Climate adaptation in street space
Cities have to cool, hold water and create places to stay — on surfaces that were allocated long ago. Berlin-Cube brings climate adaptation to where the ground cannot be dug up.
Substrate deep enough for woody plants, not seasonal bedding. The planting is designed to stay.
Substrate depth for woody plants, not seasonal bedding
A flower tub is decoration. Berlin-Cube is infrastructure: the modules carry substrate deep enough for woody plants — trees, lavender and perennials grow inside the modules, not beside them, and the planting is designed to stay. The tree canopies shade the street exactly where summer heat builds up.
Rainwater in the module instead of the sewer
Heavy rain overwhelms sewers, heat overwhelms squares. The modules take up water where it falls: in the substrate that feeds the planting, instead of in the sewer. In between, the street stays usable — with benches whose seat height and timber top are part of the module, and a recessed light strip that marks the installation at night without floodlighting the street.
Here, protection is the side effect
The fact that every module is also a tested vehicle security barrier — DEKRA generation 1 to IWA 14-1 N2A, EU patent EP3486374 — is not the argument in this use case, but the side effect. Greenery, shade and quality of stay come first. Which funding options fit which building block, we prepare in brief: request the funding guide for municipalities.
Technology and greenery in the same unit, not side by side.
Trees, lavender and perennials grow inside the modules, not beside them.
Frequently asked questions
What makes the modules different from planters?
A flower tub is decoration. Berlin-Cube carries substrate deep enough for woody plants, not seasonal bedding — trees, lavender and perennials grow inside the modules, and the planting is designed to stay.
What happens to rainwater?
The modules take up water where it falls: in the substrate that feeds the planting, instead of in the sewer.
Does the ground have to be dug up?
No. The modules stand on the existing surface — without foundations and without intervention in the ground.
Are the modules vehicle security barriers too?
Yes, as a side effect: every module is a DEKRA-tested generation 1 barrier to IWA 14-1 N2A, protected by EU patent EP3486374.
Where is this built?
Since June 2026, the first complete installation has stood on Berlin's Kantstraße, between the Waldorf Astoria and Upper West — planted, lit, walkable. The installation remains in place until the end of September 2026, when it will be dismantled as planned — set up without foundations, removed without trace.