The goal of this competition entry was to create a new, vibrant, flexible, and user-friendly space for Laces by redesigning the church square.
Today, this square is a busy, overused public space: it serves as a necessary thoroughfare for cars heading to their respective driveways, as a heavily used parking lot, and - for a limited portion of its area - as an outdoor terrace for the existing bar on the corner of the main street.
The project’s concept aims to prioritize, balance, and organize all potential uses in such a way that they are clearly distinguishable and overlaps are avoided as much as possible.
The design of the square focuses on the gate in the church's surrounding wall: the entrance and exit of the church - which, as an element of high architectural value and a major symbol of identity for the village residents - serve as the starting point for the square's design.
Two organizing axes extend from the edges of the entrance gate. They connect the north side of the square with the two buildings on the opposite side to the south. This creates the two main areas of the new square:
• The central area becomes the actual church square during festivals, markets, and celebrations. It remains open and accessible at all times to allow residents to drive to the entrances and access points of the buildings.
• The side areas adjacent to the central square, which house the café’s outdoor terrace and the bicycle parking spaces shaded by trees. The entrances to the buildings surrounding the square define and determine the dimensions of these newly created side areas.
The two areas also differ in the use of different paving stones: starting from the church wall, the main street, the center of the square, and the entrances to the buildings are paved with red porphyry cubes, while the side islands are paved with gray granite stones edged with white marble - a reference to the existing building entrances.
The choice of these local stones clearly anchors the church square in the Vinschgau architectural tradition - many sidewalks and squares in Laces are paved this way today.
Porphyry and granite are easy to maintain, weather-resistant, and can withstand vehicle traffic. Benches, planters, and trash cans are placed along the two main thoroughfares. The seating allows users to choose throughout the day whether they prefer to sit in the sun or in the shade of the trees; the furnishings on the square are also repeated at the bus stops, integrating them - along with the uniform paving - into the square’s design concept. The layout of the crosswalks follows the square’s main axes to emphasize the opening toward the square. The main street is brought to the same elevation as the church square. The two bus stops are integrated into the new square design, with only the stop (toward Merano) being moved slightly eastward to a location in front of the Sparkasse, where the sidewalk is already wider and suitable for the new positioning of the bus stop with the appropriate benches.
The fountain, set in its prominent niche along the main street, already serves as a “living room” that invites people to sit and wait; the new furnishings will simply be supplemented with benches, and the same porphyry paving will be continued.
All outdoor furniture is designed to be easily moved and removed, ensuring maximum flexibility for the new areas and guaranteeing adaptability to all current and planned uses.
The benches were conceived as movable elements. The wooden seat rests on a metal frame.
This frame can be rotated from the project axis into the plaza. In this way, the seats can be rotated toward the event.
Likewise, these elements can also be used by exhibitors at markets as boundaries or as exhibition space.
The bench consists of a relatively small, square concrete block that serves as a counterweight for the movable bench element (which also has a folding leg for stabilization). This concrete base is to be clad in metal.
All metal surfaces of the outdoor furniture, planters, bike racks, and lighting fixtures will be painted in the village’s signature color, RAL Mars.
The planters are also square and kept small so that they, too, can be easily repositioned as needed.
The renewal of the paving from the main street down to the southern end of the square creates a consistent and gentle slope. This allows surface water to be safely drained and collected. Special attention was paid to the lighting to make the new square attractive while ensuring its flexibility for any type of use. Two types of lighting are planned:
• Indirect, subdued lighting that gently highlights the facades of the buildings surrounding the square, while keeping the light fixtures themselves nearly invisible. This creates a uniform background that frames the entire square.
• Functional lighting to illuminate potential conflict zones between vehicular and pedestrian traffic on the square in accordance with regulations.
Due to the width of the square, cable-suspended lights will be installed. These can also be dimmed depending on how the square is being used.
As required in the request for proposals, 14 tables, each with 4 chairs, were set up in the first two sections on the western side of the square for bar service. In preparation for a possible conversion of the car repair shop into an ice cream parlor, 5 additional tables, each with 4 chairs, were planned for the smaller, adjacent islands.
On the eastern strip of the square, 20 bicycle parking spaces and a dedicated electric bike charging station at the entrance to the square are ideally located. The bicycle parking spaces are separated from the plaza by benches, flower boxes, and three trees.
Around the trees, the paving has been left unpaved, and the soil is covered with a flush, vehicle-accessible metal grate. This ensures, that the trees have sufficient open soil to thrive. The grids allow for unobstructed access and use of the square.
The design concept aims to create space for village life in Laces through a restrained design language and choice of materials, while at the same time keeping the residents’ usual paths clear and facilitating access to their homes and properties.