YOUR FORUM FOR PLAY, SPORTS UND LEISURE AREAS
The Rehrstieg park complex comprises an overall surface area of 18,300 m². Currently the park consists of three areas each of which focuses on different use options: the skate park to the south with a youth café, the central park area with modelled lawns and freely arranged playground equipment, and the playground area to the north with sand play areas and an open place area around the playhouse.
With the new design the sub-areas have been partially expanded or redesigned. However, most areas of the park have been preserved in their original shape. The main new design element is a play loop, a colourfully designed play path that connects all areas within the park. The play path has been shaped so as to enable the park visitors to roll or ride on it.
Skate park
Wall ride, wave kicker and speed bump: the south of Hamburg is becoming a mecca for skateboarders from all over the city. The track was put into practice by the experts from Minus Ramps, a company that builds this type of facilities all over Europe. For the southern area near the youth café, the design ideas of Skate Island, an initiative of young skaters from the Hamburg suburb of Neuwiedenthal, were further developed into a street skating facility.
The skating facility is made of in-situ concrete with different height levels and ramps. Lawn slopes support the high elements, in the south the slopes have been planted with extensive vegetation.
In the middle of the skate park, a green island has become a central meeting point. Three paths between the green embankments lead to the higher platform. It is here where a large seating platform under a roof invites the visitors to rest and observe what is happening in the park. The paths were made of cast-in-place concrete, partly with broom finish, in order to reduce skating on the upper part of the hill. Colour accents between concrete grey and anthracite coloured concrete visually break up the area and emphasise important elements of the facility.
The entire measure is financed with funds from the supported programme Integrated Urban District Development (RISE) as well as funds from the Harburg District Office and the non-profit SAGA GWG Neighbourhood Foundation.
A square-like situation has been created in front of the youth café, which can also be used for events.
The Geest-Marsch-Landscape
In the north-eastern corner of the site, a football pitch for playing football and basketball has been created. The existing asphalt and parts of the ball fence were retained. New fence elements, goals and play lines were added. A seating step at the transition to the skating area creates a grandstand-like situation and invites the visitors to both observing and lingering.
The centrally located lawn modelling with freely playable lawn areas as well as sporadically arranged playground equipment such as a climbing spider, two giant swings, a Tarzan swing and a ropeway are significant features of the park at this place.
It is here where the hills offer views and establish visual relationships between the high play elements and thus pick up the typical forms of the Geest-Marsch landscape of this site.
A wide range of play offerings
The playhouse for active after-school care of day-care and school children in the northern area was given a new terrace in front of it, which is partially enclosed by a hedge, as well as newly laid surfaces around the building. In addition, bicycle parking spaces were added.
The small sand play area with mobile animals was removed and the larger play areas to the north and south were redesigned. Now, intergenerational offers are provided. A path with elements promoting motor skills, trampolines and wobble lenses invites both young and old to exercise in many different ways.
The sand play area to the south has been redesigned. Here, a climbing and balancing course was created to complement the existing play equipment, which can also be used by small children. Through the additional elements the play areas become more differentiated, especially regarding the different age requirements.
The playground devices are all designed in a plain wooden look. However, the condition of the park paths was generally assessed as poor. In addition to the overhaul of the existing path connection with paving stones and a new connection from the Attraktor Spielhaus (playhouse) to the Rehrstieg, the new play loop adds to interlinking the three park areas even more strongly.
The new path element, in the form of a red asphalt loop, connects the play areas around the playhouse, leads across the spacious playing field, continues between the grassy hills and finally across the new street skating facility.
A small lap, easily visible from the playhouse, is built especially for bobby cars and other vehicles for younger children of the playhouse while the older children can explore the large loop of the park with scooters or on foot. Coloured markings identify crossing points of the paths and encourage, for example, slalom driving and racing. In addition, there are bumps increasing the fun of playing and riding.
A total of seven new benches have been installed in the park. Four large, approx. 5-metre-long benches are located along the loop and face the park. Three further benches, approx. 3 metres long, are freely arranged in the park.
For good visual fields and positive social control of the individual subspaces of the park, the undercropping of the trees has been generously cleared and replaced by ground-covering extensive grass and perennial plantings.
Further information:
Contracting authority:
Harburg District Office, Department of Public Space, Department of Urban Greenery
Contact: Klaus Krollpfeiffer, Katrin Teller
Planning:
Company Hahn Hertling Hantelmann landscape architects, Association of German landscape architects, BDLA
Gertigstraße 12-14, D-22303 Hamburg
Project data:
Building costs: 800,000 euros net
Implementation period: 2014-2018
LP01-09
