Le Parc des Falaises by Metapolis - 1st-prize entry for Europan 12 Switzerland, Marly

Here comes another Europan 12 project! The latest addition to our ever-growing Europan 12 bunch is "Le Parc des Falaises" by Cristian Panaite and Mircea Munteanu of Metapolis. The Metapolis team won first prize for the Marly site in the E12 Switzerland edition.

Check out their winning proposal below.

Project description:

"How can Marly improve its urbanity, diversity and density while capitalizing on its closerelationship with the natural surroundings, the generous amount of open space and the privileged topographical position of the Winkler site?  

The proposed development is structured along a central pedestrian space, a catalyser of mixed activities throughout the day and the seasons (housing, small commercial activities, liberal practices, artisan workshops, offices, restaurants and cafes). This linear public space is anchored at one end in the cantonal road at the location of the bus stop, while blending into the existing open space network at the other end. It doubles as a public garden and a marketplace but also as a flexible green infrastructure for the entire neighborhood, with rainwater retention features, tree plantations and different green clusters with edible plants that can be also used for didactic gardening."

"This central space is framed on the Northern edge of the plateau by Marly skyline, a series of  towers defining Marly’s entrance silhouette. On the other side, it is framed by Marly gardens, a ‘garden-city’ strip of parallel lower-rise blocks and row-houses that allow for the existing linear green corridors identified in the South to be continued up to the park. On the outer edge of this central development a road effectively services the entire site while maintaining a small presence and footprint.

The Saint-Sacrement buildings and the adjacent sports field are preserved and consolidated by the addition of a multifunctional hall/community centre and various amenities for the sports field (seating, changing rooms, showers, cafe). In the future the Saint-Sacrement house can extend its student housing function.

The functional mix of education, living, working and leisure will ensure a diverse population both in terms of age and occupation, allowing for a livable place but also an economically active area around the day and year, all mediated by the large central space."

"The development proposes a new relationship with the boulevard leading to the Pérolles bridge, which can become a model for its long-term upgrading as well. Thus the boulevard can become a parkway, with the pedestrian and cycle traffic embedded in a tree-planted strip and with new pockets of public spaces perpendicular to the road developed strategically at bus stops or around public buildings.  

The scheme allows for a gradual and adaptive implementation, starting with the central public space. If this space is 'the spine', then the typical section (towers – park – row housing) is 'the DNA' of the development allowing for various gradual and adaptive implementation scenarios. At start, it suffices to build a section of the 'DNA' to already shape the new identity. The plots of land in 'Marly gardens' can be divided and cultivated as soon as parts of the land are being freed, to be built   only later and progressively as the need arises. The scheme allows for adaptations in time, easily increasing or decreasing the density of each new section or changing the ratio between houses, apartments or amenities."

"The development adapts eventually intimately to the existing urban fabric and open space structure. Nevertheless, it is not subjugated by the context, but rather capitalizes on the existing urban rhythms (both physical ones such as the rhythm of blocks of flats or the rhythms of linear open spaces between the houses in the South, social ones such as the slow traffic flows, or ecological ones such as the cycles of rainwater or the rhythms of local ecosystems). These rhythms are integrated, enhanced and multiplied, providing a new structure but also a new character and identity for the entire neighborhood."

Images courtesy of Metapolis.

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