Gustav Meyer Square Brunsbüttel

The redesign of Gustav-Meyer-Platz, the promenade and the adjacent streets in the area of the lock facilities and the ferry pier in Brunsbüttel has calmed and upgraded a previously disjointed spatial and unsatisfactory design situation in a consistent but formally restrained manner.
Several similar zones of different uses have been created, which merge to form an overall space. Areas, paths and lanes are not hierarchically separated from each other, but interlock harmoniously. On an equal footing with the large areas, graceful, small-scale situations are created in the secondary zones of the square, by the water and under the trees. Achieved with modern design means, they make one think as a matter of course of a historically grown square structure and a waterfront promenade in an old city.

The town of Brunsbüttel is characterised by its location on the Elbe and the Kiel Canal, two of the most important waterways in Germany. This is its greatest tourist asset.
Approximately 100,000 day trippers visit the lock facilities each year and admire the passage of the large "dream ships" during the summer months. The guests are holidaymakers from the region as well as day trippers from the greater Hamburg area.

As part of the efforts of the town and district of Dithmarschen to secure and develop Brunsbüttel as a business location, it is necessary to strengthen tourism, make better use of the resources already available and create points of identification.

The area around Gustav-Meyer-Platz and the marina on the Kiel Canal is the spatial end of Koogstraße, the town's long main shopping street, and it plays a decisive role in shaping its image. As an event location for markets, the celebrations on the occasion of the canal birthday and as a starting point for the lock tours and excursion trips with ships, this is Brunsbüttel's most frequented place for tourists.

However, the urban appearance of this area, which is so important for the city, was previously relatively disorderly, and both the square and the adjacent riverside path offered residents and visitors only a low quality of stay.

Public spaces create urbanity

The thorough redesign and reorganisation, completed in sections in 2005-2007 and now complete, significantly upgrades this area. The previously asphalt plaza areas and sidewalks received a granite small paving. The stationary traffic and the entire street and path routing were organized in such a way that the needs of day tourism are taken into account. The result is an area that is inviting in terms of urban planning and design and is open to a wide range of uses.
The new traffic routing is of central importance for the redesign of the square and the adjacent area. The eastern part of the square and the entire promenade are now free of through traffic. Only the access road to the Water and Shipping Authority (WSA) remains exempt, and coaches are also allowed to drive along the promenade in one-way direction. On the other hand, through traffic coming from Koogstraße will be intercepted beforehand, routed through Schleusenstraße in one lane and from there onto Kautzstraße.

Principles of the redesign "Unity and simplicity, identity and modernity"

The square

The square is the core area of the new open space facilities and the urban joint between the head of Koogstraße and the promenade. It is defined by different spatial edges, fixed and natural, high and low. In the south it is bordered by single-storey brick buildings of the WSA, in the middle of which is the entrance to the lock. To the east, large, old lime trees form a clear boundary, while an equivalent to this was previously missing to the north. Here, too, trees have now been planted to take over this function until new buildings later give the square a foothold at this point as well. The visual axis from the long Koogstraße across the square to the marina on the Kiel Canal, on the other hand, remains open so that the unique panorama of the ships slowly passing by can be experienced from a distance.
The square, which is paved with small granite paving stones, consists of two different sections, but they are parts of a larger spatial continuum. This impression is reinforced by the curbs, which are not raised. The material of the square surface runs flush or only with a slight upturn of 3 cm to the edges. The free, open area is available for all conceivable events and changes its face with every use. In addition, there are the parking spaces on Koogstraße with a separate access road to the WSA, which is paved with large granite stones and thus stands out as a traffic lane. The parking spaces are divided into groups and are bordered by massive, longitudinal stone blocks made of granite, which trace the course of Koogstraße into the square in the front area and define the square boundary in the rear area. On the one hand, this results in a caesura, which creates small side rooms, and on the other hand, the spatial impression is not disturbed by the low height of the ashlars, which also invite people to sit down. If the entire square area is required for certain events, then these structure-forming elements are completely subordinated to the larger space.

The Promenade

The Promenade continues the design principles of the square, which are restrained in terms of form and colour, but condenses them and thus makes its own statement. The proportions of this elongated space, bordered by greenery and water, are tailored to pedestrians, creating an area of special quality that serves as both a passageway and a quiet zone, where pedestrians have priority. Of particular importance is the zoned routing of the paths. On the one hand, linear but repeatedly interrupted bands of granite slabs underline the longitudinal direction, on the other hand, niches with benches in the rear, green part as well as balconies to the water-side area offer different qualities of participation in the events, withdrawn or exposed.
The marking of the main axis by granite bands underlines the character of the promenade, but at the same time signals the course of "lanes". In fact, tour buses may use the boardwalk on a temporary basis. In the course of the promenade, more compactly than on the larger square, the common design concept of the entire area emerges, which also includes the public furniture. Monochrome lights, benches, waste-paper baskets stand out physically, but hardly in colour against the similar grey of the granite paving and merge into a unity. In this way, a common space recognizable at first glance emerges from different zones of use and forms of open space.
Streets and parking

The promenade can only follow the canal bank as far as the restaurant "Zum Yachthafen" and must then bend off to the north into Kreystraße. It therefore does not continue directly from the square to the ferry terminal at the end of Kautzstraße. Kreystraße is characterised by valuable old trees which have the function of windbreak planting.

Streets and parking

The promenade can follow the canal bank only up to the restaurant "Zum Yachthafen" and must then turn north into Kreystraße. It therefore does not continue directly from the square to the ferry terminal at the end of Kautzstraße. Kreystraße is characterized by valuable old trees, which have the function of windbreak planting.

The street is not only the landside extension of the promenade, but also access and exit to the public parking lot of the WSA located laterally in the joint of promenade and street and can be driven by coaches in one-way direction. For this reason, its original width was retained, but a side strip was rezoned by rhythmically placed bus parking areas, each marked by large-format granite paving, so that the overall image is that of a striking extension of the promenade rather than that of a traffic road. The materials familiar from the square and the promenade continue to be used here.

Resumé

The redesign of Gustav Meyer Square, the promenade and the adjacent streets in the area of the lock facilities and the ferry dock in Brunsbüttel has calmed and upgraded a previously disjointed spatial and unsatisfactory design situation in a consistent but formally restrained manner. Several similar zones of different use have been created, which merge to form an overall space. Areas, paths and lanes are not hierarchically separated from each other, but interlock harmoniously.
The lakeside zone on the Kiel Canal, which is extremely attractive for residents and tourists alike, was thus carefully transformed into a modern open space that can be surveyed at first glance from any position and offers a variety of uses without ever appearing confusing. However, the stringency of the concept, which forms differentiated spaces even in the dark thanks to its lighting accompanying the main paths, as well as the deliberate reduction of the design means used, did not lead to an academic solution at the expense of suitability for everyday use, on the contrary. On an equal footing with the large areas, graceful, small-scale situations are also formed here in the secondary zones of the square, by the water and under the trees.

Achieved with modern design means, they make one think as a matter of course of a historically grown square structure and a waterfront promenade in an old city.