Exhibition
Climate adaptation in public spaces

27.07.2021 - Is there a people- and climate-friendly future for the narrow and highly sealed traffic areas of Wiesbaden's Gründerzeit districts? This question has inspired budding architects at Hochschule RheinMain (HSRM) to come up with a wide variety of visions for a redesign using the example of Herderplatz, visions for ideas for the use of a lively urban neighborhood and the urgently needed climate adaptation of public space. Herderplatz was redesigned 20 years ago, has become outdated and no longer reflects the spirit of the times as a city square. The three chestnut trees are lost in a dreary traffic area, surrounded by a powerful historic building and could, with a new square design, be so much more than just a sparse source of shade in summer.

Visions for upgrading the neighborhood

"The spatial and social potential of the square is there and the visionary designs for the site actually show us the possibilities for upgrading the neighborhood," says Sabine Gaedeke, project manager of the urban development company SEG/Stadterneuerung. As part of the federal-state program "Growth and Sustainable Renewal - Urban Greenery Wiesbaden", students from the Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering were supervised by Prof. Sascha Luippold in the winter semester 2020/2021.

Paulina Herzog and Leonie Krah, both Architecture students in their 7th semester, developed an impromptu project together. "Our basic idea was to increase the quality of stay. We removed a bicycle station from our design and added more greenery and water instead. This provides additional cooling thanks to the evaporative cooling and children can play there," says Paulina Herzog. "The aim is to create a real meeting place," adds Leonie Krah. Jonathan Möller's design also envisages a central green space, which he designed together with fellow student Niels Puschendorf. The aim is to calm traffic and quickly upgrade the square through effective action.

"The students were asked to develop a visionary greening and utilization idea for Herderplatz, which had previously been largely sealed and taken over by stationary car traffic," explains Professor Luippold, who teaches climate-friendly construction at the HSRM. Urban furnishing and infrastructure issues were also to be considered, for example the lighting concept, pallet furniture, boules court, book box, advertising pillar, parcel station, parking facilities for bicycles and scooters, city bike stations, electric columns for e-bikes, etc., as well as process-based interim uses with a social catalyst function (cultural events, neighborhood workshops, citizens' initiatives, self-build projects, private urban green sponsorships, etc.).

Suggestions for "thinking ahead"

"Over 60 projects were submitted as part of the impromptu event, the most interesting of which are now being presented to the public on site and are intended to inspire the neighborhood and urban society to think 'further'. We would also like to give the students a little recognition for this inspiration," concluded Roland Stöcklin, Managing Director of SEG, and presented the students with Wiesbaden architectural picture books and tickets for the Caligari cinema.

The works will be exhibited in the windows of the surrounding stores on Herderplatz in the coming weeks.