Warehouse City Münster Redesign of the central outdoor spaces of the Speicherstadt Münster

Speicherstadt is a project of redevelopment and conversion of a former 11.5 ha "Army Catering Headquarters" from the times of National Socialism into an office and communication centre in the north of Münster.

The design concept of the open space provides for a sensitive handling of the monumental architectural testimonies of National Socialist war preparations in 1930s Germany. The existing green centre of the former "Heeresbäckerei" will be re-contoured. Following the height development of the loading ramps flanking the warehouse buildings, the central meadow areas are folded up into a lawn sculpture and bordered by Corten steel stringers. The lawn sculpture reaches its maximum height on one side at each of the passages between two storage buildings and then drops to a height of 5 cm on alternating sides. The lawn islands can be walked on and are topped by loose rows of ornamental cherry trees, which develop from the direction of the former rail yard into the green centre of the Speicherstadt. Flat plantings of crocuses and mullein form an interesting spring aspect.

The stone square in front of the former bakery building forms the centre of the complex. Here events can take place and areas for an extended outdoor gastronomy can also be offered, e.g. for events.

The site of the former Army Supply Office is significant for the history of the military in the first half of the 20th century. The facility, largely preserved in its original form, was the central location for the storage, processing and distribution of food and livestock feed for the garrison of Münster and northwest Germany. During the second half of the 20th century, the Speicherstadt Münster was occupied by the British occupation forces. The site is now a listed building.

The Speicherstadt Münster forms an important memorial to Germany's wartime history. In addition to the architecture, the open space design must also make the memory and history readable.

Based on the concept of a sensitive treatment of the existing buildings, the existing green center is re-contoured: The central meadow areas are unfolded into a lawn sculpture and framed by Corten steel stringers.
The lawn sculpture reaches its maximum height (100 cm) on one side at each of the passages to the entrances of the storage buildings, and then drops to 5 cm on alternate sides as it continues. The lawn sculpture is topped by rows of ornamental cherry trees, which, coming from the direction of the former rail yard, develop into the green centre of the Speicherstadt.

The rail tracks in front of the warehouse buildings each take up linear grass plantings on one side of the entrances. Next to them, generous seating platforms in the gauge of the tracks invite visitors to linger. Benches in the same design but in a narrower version provide places to stay along the lawn sculpture and in front of the bakery.

The stone plaza in front of the former bakery building forms the new center of the facility. The area for events as well as for an expanded outdoor dining area is paved with colorful graywacke in a large stone format. The material deliberately contrasts with the surrounding historic basalt. The area is framed by a ground-level Corten steel edging.

As the existing natural stone paving is subject to listed building protection, it remains unchanged. It is merely incorporated into a working space around the new lawn sculpture. In the interests of a uniform appearance, the irregularly distributed asphalt surfaces in the east of the Speicherstadt are also in small stone paving to complement the open space design in the middle of the complex.
In the area of the historic track yard, the tracks are covered with ornamental cherry trees. The track leading directly into the centre of the complex is laid with concrete slabs and thus developed as a direct footpath and cycle path connection. The historic locomotive is relocated and given a concrete slab platform for better viewing.

The lighting concept emphasizes the axial orientation of the layout. By illuminating the loading docks from the tracks in front of them, the linearity of the architecture becomes visible. Additionally, the rows of cherry trees are illuminated by recessed floor spotlights. The facade of the bakery is illuminated due to its central importance for the Speicherstadt and the different shape of the building.

In order to make the history and memory of the site legible, the lush vegetation strip opens up to the north. By cutting back and thinning out the width of the open space between the warehouses, the Speicherstadt will also be clearly visible from the outside in the future.
A Corten steel ramp in the north of the site leads into this open space.