Glacier Vegetal
Urban vision for Geneva in 2020
“GLACIER VEGETAL” proposes the transformation of industrial and railway zones located on the outskirts of Geneva, into a new living district. Based on the inherent values of the site, a smooth and sustainable approach is proposed in order to gradually implement the changes in the area.
The historical and topographical context of the site suggested the initial starting point of the development: a park flowing like a glacier through the site, connecting city centre, living quarters, public areas and circulation networks. The GLACIER VEGETAL establishes scale and coherence, a strong framework and a core value for all other functions. Its generous dimensions bring quality of life to all future urban quarters gathered along it. It acts as an urban lung allowing inhabitants to recharge their energy. It also complements the populated and lively new city districts by providing major cultural facilities sequenced within it.
Diversity prevails. Each of the neighbourhoods along the sides of the park has its own individual atmosphere, its own set of principles, and its own typologies for buildings and public spaces. The grammar of the new neighbourhoods operates within the historical framework of existing types, street pattern/disposition and cadastral structures. Inhabitation and program are far from being frozen: the city is conceived as a natural body in perpetual motion, which allows for the constant renewal of life and discovery.
Location
Geneva, CH
Area
218 ha
Year
2005
Client
Federation of Swiss Architects (FAS)
Team
Eva Pfannes, Sylvain Hartenberg
Collaborators
XPACE (Zurich), Maud Cassaignau, Markus Jung.
Status
Competition
Notes
Finalist - 4th Prize / Jury: Marcel Meili - Luigi Snozzi - Patrick Berger
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