The jury for the architecture competition to redesign Plattling's city square has unanimously selected the preliminary design proposal from Berlin-based Sinai Gesellschaft von Landschaftsarchitekten mbH. Mayor Hans Schmalhofer announced this decision on Tuesday evening to approximately 100 interested attendees at the exhibition opening in the Bürgerspital. The jury had reached this unanimous verdict on November 11 after thorough deliberation.
Landscape architect Jakob Trzebitzky, who heads Sinai's Frankfurt office, emphasized the sensitive approach to existing structures in their design. He stated that the goal is to highlight and enhance the strengths that Plattling's city square already possesses. Mayor Schmalhofer praised the Berlin firm's work as an excellent achievement and outlined the requirements that the city council had established in the competition brief, ranging from crossing aids over the B8 highway to preserving the existing pavement and maintaining parking spaces.
According to Schmalhofer, these requirements were well-implemented in the Sinai design, which offers the greatest possible flexibility compared to other proposals while staying within the allocated budget of 8.5 million euros. Bernd Rohloff, a landscape architect, urban planner, and chairman of the jury, explained to visitors the process of the jury session, during which six technical judges and five subject matter judges intensively examined eight different proposals following established regulations and in complete anonymity. No one knew beforehand which landscape architect had submitted which design, and through a convergent process, the jury reached its unanimous decision.
Rohloff emphasized the need for constructive dialogue in the upcoming planning phases and expressed his continued admiration for Plattling's large, representative city square. He stressed that the redesign must ensure that people perceive more than just parked cars in this space. Trzebitzky presented the key elements of the winning design, explaining that the same material would be used consistently throughout the entire city square. He noted that the existing natural stone pavement could be reworked and discussed plans for an additional green island on Preysingplatz near the PZ editorial office, where the existing green strip would be enhanced.
The landscape architect repeatedly emphasized the sensitive handling of existing features, stating that the goal is to provide solutions for current challenges while making the city square economically viable and future-ready. Trzebitzky expressed hope that all other stakeholders would approach the project with equal enthusiasm to bring about meaningful changes. When asked by PZ reporters, Trzebitzky, who leads Sinai's Frankfurt office, confirmed his understanding that every square meter is important and that he has incorporated and integrated the city council's concerns. He did not find the competition brief restrictive but rather appreciated the clear definitions that allow him to work effectively as a landscape architect.
Trzebitzky identified the ensemble character as a particular strength of Plattling's city square, along with the tree rows at Ludwigplatz. He pointed out that many places wish they had such trees, but Plattling already possesses them, meaning the green structure doesn't need to be created from scratch but merely improved. When asked whether 8.5 million euros would be sufficient for his design, he confidently stated that this amount is absolutely realistic. The interested citizens immediately began studying the preliminary design that convinced the jury.
The Bavarian Chamber of Architects issued a press release the day after the announcement, emphasizing that architecture competitions have proven to be effective procedures for promoting quality in planning and construction, and that this current decision will change and shape the townscape. The jury consisted of landscape architects and urban planners Peter Wich, Martina Schneider, Tobias Baldauf, Daniel Schaar, Bernd Rohloff, and Elke Berger. The subject matter judges included Mayor Hans Schmalhofer and city councilors Markus Schmid, Herbert Petrilak-Weissfeld, Monika Beham, and Roland Unholzer.
According to the publicly accessible protocol, the session began at 9 a.m. on Tuesday of the previous week in the Bürgersaal and concluded at 7:30 p.m. Sinai will receive a prize of 62,000 euros for their winning design. The second-place firm, Lohrer Hochrein Landschaftsarchitekten und Stadtplaner GmbH from Munich, will receive 40,000 euros. The complete documentation is available online at www.plattling.de, and the exhibition at the Bürgerspital can be viewed on Thursday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., as well as on Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
