Unused bridge structures can offer unprecedented opportunities in an urban environment. Probably the most famous example for reuse is New York City’s High Line Park, located on a disused elevated track. Seoul City Administration persues a similar strategy: a large-scale program proposes to make the city greener and more attractive for pedestrians. The heart of the planning is the recently opened Seoullo 7017 Skygarden of MVRDV.
[tttgallery template=”content-slider”]
Highway transformation to an urban park
Free spaces are a rare commodity in Seoul. The population density is one of the highest worldwide, closed off traffic areas characterise the city centre. After the implementation of the municipal program, an approximately one kilometre long highway was freed from traffic. The architects of the Dutch office MVRDV won the competition in 2015 and converted the former highway into an attractive urban park. The rampant and curved bridge invites the inhabitants to relax for a brief time and is an important pedestrian connection in the immediate vicinity of the main station.
Strolling at a height of 16 metres
The Seoullo 7017 Skygarden attracts its visitors primarily through its unique perspective from 16 metres altitude. Attractive furniture and a wide selection of 228 different plant species achieves a high quality of amenity value. The indigenous plants are grouped in several small gardens, which each have their own character. The combination “7017” refers to the opening of the highway in 1970 and the park in 2017.
For the national laboratory MAX IV in Lund in southern Sweden Snöhetta had to find innovative ideas to deal with the unique parameters. Several aspects were taken into consideration to design the 19 hectares park of the synchrotron radiation facility: mitigating ground vibrations of the nearby highways, storm water management and meeting the city’s ambitious sustainability goals. The MAX IV is the first part of a larger transformation of the area northeast of Malmö aiming to turn agricultural land into a ‚Science City’. The creation of a new, green public park rather than a fenced, introverted research centre makes a difference in public realm.
[tttgallery template=”content-slider”]
The landscape architecture design is based on four important criteria:
Mitigating ground vibrations
Creating slopes and a more chaotic surface reduces the amount of ground vibrations of the neighbouring highway. The flatter the landscape, the more likely the vibrations will interfere with scientific experiments in the laboratories. 3D modelling with Grasshopper – a Rhino plug-in – proved crucial for the arrangement of the sloping hills. The design layout was established by extracting the nature of vibrations into rational values inserted in a generic model. So the landscape designers found out the more chaotic combinations of waves, the better the noise reduction.
Mass balance
With a cut and fill strategy the landscape architects reused excavated masses on site. This secures the option of reversing the land to agricultural use, when the laboratory is no longer on site. By uploading the digital 3D model directly into the GPS-controlled bulldozers, the planners were able to relocate the masses to their final position.
Storm water management
The city planning department of Lund restricts water management inside the site’s boundaries. Dry and wet ponds gather water of 1-year and 100-year storm water.
Plant selection and maintenance
The discovery of a nearby natural reserve area made it possible to use a selection of natural species by harvesting hay and spreading it on the new hilly landscape. The maintenance strategy includes a combination of sheep and conventional machines.
The four design criteria leaded to a unique futuristic landscape, which corresponds with the surrounding context in a natural way. The image of the meadow vegetation on sloping hills as a recreational area is setting a new standard for research facilities’ outdoor areas.
At the height of the automotive city planning theories in 1961, visionary John Drescher proposed a bold infrastructure concept for the Santa Monica shoreline. To relieve the traffic of the Pacific Coast Highway, a new causeway should be built around one kilometre off shore. A 10 kilometres long cascade of man-made islands should carry the causeway over the Santa Monica Bay, connecting the Freeway 10 with Malibu.
[tttgallery template=”content-slider”]
Tackling Traffic Jams at the Beach
In the early 20th century Santa Monica became a famous resort town for the fast-growing Los Angeles County. Soon the scenic beach was overcrowded by cars of visitors and traffic jams were blocking the roads. Aircraft designer Dreschers idea of the artificial islands included space for residential and recreation areas with beaches for up to 50.000 persons.
Vetoed by the Governor
Beside the City of Santa Monica, estate developers and oil tycoons backed the project. However, the public was divided into supporters and opponents. The controversial project would cause excavations of over 90 million cubic metre of the Santa Monica Mountains, which lead to a staggering expense of around 600 million dollars. After ongoing protests, governor Pat Brown stopped the project in 1965. Santa Monica Causeway, which reminds of the shoreline of Dubai, would have caused major damage to around 5.000 marine species. Today, the through traffic is handled by common highways laying landward.
