Christian Knechtl :
Kirchenplatz in Stetteldorf am Wagram

Different levels on the public square, green areas heterogeneously planted with mixed trees and shrubs, as well as all kinds of street furniture, did not only negatively impact on the functionality of Kirchenplatz but also robbed this quite spacious square of its generosity. Accordingly, Christian Knechtl's core concern was to remove the redundant and restructure the useful to give the square character and to make it a versatile location. Circles of various alternating materials — granite, asphalt and green — denote zones, defining a space around the buildings and various existing artefacts on the square and establishing a relationship between them, and bringing together municipal, school and religious life. The three-dimensional space is defined by the vertical planting (chesnut trees with red blooms) and the square's lighting at night, that accentuates the trees and the nave of the church with white light while spotlighting the visual impact of the steeple in the distance with orange light. A uniform level without kerbing and the abstention from any vertical separating elements renders the entire square barrier-free. The measures introduced are not dictated by trend, the structuring permits many different scenarios for use and lends the appropriate proportions to the square both when it is empty and when it is heavily peopled. Alongside ecological and economic factors, like the use of local materials as far as possible and low maintenance costs, the formal reduction achieved and "visual sustainability" are features of this sustainable public square design.
(Franziska Leeb)