City Hall Environment Wedding Berlin

The newly designed Rathausplatz with the Schiller Library has become an important urban link between Müllerstraße and Leopoldplatz in the north and Genter Straße and the campus of the Beuth University of Applied Sciences in the south. As such, it forms a central building block of the educational ribbon that extends from Leopoldplatz through the campus of the Beuth University of Applied Sciences to the Virchow Clinic.
The design for the town hall environment consists of a continuous paved area that extends from Müllerstraße to Genter Straße. The surface connects the different addresses on the square: the old town hall, the Job Center and the Schiller Library.

DRAFT
The area around Wedding Town Hall is an elegant, versatile urban space with a high quality of life. The entire square area is openly clear and barrier-free, the entrance situations of the public buildings are highlighted and the path relationships from northeast to southwest are strengthened. The different qualities of the open space from the stone town square to the green lawn are worked out and redesigned as attractive urban square areas. The square areas are in direct relation to the adjacent buildings and open spaces. Generous pathways with clear orientation along the Schiller Library and the old town hall have been created between Müllerstrasse and Genter Strasse.
The newly designed town hall square with the Schiller Library has become an important urban link between Müllerstrasse and Leopoldplatz in the north and Genter Strasse and the campus of the Beuth University of Applied Sciences in the south. As such, it forms a central component of the educational ribbon that extends from Leopoldplatz through the campus of the Beuth University of Applied Sciences to the Virchow Clinic.
The design for the City Hall environment consists of a continuous paved area that extends from Müllerstraße to Genter Straße. The surface runs as a uniform pavement from the façade of the Schiller Library to the façade of the old Town Hall and from the street edge of Müllerstrasse to the street edge of Genter Strasse. This creates a clearly delineated urban space that connects the buildings on the square: the old town hall, the Job Center and the Schiller Library.
Four clearly delineated square areas with different uses are inserted into the surface like inlays. Each area has its own character through its use and design.

STADTPLATZ MÜLLERSTRASSE
Located to the northeast is the Stadtplatz Müllerstrasse, an urban plaza that serves as an urban meeting place, event venue, and spacious entrance for the library and Job Center. The historic, large-scale grid of the existing forecourt was taken up and continued as a defining design feature. The columned poplars on the square were retained and framed by a circular bench. Generous benches in the area of Müllerstraße form a conclusion of the square area and invite to linger. The names of the twin towns are integrated as lettering in the concrete bands of the square. In the northeastern area, the outdoor catering area of the existing café has been integrated into the square area.

LESEGARTEN
A reading garden is located at the Schiller Library. In a sheltered, courtyard-like location between the Job Center and the library building, an area was created with generous open-space furniture that invites people to spend time informally, reading, studying, and working. Books from the library can be used in this area. A library wi-fi offering allows study, work, and entertainment outdoors. Japanese string trees provide shade in partial areas. Sculptural reading lamps illuminate the space with a slightly colored, warm light as darkness falls.

Landscape Architecture Award in DetailGerman Landscape Architecture Award 2019

Jury verdict: With the implementation of the redesign of the town hall environment in Berlin-Wedding, ANNABAU convince with a work that is in love and skilful down to the last detail. In particular, the reading garden at the new Schiller Library connects building and open space in a special way through its furnishing. Generous modular benches invite you to linger, read and study under the open sky.

The strikingly designed concrete reading lights give the area a very cosy character in the evening and night hours due to their bright light colours. Luminaires and benches form a harmonious interplay and are convincing in terms of materiality, proportion and sharpness of detail. The material concrete, which is appropriately used for the open space, is given great lightness by the design and provides a good example of the fact that even robust materials in outdoor spaces do not have to forego good design. The attention to detail also continues in a large round bench in the central square in front of the town hall around an existing group of poplars.

High-quality prefabricated concrete elements with a dynamic cut combine with curved wooden lathing to create, overall, a very high-quality and not everyday piece of street furniture. The details seem natural and do without anything unnecessary. The work is a good example of the fact that even robust and simple designs do not have to forego individuality in detail.