As part of an invited competition, Studio Animal-Aided Design, in collaboration with Office for Living Architecture, has developed The Floating Forest, a design that transforms an existing truck stop in Stuttgart-Wangen into a hybrid urban building block. The project brings together logistics, mobility, commercial uses, and public open space within a vertically layered structure, and positions itself as a prototype for climate-resilient (sub)urban logistics hubs with ecological and social added value.

At its core is a publicly accessible forest level hovering above the traffic and service areas. Enabled by a split-level system with deep substrate layers, a real forest with large-canopy trees emerges—functioning as a climate-active open space, a place to stay, and a new green address for the district. Paths, clearings, and pavilions for gastronomy, commercial, and other uses create a deliberately contrasting atmosphere to the functional truck stop at ground level.
A key focus lies on connecting the site to its surroundings. The forest links the residential neighbourhood, commercial areas, and the Neckar valley landscape. For the adjacent Wilhelm School, a new green schoolyard is created on the platform, connected barrier-free and partly accessible to the public outside school hours.

The roofscape combines retentive photovoltaic green roofs, biodiversity elements, and energy production. Rainwater is retained and reused for irrigation, while viewing points open new perspectives towards the Neckar valley.

Studio Animal-Aided Design was responsible for the overall ecological concept and the landscape architecture. The Floating Forest is conceived as a high-performing urban ecosystem that integrates microclimate regulation, biodiversity, and spatial quality—redefining logistics infrastructure as an active component of a climate-adapted city.