2016 / Weaving the Landscape, Category A
Weaving the Landscape Project
The city of Lodz, Poland, used to have the most prominent textile industry in Central and Eastern Europe, moreover it was situated on the crossroads of the most important trade routes and also within a landscape blooming with resources. Now, after a hundred years of exploitation of natural resources, the city seeks out for solutions for its environmental, economic and social problems.
Weaving the landscape is a project able to highlight three major patterns of the city, that lost their original indentity, but nevertheless evolved in their own way, and recalibrate their position in the exisitng and future image of the city. Three patterns equal three dynamics that are arranged in three main intervention categories that are brought together to provide living spaces throughout and around Lodz, but mostly to generate a post-industrial park, the biggest celebration of what once was there, what remained and what will the city represent in the future. The park recalibrates and brings new life to the city infrastructure without destroying it to create a distinctive space and outstanding encounter, significant as a contribution to urban renewal in which landscaping embraces rather than
rejects history, culture, ecology, and the human inhabitants. This park is a very citizen’s led park, their initiatives are going to modify its future.
Waterscape The design has a great impact on renaturalisation of the River Jasien that flows across the city and through the site.Water was a very inspiration for creating textile industry in this area, but in a course of time it has been outworn and polluted. By uncovering the river and excavating a reservoir the design seeks to recuperate a memory and maybe cause that, what once was an inspiration for creating the city, now it’s going to trigger its revitalisation.
Morphology The native environment, everything that is given by the initial landscape framework. As a design move it would include recalibrating the purpose for existing elements without losing its memory. Because of the architecture’s decay, some buildings have collapsed, the ground eroded, but whatever is remaining will be woven again into a tapestry of a new living city. The recycling of the debris may actually result in unusual, unique composition. Together with the nature taking over the structures once created by human.
Vegetation By uncovering the River Jasien and restoring the natural habitat, multiple vegetation typology spaces were created. The wild-flower meadows that consist of a diverse spectrum of perennial and grass species that together create an unique ecological and aesthetic experience. ‘Hidden area’ are created in between the plants in order to allow visitors to find their own and private space to relax. The selection of species enhances the vibrancy of colours and smells. A stream of colour acts like a guidance for visitors echoing the pre-existing colour dye canals of the factories.
