by
River Wupper Waterfront Landscape Design, Wipperfürth
A design competition seeking integrated landscape and bridge design proposals to transform and activate the River Wupper waterfront in Wipperfürth, Germany.
Located along the River Wupper to the north of Wipperfürth’s historic town centre, Auf zu neuen Ufern – Erlebbarkeit des Wupperufers is a landscape-led regeneration project initiated by the City of Wipperfürth to reconnect the town with its river. The competition area sits within a complex urban context shaped by churches, civic spaces and a significant industrial heritage, including listed buildings associated with the former Radium Lampenwerk. As industrial activity on parts of the site is gradually reduced, the municipality aims to transform the riverbanks into accessible, high-quality public spaces, strengthening the relationship between the town centre and the water while respecting ongoing uses, heritage constraints and environmental conditions.
The non-open realisation competition seeks an integrated design for the public realm along the Wupper and a new pedestrian bridge linking the riverbanks, supported by a broader ideas component addressing the long-term spatial development of the wider area. The brief calls for a robust yet flexible landscape concept that enhances public access, improves spatial quality, and allows for phased implementation dependent on land acquisition and ground condition investigations. Submissions are expected to balance landscape design excellence with structural clarity, functionality, sustainability and economic viability, creating a coherent riverside environment that can evolve over time while delivering a clearly defined and buildable first phase.
Location
Sector
infrastructure, landscape-public-realm
Intervention
New Build
Website
Tender Portal
Tender Stage
Qualification for design competition
Deadline
9 Mar 2026
Project Value/Scale
€3.4 million
Consultant Team
Landscape architect (lead)
Architect
Civil engineer
Structural engineer
Architect
Civil engineer
Structural engineer
Submission Criteria
15 teams will be selected to submit design proposals. 5 pre-selected by the client and 10 chosen through this pre-qualification process.
1st Prize – € 50k, 2nd Prize – € 30.5k, 3rd Prize – € 18k
Honourable mentions – € 23.5k
Qualification Deliverables:
– Completed participation application form
– Declaration of professional eligibility
– Compliance with EU procurement law exclusion criteria
– No conflicts of interest
– Compliance with EU sanctions regulations
– Declaration of single participation
– Proof of professional registration for the Landscape Architect
Design Competition Deliverables:
Maximum 2 × A0 presentation boards, portrait orientation, including:
– Design concept / guiding idea
– Overall landscape masterplan at 1:500
– 2 detailed plans at 1:200 (1 riverbank detail / 1 detail of the Hausmannsplatz area)
Bridge drawings, including:
– 1 longitudinal section
– 1 cross section (both at 1:200)
– 1 detailed section at bridge access / abutment (1:100)
Supporting Thematic Diagrams (scale optional):
– Furniture and public realm equipment concept
– Mobility and access strategy
– Planting and greening strategy
– Material strategy, including bridge materials and lighting concept
2 Perspectives (maximum A3 size each), showing:
– Spatial atmosphere
– Surrounding buildings
– Existing trees with realistic heights and canopy sizes
– Design statement (maximum 2 × A4 pages)
– Author declaration form (anonymous, as per template)
– Anonymous contact email form
Digital Submission Requirements:
– High-resolution PDF files of all presentation boards (minimum 300 dpi)
– Reduced-resolution PDFs (150 dpi)
– CAD drawings (DWG or DXF) for review purposes
– All embedded images supplied as separate image files
– Design statement submitted as PDF and DOCX