Details

As practitioners working at the intersection of serial product design and urban planning, we play a key role in this project. One of the central challenges was to support the development of OMC°C’s VERD° greening system throughout all stages of product development. The process-driven nature of this approach, empirically exploring an entirely new field, was particularly exciting for us and reflects our own working mindset. During the implementation of the VERD° prototype at the Senckenberg Natural History Museum in 2023, we were able to effectively leverage our network of experts and work closely with the designers and engineers to achieve an optimal result, from the design and development of the system through to its implementation on site.

With CARLO at Carlo-Schmid-Platz, our exploration of urban space, climate and quality of stay continues.

At almost 1,000 m², Carlo-Schmid-Platz is one of Frankfurt’s hottest and most heavily frequented public spaces. Apart from an existing group of trees, the square is almost entirely sealed with dark concrete paving. Shade, greenery and opportunities for people to linger are largely absent.

CARLO transforms this situation: As a temporary installation, the project complements the existing group of trees with a non-commercial, urban and green space for residents and visitors to stay, meet and spend time.

Eight planted modules form an open spatial structure. Seating platforms and hammocks offer different ways of using the space and create playful opportunities to experience the square from a new perspective. The planting creates small niches, provides shade and contributes to an improved microclimate – an effect that can be experienced directly on site. The modules are arranged to ensure access from all sides. No side of the square is given priority, preserving the openness of Carlo-Schmid-Platz.

CARLO demonstrates how even highly sealed urban spaces can be transformed through simple, temporary interventions that introduce greenery and enhance their quality of stay. A space that was previously used primarily as a passage becomes a place for interaction, communication and staying – creating a stronger sense of identity and connection for people in the neighbourhood.

Information about VERD°

The modular product system VERD° by OMC°C (Office for Micro Climate Cultivation) enables vertical, seasonal greening of urban spaces through flexible placement within the city. This is particularly advantageous in areas where sealed surfaces and limited root space make the implementation of conventional greening solutions challenging.

The system offers individual adaptability to various conditions: the planters' height can be varied, and the foundation can be used as urban furniture or embedded into the ground. The number of modules can vary according to needs and can be either placed linearly in sequence or organically grouped within the urban space. The use of plant nets provides several benefits: they reduce temperature, offer shade, and capture CO2. Climbing plants release water through their leaves, improving air circulation, leading to a cooling effect on the microclimate and preventing the formation of heat islands. The design of the nets operates in a fully circular manner. The nets, which are installed and planted in spring, reach their maximum growth height in summer before being harvested as a whole in autumn and recycled as biomass.

With the help of these modules, new spaces can be created in public squares or traffic routes, inviting people to linger and relax, especially during the increasingly hot summer months. As a result, the quality of public spaces, streets, and even entire neighborhoods is improved, and nature finds its way back into urban areas.


Read more:

„Mit Kletterpflanzen gegen Hitzeinseln“
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 12.08.2026

Think #4: Under construction
A discourse on the quality of stay
 in urban spaces

Think #2: Growing together
A Conversation with Nicola Stattmann, OMC°C

A further development of the greening system was presented by OMC°C in collaboration with AHEC and Diez Office at the London Design Festival from 14 to 22 September 2024.

This timber beam structure was presented again from 6 June 2025 to 25 January 2026 on the Museum Square of the Bundeskunsthalle Bonn as part of the exhibition „WEtransFORM – Zur Zukunft des Bauens“.