A scaffold structure 3.50 metres high stands on Carlo-Schmid-Platz in Frankfurt-Bockenheim, carrying almost 20 species of climbing plant. Moonflower, cucamelon and scarlet runner bean have already climbed nearly two metres, the FAZ reports.
The square in front of the Bockenheimer Depot counts as one of the hottest in the city. It is about half the size of a football pitch and paved throughout with dark concrete slabs. On hot days it heats up to oven temperatures.
The installation is called CARLO and belongs to World Design Capital Frankfurt RheinMain 2026. It is meant to provide shade, cool the air and bring people together.
The cooling comes from evaporation. It is produced by VERD°, a vertical greening system developed by the Frankfurt start-up OMC°C, according to the outlet Frankfurter Online. The fast-growing plants release water into the air and so lower the temperature around them.
Swings, wooden platforms and hammocks are free for all visitors to use. Over the summer of 2026 the 140-square-metre leaf canopy is to be animated by activities from the neighbourhood, schools and cultural practitioners.
The canopy is not yet closed
The structure is not fully green. The product designer Nicola Stattmann expects about two more weeks until the roof closes over. Planting started late because the project's permit was delayed.
CARLO therefore casts less shade so far than planned. Katja Klein, a Bockenheim resident, lay in the hammock anyway. "A lovely idea," the 37-year-old told the FAZ. "But this should have come earlier."
Five small chestnut trees at the edge of the square dampen the temperature only slightly. The climbing plants are also meant to give insects room and turn the square into a small biotope. The modular structure was designed by the Frankfurt architecture office Just.
A large public festival follows on the square in August 2026. CARLO is expressly designed as a temporary installation. A model of the VERD° system remains on view for longer: until 7 February 2027 in the exhibition "Too Hot. Heiße Städte, neue Wege" at the Deutsches Architekturmuseum.