Town Hall Square Ahlem . Hanover

Redesign of the outdoor facilities of the former town hall in the Hannover-Ahlem district as part of the special programme "Hannover schafft Platz".

A new district square for Ahlem

Objectives
The main objective of the redesign of the town square at the town hall and the community centre Ahlem is the development of an urban open space, which equally fulfils the spatial-functional requirements and the special design requirements of an attractive town square.

The focus of the planning is the opening and connection of the square to the surrounding development with the business zone opposite the Richard-Lattorf Straße and the link with the green spaces of the park. In addition, the traffic situation is to be defused by concentrating the parking spaces and removing the through traffic, especially in the entrance area of the kindergarten. This spatial reorganization is the basis for the desired future quality of stay. The square is to be experienced as an independent, open and green urban space in the centre of Ahlem and can be used in a variety of ways.

Design
The square is bounded towards Wunstorfer Landstraße by a low seating wall and the lawn behind it, which slopes down to the pavement, and opens to the east as a sloping area towards Richard-Lattorf Straße.
The square area with its attractive paving and decorative plantings is a transit and recreation area. It connects the main entrance of the community center and the daycare center with the business zone, the school and the park. Events and festivals can find a place and an appropriate setting here in the future.

The existing trees are enclosed by generous "islands", planted or water-bound surfaces. These tree islands push themselves as plateaus out of the inclined square surface, emphasize the height situation and offer the possibility to sit, observe and play petanque under old trees. As green elements they refer to the park behind the town hall.

As a special "flower island", a grove planted with multi-stemmed flowering shrubs (rock pears, ornamental cherries) is located in the square and lawn in front of the council hall, clamped by the seating wall. Attractive trees with equally special bark (rusty beard maple) complement the existing large plane tree and group of birch trees.
A series of light stelae pick up the line of the wall, illuminating the square and linking it to the commercial area opposite Richard Lattorf Street. The desire for a fountain or water feature as an invigorating plaza element will be considered.

The existing monument will be relocated to the area of the central tree island in a highly visible location.
The existing parking lot will be expanded for 16 parking spaces, the entry and exit situation to Wunstorfer Landstraße will be optimized taking into account the traffic light situation at the intersection.