DESIGNING A RIVERGARDEN — RENATURATION OF RIVER AIRE, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

Abstract

The River Aire flows through valleys historically devoted to farming. From late 19th century, it was progressively canalized. In 2001, State of Geneva opened a competition with the idea of restoring the river to its original shape by destroying the canal. We instead proposed to combine the canal with a vast divagation space for the river and associate the new riverbed and a series of gardens in the former canal. The whole design becomes a linear garden that organizes situations, views, and presences. The canal footprint is a key device for building the necessary calm and interiority.

We proposed a launching pattern whose form addresses the play between the river flow and the prepared terrain. This diamond-shape diagram based on the percolation principle opens a complex series of undetermined channels for the flows. The river flows displacing diverse materials, gravels, sand and the initial geometrical matrix of lozenges gives birth to an extreme diversity of the fluvial geomorphology.

Keywords

Rivergarden / Superpositions / Launching Pattern / Canal Footprint

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Higher Education Press