Redevelopment of Bruchfeldplatz

Reason for planning
The predominantly green square in the heart of the Niederrad district has aged somewhat. The plaza was designed and fitted out in the 1970s, and no longer does justice either to how citizens wish to use it today or to its importance due to its location in Niederrad or even to the need to adapt to climate change.
The objective of the redesign is therefore to upgrade the plaza such as to offer all age and users groups an attractive district square that enables people to meet, spend time, play games, enjoy relaxing, while also offering better links to the adjacent school, church, and retail outlets. Alongside the make-over of the outdoor areas, a neighborhood café (something the citizens expressly desired) will be located on urban side of the plaza facing Bruchfeldstrasse, functioning as an important social space and crystallization point for the local citizens.

Planning area
Bruchfeldplatz is clearly framed on its west, north, and east sides by buildings, and opens to the south onto Bruchfeldstrasse where the St. Jakobus parish church stands directly opposite. The adjacent streets and the church forecourt on Bruchfeldstrasse have been factored into the redesign work. In the North Bruchfeldstrasse section, the new plans take into account the adjacent future building for the planned KGS Niederrad school, which will itself openly embrace the plaza.

Planning objectives Today’s Bruchfeldplatz with its invaluable old trees in the center of Niederrad is to be transformed into a popular, citizen-friendly and attractive meeting point for the quarter for all generations of inhabitants. The open-space planning concepts will focus on aspects of adjusting plans to climate change.

The green area’s existing potentials will be upgraded and brought into line with the wishes citizens expressed in the planning workshop in 2011. In the proposal, Bruchfeldplatz itself will be divided into a “green heart” with attractive recreation areas for different age groups, in a quiet section on Lindenallee on the square’s northern edge and with an opened-out area featuring the quarter’s café on vibrant Bruchfeldstrasse.

In the “Green Heart” a range of different playground features will appeal to smaller and larger children and there will also be water features and climbing frames. These recreation areas will be framed in the north and south by long seating walls positioned in front of blossoming bushes.

The root areas of the trees on Lindenallee in the north as well as all the other existing trees will be sustainably protected; new trees will be planted, above all supplementing the routes along Kniebisstrasse and will offset the trees forfeited by interim use of the site to house the container of KiZ 122.
The café on the southeast edge of Bruchfeldplatz will be the new magnet, providing a meeting and communication point, and will thus assume key neighborhood functions for the Niederrad district. A suitable space will be designated for the popular Saturday market and for smaller district street parties.