Real Lab | "car2tree"

Real Lab | Elective Subject "car2tree" | summer semester 2024

Architecture and Interior Design students involved in the project: Celine Ayalp, Laura Bader, Sabrina Keller, Anna-Lena Krauß, Celina Leichtfuss, Lisa Limbach, Jan Rummel, Julian Sacher, Lena Schmid, Johannes Tahedl

A parking lot is transformed into a green space with benches, plant beds, shelter for native animals and shade for the user thanks to a tree. Under the direction of Prof. Monika Joos-Keller and Melissa Acker, the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences has developed an initial prototype of a parklet for the Tilia E.V. "car2tree" initiative, which is supported by the Stuttgart Climate Fund. The initiative has big ambitions: the plan is to install a green parklet in the city for every car registration in Stuttgart. Car registrations in the city have been declining for years. This is precisely where an opportunity is seen to make street space more accessible to people and nature again.

A "car2tree" object has already been approved and built by students in Liststraße in Stuttgart's Lehenviertel district. The university has designed and implemented a modular concept for this. The system is based on a children's game that is simply plugged in to create three-dimensional structures. Four different wooden modules were developed, the dimensions of which are adapted to a parking space and human sitting height. These modules are only plugged in and partly held together with tension belts.

The project was created as part of an elective course with architecture and interior design students at the HFT within three days of construction. The design was developed during the semester by Lena Schmid, a Bachelor of Architecture student. The costs for construction and research materials amounted to €1,800, while the greenery cost €400.

The project shows that climate-conscious street spaces can be created with little use of materials and an intelligent adaptive plug-in system, giving residents a new attitude to life. The street is visually enhanced and a coexistence for people, animals and nature is created.

Publications
Stuttgarter Nachrichten: „Aus einem Parkplatz wird eine Sitzgelegenheit“
Baunetz Campus article: Sitzen statt parken: Das Projekt „car2tree“
The project is funded by: Stuttgarter Klima-Innovationsfonds

The parklet will be exhibited on November 21-22, 2024 in Berlin at the „Klimafestival für die Bauwende“ 2024 by Heinze/Baunetz.

The project was supervised by Prof. Monika Joos-Keller and Melissa Acker. With the support of the interior design workshop: Romano Bianchi, Elisabeth Bokesch, Willi Mauch and advice from the interior design course: Jürgen Aldinger.