Saarlouis’ large market is being redesigned

What was a parade ground when the town of Saarlouis was founded has now been used as a parking lot for cars for decades. Since then, the city’s attempts to restore the so-called Großer Markt Saarlouis to its former importance have also failed. It is finally to be redesigned as part of an ideas competition.

The Saarland town of Saarlouis currently has a parking lot as the heart of the town. The Grosser Markt, formerly a parade ground, is now used as a parking lot. Since the 1990s, the town has been trying to redesign the Grosser Markt and give it more public importance again. The neoclassical town hall, the baroque commandant’s office and the neo-Gothic tower front of St. Ludwig Church provide a beautiful backdrop. But it wasn’t until 2021 that there was enough initiative to launch an ideas competition for the redesign of the Grosser Markt.

Then the black-green-yellow majority on Saarlouis city council declared a Europe-wide open ideas competition. Nine designs were submitted anonymously, with two juries selecting the proposal by HDK Dutt & Kist with Wandel Lorch Götze Wach and Tobias Link Lichtplanung, all from Saarbrücken, as the winner. The juries for the redesign of the Grosser Markt in Saarlouis consisted of working groups, the top management, representatives of the Women’s and Integration Advisory Council and the Advisory Council for People with Disabilities. Experts from the fields of urban planning, architecture and monument protection were also involved in the selection process.

These are the winners at a glance:

• 1st prize: HDK Dutt & Kist with Wandel Lorch Götze Wach and Tobias Link Lichtplanung und Produktdesign (all Saarbrücken)
• 2nd prize: häfner jiménez betcke jarosch landschaftsarchitektur (Berlin) with Eller + Eller Architekten (Düsseldorf)
• 3rd prize: weihrauch + fischer (Solingen)
• 4th prize: Bruun & Möllers (Hamburg)
• 5th prize: bauchplan ).( (Munich)

HDK Dutt & Kist describe the aims of their design as overcoming the “horror vacui” and emphasizing the historical and spatial quality of the square. In doing so, they avoid overloaded furniture and orchestration. Instead, the focus is on unsealing, activating the urban climate and greening the edges. Among other things, the design envisages extending the plane trees inwards by two rows. At the same time, the trees are to be allowed to grow more freely at the top than before so that the volume of their crowns can multiply.

In future, there will be a long step on the inner surface of the square, which will form a barrier-free bench facing the center of the square. Rainwater will be able to seep into the square, or alternatively flow into a decentralized system of retention tanks. In addition, above-ground hydrants and fresh water drinking fountains will provide cooling on hot days. And the new buildings, such as kiosks, are to have green roofs.

The jury praised the empty center of the square, which takes into account the baroque urban planning by maintaining the axial connection between St. Ludwig and the Kommandantur. The subtle artificial lighting reinforces this effect.

Although the new large market square in Saarlouis will no longer be used as a parade ground, it should still allow for a variety of uses. The competition jury praised the many possible uses. For example, public festivals are possible here. Food stalls, boules courts, loungers and dance areas are also conceivable. The peripheral zones are to be connected to local public transport all around.

In addition, the design for the Grosser Markt Saarlouis by HDK Dutt & Kist with Wandel Lorch Götze Wach and Tobias Link Lichtplanung und Produktdesign shows how the Grosser Platz can be made more climate-friendly. Intelligent rainwater management in combination with large-scale unsealing brings the element of water to the fore. The jury would like to see even greater consideration given to water. Proposals will be examined over the next few months.

Another element of the redesign of Saarlouis’ Grosser Markt that should be given even greater consideration according to the jury is the accessibility of the square. To this end, the city is working closely with the relevant advisory board and will adapt the final design accordingly. According to the jury, the multifaceted design by HDK Dutt & Kist shows a “stringent orientation towards the baroque urban layout” and preserves “the atmospheric quality of the Grosser Markt to a high degree”. The implementation of the design is possible in phases and consists of just a few interventions. According to the jury, these would make the square structure of the Grosser Markt in Saarlouis even more perceptible.

The designs presented in the competition are not initially binding. According to the city of Saarlouis, the main aim is to obtain ideas for possible future implementation. The winning design for the Grosser Markt Saarlouis is likely to serve as a key source of inspiration. The five winning designs were exhibited in the reception hall of the town hall until the end of 2022. According to the jury, the work of HDK Dutt & Kist represented a “valuable contribution to the transformation of the urban space of the Grosser Markt Saarlouis into a robust urban landscape that does justice to climate change.”

The most important aim of the redesign of the Grosser Markt in Saarlouis is to strengthen the square as a communication and retail space. The city also wants to improve the quality of the environment and the quality of life on the Grosser Markt. It is not yet clear when implementation will begin. Concrete steps are not yet planned.

Also interesting: the Duhamel landmark was inaugurated in Saarland a few years ago. It shows the past of coal mining, but also offers a glimpse into the future of the region.