Europe

[Visited: July 2008]

When I came across Oerliker Park for the first time, after walking through some of the streets of the surrounding neighbourhood, I was surprised to find such a vast space reserved for a park in this brand-new area of this suburb of Zurich. That first time was late winter and the many ash trees were completely in their winter outfit: white trunk and barren branches. It was only during my second visit, in summer, that I realized how neatly the trees were planted, in squares of 4 by 4 metres.
The philosophy behind Oerliker park is the examination of time and change. With that theme in mind, the architects of the park planted trees and designed buildings, who would then be changing over time. How would these changes show themselves in this modern urban setting? The aim of the project was the mixing up of park landscaping, architecture, and art. The trees were taken from different regions in Switzerland; as they grow, they will develop differently. To my untrained eye, this effect was not yet visible. All in all, the park has around thousand young trees which, over time, will grow and make Oerliker Park into a full grown park.
Oerliker Park is not only about trees, of course, even though they are a striking element. What is more, as long as the trees will be small, the other components of the park are prominently visible. You can find a water bar, which was almost empty when I visited because of lack of water; there are some open spaces with only a wooden floor, there is a red pavilion which functions as platform and stage for performances. In the evening, Oerliker Park comes alive with coloured lights. The observation tower on the eastern side of the park - a spiral staircase offers the opportunity to climb up for a different view of the park: an opportunity I could not resist!

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Oerliker Park > Switzerland > Europe

[Visited: July 2008]

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