Protecting public spaces, rethought
Public spaces should be open — and safe. Berlin-Cube resolves this contradiction not with more barriers, but with city: tested vehicle access protection that appears as greenery, bench and light.
Kantstraße, Berlin: vehicle access protection that appears as greenery and seating.
Why security infrastructure often looks like a foreign object
Bollards, concrete blocks and mobile barriers do their job: they stop vehicles. They were developed for exactly this one function — not for the place where they stand. That is why they often look like an afterthought in the streetscape: they speak of threat where people want to linger, shop, celebrate or simply sit. This is not a criticism of those systems — it is a question of the brief. Berlin-Cube frames it differently: what if the protective function were part of something the city needs anyway?
Security is one function. The city is the whole.
A Berlin-Cube module does what a vehicle barrier does — and is at the same time planter, bench, light fitting and carrier of further functions. We clearly distinguish between what is tested and built and what is still in development.
Primarily a security function — well solved, but recognisable as a security element in the streetscape.
- Vehicle access protection
One protective function, embedded in infrastructure cities need anyway.
- Vehicle access protection — DEKRA-tested to IWA 14-1 N2A
- Urban greenery — trees, perennials, substrate depth for woody plants
- Quality of stay — integrated benches with timber tops
- Climate adaptation — shade, evaporation, cooling
- Digital infrastructure — sensors and connectivity (modules in development)
- Lighting and information — recessed light strip, info and media surfaces
- Design — street furniture instead of barrier
For everyone who plans, designs and protects public space.
Protect pedestrian zones, squares and markets — with infrastructure that also serves climate and amenity goals.
Equip sites in your own area without foundations — as on Berlin's Kantstraße, in cooperation with the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf District Office.
Vehicle access protection for administrative and government areas that fits into the urban space instead of blocking it.
One base system that integrates into design and open-space planning — as a line, staggered or as an island.
Greenery as infrastructure: substrate depth for woody plants, planting designed to stay, seat height as part of the module.
Temporary protection for Christmas markets, festivals and city events — set up without foundations, gone again after the event.
Keep museums, theatres and concert halls open — protection without a fortress feel, heritage-compatible without drilling or anchors.
Forecourts and neighbourhood spaces that think security and quality of stay together from the start.
Shopping streets, centre forecourts and station surroundings — as in the temporary demonstration at an outlet centre in Brandenburg.
Test evidence
Berlin-Cube is tested as a DEKRA generation 1 vehicle security barrier to IWA 14-1 N2A. The design is protected by EU patent EP3486374. No tests to other standards have been carried out, and none are claimed here.
- Testing body
- DEKRA
- Test standard
- IWA 14-1 N2A · Generation 1
- Test vehicle
- 7,114 kg at 63.9 km/h
- Safe zone
- from 7.95 m behind the module
- Patent
- EU patent EP3486374
Public space that is actually used — by everyone.
Linked into a continuous line. Every second module carries a bench.
Frequently asked questions
What does protecting public spaces mean at Berlin-Cube?
Tested vehicle access protection that does not appear as a barrier but as street furniture: trees, benches, light — with the DEKRA-tested protective function inside the module.
Is Berlin-Cube a tested vehicle security barrier?
Yes. DEKRA generation 1 to IWA 14-1 N2A — tested with a 7,114 kg test vehicle at 63.9 km/h. The safe zone begins 7.95 metres behind the module. No tests to other standards have been carried out.
Does Berlin-Cube replace bollards and concrete barriers?
As a DEKRA generation 1 barrier to IWA 14-1 N2A, Berlin-Cube provides the protective function of a vehicle barrier — and additionally takes on tasks a barrier does not have: greenery, seating, lighting, climate adaptation. Whether and where a replacement makes sense is decided by the respective security concept.
Does the set-up need foundations?
No. The modules stand on the existing surface — without foundations, anchors or drilling. The complete Kantstraße installation was set up in around ten hours.
Where can Berlin-Cube be seen today?
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.