Rüsselsheim, Friedensplatz

‘Living belongs in the city centre’ – that was the guiding idea of gewobau, Rüsselsheim, when developing the ‘Living at Friedensplatz’ project on the former Karstadt site. Right in the heart of Rüsselsheim, the modern residential and office complex of five buildings is arranged around a green inner courtyard.

To make the new courtyard appealing for residents young and old – despite the limited space – and to create a nearby place to unwind, it has been equipped with a treehouse and a balancing course.

The small treehouse consists of two irregular pentagonal platforms and stands on slanted anthracite-grey steel posts on a sunshine-yellow safety surface. The angled wall and roof elements are fully clad externally with edged robinia boards and fitted with coloured acrylic windows, which flood the interior with a pleasant yellow light. Here, you can have a moment to yourself or play together with others.

The balancing course is also finished in a vivid yellow and invites both children and adults to test their sense of balance. A robinia balance beam, a curved stainless-steel balance rail and a rope balance combine different materials and offer varying levels of difficulty.

With their contemporary design, both pieces of equipment sit naturally within the urban setting of central Rüsselsheim – and have also become a striking visual highlight in the small courtyard at Friedensplatz.