Schötmar station: competition for redesign

Last year, the municipality of Bad Salzuflen in the North Rhine-Westphalian district of Lippe announced an open space planning competition to redesign the station forecourt in the Schötmar district. GM013 Landschaftsarchitektur from Berlin won with their vision of the “Bega Terraces”.

Last year, the municipality of Bad Salzuflen in the North Rhine-Westphalian district of Lippe announced an open space planning competition for the redesign of the station forecourt in the Schötmar district. The square has a special location in the urban fabric of the town. It is only a few minutes’ walk from the city center. The banks of the Bega river are also in the immediate vicinity. Nevertheless, the square currently has a low amenity value. Instead, the area is dominated by stationary traffic. Instead of a design that invites people to linger, the focus is on mobility infrastructure such as bicycle parking facilities, a charging station for electric cars and a bicycle repair station.

This was to change with the help of competition designs. A total of seven selected offices submitted their vision for a redesign of Schötmar station. In May 2022, the jury announced the winners. In the end, GM013 Landschaftsarchitektur from Berlin won over the judges. They unanimously voted the “Bega Terraces” design into first place. Second prize went to ANNABAU Architektur und Landschaft, also from Berlin. A third place was not awarded after deliberation by the jury. Instead, RIEHL BAUERMANN + PARTNER Landschaftsarchitekten from Kassel were delighted to receive recognition for their design.

According to the jury, GM013 Landschaftsarchitektur made a particularly strong urban planning gesture and divided the competition area into three sub-areas. In their design, they stage the station forecourt as a “square terrace”. Like a balcony, it rises above the Bega River and becomes a place to linger with a view. The design language is reminiscent of the bow of a ship. In this way, the planners are not only creating a design reference to the water. At the same time, the morphology is intended to minimize the impact of the structure on the flow of water during floods. A green “leisure terrace” is created as a contrast to the paved square. Steps, clod-like seating elements and loosely placed trees and shrubs structure the slope. The usable elements decrease towards the south. Here, the river is given a near-natural bank. A modified bank alignment also gives the Bega an extended retention area there. In addition to the high-quality recreational areas facing the river, the third large section remains dedicated to traffic. Sufficient parking spaces, bicycle stands and glass containers meet the required specifications.

In its report, the jury particularly emphasized the interplay of the three spatial characters. GM013 Landscape Architecture provides a stage for the functional requirements as well as an urban flair and a natural atmosphere. The jury also praised the balance of sealed and unsealed areas. However, the judges were critical of the financial feasibility of the design in this form. The insufficient accessibility of the riverbank areas was also not ideal. Finally, the actual “flood suitability” as well as some details of the furnishings and scale still needed to be re-examined. Despite all the points of criticism, however, the work makes an extremely interesting and courageous contribution to the reorganization of the Schötmar station forecourt. With the competition, the town of Bad Salzuflen had not only found a convincing planning idea, but also a planning office for further development. Implementation is now drawing ever closer. Construction could start as early as next year.

There is also another exciting competition design for the Ludwigsfeld housing estate: a competition for the extension has been decided here.