too, strips of mown grass along the main axis form areas for appropriation and lingering, widening the space.