EM | Ahr Valley – Reconstruction after the Flood

The latest flood disaster in July 2021 in the Ahr Valley hit numerous localities in the middle of their urban centers. On the night of July 14, the flood not only overflowed and swept away bridges and riverside roads but also destroyed buildings, even entire streets, and washed away urban plazas in the middle of the village. The reconstruction after the flood is to provide compensation for the losses in the heart of the settlements. The familiar townscape is to be restored. However, the topography carried away by the river initially makes it difficult even to lay the foundation stones according to the old prototypes. The riverbed, which has widened everywhere, requires a review of all previous habits in the villages in order to adapt them to the new conditions created by the floods on the banks of the Ahr.
A move from the valley location up to a hillside locations at the margin of the valley is conceivable for residential settlements, but the urban centers of the towns and villages are traditionally located along the river and are connected by a picturesque country road that leads past the sunny vineyards of the Ahr valley. The valley, which is particularly narrow here, the unique microclimate for viticulture, the picturesque landscape and the historic villages form a geographic space that must be preserved and protected from flooding.
The seminar examines the historic village centers and the individual typological theme of any reconstruction in the Ahr valley under the sign of flood protection. The aim is to relate the urban centers to the rural periphery, whose extensive areas must provide since now effective flood protection for the benefit of the lower valley areas.