Jana Praeger

Conversion of the former paper factory “Zanders“ in Bergisch Gladbach

The 37-hectare site of the former Zanders paper factory is located in the immediate vicinity of the city centre of Bergisch Gladbach. The location of the site is characterised by the short distances to the city centre and the proximity to the metropolitan regions of Cologne, Bonn and Bergisches Land. After two insolvencies, the paper factory ceased operations in May 2021. Consequently, a large conversation area has been created in the heart of the city, which now needs to be reused.

Key buildings for the site along the central axis to the city centre are the buildings of the so-called "Keimzelle". The "Keimzelle" consists of the three protected buildings "Maschinenhaus", "Bleicherei“ and "Holländersaal", which were built between 1880 and 1898. In the course of time, the buildings lost their original functions of power supply due to the expansion of the factory in the course of the new technical possibilities. They were converted into storage areas and a factory museum. Today, some of the historic furnishings and machinery, such as the "Holländer", can still be found. These were the first step in the production of paper. They were used to shred the rag and wood fibres in order to produce the mass for scooping the paper in the "Büttenfabrik".

The aim of the thesis is to plan the conversion of the "Keimzelle" and to consider it as a component in the master plan for the transformation of the Zanders site into a heterogeneous quarter complementing the city centre. The appropriate interaction with the existing buildings as well as their transformation and development plays a central role.

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