Zollhallen Plaza is new counterpart for the historic customs hall which was restored in 2009. The plaza is a fine example of water sensitive urban design, as it is disconnected from the sewer system. Beautiful planters provide infiltration points, and subsurface gravel trenches with innovative in-built filter medium reduce the hydraulic overload on the sewer system. Indented plaza areas create a surface flood zone. No rain water is fed to the sewer system, instead the groundwater table is recharged. The design plays with the historic past of the site which was a railyard. Timeless and multifunctional benches recalled break noses of rail-tracks, and old rail-tracks are inlaid into the paving. A bright grove of cherry trees provide the perfect amount of shade, while the infiltration planters with perennials and ornamental grasses give an attractive softness. 100% of the hardscape materials are high-quality demolition materials recycled from the old railyard. This makes sense not just from a resource management point of view, but harmonises the new clean modern design with the historic architecture of the customs hall.

Landscape Architecture: Henning Larsen
Design: 2009 – 2010
Construction: 2011
Area: 5600 m2