Plasma Studio | Flowing Gardens | Xi'an,China

Flowing Gardens begins from a single line -- an axis extends from the Gate to the Greenhouse, travelling through the East and West Hills and over the lake, while extending into many sinuous paths, creating a network of intermingling circulation, landscape and water. Much like the legendary Silk Road, Flowing Gardens is connectivity, circulation, rejuvenation, and elegance.

The project proposes a hybrid of both natural and artificial systems. These two opposing systems are brought together in a synergy of waterscapes. Considering the amount of water needed for irrigation, the project seeks to introduce various technologies and designs found in nature, yet customised by man to suit his specific needs. Rainwater is collected and channelled into wetland areas; there, natural plants and reed beds are used to clean and store the water to be dispersed and used as irrigation water. These natural systems are integrated into the landscape as wetlands and ponds, which can also be enjoyed by the visitors as points of tranquillity and oasis......more

SANAA Designs Artificial Landscape

Students and faculty at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland, will begin hiking the internal topography of the new Rolex Learning Center when it opens on February 22.
Designed by SANAA, the Japanese firm headed by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, the 398,000-square-foot library and campus hub presents visitors with a concrete floor that slopes and swells like the surrounding Swiss landscape. People with mobility problems or those just feeling tired can take specially designed “inclined elevators,” glass boxes adapted from standard lift design.
The architects’ goal was to create one fluid space where students and researchers from the school’s various disciplines (science, engineering, technology, and architecture) can mingle in an environment with almost no traditional partitions. Instead of using steps, stairs, or walls, SANAA separated different functional areas by placing them in floor valleys or tucked between the five outdoor “patios” cut within the building’s rectangular footprint. These ovoid patios, which are surrounded by glazing, provide a variety of landscaped places for socializing and bring daylight into all parts of the one-story facility.
More here

King Abdullah International Gardens - KAIG, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Barton Willmore

Barton Willmore to lead project to create futuristic Botanical Gardens in the desert

Barton Willmore, a leading British design and planning practice, in a joint venture with civil engineers Buro Happold, have won the international design competition to create a 160 hectare futuristic botanical garden: the King Abdullah International Gardens (KAIG) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The $170 million project, which draws on expertise from the Natural History Museum, and specialist sustainable development design group Emergy was commissioned by the Mayor of Riyadh and funded by contributions from business and individuals in the city.

The 160 hectare botanical garden scheme and leisure destination will be a cornerstone of the city’s growth and aim’s to provide a new visitor destination for both Saudis and international visitors.
Via

SFMOMA Rooftop Sculpture Garden - San Francisco, CA-

envelopeA+D was one of 6 Northern California firms invited to participate in a design competition for a rooftop sculpture garden at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

The new rooftop sculpture garden is a seamless extension of the museum’s art promenade. The fifth floor gallery opens and unfolds onto the rooftop of the adjacent parking garage. The new ground plane and surrounding walls of the sculpture garden externalize the white walls and open exhibition spaces of the museum. Large zones of flexible display, where art is the organizing principle, set the viewing context.
Text and images from:envelopeA+D

Floating Garden By KONYK

Client: Gardens Area: 2.5 hectares Mission: Complete, International winner Status: Completed June 2006 Designers: Philippe Coignet, Landscape DPLG

The garden "Modulations" operates on the relationship between movement, form and light in a field of ferns and a screen of metal foil that reflects and diffracts the garden. This video gives a new reading through the simultaneous movement of the body, glare and light-
Serero Architects