Bitscher Square, Lebach Redesign of station square and surroundings

Bitscher Platz in Lebach, as a town square and station forecourt, forms the centre of the town. It cumulates various functions and has to meet many different demands. The Bitscher Platz and the adjacent transport system could be structurally and functionally changed and upgraded by restructuring and bundling the routes and connection points of the public transport network in Lebach. The redesign of the square plays thematically with the pairs of opposites inside

Bitscher Platz is located south of the Lebach city centre. The area is bordered by the floodplain of the Theele in the north and the railway lines in the south. The edges of Bitscher Platz appear very heterogeneous due to the differently designed facades and the varying height development of the buildings. In the southwest of the square, the new station building complements the new bus station. Due to the relocation of the bus station and further restructuring and bundling of the routes and connection points of the public transport network in Lebach, there was an opportunity to reorganise Bitscher Platz and to give it a higher quality of stay by redesigning it in consideration of the usage requirements. The new Bitscher Platz serves as an open space link between the railway station and the town centre. The content of the design concept is based on the geological and historical characteristics of the town of Lebach. The so-called Lebach eggs, which occur in the region, are rock formations that were mined for smelting because of their iron content. They consist of slate clay and clay ironstone, whose characteristic colouring of yellow-grey to red-brown tones is reflected in the design of the square surfaces.

In terms of design, the square plays with the theme of inside and outside, dense and open, full and empty. A grid of trees forms both a frame and a roof, marking the different uses. The dense tree grid creates a high quality of stay and also filters the very heterogeneously formed structural edges of the square. The open square centre, on the other hand, allows multifunctional use as a car park, fairground and market place. Large-format concrete slabs form the basic material of the square. Three slabs lying next to each other form a module, which is based on the basic grid of approx. 5.50 m by 2.55 m commonly used for parking lots. The grid format extends to its edges as a module unit for the different elements of the square. Car parking spaces, tree grates, seating, kiosk and play objects fill the grid in a variety of ways.

Inspired by the Lebach eggs, the module is installed in three different colour shades - beige, brown and grey. A network of lines made of light-colored concrete blocks serves as a floor-flush grid between the individual modules. For daily use, 61 parking spaces are available inside the square. Wooden platforms arranged at the edges of the square or under the tree canopy invite visitors to rest and linger. A water element flush with the ground with small fountains and sporadically arranged play elements increase the quality of stay under the trees at the north-eastern edge of the square and invite to play and take a break. Functional equipment elements such as barrier bollards, litter bins and bicycle racks blend into the square design with a uniform colour scheme and simple design.

Outside the square, the road surfaces have been rebuilt and the driving relationships have been reordered. On the east side of the square, the street "Am Bahnhof" has been converted back to a one-way street and serves as a traffic-calmed zone for deliveries only. Thus, a generous area for outdoor gastronomy was created parallel to the edge of the square. At the southern edge of the square, the street coming from the station was also converted into a one-way street. By reducing the usable road width, a longitudinal parking zone was created at the edge of the square, which allows eleven taxi or short-term parking spaces in front of the new station building.

AppreciationGerman Landscape Architecture Award 2015

Jury verdict: Using a cleverly chosen grid of 5.50 m x 2.55 m, which forms the basis of the design concept, the landscape architects club L94 develop a usable inner-city square with many functions. In doing so, the plan authors orientate themselves on the model of the classic inner-city public square, which is delimited or partially covered with trees. What is new, however, is the consistent application of the grid across all areas of the design and square infrastructure. The materiality is simple. Nevertheless, the clean, precise detailing - which is due in no small part to the design method of the grid - creates an astonishingly high-quality impression.