In the approximately 25 years in which we’ve been working in landscape planning and landscape architecture, the appreciation of our profession’s work is increasing enormously. This is reflected in the fact that we are sincerely involved in all planning levels up to detailed planning and that holistic solutions are developed to protect our environment. However, this only slows down the consumption of land and resources of nature and landscape, which has something to do with our lifestyle geared to consumption and comfort. In this area of tension, we search for contemporary answers. We include the history of urban development, landscape development and garden art in our considerations, as well as the existing architectural and cultural identity of landscapes and places. One of the main focuses of the landscape architecture office is the garden heritage preservation.
The three office partners Wolfgang Wette, Henning Gödecke and Ulrich Küneke operate in two independent offices as Wette+Gödecke Landschaftsplanung and Wette+Küneke Landschaftsarchitektur.
On average, the office partners work with five employees on the entire spectrum of landscape planning, landscape architecture and garden preservation. Our offices have experience from more than 750 successfully completed projects, which are developed in a long-time proven team. We always see the involvement of committed citizens and politicians as an enrichment for the upcoming tasks and have been able to create interesting projects with high acceptance together.
Our work is also recognized among professionals. Renowned British landscape architecture critic Tim Richardson has considered our office out of 50 international landscape architecture firms for his book Futurescapes and characterizes our work in the field of landscape architecture 2012: ‘Classical German Modernism made relevant and updated to a 21st-century milieu’. Two projects were awarded the German Urban Design Award and the Hessian Monument Protection Award.
1 Platform at Schiedersee, County of Lippe
Under the slogan “upstream and downstream”, a lookout with information point was created on the northern shore of the lake Schiedersee to explain the ecological context for the renaturation of the river Emmer. An opening stairway leads up to a platform hanging on two pylons 6 m above the shore path. From above one can follow the conversion measures on the water with the help of explanatory panels. The north shore of the Schiedersee has changed its face: a new river was created in the area of the northern lake shore within the dammed Schieder Reservoir. First, sheet pile walls were installed as a separation between the reservoir and the new river, in order to develop the Emmer in the area of the lake to a natural river in a second step.The new viewpoint, which is often used by cyclists, will gain in significance if parts of the renatured river are covered with groves.
2 Park landscape Friedrichstaler Kanal Detmold
From 2006-2015, a historically grown, urbanistically important and listed connection from the centre of Detmold to the recreational landscape of the Teutoburg Forest was repaired and further developed. A dialogue with citizenship, citizens’ initiative and city committees led to the presentation of alternatives and arguments for a park with high quality of stay and design as well as high biodiversity.
In 1701, Earl Friedrich Adolph began to build the Friedrichstaler canal, named after him and expanding the Pöppinghausen dairy to form the generous summer palace and gardens Friedrichstal. The navigable waterway was meant to connect the Detmold residential castle with the pleasure palace planned just outside the city. The Palace of Versailles has not only served as a model for urban design and horticultural new creations in this example at the beginning of the 18th century. Today, the planning implemented in the 18th century can be interpreted as a grand gesture of far-sighted urban and landscape development as it connects the centre of the city with the beautiful surroundings of the Teutoburg forest.
The total project was performed in three construction phases and covers an area of approximately six hectares. The task included the rearrangement of the urban and park-like space whilst considering urban planning, monument preservation, landscape planning, ecological, traffic planning and social aspects.
3 Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
After almost 70 years, the renowned Institute for Solar System Research has moved its location from Katlenburg-Lindau in southern Lower Saxony to the north campus of the University of Göttingen. An essential motive for the change of location are the outstanding possibilities of scientific cooperation at the research location Göttingen. Participation in European and American space missions are one of the important tasks of the newly established Institute for Solar System Research. The competition for the new building of the institute was won by the architects Carpus+Partner. The building is divided into three areas: a two-storey base area, a three-storey office block hovering above it and a two-storey structure containing laboratories placed on an area of the base. The planning of the building provided patios and walkable rooftop areas with an outdoor area for the day care centre. Our task was to fulfil all functional requirements for outdoor spaces on an individually tailored site in close cooperation with the general administration and the institute’s staff. The “Scheibenwelten” on the forecourt deserve particular attention, as they serve as a kind of business card for the institute. The planetary sculpture is the result of a competition within the institute. The basic idea of the winning design contains the sun as the element determining life on earth, which is represented as an aluminium hemisphere coated with a water film. Our task has been to present this idea for the entrance area in an aesthetically appealing form.
4 Schilde-Park
In the spa town of Bad Hersfeld, the machine factory Babcook has abandoned its inner-city industrial area in favour of a new location in the outer area of Bad Hersfeld. The centrally located vacant site with the size of 5.5 ha was now available for any kind of urban planning projects. This rather rare event holds opportunities for site development. When deciding on the future of the new building site, great importance was attached to the participation of the citizens, thus making an untypical approach for modern urban development possible: Instead of a development taking up most of the site space, modern open space planning should be performed. The adjacent former industrial buildings now offer place for cultural and educational institutions.
The Geis, a small river that used to run underground the city centre and could now be uncovered, is one of the defining features of the remodelled site. In addition to its extensive offer to relax and walk, the area is also particularly geared to the needs of neighbouring schools and day-care centres. Areas around the shallow brook were conceived as an “open classroom”, also a generous sand and water play area resumes the main topic “water”. The wishes expressed in the referendum were managed to be taken into account by the Schildepark project through a varied use of space and the exposed water body. It makes a contribution to the ecological upgrading and flood management of the location. Furthermore, it was due to its holistic view, i.a. awarded with the German Urban Development Award 2014.
5 Zietenterassen Barracks Area Conversion
After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, a barracks area of around 100 ha was re-purposed within a few years for residential, commercial and university buildings. From the Zieten Barracks now evolve the Göttingen terraces: The strongly rising southwest slope was terraced for the barracks buildings. The presented green corridor lies in the centre of the conversion area and connects the converted barracks buildings with the neighbouring residential area and the Göttingen forest. Overgrown green slopes and a terrace used for sports purposes form the historical structure for the new green corridor. The centrepiece is a new square, a “public terrace”. The rising slope was terraced with metal benches in reference to the topography of the entire area. The play sculptures are visible from afar in the approximately 500 m long green belt. With the red colour of the seats and metal discs and the semi-circular metal ball, accents are set even in the dull winter months.
Published on January 7, 2019
