WSUD at Sharnhorst Ost, Germany

Scharnhorst Ost is sited at the north-easterly urban boundary of Dortmund. In the early 1990s, the area faced the challenge of social problems and the urban district was designated for urban renewal. An choice was made to collect these activities under the title "Neuer Umgang mit dem Regenwasser in Scharnhorst-Ost" [New rainwater management in Scharnhorst Ost]. The ambition was to turn the rainwater into an experience and have a sensuous quality, providing an important point of identification and acting as the central theme in future urban development. The design concept for the transformation was developed in cooperation with local players in the form of housing associations, residents, schools, nurseries, et al.

The soil in Scharnhorst Ost is heavily compressed and also saturated in many places, which makes infiltration very difficult. There are also the flat roofs of the buildings with integrated downpipes, which impede access to the water and hence also diversion from the sewage system. The challenges of infiltration were resolved by using the large green areas between the buildings as infiltration areas and establishing rainwater storage tanks, which collect the water into small watercourses, open basins and playgrounds.

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