Downtown Fargo

"Downtown Fargo" was a competition entry for the redesign of the center of Fargo in the north-west of the USA, a place in which a special traffic structure has developed due to the extreme climate. Pedestrian bridges, walkways and passages at the level of the 1st floor connect the most important shopping and administration buildings with the parking garages, creating a 2nd access level. The design takes this peculiarity into account by creating an intersection of the two main passages in the center. The buildings pick up the flow of passers-by, both visually and in terms of traffic, and guide them to the junction in the middle of the block, from which the title '' The Oxbow '' in German '' Die Flussbiegung '' is derived, a reference to the location of the City of Fargo on the Red River. By springing back the structure on the

At the intersection, an inviting, three-sided forecourt is formed, which leads to the center of the ensemble and to a large glass facade of the shopping center. A contrast to the open forecourt is the introverted, quieter, green inner courtyard, which is surrounded by apartments on the upper floors. The structures are supported by cores in the central axis, which makes the buildings seem to float. This and the polygonal sharp-edged shape create the impression of dynamism. The forms are not closed, but run out into the environment or overlap and interpenetrate.

Team: Damien Pericles,  María Arteaga ,  Sebastian Blum