Internationellt pris till Botaniskas pedagoger
PRESS RELEASE – 15. September 2017
Schloss Dyck Foundation
8th European Garden Award goes to four winners from London, Copenhagen, St. Petersburg and Gothenburg
Four 2nd Prizes go to Italy, Poland, France and the Netherlands
The eighth ceremony for the European Garden Award by Schloss Dyck Foundation and the European Garden Heritage Network EGHN took place with about 100 invited guests at IGA Berlin 2017 on the afternoon of September 15, 2017.
A total of 44 nominations were presented to the international jury. Alan Thornley, Chairman of the jury, explains that "the nomenclature of the award was changed this year. The award still honours achievements made, but is given also for the next year (thus 2017/2018) to ease promotional use in the coming garden season."
Two of the three winners in the category "Historic Parks" are stunning examples for the rebirth of gardens that had been destroyed or neglected. Enormous efforts have been made to achieve high standards and actual management is a huge challenge. The third winner shows that fascinating results can be achieved when a historic park is thoughtfully restructured and when modern design elements are added.
The scale differs when the 1st Prize and two 2nd Prizes in the category "Contemporary Gardens and Parks" are compared: the transformation of a huge industrial site in Turin, a garden around a concert hall in Katowice and a public roof garden in London. But all of them offer new green, opportunities and quality of life at unusual and unexpected locations.
This year, the focus of the Special Award of the Schloss Dyck Foundation was on best practice examples for educational activities in historic parks or gardens.
• The "Special Award of the Schloss Dyck Foundation" - this year focussing on educational activities in historic gardens – was given to the GOTHENBURG BOTANICAL GARDEN in Sweden. The jury was impressed by the variety of educational activities for children offered by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable group of teachers there. The Botanical Garden, not far away from the centre of Gothenburg, is a beautiful historic park with a huge number of different gardens, landscapes and greenhouses. There are offers for children in each season, including the long winter. The programme invites children to learn more about single plants and plant families (both in the gardens and in the laboratory), about nature and biodiversity or about the different landscapes on earth. But there is also a lot of creativity, cultural activities, games and fun too.
The winner of the category "Large-scale Green Concepts" shows what a city can to be better prepared for the effects of climate change and to enhance the quality of public space at the same time.
Climate change is also a main challenge for Lorenz von Ehren nursery (Hamburg), main sponsor of the European Garden Award. "Our clients ask for trees that can survive high temperatures, strong winds, dry periods and flooding too. On 7th September, we hosted our international symposium on "Green Urban Climate". It is a good complement that the eight winners of the European Garden Award show what can be done in practice", says Bernhard von Ehren.
"Berlin is a perfect place for the awarding ceremony", says Christian Gruessen, Project Coordinator of the European Garden Heritage Network EGHN. "There are plenty of historic parks and gardens in Berlin and neighbouring Potsdam, there is the "IGA Berlin 2017" showing the latest trends in landscape architecture and gardening and there are the "Gärten der Welt" with the collection of gardens from all over the world and from different periods. It is a real microcosm. Similar, the European Garden Award is determined to reveal the great variety of parks and gardens and their benefits for the society and to honour those individuals and institutions who care about gardens".
Jens Spanjer, board of the Schloss Dyck Foundation, is already looking forward to the next awards: "We feel very pleased and honoured that the European Garden Award will receive support from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media within the context of the European Cultural Heritage Year 2018. From 2018 onwards, we will be able to award exceptional efforts in developing cultural landscapes and in protecting historic gardens too and to organise a number of professional workshops."
Four categories - eight winning parks and gardens
The European Garden Award was again presented in four categories this year:
• In the category "Best development of a historic park or garden", a park in Russia earned the 1st prize: PETERHOF in St. Petersburg. Destroyed by the German army in the Second World War and much neglected and forgotten afterwards, Peterhof has been reborn through sensitive restoration and conservation, based on historic evidence, but also on issues of economies, maintenance, skills, appropriate materials and the visitor experience. It is a garden of contrast: both visually and physically stunning, but with an intimate charm and humour. Today Peterhof is not a copy of earlier gardens but one that is unique in its own right.
The gardens of LA BALLUE in Bazouges-la-Pérouse (Brittany) took one of the two second prizes. The gardens, which have been influenced by mannerism, were rediscovered and restored in 1996. The new owners introduced a new rhythm of the garden rooms, played with the uncontrolled growing vegetation, and expanded the existing play of the changing perspectives by a play of light and shadow.
Another 2nd Prize was awarded for the restructuring of the cemetery DE NIEUWE OOSTER (new design by karres en brands) in Amsterdam. The need to redesign the youngest of three zones initiated a new structure for the entire site. The very modern layout and architectures increased the contrast between the zones, which again strengthened the character of each zone with benefits for all. De Nieuwe Ooster can be considered as a model for many other cemeteries in Europa that are awaiting modernisation.
• It is the first time that a roof garden wins the first prize in the category "Best design or concept for a contemporary park or garden": CROSSRAIL PLACE ROOF GARDEN in London (design by Gillespies and by Foster + Partners). The garden sits on top of a five-storey mixed-use development known as Crossrail Place, including the Canary Wharf underground station. The roof-top garden is sheltered by a 310-metre-long timber lattice roof that lets in light and rain for natural irrigation. The garden is a celebration of the docklands maritime heritage, showcasing unusual plants from across the globe. It provides visitors with a sense of true escape from their urban surroundings.
One of the two 2nd Prizes was awarded to PARCO DORA in Turin (design by Latz + Partner) that emerged from Turin's largest intra-urban industrial wasteland. The park has five separate areas whose functional differences and aesthetic impact are based on the quality of the industrial remains. Bridges, stairs and ramps connect the areas of the park with each other and with the surrounding quarters.
A well-deserved 2nd Prize was given to NOSPR GARDENS (design by Konior Studio) in Katowice. The gardens around the seat of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR) encourage people to slow down thanks to 450 trees, smells, fountains, sounds and the amphitheatre. There is also a maze, where visitors can literally touch green walls trimmed into the shape of Katowice's city plan from 1926.
• The 1st Prize on "Large-scale green networks and development concepts" went to Copenhagen for the Climate Adaptation Plan. The city aims at a new type of urban nature that does not look at city and nature, buildings and biology to be opposites. Instead it makes urban nature a vitalizing and inviting hybrid. Some of the measures link the green and the blue system of the city, allowing temporary flooding of parks and squares. The new designs needed to achieve this also create new public spaces of high quality, helping Copenhagen to continue being one of the world's most liveable cities.
Further information on the European Garden Award and EGHN
www.europäischergartenpreis.eu
www.europeangardenaward.eu
www.eghn.eu
