Iconic Landscapes

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Col du Perthus, The Pyramid, Ricardo Bofill, 1976 

The Pyramid was commissioned by the highway operator Autoroutes du Sud de la France for their public art program. A broader landscaping project was first envisaged, dubbed the Park of the Marca Hispanica with reference to the ancient name for Catalan territories south of the Pyrenean passes.  The design carries further influences from Mesoamerican architecture, Italian gardens, and surrealism. As it was inaugurated in 1976 after the death of Francisco Franco and the start of the Spanish transition to democracy, the pyramid also became a symbol for Spain's European aspirations and opening to its northern neighbours.

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Hamburg, Baakenpark, Atelier Loidl, 2018

Since 2015 an artificial peninsula made of sand from the river Elbe has become the green centre of the eastern part of HafenCity. The spectacular topography together with the self-seeded tree population form a variety of different spaces. As a result, the park, covering only 1,6 ha, has a surprisingly spacious feel.

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Bruges, The Floating Island, Dertien12 & OBBA, 2018

In TRIENNALE BRUGGE 2018, OBBA intends to make a small change in these beautiful landscapes. By installing “The Floating Island”, a pavilion in long streamlined shape floating on the water, OBBA tries to blur the rigid boundary of the canal and guide people to the waterside. 

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Moscow, Zaryadye Park, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Citymakers and Hargreaves Associates, 2017

“The idea was to generate an open-air museum in which the real exhibition was going to be the skyline of the city, a platform that would allow users to appreciate the beauty of Moscow. In that sense, the flying bridge proposed by the winners became the essence of the park.”

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Paris, Billancourt Park, Agence Ter, 2017

The renaturing of the site of the Billancourt Park, with its industrial past, is based on the nature/town duality of the Seine and the City. The site used to be a major industrial site in the Paris region: the Renault car manufacturing grounds. Both the area on the bank of Boulogne-Billancourt, as well as the Ile Seguin situated in the Seine River were liberated due to a move of the industry and therefore became possible locations for new large-scale urban development projects on a stone’s throw from the historic centre of Paris.

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Lisbon, MAAT Museum Art Architecture Technology, AL_A, 2017

MAAT, the new Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, is an outward-looking museum located on the banks of the Tagus in Belém, the district from where the Portuguese great explorers set off. Proposing a new relationship with the river and the wider world, the kunsthalle is a powerful yet sensitive and low-slung building that explores the convergence of contemporary art, architecture and technology.

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Milan, Biblioteca degli Alberi, Inside Outside, 2018

The main idea of the competition design in 2003 was to add a new type of park to the urban landscape of Milan: the Biblioteca degli Alberi (Library of Trees), a new form of public park that exhibits a collection of different trees; a park that represents a modern version of the Botanic Garden; a park that through its connective web of paths and its varied cultural program becomes a Cultural Campus; a place where people can meet, enjoy and educate themselves; a place for leisure, sports, beauty and learning; a place that connects all areas and inhabitants that surround it and that is itself connected to all sides and on all levels.

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Nancy, Place Thiers, AREP Ville & SWWS, 2015/2016

Fancy designer benches make the Place Thiers shine during day and night.

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Saxhóll Crater Stairway, Snæfellsjökull National Park, Landslag, 2016

Find why this small project is called: The Stairway to Heaven and Hell.

Winner of Rosa Barba Prize 2018

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Helsinki, Lasipalatsi Square, JKMM, 2018

Alien-eyed volumes pop-out from the underground of the Lasipalatsi Square.

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Bern, Europaplatz, extrā, 2014

Rainy day in Bern? Have a wrap from Coop and keep skating. 

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Kierspe, Volmepark, Franz Reschke, 2017

On the basis of the competition design for the Volmepark the further planning process was started in December 2014. With the topography-modelling in the north and south the river becomes the central park-element. The two riversides are the basis for a tense contrast inside the park-space - an intensively usable strip in the north and an extensive park-meadow in the southern part. The park was opened in July 2017.

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Tirana, Skanderberg Square, 51N4E, 2017

The project reorganizes Tirana´s central square, a vast ex-communist space, in a simple yet radical way. 

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Billund, Lego Square, Group F, 2016

The space around the iconic branded architecture of LEGO designed by Big is as much an attractive public space for visitors, tourists and locals.

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Odense, Athletics Exploratorium, Keingart, 2013

The athletics facility at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense twists traditions and the linear disciplines in a rolling terrain with grass, lupines and trees. The classic races, throws and jumps are combined with unconventional obstacles along the way.

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The Piece Hall, Halifax, Gillespies, 2017 

The Grade I listed Piece Hall has been restored and its central courtyard reimagined as a new attraction and catalyst for future investment at the heart of a new cultural centre for Halifax. For its attractive lighting concept, the project was awarded with the Lighting Design Award as Community and Public Realm Project of the Year for 2018.

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Winterthur, Archplatz, Ganz Landschaftsarchitekten, 2013

Through its orientation and open design, the Arch square in Winterthur forms the urban development connection to the railroad station square. The pattern that goes across the courtyard gives structure to the area and integrates the design elements into a cohesive whole. The new courtyard has a mastic asphalt surface and is structured by a rhomboidal diamond pattern. The light-coloured diamonds contrast with their dark-coloured outlines. Along the Technikumstrasse a row of six tall locust trees (Gleditsia triacanthos) were planted.