Workshop or landscape architecture office? In the rooms of Franz Reschke’s Berlin studio, the transition is fluid. Materials and working models are piled up on shelves and tables, leaning against the walls. It all began here in 2011 as an attempt to pursue his passion for design and competitions. Franz Reschke had not planned to have his own office.
03.11.2024
Cultivated workshop
Franz Reschke Landscape Architecture is a young team of graduates, interns and students plus the boss (far right)
Working models are stacked on tables and shelves like in a workshop (Photo: Franz Reschke)
A homogeneous carpet of paving made of polished Rheinwacke makes Rümelinplatz in Basel stand out clearly in Franz Reschke's competition design. (Plan: Franz Reschke Landscape Architecture)
Working model made of polystyrene for Basel (Photo: Franz Reschke Landschaftsarchitektur)
3D model for Basel (Photo: Franz Reschke Landschaftsarchitektur)
The elements of the action ribbon in Volmepark Kierspe were built in advance from wire (Photo: Franz Reschke)
The Volmepark in Kierspe was created on the basis of a competition win. In the background, the realized action strip (Photo: Franz Reschke Landschaftsarchitektur)
For Bad Lippspringe, the water feature located at the same level in the square was tested 1:1 in advance. (Photo: Franz Reschke)
The office's first successful project: The memorial site Synagogue Square in Lviv, Ukraine. (Photo: Franz Reschke Landscape Architecture)
Rocky road
In competitions and projects, at concept level and in detail, Franz Reschke and his colleagues initially design by hand and, if possible, in equivalent variants. They gain the key insights from series of working models. “The earlier there is a model, the better.” These can also be improvised: masked wall surfaces or chalk drawings on the floor help to capture scale and proportions. Model making accompanies the team not only during the design phase, but also through to the implementation planning. “Ultimately, the aim is to design in the same way, just with a different depth of field,” says Reschke. During this phase, 1:1 models are also created, which the team tests in the open air. The working models are not about chic and sleek, but about understanding the space and how individual elements work within it.
In the meantime, Reschke’s studio has outgrown its formal status as a “young office”. But the path was difficult. They had to put projects in Sweden and Austria on ice after winning competitions, while other building projects, such as the Teichland seaport near Cottbus, were up in the air for a long time. But there have also been positive surprises: for example with the town of Bad Lippspringe, which – with an open-minded team in the administration – had no fear of the young planners from Berlin. In 2013, Franz Reschke won the competition for the market square. The project has now been realized.
Professional communication
To turn competition successes into projects, Franz Reschke relies on professionalism in his communication with clients. For his first negotiation process following a competition, he sought support in order to prepare conscientiously for the discussion with the client. “The mindset and language of competition designs is different to that of most clients,” summarizes Reschke.
He believes wholeheartedly in competitions as the only fair award procedure and as a valuable contribution to building culture. This is the only way to guarantee quality: “If you are honest with yourself, you have to admit it: You get comfortable when the competition isn’t chasing you.”
You can read more about Büro Franz Reschke in Garten + Landschaft 11/2017