Reemtsma Park, Hamburg

Old trees, light and shadow, space and generosity, there is a lot - only the atmospheric quality and the perceptibility of this special world is missing.

Through the consistent implementation of the park idea and the trees on the green meadow or on the green grass carpet, the emerging tranquility and generosity of the Reemtsma Park becomes perceptible in a changed quality. The park finds its holistic, new and unmistakable identity. Caspar David Friedrich. Oaks together with the careful sculptural ground modelling and some water objects create a special, contemplative atmosphere related to the place. Light and shadow create an altered way of looking at things.

AppreciationGerman Landscape Architecture Award 2009

Jury verdict: The authors succeed in giving an old park in Hamburg's Elbe suburbs, parts of which have become overgrown, an appropriate, contemporary expression with careful interventions. They have cleared the grounds of wild growth and all mediocre planting and concentrate entirely on paying respect to the site with its venerable tree sculptures.

The only modern interventions are a water table in the north-west and the undulating modelling of the central lawn. These safely employed minimalist devices have convincingly rejuvenated the prestigious park. Only the stone benches covered with a film of water were found disconcerting by the judges.