Kreativachse Chemnitz: Urban transformation through design and participation

Year: 2025
City: Chemnitz, Germany
Street address: Gießerstraße 5
Client: Kreatives Chemnitz e
Developer: the City of Chemnitz
Application: Street

Along the Kreativachse Chemnitz (Chemnitz Creative Axis), around 80 vacant ground-floor spaces were brought back to life between 2023 and 2025, as part of the Sustainable Inner Cities and Centres federal programme. At the same time, measures to enhance public spaces through additional green areas, design interventions and new street furniture were implemented at key locations. The aim was to counteract the steady decline of the high street and provide fresh impetus for diverse, vibrant city centres. The reinvigorated area extends from Chemnitz city centre to the district centres of Brühl and Sonnenberg and on to the Strasse der Nationen.

A creative and cultural corridor connecting urban districts

Kreativachse Chemnitz is a prime example of urban transformation, bringing together various stakeholders from the fields of art, crafts and culture, education, social services, retail and hospitality, all of whom contributed their own utilisation concepts. The project demonstrates how repurposing can be a better option than demolition, how participation and design can create new urban spaces, and how culture can act as a driver of urban development. This ambition is particularly evident in the design of the open spaces; alongside parklet modules, large-scale sculptures, murals and street art, urban furniture from Vestre was also incorporated.

The creation of meeting places through art and design

Vestre's high-quality street furniture makes a significant contribution to enhancing the quality of life along the creative axis. In combination with sculptures by the Plus X collective – whose ABSTRAKT project is located at the intersection of art, spatial planning, design and social work – a versatile urban environment has been created. The sculptures mark certain points along the axis and act as stages or places to linger. At intervals, benches from Vestre’s VROOM and PLINTH collections serve as orientation points and meeting places within the streetscape. In addition, five PARKLETS 2.0 transform areas that were previously used solely for car parking into green spaces with flexible seating options. This creates locations for leisure and social interaction, giving the neighbourhood a distinctive visual identity.

Consistent design meets coordinated colour scheme

The project management team at Kreatives Chemnitz created atmospheric ensembles through a cohesive colour scheme. The sculptures by the Plus X collective, combined with Vestre’s parklets, benches and bicycle racks, enrich the cityscape with pleasant colours such as the NCS special shades lilac and apricot, as well as RAL white-green. Where necessary, Vestre’s furniture plays a more understated role, featuring hot-dip galvanised steel frames and Kebony© surfaces. The bicycle racks from the SINUS range are characterised by an organic design that harmonises with the aesthetics of the recurring sculptures. Interactive elements such as table tennis and table football tables serve as spontaneous meeting points. All these elements function not only as infrastructure but also as symbols of an open and creative urban society.

Voices from the project

Linda Riefling and Marcus Bauerfeind from Kreatives Chemnitz on their collaboration with Vestre:

"The Norwegian manufacturer Vestre offers a diverse product range characterised by design quality, premium materials and a sustainable approach in all areas. The collaboration was defined by excellent customer service, flexibility and professionalism. Even special requests were implemented quickly and creatively. We would choose to work with Vestre again and again, and we are very grateful for this productive and successful collaboration."