landscape architecture at alice-salomon-platz, berlin

The design for Alice-Salomon-Platz, measuring approximately 120 x 120 meters, is based on the competition design by the Brandt and Böttcher architectural firm from 1991. Between 2003 and 2009, the square was completed in its current form with funding from urban redevelopment and ceremoniously opened. Brandt and Böttcher's original idea of ​​bringing the square closer to the parks adjacent to the south and enclosing it structurally from all sides has not yet been fully implemented. Even the idea of ​​giving motorized traffic only a subordinate role could not meet the real demands on a functioning infrastructure.

The square, which was designed as an urban development unit, is now a space divided by the tram routes and traffic areas, which form three separate square areas of different sizes. The current design of the town square does not do justice to its role as a lively center of Hellersdorf and as a place with a high quality of stay for the public and in the future should be perceived more as a place of encounter and exchange rather than just as a transit space. As part of the open space planning competition, a holistic redesign of Alice-Salomon-Platz is to take place.

The renovation work is scheduled to begin in 2026. First, the square areas will be redesigned. A total of 2.55 million euros (gross construction costs) are available from various funding programs for the construction work to redesign the square areas. Depending on future financial possibilities and political decisions, the street spaces will be converted.

The transformation of Alice Salomon Square can be a great opportunity for visualizing and implementing a sustainable climate adaptation strategy. The heavily sealed square is intended to become a Berlin prototype for dealing with stone squares and a model for further redesigns in the interests of climate adaptation.