Framed New city entrances for Emmerich

Space and history
The squares at the entrances to Emmerich are the city's good rooms for newcomers. Accordingly, the design of the traffic areas is to be handled with quality. A town square is formed by the surrounding buildings. If proportions and scales are right, then the square has good prerequisites for functioning.

The Geistmarkt in Emmerich is a particularly interesting example of this. Its size of more than 100 x 100 meters edge length with an edge development with two to three floors is very generously dimensioned for a city like Emmerich. Nevertheless, the square functions and this not least because of the two formative and imposing buildings on and around the square: the town hall and the Christuskirche.

The special spatial formation of the generous and free square should be worked out. The

square square is to remain undivided. The two special buildings should be supported in their effect.

Probably until the first half of the 20th century there were numerous trees in the spirit market, which probably led in double rows around and diagonally across the square. The atmosphere in the old photographs is convincing: meeting, movement and market took place under the grid of trees. Today's demands on the square are much more determined by traffic, especially space-consuming parking. In addition, the framing buildings no longer have the quality of the earlier gabled townhouses, but are unspecific in large parts.

Concept
The Geistmarkt is given a new tree frame. We pick up on the historic motif of the double row, strengthening the existing

structural framework. The new tree frame zones Geistmarkt into an outer zone for movement, traffic, and function and an inner, open center. This offers the quality of generous space in the city, open sky, the possibility for rest, stay and meeting. The church with its green space fits naturally into the free centre. Motorised traffic is routed around the outside of the square. Only bicycles cross the centre of the square.

In contrast to the Geistmarkt, the Kleines Löwe is more of a traffic area than a square - an intersection situation, a pivotal point. Here the pedestrian traffic should be strengthened. As a prelude to the pedestrian zone, a green island will be inserted between the various traffic flows. The island offers seating and a canopy for those waiting at the bus stop.