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Refurbishment and Modernization Königsstrasse

Stuttgart, DE
2004–2011
Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, Refurbishment and Modernization Königsstraße. Large city square in the city center of Stuttgart with a circular paving pattern, surrounded by medium-height buildings, pedestrians and a street that extends to the horizon.
Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, Refurbishment and Modernization Königsstraße. Pedestrian street with trees, shops and cafes. People are walking and cycling on the road. Benches along a wide paved urban plaza under a cloudy sky.
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Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, Refurbishment and Modernization Königsstraße. Large city square in the city center of Stuttgart with a circular paving pattern, surrounded by medium-height buildings, pedestrians and a street that extends to the horizon.
Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, Refurbishment and Modernization Königsstraße. Pedestrian street with trees, shops and cafes. People are walking and cycling on the road. Benches along a wide paved urban plaza under a cloudy sky.

In the 1970s, Behnisch und Partner redesigned Königstrasse in Stuttgart to turn it into a pedestrian zone. Since then, this street, together with the adjoining Schlossplatz, has been the principal public space at the heart of the city. After 30 years of intensive use, we carried out a complete refurbishment and modernization between 2004 and 2011 in a number of stages.

Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, Refurbishment and Modernization Königsstraße. Section drawing of a sidewalk with two trees, showing roots below ground and people standing and sitting nearby.

Over its full length of approximately 1,200 meters, Königstrasse was uniformly paved with 50 x 50 cm Flossenbürg granite slabs arranged in a regular square pattern. Irregular bands of Muschelkalk limestone accentuate the central strip beneath the plane trees, contrasting in texture and color with the paler granite. Circular and square patterns, radiating out as part of the overall material concept, mark the intersections with the side roads.

Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, Refurbishment and Modernization Königsstraße. Row of trees along a paved plaza in front of mid-rise buildings. Pedestrians are walking by.

By using high-quality materials and furnishings but reducing their number to a minimum, it was possible to restore the generous, refined character of Königstrasse that had gradually been eroded as a result of three decades of repairs, accumulating objects, and a progressive cheapening of the environment. Now, after the completion of the refurbishment, many individual details with qualitative craft solutions distinguish the elegant overall impression. The tactile guidance path for the visually impaired was cut in situ into the surface, while stonemasons finished the areas around the drains.

Site Plan

Client
Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart Tiefbauamt
Architects
Behnisch Architekturbüro
Address

Königsstrasse
70173 Stuttgart
Germany

Gross Area

40.000 qm / 430,556 sq.ft

Photography

David Matthiessen
Frank Ockert
Behnisch Architekturbüro

Previous experience led to a new approach to the composition of the paving layers. The bonded form of construction favored in the 1970s could not withstand heave loads from delivery vehicles and public events, causing slabs to separate from their mortar bed and thus to loosen or break. After the refurbishment, the 14cm-thick granite paving is now laid loose on a bed of chippings, supported by an asphalt layer that ensures stability and facilitates the drainage of the supporting construction.

Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, Refurbishment and Modernization Königsstraße. Tree-lined pedestrian street with benches and shops. People are walking and sitting under a bright sky with scattered clouds.
Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, Refurbishment and Modernization Königsstraße. People sit around a circular fountain in a busy pedestrian plaza with shops and modern buildings under a clear sky.
Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, Refurbishment and Modernization Königsstraße. People sit on benches along a tree-lined pedestrian street with shops, bicycles, and passersby in a busy urban setting.
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Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, Refurbishment and Modernization Königsstraße. Tree-lined pedestrian street with benches and shops. People are walking and sitting under a bright sky with scattered clouds.
Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, Refurbishment and Modernization Königsstraße. People sit around a circular fountain in a busy pedestrian plaza with shops and modern buildings under a clear sky.
Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, Refurbishment and Modernization Königsstraße. People sit on benches along a tree-lined pedestrian street with shops, bicycles, and passersby in a busy urban setting.

The last development phase at the southern end of Königstrasse converted the cross-route into a pedestrian zone to better integrate the surrounding urban area with the inner city. The lateral road should thereby become an attractive address for upmarket retail trade.

Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, Refurbishment and Modernization Königsstraße. Aerial view of the busy pedestrian street lined with trees and buildings, filled with crowds, with hills and cityscape in the background.

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