Entrance Square Central Cemetery Friedrichsfelde, Berlin

The forecourt of the Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde currently can only partially live up to its significance as well as its potential: stationary traffic determines its appearance to an excessive extent, its empty centre is too large, a lack of structure provides little incentive to stay and linger. Located at the interface between dense urban space and vast green, garden and track areas, it is more than just a forecourt. Even though it is “far out”, it will become a lively and characteristic meeting point for the neighbourhood, for walkers and cyclists. A reorganisation of stationary traffic areas and associated driving movements is essential to increase the quality of stay. Through compact organisation to the south, disturbance caused by parking spaces is minimised. Parking is slightly removed from the square by means of an elongated green area with an opening in the middle. This enlarges the green border of the square and completes it to the south. The result is an attractive and scaled square designed for lingering and pedestrian movement. The tree population in the green areas will be preserved and supplemented by a grove of approx. 30 "clima-trees" loosened up towards the centre.