Interkontinentale Gärten 2.0

The project is transforming a 3,000 m² courtyard of the former Deutsche Post building on Aliceplatz in Offenbach into a democratically designed community garden – a real-life laboratory for the World Design Capital 2026.

Building on the award-winning pilot edition in 2024 (Großer Frankfurter Bogen Prize), 300 people from 30 nations are now involved. In the weekly ‘garden parliament’, residents, designers and HfG students decide on the layout of raised beds, furniture and signage on an equal footing. This makes planning transparent and participatory – in line with the motto ‘Design for Democracy’.

The project envisions a modular, climate-friendly infrastructure that can be flexibly deployed in public spaces. It includes mobile raised beds at wheelchair height, bamboo shade structures, and a trailer serving as a studio and meeting point. By using rainwater and cultivating both native and migrant crops, the project combines ecological sustainability with cultural diversity, creating accessible spaces for collaborative creativity.

The project follows a nomadic principle: all elements are movable and can be deployed in different neighborhoods across the Rhine-Main region. Open-source construction plans and a freely accessible process manual, to be published online in 2026, will enable other initiatives, municipalities, and communities to independently adapt and further develop the concept.

The physical infrastructure is complemented by an intercultural, low-threshold program. Planting and cooking workshops, open-air cinema formats, construction courses with an inclusive caretaker group, and the “School of Bamboo” for young people—including as part of community service hours—provide diverse opportunities for participation. All activities are designed to be multilingual, free of charge, and accessible, fostering encounters, knowledge exchange, and collective action.

By the end of 2026, approximately 1,000 m² of sealed surfaces are to be transformed and greened, 20 participatory design workshops implemented, and around five tons of CO₂ sequestered annually.

The project was initiated by Jihae An and Heiner Blum. Partner organisations include HfG Offenbach (experimental spatial concepts), the Culture/Construction/Environment/Youth/Employment Office, the Youth Court and the Children & Youth Parliament, as well as SCAPE°, Gemeinnützige Baugesellschaft mbH Offenbach and NGOs focusing on climate, sustainability and inclusion.