Floor painting
in the Passagehof

The long-awaited design "Offene Runde" by Rene Sulzer, which was chosen in a public competition, was successfully implemented at the beginning of May 2024. Karlsruhe artist Rene Sulzer and his project partner Yannik Czolk from Mannheim set to work for three days. The temporary painting will remain in place until the Passagehof is redesigned in the coming years, from 2026 at the earliest.

The competition 

In July 2023, the city of Karlsruhe invited five talented designers and artists from the region to present their ideas for a floor painting in the Passagehof. The aim was to create a coherent space and a place to meet and linger. The submitted designs were exhibited both on site in the Passagehof and online on the City of Karlsruhe's participation portal. All citizens had the opportunity to select and vote for their favorites.

A total of 184 citizens took part in the vote. 81 of them cast their vote on site at Passagehof, while the remaining 104 voted online on the City of Karlsruhe's website. Of the votes cast, 162 were from people who do not live directly at Passagehof, while 17 came from people who do.

The "Open round" design by Rene Sulzer received the most votes. The final result of the vote is as follows:

• "Open Round", Rene Sulzer - 34.2 percent (63 votes)
• "GAMEGARDEN", Pauline Gosselin - 26.1 percent (48 votes) 3rd/4th "Neue Wege", Larissa Mantel; "Passage", Michael Gibis 13.6 percent each (25 votes)
• "Meander", FAN Collective - 12.5 percent (23 votes)

The opinions of the citizens were taken into account in the jury's decision. Representatives from various municipal offices as well as from the Bürgerverein Stadtmitte and the Kaiserstraße West interest group made up the jury. The winning design "Offene Runde" by Rene Sulzer not only received the most votes in the public vote, but also convinced the jury with its clear form and ability to symbolize the center of the Passagehof as a meeting place.

The "open round" concept

"Over the past twenty years, I have spent a lot of time in the Passagehof and have been able to experience its transformation myself," reports Sulzer. "I was able to develop a good feeling for the place through collaboration with local businesses and a solo exhibition in the Zwischenraum." This is how the "Offene Runde" design came about.

The title refers both to the geometric shape of the circle and, in a figurative sense, to human encounters in the Passagehof, which have been the focus not least since the "Platz für mehr" real-world laboratory in 2022. The formal design is based on the existing building. "For me, it is essential to make use of the architecture, the street layout and the existing trees and to complement them with the design." Based on the three central trees and various radii around their trunks, individual circular segments become the central design element. "Throughout the center, the graphic shapes form a kind of diversion system whose orientation guides visitors through the courtyard and invites them to linger. Both the former driveway and the parking spaces are thus visually dissolved." 

With the selected color tones, the artist wants to take classic road markings a step further. The shapes and sizes of the elements break with the viewer's expectations. Together with the reddish grey of the ground, the color white stands for calm and clarity, while yellow is intended to contrast with a warm, inviting character.

The floor painting is being financed as part of the city's "City-Transformation", which is funded by the federal funding program "Sustainable inner cities and centers" funding program.