German Natural Stone Award 2024 March 2024
We are delighted to have been nominated for the "German Natural Stone Award 2024" for our "Flensburg Landscape Gardens" project.
The jury made its selection at the jury meeting held in March, at which 18 outstanding natural stone projects were chosen from a total of 69 submissions. These projects cover the categories "Facades with ventilated exterior wall cladding made of natural stone", "Facades and buildings with solid natural stone", "Interiors made of natural stone" and "Landscape architecture and open space design".
On 19 June 2024, the four category winners will be chosen at the Stone+tec trade fair in Nuremberg as part of the Natural Stone Congress.
URBAN GREEN CHARTA - Economic, Social and Ecological Sustainability February 2024
Since 1969, our work has been characterised by a clear principle: A commitment to the best solution. In our opinion, you can't just do "landscape architecture", as there are many other challenges in and around it that require comprehensive solutions.
With the URBAN GREEN CHARTA, sustainable planning becomes an integral pillar of the projects and work of WES. The three dimensions of sustainability - economic, social and ecological - are intertwined and complement the standards of design and construction quality that have characterised WES LandscapeArchitecture for over 50 years.
The economic viability of projects is becoming ever more closely linked to sustainability criteria. Our URBAN GREEN CHARTA introduces contact persons for the five fields of action of sustainable construction, design, methodology, materials, biodiversity and water, who specifically strengthen our project teams and are available to you as consultants.
The contents of the URBAN GREEN CHARTA were discussed at length, intensively and across all hierarchical levels of the office. Dialogue remains an essential element of the charter, with the aim of developing it further and making our environment more resilient together. We invite you to take part in this discussion and join us in the search for alternative building materials and construction methods.
Link: URBAN GREEN CHARTA
WES at the Lenné Symposium 2024 in Berlin January 2024
WES Managing Shareholder Henrike Wehberg-Krafft, Stefan S. Weber, Head of Circularity at WES, and project manager Christina von Reth from the Berlin office took part in this year's Lenné Symposium, hosted by the Berlin Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment (SenMVKU). The symposium took place at the betterplace Umspannwerk in Kreuzberg and was dedicated to the highly topical subject of "Green-blue infrastructure: Berlin on the way to becoming a water-sensitive city".
In view of the global challenges of climate change with tangible effects on Berlin, particularly in the form of extreme weather events, the event focused on water-sensitive urban planning. This approach, also known as the "sponge city principle", is considered groundbreaking for the climate resilience and adaptation of our cities. The symposium focused on Berlin's current status with regard to the implementation of this water-sensitive planning and the necessary prerequisites for successful progress.
The opening by Britta Behrendt, State Secretary for Climate Protection and the Environment, and a keynote speech on the National Water Strategy by Manja Schreiner, Senator from the SenMVKU, provided the framework for further discussions. Positions from the profession, teaching and the next generation complemented the dialog. In various work and thinking spaces, the aforementioned questions were explored in greater depth by speakers from research and administration.
Further Information:
www.lenne-veranstaltungen.de
WES construction manager Florian Kreß appointed specialist spokesman for the “Construction Technology and Standards” working group December 2023
We are very pleased that WES construction manager Florian Kress has been appointed specialist spokesman for the bdla Hamburg for the “Construction Technology and Standards” working group. As construction manager, Florian is responsible, among other things, for the extremely successful WES projects "Urbaner Platz - Zentrum Mümmelmannsberg, Hamburg", "New building of enercity headquarters, Hanover" and "Central shopping area/Grubenstrasse, Mölln".
The work in the construction technology and standards working group includes participation, commenting and assisting with draft standards, FLL guidelines, worksheets, ZTV-en, DIN standards and interface definitions. There are regular appointments for coordination and professional exchange. There is also an exchange on current, existing case law and judgments.
We wish Florian all the best and much success in his new area of responsibility!
Further information:
www.bdla.de
Madaster network event in Heidelberg November 2023
Stefan S. Weber, Head of Circularity at WES, took part in the Madaster network meeting on November 30th, to which Heidelberg Materials had invited. As the first open space planning office in Germany, WES LandschaftsArchitektur has been part of the Madaster Germany network as an innovation partner for a year. The aim of the partnership is to establish resource-saving construction as an industry standard and to expand the added value for clients, users and the environment. As part of the event, Madaster reported on the current status of the network, which now includes over 140 partners from all sectors of the construction, planning and real estate industry, and gave an outlook on the planned developments in 2024. We are very pleased that the inputs to be implemented by WES to expand the functions for open spaces in the online building material cadastre.
Further information:
www.madaster.de
"Movement for ALL" | ParkSport Lurup, Hamburg | Participation - planning and design - realisation November 2023 November 2023
As part of the IAKS outdoor specialist seminar in the Haus des Sports in Hamburg, WES shareholders Wolfgang Betz and Henrik Sander from orange edge - Integrated Urban & Traffic Planning presented the joint project "ParkSport Lurup, Hamburg".
The lecture in front of around 70 specialist audience participants covered the topics of participation, planning and design, in particular the content-related, health-promoting solution taking into account the aesthetic development and social components as well as the realization of the project. The process through to completion was illustrated using sketches, plans and photographs from the construction phase. This was followed by a tour of ParkSport Lurup, which met with great interest despite the storm and rain.
ParkSport Lurup is one of three sub-projects of the “Lurup district campus”, which was planned together with the expansion of the Lurup district school. The innovative concept of the district campus based on a master's study by WES LandscapeArchitecuture integrates the community school and creates a place of inclusion that opens up to the district, sees the school as a learning and living space and is characterized by high quality of stay and use. The ParkSport area as an open, cross-generational exercise and meeting space was developed with the participation of the population and local actors and with the sports scientific support of Dr. Julia Thurn from the Institute for Cooperative Planning and Sports Development, Stuttgart (IKPS). Physical activity has a positive effect on social, cognitive and emotional development. This is shown by current scientific findings.
Stefan Weber, Head of Circularity at WES LandscapeArchitecuture, supplemented the lecture with the topic of "New, Circular Building" and highlighted aspects of sustainability in the design process and possibilities for establishing a circular economy in the construction sector.
Further information:
www.deutschland.iaks.sport
Contract for new building Asklepios Klinik Altona, Hamburg October 2023
In collaboration with Telluride Architecture | a|sh sander.hofrichter architekten as a consortium, WES LandscapeArchitecture was awarded the contract for the new building of the Asklepios Klinik Altona. The new hospital is to be built in the immediate vicinity of the aging, striking high-rise building and will ensure long-term health care. The design from 2019 reflects the typical, local identity of the Altona district and does justice to the specifications of the property. The building ensemble fits harmoniously into the neighborhood and is designed to ensure high-quality patient care. He follows the philosophy that the spatial environment can have a positive effect on the regeneration of patients and attractive jobs are created for clinical staff. The goal of those involved in the project is to realize the project in close partnership with Asklepios. The future users, including doctors and nursing staff, are significantly integrated into the implementation process.
Further information:
www.asklepios.com
Opening of Flensburg landscape gardens September 2023
With the ceremonial opening of the Flensburg Landscape Gardens on the nationwide Open Monument Day, the monumental redesign of the park and cemetery ensemble Flensburg Landscape Gardens, one of the most important, historic green spaces in Schleswig-Holstein, comes to its crowning conclusion. The official welcome was given by Dr. Robert Habeck, Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, Pelle Hansen, Deputy Mayor of Flensburg and Mayor Dr. Fabian Geyer. Students from neighboring schools and the ensemble of the Schleswig-Holstein Symphony Orchestra provided the musical accompaniment. As part of a walk through the landscape gardens, WES partner Claus Rödding explained the measures implemented to the minister and representatives from Flensburg's top administration. In addition to other public tours, there was also a colorful children's program and a picnic, to which WES invited all project participants and visitors on its own blanket and which was very well received.
Further information:
www.flensburg.de
Reopening Geropark, Mönchengladbach September 2023
Mayor Felix Heinrichs and Dr. Gregor Bonin, city director and technical representative, officially opened the redesigned and enlarged Geropark on the lake stage. The varied supporting program included, among other things, themed tours through the park, several music concerts, various games and a mobile theater. As an inner-city green space, the central Geropark forms urban relationships with the nearby Sonnenberg, the Abteiggarten and the Hans-Jonas-Park. The redesign measures included the development of the park around the central area of the enlarged Geroweiher as well as the accentuation of important areas such as Geroplatz or the historic city wall. Versatile bank areas, water fountains as well as seating and walking steps on the water area, which has been expanded by 43 percent, now offer special living qualities in direct proximity to the water. As a square-like entrance corresponding to the location, Geroplatz is integrated into the holistic park landscape. Long, illuminated seating elements and perennial planting behind them emphasize the historical course of the old city wall. A variety of games and sports offerings for young and old complement the usage offerings in the northwestern area. New, existing-oriented routes connect higher-level green and traffic structures.
Inauguration ceremony enercity, Hanover September 2023
The new headquarters of enercity, one of the most innovative companies in the energy industry, was opened with a ceremony with over 500 invited guests from politics, business and society. The state capital's lighthouse project is a pioneering building that offers optimal working conditions and an inspiring environment and is currently the largest passive house in Northern Germany. Among the guests were Lower Saxony's Economics Minister Olaf Lies, State Environment Minister Christian Meyer and Hanover's Mayor Belit Onay. Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Stephan Weil also sent congratulations. The new building stands on a spacious plaza that surrounds the entire building like a carpet. A representative water basin as a sky mirror and seating made from polished natural stone cushions form an inviting entrance. A grove of picturesquely growing, tall crowns provides shade and complements the composition. The project leads to a complete upgrade of the city framework. Haas Cook Zemmrich STUDIO 2050 won the competition together with WES LandscapeArchitecture. WES managing shareholder Wolfgang Betz was among the guests.
1st prize international competition "Nanjing Energy Valley Central Business District" August 2023
In collaboration with gmp Architects and Arup, a modern technology campus is being built in Nanjing, southeast of the City Center, based on the principle of the sponge city, with numerous apartments and commercial retail for a lively new urban district. Two landmark towers are oriented axially along a main road that stretches across the campus in a south-easterly direction. Between the two plots there is a communal plaza, the center of which is defined by a large water basin with fountains. Organically designed, ground-level green spaces reflect the surrounding, natural water and landscape parks and form a deliberate contrast to the linear hedge and covering design, which is based on the structure of the buildings. Laid out across the entire district, they offer attractive opportunities to linger and invite you to activities in the surrounding nature.
Construction site visit of the WES project "Am Strandkai" in Hamburg July 2023
20 professional colleagues took part in the first site visit 2023 of the bdla regional association Hamburg. In Hanseatic sloping weather, the project manager of HafenCity Hamburg GmbH, Barbara Schwöppe, and our project manager, Frank Fischer, explained the more than 10-year development process for more than two hours. Many ideas, some of them spectacular, were developed for the Strandhöft quayside tip, with the aim of creating a public, multifunctional place to stay and look out. In the end, a rich In offer was realized in the form of a small park, a stage as well as seating for 60 people to linger at this place in the future. In detail, there was a lot of technical stuff to see during the guided tour, which caused astonishment among both the young and the experienced. The complexity and the interlocking of the many specialist disciplines could be "felt" by everyone. The construction project is scheduled for completion in early 2024.
Opening of the exhibition "The Entire City. Hamburg competitions 2017-2023" June 2023
As part of the Hamburg Architecture Summer 2023, the exhibition "The Whole City. Hamburg Competitions and Procedures 2017-2023" will take place from June 23 to July 14, 2023 at the Baakenhöft in HafenCity. In the exhibition, conceived by the curatorial team of Kawahara Krause Architects (Hamburg) and the architecture critic Kaye Geipel (Berlin), more than 1,400 designs from over 170 competitions in Hamburg in recent years can be seen in the form of a floating archive made up of around 1,100 flags Show the range and creative abundance of planning ideas for Hamburg's future. Karen Pein, Senator for Urban Development and Housing, and Senior Building Director Franz-Josef Höing spoke at the opening ceremony. WES LandscapeArchitecture is represented in the exhibition with a total of 12 competition entries. The exhibition is accompanied by an extensive program of events that invites you to discuss building culture and urban design.
Further information:
www.dieganzestadt.de
Middle Pader Springs Area, Paderborn May 2023
The WES project "Redesign Middle Paderquellgebiet, Paderborn" won the special prize at the German Urban Development Prize 2023 with the topic "Climate Adaptation Design". This year, the special prize is awarded to urban development projects that make a particularly exemplary, forward-looking or experimental contribution to the adaptation of municipalities, their districts and neighborhoods to climate change. The redesign of the open spaces in the central Pader source area included the renaturation of the unique inner-city springs and rivers. The opening up of the green areas and an improved routing promote the perceptibility of the river landscape. At the same time, a natural design and ecological continuity ensure the urban climate and biodiversity on site. The area of the former Haxthausenhof was developed into an urban garden. Lawn models indicate the historical location of the Villa Haxthausen and, together with the historical garden wall, refer to the historical background of the city. "The project shows how, with relatively small interventions in an area of 17,000 m², you can not only achieve a forward-looking urban climate value, but also how indispensable added value can be created for the population in public space," according to the jury's verdict. The jury appraised and evaluated a total of 80 projects, 30 of which received a special award.
1st Prize International Competition April 2023
On the 56-hectare site next to an ecological wetland on the shore of Lake Taihu, several stadiums raised like platforms and various sports facilities are being built in cooperation with gmp architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners, which are embedded in an organically shaped landscape park. In the center of the sports facilities and between the facilities, large, publicly accessible outdoor facilities are planned, which take up and further develop the theme of the floodplain park. Natural watercourses from the adjacent wetlands are continued and integrated into the landscaping. In conjunction with retention basins and natural sinks in the green areas, they contribute to flood protection and improve the microclimate. The Olympic Sports Center is one of several pilot projects by the city of Wuxi that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase climate resilience in the region. In order to meet the requirements of a CO²-reduced urban development, a holistic sustainability concept was developed with the engineering office Arup and the principle of the sponge city was applied.
1st WES Staff Meeting 2023 March 2023
This year, the first staff meeting took place again in the Q21 inn in Hamburg-Barmbek. In addition to a review of business development in 2022 and an outlook for 2023, there was also an exchange of experiences on the current team building process. In addition, WES project manager Stefan S. Weber spoke about the need for sustainable planning methods in the construction industry and, in this context, presented environmental product declarations as the basis for the sustainability assessment of buildings. Afterwards Dipl.-Ing. Ulrich Welter from ingside - insider advice for engineers and associations - gave an exciting presentation on the topic "The HOAI 2021 and the engineer contract - supplement management and new BGB".
Building culture workshop "Hydraulic Engineering" of the Federal Foundation of Building Culture February 2023
On the workshop day of the Baukultur workshop "Hydraulic Engineering" in the Kesselhaus in HafenCity, WES shareholder Henrike Wehberg-Krafft presented the WES project "Industrial Memorial Kaltehofe Waterworks, Hamburg" on the topic "Cities - climate-friendly and beautiful". She drew attention to the fact that today, in the course of the energy transition and measures to combat climate change, we need to develop a new self-confidence in order to also develop qualities for areas on the fringes of building culture, such as technical infrastructure and industry. The challenges of climate change like heavy rain events or dry periods require a new way of dealing with water in cities and rural areas. With many interesting participants, exciting contributions and lively discussions, the building culture workshop "Hydraulic Engineering" was dedicated to the creative opportunities that lie in these largely infrastructural tasks. The results are, among other things, the basis for the upcoming Baukultur Report 2024/25 of the Federal Foundation of Baukultur with a focus on infrastructure and its design.
bdla site manager talks 2023 January 2023
The 25th bdla site manager talks, for which landscape architects from all over Germany meet every year, took place again this time in Bochum. The agenda included exciting presentations by experts on new methods of roof greening, drainage-capable pavement constructions and base layers, durable wooden structures and how to deal with heavy rain events. The program was supplemented by panel discussions on the topics of sustainability, intrinsic value and resource conservation. There was also the opportunity to take part in one of three excursions on a landscape architecture theme. From the WES team, site manager Florian Kress, site manager Adrian Lichnowski, project manager Katharina Schröder and partner Claus Rödding were present.