“Convincing measures for restoring and enriching a landscape left ecologically and aesthetically impoverished” – Holcim Awards Jury
An important environmental contribution is made by this work in that it proposes convincing measures for restoring and enriching a landscape left ecologically and aesthetically impoverished after drainage intervention and intensive agriculture during the last century. Conceived as a beneficial environmental “refund”, the project performs as a buffer zone that holds prospective urban development in abeyance.
Last updated: June 23, 2005 Zurich, Switzerland
This signals an assertive, yet sensitive stance relative to purely market-driven speculation. Issues of site choreography, building placement, as well material combinations are carefully considered. The work also exercises high ethical standards by recreating an attractive social space and deploying forward thinking at a large scale to critically rethink future environmental developments.
Also commendable is the sensibility to ecological issues such as natural wildlife habitats, energy use, and environmentally friendly alterations to the context. By harnessing the natural capacity of the environment itself - thermal heat, solar energy, etc - the proposal suggests an economically sensitive approach to implementation and maintenance costs, while also offering aesthetic enrichment to an otherwise neglected area.