Levitt Bernstein submitted the winning design from over one hundred pan-European practices for the redevelopment of an 8.4 Ha site in Straelen, an agricultural town near Düsseldorf, Germany. The design combined a new residential neighbourhood with community facilities.

The site itself is the focus of historical significance as the centre for the distribution of flowers, fruit and vegetables in the Nordrhein-Westfalen region. The urban design strategy uses four elements to structure the site: built form, connections, focal points, habitat types and the public realm.

Existing connections are drawn into the site and intersect at the original flower auction hall, creating four distinct quarters. These areas respond to the character of the four landscapes surrounding the site:

• industrial
• forest
• agricultural
• domestic

Four main house types are developed for each of the landscapes, focusing on orientation, materials, the relationship with the street and the garden. Each type has flexibility built-in, so that the internal organisation of spaces can be easily adapted to add bedrooms, workspaces, and accommodation for teenagers or elderly parents as the requirements of family life changes.