Initial situation: The asphalted, previously unused space between the sidewalk and the outdoor restaurant was to be made more attractive and to help reduce the heat. At the request of the landowner SBB and the city of Zurich, the landscape architect worked with so-called «cool clumps», large-format, lush planting areas that provide shadow.
Solution: Sabine Kaufmann's design consists of three large, pentagonal plant beds that are placed above the basement. These create a pleasant atmosphere and provide cooling in the summer. The green volumes create an attractive change in the urban space at the same time. The polygonal shape of the basins enables flowing transitions and exciting spatial formations.
A bench is attached to each basin, which was designed, manufactured and installed by BURRI. The first is positioned towards the Europaallee, the second towards the Langstrasse and the third is part of the lounge.
The planting is appropriate to the location, heat-resistant and largely indigenous. The diverse shrubs and perennials are distinguished by their different growth forms, colours, leaf types and flowers. Thanks to sophisticated substrates and irrigation, the shrubs can grow up to 5 metres high.
Cleverness: The bench design of Europallee was adopted, the benches adapted to the geometry of the planters and mounted directly on the concrete surrounds. In this way, they form a unit with the planters and appear spacious despite their ‘shorter’ use. A curved backrest offers comfort and creates enough distance to the plants without compromising the shape. Fine-pored ARBODUR® was used for the covering to ensure optimum durability and rapid drying.
