The project upcycles all materials removed from the site, including approximately 10 tonnes of concrete pavers and gravel. The pavers form a sculptural edge that gives the SUPERBLUMe its distinctive identity, while reclaimed quarry stones create a loosely laid pathway. The intervention introduces nutrient-rich soil, expands the root space of the existing Ginkgo trees, and creates an additional 30 m² of permeable ground around them.

By increasing organic matter, the project supports microbial activity and below-ground biodiversity, fostering a porous, living lithosphere that facilitates water storage and groundwater recharge. Its gently undulating topography channels rainwater toward a central depression composed of sand, gravel, and soil, creating the potential to infiltrate approximately 1,700 liters during a one-hour heavy rainfall event of around 30 mm.

Deadwood piles, sand lenses, a stone birdbath, a decaying root wad, sand and gravel mounds, and nitrogen-fixing and ruderal vegetation create diverse microhabitats for year-round nesting, feeding, and shelter. Together with the existing Ginkgo trees, the rich textures, porous surfaces, and micro-shadows contribute to thermal regulation, offering a climatic refuge during periods of extreme summer heat. As a biodiversity hotspot, its carefully crafted material composition expresses a sense of care and wonder, inviting residents to connect with the richness of multispecies life. The project also engages the local community through on-site discussions and participatory planting activities.

Conceived as a small-scale, replicable intervention adaptable to different urban contexts, SUPERBLUMe embodies the three core values of the New European Bauhaus: sustainability, togetherness, and beauty. Its name expresses a living-systems approach, transforming an overheated paved surface into a place where water, nutrients, soil, microorganisms, vegetation, animals, and people interact and flourish together. It demonstrates how a network of small, carefully designed interventions can contribute to living, climate-adapted urban spaces across the city.

Client and Institutional Partners: Gemeinnützige Wohnungsbaugesellschaft (GWG) GmbH, Ingolstadt Stadt Ingolstadt – Stadtplanungsamt, Stabsstelle Nachhaltigkeit

Team: Silvia Benedito (partner), Daniella Slowick

Landscape Contractor: Garten und Ideen, with Florian Staub and Florian Glosser, Ingolstadt

With the Support of: Paul Melia (Landscape Architect, GWG) and
Dr. Doris Maurer (Head of Green Spaces and Biodiversity, GWG)

Photos: Florian Glosser