With the construction of the department of urban development and environment located on the Elbisland of Wilhelmsburg the city of Hamburg has received a new prestigious building. Six different exterior spaces are complementing the new building: courtyard garden, elm avenue, schoolyard, delivery, garden terraces and extensive greening on the roofs of the entire building. Approximately half of the outside surfaces are located on built-over areas as extensive and intensive vegetation. In combination with the landscaping of the external areas the building meets the guidelines for the gold certificate for sustainable construction from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen (DGNB).

The idea of the conception of the external areas is guided by historical and contemporary landscapes of Hamburg and Northern Germany. The expression of the courtyard garden is embodied by a grass landscape, which is inspired by the pathways in the tideway landscape, as for instance seen close to the BSU in the national park Heuckenlock located in the south of Wilhelmsburg. The garden terraces show a linear structure of the vegetation, which is typical for the marsh landscape in northern Germany. The structure loosens by Pine trees, which are bizarrely shaped by the forces of wind typically seen at Northern German coasts.

Role of your office in the project: Landscape design and planning

Website:  l-plus.de/portfolio/bsu-hamburg-2/

Other designers involved in the design of landscape: SSR Landschaftsarchitektur, Prof. Mark Krieger

Project location: Neuenfelder Straße 19, 21109 Hamburg, Germany

Design year: 2010

Year Built: 2013

Manufacturer of urban equipment:

• The wooden decks which are covering the ventilation holes are designed by us and manufactured by Peter Gätje GmbH.
• The concrete stairs and the concrete dished channels are a special productions by Gödde-Beton GmbH.