Beachpark Waller Sand Bremen

Weiche Kante marks the outer end of the Überseehafen urban development area. The exposed location offers a view over the Weser River, adjacent port facilities and industrial areas – creating a unique atmosphere by any definition. The land merges into water at the tip of a headland formerly framed by the harbour basin. This flowing transition becomes the central theme of the park.

The structural edge of the loose stone embankment is interrupted, pieces are taken out and the water is drawn into the land. Platforms orchestrate the tidal range. The use of typical shallow-water and shore-edge vegetation, such as reeds in the tidal gardens, reflects the park’s proximity to the water. Sand dunes with dry vegetation pose a counterpoint to the wet tidal gardens. Interplay emerges between the wet of the riverscape and the dry of the maritime dune landscape on the beach. The expanse of the harbour’s turning basin instils a notion of the nearby sea.

At Bremen’s Überseestadt, the Waller Sand project is transforming the former, unattractive stone ballast embankments at the turning basin into a landscaped, architecturally appealing waterfront area. The beach park combines flood protection with recreational and destinational appeal. The pier area was completed as the first construction phase. The narrow headland with the listed lighthouse was carefully upgraded and made more easily accessible for people with limited mobility via a paved path that will connect to the southern Überseepromenade in the future. A row of trees, which references and expands on the vegetational theme of the promenade, flanks the path while emphasising the linearity of the pier. The exposed terminus, with broad views downstream, is extended at the tower by a small square area and a picnic meadow adjacent to the water. As a new excursion destination, the pier offers a site rich in animated history.