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2015

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Urban Projects Squares and Promenades

Rotterdam Ne w Cent r a l Station, Sc hiebloc k · London squa res from t he Inner Ring Roa d to ou ter London · Copenhagen Isr a el s Pl a ds · Budapest Telek i Squa re · Geneva Pl a ine de Pl a inpa l a is · Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz Promen a de for a surfer spot · Paris Pl ace de l a République · Vienna M a ri a hilfer St ree t · Melbourne Da ndenong Civic Squa re · Pamplona, Colombia Renovation of Agueda G a ll a rdo Pa rk · Riyadh Urba n squa re of K ing Fa h a d N ation a l Libr a ry

Cover: Mariahilfer Strasse, Vienna Design: Bureau B+B, orso.pitro Photo: Bureau B+B/Ricky Rijkenberg

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The new Central Station of Rotterdam is

designed rather as an open square than a building.

Luke Harley

Philipp Ebeling

The pavement runs through the whole structure.

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London has renewed several of its public spaces over the last few

years. The Ancient Market in Kingston has been turned into a pedestrian friendly space with permanent market stands.

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At the former Grønttorvet vegetable market

of Copenhagen the new Israels Plads brings vibrancy into the area between Nørreport Station, Ørsteds­

Rasmus Hjortshøj

parken and the new market halls.

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Tamás Bujnovszky

urban

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A community-based design has turned the

projects

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squares

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promenades

table

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contents

M arieke B erkers

Stefan L eppert

16 Accommodating Chaos

76 At Last – No More Curbs

The new Rotterdam Central Station

Accessible design in the Altstadt of Warburg, Germany

Peter Z öch

P eter Pa u l Witsen

24 A Calm Stone Carpet

82 Space for People

Wilhelminaplein in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands

The transformation of the Mariahilfer Strasse, Vienna

J u tta K ehrer

T im R ettler

28 New London Squares

86 Chongqing: Mountains and Water

From the Inner Ring Road to Outer London

China: between a rural past and a thriving present

G ini L ee

Virginie C orinne L e G offic

38 Israels Plads: Between Park and Market

94 A New Civic Fabric for an Older Place

Budapest into a vital space for the neighbourhood.

A new multifunctional square for Copenhagen

Dandenong Civic Square at the outskirts of Melbourne

C athelijne N uijsink

Bureau B+B/Ricky Rijkenberg

barren, crime-ridden and functionless Teleki Square of

100 Cultural Relics in a New Spotlight

The revaluation of Teleki Square in Budapest

Renovating Agueda Gallardo Park, Pamplona, Colombia

Faisal Abd u laziz bin Ay yaf A lmogren

Val érie H offme yer

50 A Red Counterpart to the Harbour

104 Iconic Escape in a Dense Urban Fabric

The Plaine de Plainpalais square in Geneva

The urban square of King Fahad National Library, Riyadh

J ean- P hilippe H u gron

55 Upon the Abandoned Beach A new promenade for the surfer spot Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz

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K ristin Fa u rest, G yörg y Alf öldi

44 Remaking the Agora

R afa ël M agro u

62 Theatre to the World

Vienna’s Mariahilfer Strasse, one of the Austrian

capital’s most famous shopping streets, is being

The transformation of the Place de la République, Paris

L ard B u u rman (photos)

Currents 06 Projects, Competitions, Reviews, News, Personalities, Obituary

110 Authors 111 Credits/Imprint

transformed into a pedestrian zone.

68 Africa Junctions: Capturing the City

Everyday life on the streets of Africa’s metropolitan regions

L isa B u ttenberg , K la u s Overmeyer

72 Spatial Ventures Shape the City

Chris Erskine

The example of the Schieblock in Rotterdam

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Dandenong Civic Square in Melbourne’s south­

eastern suburb by the same name is a colourful place, reflecting the cultural diversity of this satellite city.

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currents

projects

projects

Approximately 800,000 crystals ­embellish Cao Perrot’s Crystal Cloud in the new park at Swarovski Crystal

Swarovski Kristallwelten (2)

Worlds in Wattens.

Building Clouds: Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens, Austria Using the slogan “Building architecture as light and variable as clouds”, the Vienna architecture office Coop Himmelb(l)au began to change the world of architecture in the 1960s. Gravity, how­ever, often brought their cloud-like, airy designs back down to earth. Effectively fighting gravity is not something that Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot’s Crystal Cloud at the Swarovski Cyrstal Worlds in the Tyrolean town of Wattens can claim to do either. The forest of columns holding up the crystal-laden, cloud-like wire structure is proof of this. When sunshine makes the crystals begin to sparkle, however, the garden artists’ installation does

a­ ppear to become impressively light. In addition, the entire spectrum of colours found in a rainbow is reflected in the dark surface of the Mirror Pool built underneath the artwork. The clouds’ reflections are also complemented by the “Fireflies”, i.e. 2000 red crystals mounted on metal rods in the water, and wind often provides unexpected effects as well. Visitors can walk along a ramp that drops down into the middle of the pool, allowing them to experience the interplay of light and colours from the height of the water’s surface.

The 1,400-square-metre Crystal Cloud is the centre­ piece of the 7.5-hectare park,

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which opened in Wattens on 30 April. The cloud and pool are located in a shallow depression surrounded by graded banks and birch trees.

Contoured mounds separate

the park from the surrounding area.

Cao Perrot, who often experiment with new materials in open space, tested the idea for the Crystal Cloud during

their installation at the park in Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C., USA. There they used nearly 10,000 crystals for their Cloud Terrace project, which was on view from

projects

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Aga Khan Park, Toronto The Aga Khan Park in Toronto was officially inaugurated at the end of May. The 6.8-hectare park, designed by Lebanon-based landscape architect Vladimir Djurovic, encompasses the area ­between and around the Aga Khan Museum and the Ismaili Centre. The park, the museum, and the centre together form ­Toronto’s newest cultural hub.

In the Aga Khan Park, Djurovic aimed to recreate the sensory ­experience – namely sounds, aromas, textures and colours – he had while visiting traditional Islamic gardens at the ­Alhambra in Spain and Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi, India, among other historic sites. The result is intended to be both “ephemeral and eternal”, a space that may change with the passing light or season, and yet ­become a permanent legacy for the city of Toronto.

Based on a traditional chahar bagh (four-part garden), the formal garden within the park is given a natural geometry through ordered plantings of serviceberry trees. The reflecting pools ­mirror the sky and capture architectural details of the Aga Khan Museum and Ismaili Centre, placing both buildings in a conversation with one another.

The Ismaili Centre was designed by Indian architect Charles Correa, the Aga Khan Museum by Fumihiko Maki of Japan.

Moriyama and Teshima are the Canadian architects of record for the entire project.

These three projects are an initiative of the Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network. The Aga Khan Museum’s mission is to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the contribution that Muslim civilisations have made to world heritage.

Both the innovative 20-metre-high Playtower and the wooden platform are designed by Snøhetta and provide children with an eventful expe-

April 2012 to October 2013.

At the park in Wattens the two landscape architects ­directed a team of industrial climbers as they manually adorned the wire construction with approximately 800,000 crystals. The Cloud takes the idea of a cabinet of curiosities, which brings the sensual dimension of the crystals to life, and carries it into the open space.

An innovative “Playtower” and playground designed by the architecture firm Snøhetta supplements the park landscape. The 20-metre-high tower offers a variety of possibilities to climb, jump and actively play, and also has a 14-metre-high continuous climbing net. Outside, children can play on the freeform wooden platform.

Peter Zöch

Gary Otte

Patrick Lüth (3)

rience at the new park.

The design of the Aga Khan Park in Toronto by landscape architect Vladimir Djurovic is informed by traditional, formal Islamic gardens.

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Marieke Berkers

Accommodating

Chaos The new Rotterdam Central Station could be considered the latest addition to the city’s squares. To meet the complexities of the site, the team of architects and landscape architects developed a design that conceives of the station as an open space rather than a building. A continuous band of pavement runs through the entire structure connecting the new station with the city.

In order to make the idea of a square work, Team CS designed a 2.5-hectare roof to cover the whole station. The roof ensures that the building has equivalent entrances from the side of 19th-century residential Provenierswijk as well as from the city centre.

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A light-coloured surface of granite and syenite covers the pedestrian zone in the Viennese Mariahilfer Strasse. Discreet markings define the various areas of use, urban furniture elements have been concentrated in the outer areas by the landscape architects of B+B.

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Peter Zöch

Space for People Mariahilfer Strasse is one of Vienna’s largest and most famous shopping streets. Since 2014 it has been undergoing work to convert it into a pedestrian zone, section by section. New ground surfaces and individually designed urban furniture are transforming the street into a pleasant location to stop and spend some quality time in the Austrian capital.

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t is clearly spring, but the weather is proving less favourable. Dense clouds cover the sun and it could begin to rain at any moment. This does not deter the large numbers of people strolling along the middle of Vienna’s newly designed Mariahilfer Strasse. Where cars once stood bumper to bumper, nudging each other along the shopping street, today people can walk, stroll, cycle or even sit and linger.

Responsible for the redesign of the street linking the city’s Westbahnhof railway station with the Museum Quarter are the Dutch landscape ­architects Bureau B+B and the Vienna architects orso.pitro. The first construction phase was opened in October 2014; the second will follow shortly. The first priority was to improve the quality of life for local ­residents, visitors and business people. And to create a place in which children could learn to ride a bicycle. Such “banal” everyday places are certainly lacking in what are usually densely built-up inner cities. Nonetheless, as is common with larger projects, the planning process featured numerous discussions on the pros and cons of restricting car traffic and redesigning the area. The 1.8-kilometer-long street today consists of a core zone – the area for pedestrians and cyclists. On either side of this zone is the so-called “encountering zone”, where traffic is permitted for deliveries, residents and public transport. The street has certain crossing points for cars and public transport.

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Capitalizing on the collaboration of architects and landscape architects, Hassel’s design of Palm Island creates a unique ensemble, uniting built and natural environments through an intrinsic interplay of light, water and form.

Jutta Kehrer

Chongqing Mountains and Water Three urban design approaches establish places of significance and points of destination within the transient Chinese city of Chongqing, situated between a rural past and a thriving present.

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Faisal Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf Almogren

Iconic Escape in a Dense Urban Fabric The urban square in front of King Fahad National Library in Riyadh is part of a larger renovation and expansion project of the national library. The new urban project in the Saudi capital is the envisioning of an icon and a public space for the city.

The new King Fahad National Library at night is a beacon of culture for Riyadh. The changing colors of light and the careful illumination of the urban square create a magical scene in the dense city.

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