EX Gas Stations

EX Gas Stations
by UAS Germany is famous for its bureaucracy with its
incredible amount of norms and regulations. For decades, the creative people of the country have been accusing this bureaucracy of blocking any innovation. But the increasing amount of safety regulations in the construction bussiness since the 90ies, unintentionally created a new innovative architectural
prototype in german cities: The Ex Gas Station.
After the WWII and during the german “Wirtschaftswunder” many of new gas stations were built in german cities. These gas stations were, compared
with gas stations of today, pretty small. They usually had just 2 gasoline pumps and occupied only a surface of around 500m2. After filling up your car you
were not paying in a huge supermarked - like shop, but in a small shack of often not more than 50m2.
In the 90ies huge and modern new gas stations appeared in the cities, delivering all kind of services and shopping facilities next to just selling fuel. The
old generation of gas stations was not competitive anymore. They closed shop one after the other. Surprisingly a lot of these old gas stations did nor
disappear, but got just stripped of their old function and survived in the our urban realm as Ex Gas Stations.
Since the 90ies the german law made it more and more complicated to break down and reuse contaminated buildings on toxic ground. Big investments
are necessary to clean up sites. Since nobody wants to invest, the old gas stations were transformed into urban zombies. But after a process of neglect,
a period of new apreciation began. The old gas stations entered the marked again, reincarnated as fast food restaurants, car sales sites or liquor stores.
They revealed lots of qualities: a roof, as a shelter against rain, perfect accessibillity for cars as drive in stores, lots of convenient parking and a beautiful
and simple box with a foil ornament façade. Ex Gas Stations are progressive architectural prototypes with low rent or purchase costs.
foil
UAS – Urban Architectural Studies is a design and research studio at University of Kassel, Department of Architecture, Townplanning, Landscapeplanning
Agata Zelewska, Wera Drueke, Christiane Henze, Dominika Ercsey, Tamas Kurucso, David Hoffmann, Jonathan Scheder, Philip
Vaupel, Rafael Czapla, Marina Leifels, Lydia C. Jordan, Roberto Schumacher, Johanna Damerau, Frank Roediger, Fabian
Ruegemer, Stefan Kratzsch, Sebastian Kahl, Daria Skuza, Viktoria Zaitsev, Diana Goncales Ramos, Hada, Bernd Upmeyer
parking lots
roof
box
accessibility
Getränkepark Kassel
liquorstore
built: 1965
transformed: 1992
Auto Wasch-Anlage
car wash
built: 1967
transformed: 2000
Twingo World
car commerce
built: 1982
transformed: 2001
Car Point
car garage, car seller
built: 1958
transformed: 1989
Snack Point
turkish, italian,
german fast food
built: 1960
transformed: 1985
Stern – Auto
car seller
built: 1983
transformed: 1999
Autovermietung Schmidt
Car Rental
built: 1955
ransformed: 1970
Grill-Häschen
fast food restaurant specialized in chicken
built: 1954
transformed: 1990
Auto Seiler
Car Seller
built: 1955
transformed: 1983
Getraenkemarkt 2000
liquor store
built: 1959
transformed: 1992
Pasa2 Kebaphaus
greek fast food restaurant/
clothes repair shop/ shoe and key service
built: 1975
transformed: 2002
Kebap King/ Prima Reinigung
greek fast food restaurant /
cleaning service
built: 1962
transformed: 1998