Zwischenraumgärten: Ecological Activation of Urban Interstices Through Participatory Micro-Habitats

The project Zwischenraumgärten (“Interstice Gardens”) investigates the ecological and social potential of neglected urban spaces through temporary vegetative interventions situated within public and semi-public environments. Developed as a student-led research initiative by within the framework of a master’s thesis in design theory, the project examines how overlooked residual spaces can be transformed into ecologically productive and socially engaging micro-habitats through minimal design interventions. Conceived and realized by Simon Hanke as part of his graduate research under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Tom Bieling, the project is currently in its pilot phase at the Hochschule für Gestaltung (HfG) Offenbach. Through the installation of planted containers with site-specific and insect-friendly vegetation, the project explores how urban interstices may become catalysts for ecological awareness, participation and alternative forms of spatial perception.

Contemporary urban environments are increasingly characterized by ecological fragmentation, high levels of surface sealing, and a reduction of accessible green space. Simultaneously, many urban residents experience a growing disconnection from processes of cultivation, seasonal transformation, and ecological care. In this context, experimental forms of urban greening have emerged that seek not only to improve biodiversity but also to renegotiate the relationship between inhabitants and the urban environment. The Zwischenraumgärten contribute to these debates by focusing on spaces that are commonly overlooked within urban planning and everyday perception. Rather than addressing large-scale infrastructural transformation, the project investigates the latent ecological and social capacities of residual spaces through modest and reversible interventions.

The term “Zwischenraum” refers to intermediate or in-between spaces that often remain functionally undefined and ecologically inactive. Such spaces may exist alongside circulation routes, adjacent to urban furniture, or within transitional campus environments. Precisely because they escape formal categorization, these areas provide opportunities for experimental forms of occupation and reinterpretation. The Zwischenraumgärten intervene within these contexts through planted containers that create temporary vegetative islands integrated into the existing urban fabric. The selected vegetation is adapted to local environmental conditions and specifically designed to support insect populations, thereby contributing to urban biodiversity on a micro-ecological scale. As the plants grow and change throughout the summer semester, the installations become dynamic environments that continuously transform in response to climatic conditions, biological processes and human interaction.

The project is currently implemented at several locations on the Offenbach campus, including Schlossplatz near the Ludo-Mayer fountain and areas adjacent to seating and bicycle infrastructure, as well as at the Höchst campus courtyard near the entrance. These placements are significant insofar as they emphasize transitional and circulation-oriented environments rather than conventional recreational green spaces. Through their presence in everyday pathways and institutional surroundings, the installations interrupt habitual spatial routines and introduce ecological processes into areas typically associated with functional urban infrastructure.

A central aspect of the project concerns the relationship between ecological activation and public participation. The Zwischenraumgärten are not conceived as conventional community gardens requiring organized collective labor. Instead, they encourage low-threshold forms of engagement that include observation, attentiveness, and occasional acts of care. Visitors are invited to notice changes in the vegetation, observe insect activity, and reflect on how the installations alter the atmosphere and perception of the surrounding environment. Through QR-code-based feedback mechanisms, the project additionally gathers qualitative responses concerning visibility, spatial effect, and emotional reception. Participants are encouraged to consider whether the gardens appear inviting, disruptive, aesthetically pleasing, or irritating, thereby framing the intervention not only as an ecological installation but also as an inquiry into urban perception and public sensibility.

The emphasis on observation as a mode of participation is particularly significant within contemporary discussions on participatory design and urban ecology. Rather than equating participation exclusively with active co-production, the project acknowledges forms of perceptual engagement and situational awareness as meaningful contributions to ecological culture. This approach expands the understanding of urban stewardship by recognizing that ecological sensitivity may emerge through subtle and everyday encounters with living systems. Even simple acts such as watering plants during periods of heat and drought become forms of shared responsibility that temporarily connect individuals to broader ecological processes.

The material and infrastructural design of the installations further reflects the project’s experimental and pragmatic orientation. Integrated water reservoirs with overflow systems enable sustained hydration over extended periods while minimizing maintenance requirements. Visitors are encouraged to water the plants directly at the soil level and to avoid cutting, removing, or discarding plant material. Notably, faded flowers and decaying plant structures are intentionally preserved because of their ecological relevance for insects and microfauna. In this regard, the project challenges dominant aesthetic conventions of urban maintenance that often prioritize visual order and cleanliness over ecological complexity and multispecies coexistence.

From a design-theoretical perspective, the Zwischenraumgärten may be understood as a form of spatial prototyping that investigates how small-scale interventions can reshape social and ecological relationships within the city. The project does not seek to produce permanent solutions or idealized urban landscapes. Instead, its temporary and experimental character allows it to function as an open-ended research apparatus that generates questions concerning care, accessibility, visibility, and environmental perception. Its significance lies less in measurable ecological output than in its capacity to alter the symbolic and experiential dimensions of urban space. By rendering ecological processes visible within overlooked environments, the project destabilizes conventional distinctions between designed urban infrastructure and living ecological systems.

The Zwischenraumgärten therefore contribute to broader discourses surrounding urban sustainability, participatory spatial practice, and ecological design research. They demonstrate how even minimal interventions can foster new forms of environmental engagement and collective awareness within highly regulated urban contexts. In doing so, the project suggests that ecological transformation in cities need not depend exclusively on large-scale planning initiatives but may also emerge through small, adaptive, and participatory acts of spatial activation. Funded through the Green Office Fund 2025, the project ultimately proposes a model of urban greening that foregrounds experimentation, accessibility, and ecological attentiveness as essential components of contemporary urban culture.

This project was funded by the Green Office Fund 2025.
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