Lausanne Gardens 2019, Switzerland
The drive-in cinema of the Earth
| Client | Lausanne Jardins 2019 |
| Area | 300 m² |
| Project team | Jérôme Duréault, Denis Keil |
| Competition | 1st Prize |
| Completion | 2019 |
| Location/Google-Maps | Avenue du Léman 26, 1005 Lausanne, Schweiz |
From the parking lot of the Saint Jacques church in Lausanne, spectacular views of the silhouette of the city with its historic buildings and towers are framed by the panorama of the Alps with snow-capped peaks. This beautiful view is in stark contrast with the heavy paving of the parking lot, which had been selected as a space for a temporary garden for the garden festival.
This contrast – between the view and the paved surface of the site – clearly demonstrates the manner in which we have treated our environment in the past decades, because we have sacrificed the environment for technological process. It is time to re-structure our thinking and to initiate a process to reclaim lost landscapes.
The grey parking lot is fully covered with green turf, transforming it into an artificial “park.” Five green automobiles symbolize the contemporary site condition of a parking lot. Through their artificiality, they enhance the contrast between the two worlds and urge the visitors to reflect. The archetypical ‘garden,’ the paradise of seclusion, of rest and of contemplation that is sought after by all humans, is the distant alpine panorama.
The cars are arranged like a drive-in movie theatre, facing the panorama, which stands in for the film. The vehicles ‘transport’ five different soil types in their interior, exuding unique scents. The soil, which is an endangered resource, is a reminder of what it takes to create a healthy environment – this is reinforced by a lesson broadcasted from the car radio, which can be experienced by taking a seat inside of the vehicle.
