Landscapes
Adriaan Geuze
Conference of June the 8th 2006__________________ Présentation :
The West 8 urban design & landscape architecture office was set up in 1987 as an
international team of architects, urban designers and industrial designers. West 8
designs landscape interventions, urban plans, squares, parks and gardens.
The philosophy of West 8 is deeply rooted in an optimistic attitude towards the contemporary
landscape, in which it expresses both the vulnerability and the euphoria
of mass culture. Landscape, infrastructure, nature and archaeology coalesce to
form vital constituents of the city. Arcadian landscapes coexist alongside the dynamic,
mutable and sprawling city unimpeded by architectural doctrines or history,
the city stretches towards the horizon or shoots skywards. Space has acquired
new dimensions that constantly put the sense of scale and proportion to the test.
West 8 draws inspiration from the poetic beauty of the artless and the mundane.
The urban dweller is no pitiful victim needing compensation in the form of green
and nature; today's urbanite is a self-assured, exploratory, creative individualist. He
is well informed and affluent, and equipped with the most up-to-date technology.
He is an explorer and manipulator of his surroundings. The design of this environment
demands a sensitivity that goes beyond the creation of mere decorative
nature. The city produces its own wastelands. Severed from the traditional centre
by railway lines, motorways and fly-overs, new dispersed centres are created. That
their identity is not fixed in advance is neither good nor bad...Adriaan Geuze
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CREDITS | INFORMATIONS
Production
Pavillon de l'Arsenal
Landscapes
The concept of landscape, often used today in the context of urban design, encompasses new issues involved in the creation of cities: scales, borders and environment.
Paris, the surrounding region as well as many other cities are currently examining public space, the integration of works of art, the reintegration of existing architecture both in the heart of cities and at the borders
Taking this development into account, the Pavillon de l'Arsenal has decided to invite landscape architects, architects, urban designers and engineers to host the new series of conferences. They will elaborate on their approaches by presenting their works and thus contributing to a much needed discussion on the possible future of Paris' cityscape.
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