HafenGold Offenbach Outdoor facilities for the Hafeninsel residential ensemble

The concept divides the open spaces into public, semi-public and private areas. The entrances to the neighbourhood lead to the semi-public neighbourhood centre, which serves as a central meeting point and from which the bi-partners are accessed. Individually designed neighbourhood gardens between the bi-partners offer quieter places to stay. These end at the edge of the harbour in balconies or a viewing platform, which create a link to the harbour basin and provide a view of the Frankfurt skyline.
The playground is located to the east of the area, accessible via a staircase from the harbour promenade. Private gardens with terraces will be assigned to the ground floor apartments - in addition to the loggia.

HAFENGOLD Offenbach - Design concept for open spaces
The concept divides the open spaces into public, semi-public and private areas. The entrances to the quarter lead to the semi-public quarter centre, which serves as a central meeting point and from which the two-part buildings are accessed. Individually designed neighbourhood gardens between the bi-partners offer quieter places to stay and end at the harbour edge in balconies or a viewing platform, which create a link to the harbour basin and provide a view of the Frankfurt skyline. The playground is located in the east of the area, accessible via a staircase from the harbour promenade. The ground floor apartments will have private gardens with terraces - in addition to the loggia.

Communal open spaces
The neighbourhood square with 'Langer Bank' facing south is the meeting place of the neighbourhood and offers various recreational areas. Raised beds and wooden decks structure the area and visually separate the square area from the entrance situation of the two-person street. The neighbourhood gardens offer a quiet place to linger and allow a view of the harbour basin across planting areas flush with the ground.

Private open spaces
The open spaces of the ground floor apartments are separated from the communal areas by the 'sea of grasses', which also serves as a privacy screen. In addition to the loggia, the ground floor apartments are assigned terraces facing east or west in front of the dining areas.

Connection to the harbour edge
The difference in height between the property and the harbour basin or the existing embankment is intercepted by means of a retaining wall and adjacent embankment with grass planting. In the harbor gardens, the retaining wall expands to harbor balconies, which allow a closer relationship to the water.

Pathways
The entrances to buildings and the pathways in the neighborhood are paved with concrete block pavers in various formats. The center of the neighborhood serves as an access and staging area for the fire department and is paved accordingly. Parking facilities for residents and visitors are not provided in the open spaces, but in the underground car park or in the public road space.
Drainage of the paved areas is via closed gutters with connection to the public sewer or is infiltrated in the green spaces.

Planting
The private green spaces are bordered by grasses in various species as spaced planting. The neighbourhood centre and the neighbourhood gardens will be landscaped with grasses or perennial plantings and evergreen 'hedge packs'.

Lighting
The access routes and the entrance situations of the three- and two-carriageways will be illuminated via bollard lights. The lighting of the quarter center is ensured over mast lights. Bollard luminaires are also provided in the neighbourhood gardens as subordinate areas.

Living Environment Award and Plant Use AwardGerman Landscape Architecture Award 2019

Jury verdicts:

Jury's verdict Award Living Environment
The design of the living environment is not only a central task of landscape architecture, but also of the housing industry. For the multi-storey residential building, living and life qualities are to be created, offers for meeting and communication, for local recreation and nature experiences or play and sport. The task is not easy, especially since the building structures are becoming increasingly dense, the demands on design and leisure quality are rising and the importance of open spaces as meeting places is increasing.

The planning office club L94 Landschaftsarchitekten, Cologne, has found an outstanding planning solution for the Hafengold residential ensemble in Offenbach. The contrast between representative axes as well as small-scale and versatile places of local recreation, between width and narrowness offers a lot of quality of stay. In terms of theme and materiality, reference is made again and again to the historical development as a post-industrial after-use of a harbour. Corten steel surfaces are reminiscent of the patina of a rusty ship's hull, wooden decks offer vantage points over the harbour basin and characteristic reed and grass areas create a calm, yet dynamic setting.

For this concise, despite cramped conditions on the special place and the living space clearly upgrading outdoor design, the project "Hafengold Offenbach", design authors club L94 landscape architects, the award in the category "Living Environment".

Jury Judgment Award Plant Use
Greening concepts for the city of the future are a topic that is addressed with increasing interest in the professional world. Plants allow the seasons to be experienced close to home, regulate the temperature, purify the air, increase the quality of living, have a health-promoting effect and can strengthen social cohesion. It is very important here that, despite the many different aspects, the connection with the main planning idea of the project is not lost.

An overall design of higher-level landscape architecture and plant detail has been achieved to a very special degree in "Hafengold Offenbach - Außenanlagen Wohnensemble Hafeninsel". Swamp oaks standing loosely above grass and reed areas offer a characteristic relationship to the accompanying harbour basin, open sandy areas with initial planting of drought-adapted perennials offer dynamics and diversity. Both the tall wet grass meadows and the dry sands also provide opportunities for animals to retreat.

The site of the residential environment is significantly enhanced by the planting despite spatially constrained conditions and has a characteristic relationship to the site. The bdla honours the stimulating use of plants in the Hafengold/Offenbach project by club L94 Landschaftsarchitekten, Cologne, with the award "Use of Plants".