Like New York, London is going to have its own High Line Park in the future: 63 designs competed in an ideas competition on how a disused viaduct could upgrade London district Hammersmith. The two winners present the range of possibilities – from aquarium to Mediterranean park. The jury awarded two first prizes: to bauchplan (Munich) and Richard Jackson (London).

Aquarium instead of elevated railway

With “fish and chips: escape from the urban hustle and bustle”, bauchplan focuses on eco-social urban processes, which provide the district with access to a post-industrial infrastructure. The designers reactivate the abandoned elevated railway through strikingly orchestrated aquaponics: fish tanks and water basins form part of the viaduct and provide space for cultivating fish and plants, as well as leisure activities such as fishing, swimming and urban gardening.

[tttgallery id=”679″ template=”content-slider”]

Highline under glass

Architect and garden designer Richard Jackson reinvents the London elevated railway as a sustainable garden space with a continuous promenade and stepped seating areas with his “Hi-Line” contribution. Two “biomes” catch the eye from an architectural perspective. These organically shaped greenhouses for tropical and Mediterranean plants also function as public areas and as a café. The Hydroponik Center towards the west showcases future ways of producing food.

[tttgallery id=”680″ template=”content-slider”]