Winners of the Bavarian Landscape Architecture Prize 2024

One main prize, one award in each of five categories and an audience award: at the end of September, the bdla Landesverband Bayern awarded the winners of the Bavarian Landscape Architecture Prize 2024. Find out which project won first prize and who can look forward to receiving an award here.

The winners of the Bavarian Landscape Architecture Prize 2024 have been announced. The expert jury of the competition made its choice from 31 submitted projects. Of these, ten projects were shortlisted for the prize in July. The award ceremony took place at the end of September at the State Garden Show in Kirchheim. There, the bdla Landesverband Bayern presented the main prize, one award in each of five categories and the Audience Award to the designated winners. The Audience Award was presented for the first time this year as part of the Bavarian Landscape Architecture Award.

The main prize went to Oberwiesenfeldpark in Munich, a project by mahl gebhard konzepte from Munich. The office implemented the public green space from 2012 to 2021 for the client Olympia Wohn Park GmbH & Co. The planners combined both recreational and leisure elements on the approximately four hectares in the north of Munich: Benches, loungers and meadow areas meet pump tracks for bikers, sports fields and climbing frames. By modeling the terrain, a noise barrier, on which rough grassland was sown, shields the park from traffic. Soil from all over the city – some of it contaminated – was used in the process. The project included species protection compensation areas and biotope networking measures. In his laudatory speech, jury member Thomas E. Hauck wrote that Oberwiesenfeldpark impresses with its successful symbiosis of play, sport and nature conservation. “The jury recognizes this successful combination of nature conservation and urban leisure activities and considers the park to be an exemplary model for future urban development projects,” said Hauck in his laudatory speech for the winner of the Bavarian Landscape Architecture Award 2024.

The Waldnaab Chapel near Tirschenreuth received an award in the “Landscape planning and landscape development” category. Brückner & Brückner Architekten GmbH and STADT LAND FANCK Landschaftsarchitektur und Ökologie were responsible for the wayside chapel in the Waldnaabauen. The project was implemented from 2019 to 2022; the client was the Rotary Club Stiftland, represented by the Rotary Hilfswerk Stiftland e.V. and with the district of Tirschenreuth as a project partner. Visitors can explore the landscape and its history – once shaped by the Cistercians; ponds were used for fish farming. A railroad line through the Waldnaabauen has now been decommissioned and the embankment has been repurposed for hikers and cyclists. Local building materials were used for the new Waldnaab Chapel: kaolin sand from the bottom of the pond as aggregate for the concrete and beams made of coniferous wood. A path with garnet chippings without a substructure leads to the chapel. Bicycle parking spaces were also provided. According to Dietmar Straub’s laudatory speech, the jury was impressed by “how a simple but strong architectural gesture at a well-chosen location creates a balance of landscape and architecture that engages with the existing aesthetic and ecological qualities of the site”.

Nordpark III in Plattling received the award in the “Use of plants and biodiversity” category of the Bavarian Landscape Architecture Prize 2024. From 2017 to 2023, BEM Burkhardt | Engelmayer | Mendel Landschaftsarchitekten Stadtplaner implemented this third section of the Nordpark. The client for the project on the site of a former goods station was the city of Plattling. A campus-like section in the north is adjoined to the south by an extensive landscaped area. An elongated lizard wall near the railroad area provides a habitat for the protected reptiles. Among other things, existing building rubble was used for the embankment. 124 trees and over 300 shrubs were planted in Nordpark III. Katja Aufermann writes in her laudatory speech about the section of the park designed by BEM Landschaftsarchitekten: “With its tranquil design with extensive species-rich meadows and shrubs, it is a gift not only for people, but also for numerous animal and plant species.”

The redevelopment of the Anette-Kolb-Anlage in Nuremberg received the Bavarian Landscape Architecture Award 2024 for “Building in Existing Contexts and Circular Economy”. adlerolesch redesigned the existing green space here between 2020 and 2023. This was originally designed by Thiele in 1992. An active strip with bright blue accents features seating as well as a BMX track, a sports area and a play area. The planners developed an existing dry ditch into an extensive rest area and laid out a new, network-like path system. An open meadow area was only slightly adapted; the existing trees were preserved and added to. According to Theresa Ramisch’s laudatory speech, the park renovation by adlerolesch “impresses with an impressive understatement that is second to none”. The public award, which was open to public voting from July 8 to August 23, also went to the adlerolesch project in Nuremberg.

The Bürgerpark in Lindau, realized by Atelier Loidl, received the award in the category “Open spaces for people” at the Bavarian Landscape Architecture Prize 2024. The project was created in the context of a garden show 2021 in Lindau; the client was the city of Lindau, represented by Natur in Lindau 2021 GmbH. On the western side of the island in Lake Constance, “behind” the island railway station, is the Bürgerpark as part of a green ring around the island. A new set of steps now provides access to the lake here. The planners integrated existing features such as the existing trees, paths and visual axes. New features were also added, such as seating, playgrounds and sports facilities. Michel Hinnenthal writes in his laudation of the project: “The historical identity of the Bürgerpark is preserved, while modern elements are harmoniously integrated.” The jury considers the combination of old and new to be successful. According to Hinnenthal, it gives the park its unique character. The jury was impressed by the restrained design planning.

The award in the “Experimental Landscape Architecture and Building in Detail” category of the Bavarian Landscape Architecture Prize 2024 went to a project by LATZ+PARTNER LandschaftsArchitektur Stadtplanung. From 2016 to 2019, the office realized the open spaces of the Karoline Goldhofer daycare center in Memmingen. During the conversion of the building by heilergeider architekten und stadtplaner BDA and the design of the daycare garden, the existing building, vegetation and topography as well as the reuse of materials played a key role. The garden offers the children various adventure spaces, with exercise areas, sand and mud areas and more. Reused materials were also used in the open spaces, such as the roof tiles from the old villa and wood from felled trees. Children are taught how to work with recycled and used materials in the Reggio pedagogy-based daycare center. The building and garden are in harmony with this. As Daniel Oden writes in his laudatory speech, it makes you want to be a child again. Big and important questions about the use of resources and used materials are answered here in a playful way. The jury honored the daycare center’s outdoor facilities with an award as part of the Bavarian Landscape Architecture Prize 2024.

With the Bavarian Landscape Architecture Award, the bdla would like to honor projects and plans in Bavaria that are characterized by innovative, sustainable and climate-friendly outdoor and landscape spaces. Both new and existing projects are included. The bdla awarded the Bavarian Landscape Architecture Prize for the third time this year. In addition to the main prize, the jury awarded prizes in five categories. No award was given in a sixth category, “Green and Blue Infrastructure”. The Bavarian Chamber of Architects and the Bavarian Association of Gardening, Landscaping and Sports Facilities are involved in the Bavarian Landscape Architecture Award 2024 as cooperation partners. This year’s patron was the Bavarian State Minister for Housing, Construction and Transport, Christian Bernreiter.

Projects that had been completed in Bavaria in the last five years were eligible for the award. An international jury of experts, headed by bdla board member Doris Grabner, awarded the main prize and the awards from among 31 submissions. A pre-selection was followed by a second viewing round after a specialist journalist had inspected the projects. In this round, the jury decided on the winners. An online vote was held for the audience award. The competition for the Bavarian Landscape Architecture Prize takes place every two years. The next competition is scheduled for 2026.

First prize
Oberwiesenfeldpark, Munich
mahl gebhard concepts, Munich

Awards for
Landscape planning and landscape development
Waldnaab Chapel, Waldnaabaue
Brückner & Brückner Architekten GmbH, Tirschenreuth/Würzburg, and STADT LAND FANCK Landscape Architecture and Ecology, Tirschenreuth

Use of plants and biodiversity
North Park III Plattling
BEM Burkhardt | Engelmayer | Mendel Landscape Architects Urban Planners, Munich

Construction in existing buildings and circular economy
Renovation of Anette Kolb complex, Nuremberg
adlerolesch GmbH, Nuremberg/Munich

Open spaces for people
Lindau community park
Atelier Loidl Landschaftsarchitekten Berlin GmbH, Berlin

Experimental landscape architecture and building in detail
Karoline Goldhofer day care center, Memmingen
LATZ+PARTNER LandscapeArchitecture Urban Planning, Kranzberg

Audience Award
Renovation of Anette Kolb facility, Nuremberg
adlerolesch GmbH, Nuremberg/Munich

Find out which projects were nominated for the Bavarian Landscape Architecture Award 2024 here.