Interdisciplinary competition for the planning of the "Lange Berge" rest area on the A 73 motorway New ways in the tendering of planning services

Designers of landscape architecture: 15 consortiums of landscape architects and traffic planners with the award of one 3rd and two 1st prizes:
3rd prize: Planstatt Senner - Landschaftsarchitektur, Überlingen, Ingenieurbüro K. Langenbach, Dresden
1st prize: realgrün Landschaftsarchitekten, Munich, Dr. Brenner Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH, Aalen
1st prize: Brugger Landschaftsarchitekten, Aichach, Ingenieurbüro Mayr, Aichach

The competition procedure "Rastanlage Lange Berge" understands traffic infrastructure and landscape architecture as equally important aspects in the design process and is characterized by the interdisciplinary competition as a transparent, quality-enhancing procedure with numerous interesting contributions. The extremely positive response from experts and the public illustrates the contribution to the planning culture, which is enriching in many respects.

Integrated open space planning - first interdisciplinary competition

Planning interventions in the landscape for the construction of infrastructural facilities are unavoidable due to the increased demand for supply facilities, also for individual mobility. Associated with the construction of motorways is the requirement to build service areas. This increasing demand on nature and landscape is met by those affected by the measure with an increased sensitivity to concerns of ecology, landscape and regional and local identity. In order to meet these sometimes competing demands, it was necessary to break new ground in the search for suitable solutions.
With the first invitation to tender for planning services in the form of an interdisciplinary competition with planning teams consisting of traffic planners and landscape architects, the Motorway Directorate of Northern Bavaria pursued the goal of integrating aspects of landscape and open space planning into the planning at an early stage as a key element of the design task. Traffic requirements, demands on open space qualities as well as the optimal integration of the facility into the landscape were understood as equally weighted tasks, which could only be expected to produce the best possible result if they were solved together.
"The aim was to achieve an optimal solution for the design of the traffic facilities and the recreational areas as well as the best possible integration into the landscape in cooperation between traffic planners and landscape architects and, last but not least, to improve acceptance among the residents of the community of Meeder affected by the construction of the service area."
With "unexpectedly great interest", 28 eligible applicant groups applied throughout Europe, of which 15 participants were selected by lot. All planning teams admitted to participate submitted a worthwhile contribution.

Positive response - model for future planning

The success of the competition reflects the result, which offers a "broad spectrum of solutions" and thus goes far beyond the "usual furnishing and greening".
In addition to the good integration of the planned facilities into the landscape, the new landscape planning approaches were particularly appreciated, through which the traffic facilities are convincing not only functionally, but also in terms of design. In addition to the design and functional quality of the results, the "interdisciplinary approach was extremely well received in specialist circles" and was also able to dispel many misgivings about the planning among the local political public thanks to its high level of transparency.
The competition stimulated an "interesting, fruitful discussion" among the awarding authority and the jury, among the participants and, not least, among the interested specialist public, "on the basis of which the disciplines were able to learn from each other and hopefully the foundation could be laid for carrying out similar planning procedures in the future".

Evaluation by the jury

The office of brugger landscape architects, Aichach, achieved one of the two first prizes in a consortium with the engineering office of Mayr, Aichach. The consortium has been commissioned by the Autobahndirektion Nordbayern with the further planning of the service area.
The jury praised the approach of the design to offer the pleasantly simple: generous openness and tranquility through extensive meadows, restrained but pointedly placed plantings with attractive views into the distance. Linear and simple but also distinct terrain designs do justice to the site and its purpose.
Various recreational, sporting, resting and play opportunities for resting people of all ages are offered without succumbing to the temptation to over-instrumentation. The result is a park that is effective and usable, consciously wants to stand out from its surroundings and uses means such as linearity, overview and clarity.
The authors thus succeed in skilfully staging elements of infrastructure in a simple manner and at the same time creating a park that both represents the antithesis to fast traffic and fits the location and is also available to the local population.

Special Award Infrastructure and LandscapeGerman Landscape Architecture Award 2015

Jury verdict: The jury awards the special prize Infrastructure and Landscape for the exemplary planning process for the design of a motorway service area with the expectation of the corresponding implementation in reality. Through an interdisciplinary competition with landscape architects and traffic planners, offered by the North Bavarian Motorway Directorate, contemporary approaches to the integrated design of a motorway service area were sought and functionally and creatively convincing contributions were found.

The welcome interdisciplinary approach in the planning of this large-scale technical infrastructure was used to synergies from the concerns of engineering, landscape planning / architecture and ecology excellent.

So the contributions of the winning teams represent rest areas, which not least draws its identity from the landscape conditions. As an antipole to the hectic pace of the motorway routes, places of peace and relaxation are developed with reference to the landscape, but also spaces for play and sport of high design quality are presented, which at the same time show a high sensitivity in the integration and accentuation of the landscape.

The jury recommends the rapid implementation of the design ideas and hopes that this successful approach in dealing with planning technical infrastructure may serve as a model for future projects and be raised to the standard.