The area around Görlitzer Bahnhof station in Berlin is primarily known for drug dealing, piles of garbage and a turbulent everyday life. This is now set to change at Lausitzer Platz, just a few steps away from the station: WES LandschaftsArchitektur has won first prize in a landscape planning competition and is planning to make the park climate-friendly.

Lausitzer Platz is located in Berlin’s Luisenstadt district, which is characterized by Wilhelminian-style perimeter block development. The Emmaus Church gives the square its north-south orientation and visibility. The square is currently neither safe nor attractive: parts of it serve as an unofficial garbage dump and are frequented by junkies, among others. At the same time, however, there is high pressure to use it.

WES LandschaftsArchitektur is now proposing to green and restructure the center of the park. New meeting points are to be created on the basis of the historic park paths and existing footpaths and in consultation with local residents. A rainwater infiltration system is also planned to create a green and refreshing oasis. The winning design also includes a temporary water area that can be used as an alternative dance stage or play area.

At the end of April 2024, the Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing, together with the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district office, decided on the competition for the open space design of Lausitzer Platz. The aim of the two-phase competition was to provide more greenery for the surrounding area and at the same time restore the square’s function as a meeting place, play area and shady green space. Designs were to suggest how Lausitzer Platz could prepare itself for the consequences of the climate crisis and at the same time invite people to relax.

The Senate Department invited the public to take part in the process of redesigning the square as early as 2021. The competition ideas were also exhibited twice to provide opportunities for discussion and feedback. There were 13 entries in total. On April 24, 2024, the seven-member jury decided on the following winning design:

Now the result is available after the evaluation of 13 submitted entries in a

• 1st prize: WES LandschaftsArchitektur PartG mbB, Berlin, 23,000 euros
• 2nd prize: bbz landschaftsarchitekten berlin gmbh, Berlin, 14,500 euros
• 3rd prize: bgmr Landschaftsarchitekten GmbH, Berlin, 8,500 euros
• Two additional commendations of 5,500 euros each

The jury praised the winning design for taking into account the diverse demands on Lausitzer Platz and offering a robust, new vision. This work could solve the square’s current problems and open up new development opportunities.

Together with landscape architect Hans-Hermann Krafft, WES LandschaftsArchitektur is planning to create an urban space at the transition to Skalitzer Strasse and Görlitzer Park. The redesigned square will offer more space for diverse and sustainable activities as well as for recreation. The focus is on the needs of the community and the challenges of the climate crisis. In order to meet the high pressure of use and to understand the needs of local residents, a temporary joint design was carried out, which already shows how many different people enjoy the square together.

In future, a generous zoning will create both play areas and quiet zones on the square. A lively clearing, a crossing point for the connecting paths and, in combination with the services offered by Emmaus Church, will further strengthen the character of the square as a social center. The edges of the square should be quieter and thus protect the dense residential development from noise pollution. WES is also proposing a new ball catch fence for the soccer pitch and new leisure facilities such as table tennis and parkour. New benches and tables provide space for non-consumption meetings.

The landscape architects paid particular attention to sustainable design elements for Lausitzer Platz. This includes the integration of existing green spaces and trees. The design is also characterized by the use of environmentally friendly materials and measures for 100% rainwater infiltration, from seepage areas to flood-tolerant plants, gravel layers and permeable natural stone paving. A green frame is intended to enclose the lively center of the square. Thanks to low shrub plantings of around 120 cm in height, the meadow areas are to be protected from overflowing when it rains. The selection of plants will take into account feeding and nesting opportunities for birds and insects. And a cooling mist fountain in front of the entrance to the church with a flat, light-colored concrete surface serves as a stage and place for refreshment.

The debate about the project in the heart of Berlin-Kreuzberg dragged on for several years. The simulation of the winning design, which also incorporated many comments from the public participation process, has now been completed. Nevertheless, there was criticism from the neighborhood, including the project’s price tag of several million – and this in an area where homelessness prevails just a few meters away under the subway line and where drug dealing continues to flourish in Görlitzer Park.

According to WES LandschaftsArchitekten, Lausitzer Platz already offers a wide range of possibilities. The design strengthens these in the long term and makes the area fit for the future. At the moment, Lausitzer Platz is highly sealed and vegetatively damaged, making it hardly fit for the future. A large proportion of the investment will go towards climate resilience, which will ultimately benefit the neighborhood. In order to do justice to the criticism, some of which is also directed at the high number of tourists, public participation was particularly important for this project. The design responds to the understandable wishes of local residents in order to create a space for the entire neighborhood.

Implementation is planned from 2025. Until then, details in the design may still change. Particularly noteworthy is the innovative approach to rainwater infiltration, which will make Lausitzer Platz climate-proof.

Read more: A cycle path is to be built under the Berlin U1 subway viaduct, which will also run through Kreuzberg.