The consequence of relocating the Neu-Ulm train station underground was the necessity of demolishing the old train station. This in turn opened up the opportunity of a signature urban renewal project: the redesign of the Heiner-Metzger Plaza.

The design process started with high school students coming to the office for a design workshop. The young adults expressed themselves with emotion and feeling. The themes ‘a meeting point for generations’ and ‘fun space’ started to crystallize. Climbing, chess, games, corners and other ideas started to flow for a place with a contemporary and communicative concept of ‘leisure’ – active, moving, dynamic, and in every case including water.

Stormwater run-off from the plaza is collected, filtered and then infiltrated in constructed layers of gravel under the paving. Instead of using environmentally expensive and pricey potable water, ground water is used when necessary to supplement the circulation system of the water features.