Krupp Park Five Hills

Located on the former site of the Krupp cast steel factory, the park transforms a vast zone of industrial wasteland which has been inaccessible to the public for over a century, reestablishing the connection between the Altendorf neighbourhood and the city centre.

Divided into a northern and southern part, Krupp-Park has a combined area of 220.000m² in total, marking the beginning of the urban development of the green Krupp Belt. It provides a common green centre to the surrounding city districts, while improving the urban climate, featuring intelligent drainage and rainwater management, and offering relief during increasing heatwaves.

400,000m³ of excavated soil was reused in the park so that the park’s characteristic five hills could be created despite the soil contamination from the former industry. The park’s vegetation volume of over 15,500 trees and a total woodland of 13,5 hectares provide cooling evaporation and significantly contribute to the city’s resilience.

The five hills form a wide valley flowing into a 10.000m² lake located at the northern entrance to the park. More than just an aesthetic feature, the lake acts as a rainwater reservoir, collecting the water from the roofs of the neighbouring ThyssenKrupp district and the surrounding areas. From the roofs, rainwater reaches the park via natural open channels and a specially developed culvert, combining functionality with the aim of making sustainability visible. Apart from being used for irrigation, the lake water is challenged into a tributary of the Emscher River to support the ecology of the river system. A balance between low-tech solutions and hight-tech engineering, thus creates resilient synergies capable of withstanding environmental and social challenges, demonstrating how thoughtful technology choices can contribute to the project’s long-term durability and sustainability.