2nd Place Prize | Student Competition for the Garden of the Hochschulgemeinde Freising
July 2023 | Technical University of Munich
Reflecting Room interacts with existing geometry and spatial qualities to transform the Hochschulgemeinde Garten into a space for contemplation, rest, and community. Built on geometric reflections, a garden ideal for mental reflections is created. The design proposes that peace and rest can best be achieved when spatial elements are highly structured, supporting tranquility and calm through their apparent simplicity and reassuring order.
Each area accentuates the qualities of the garden and offers spaces ideal for varied uses centered around rest, whether in groups or in solitude. A rigorous linear system is used to place new elements and shape spaces by highlighting present geometry. The central garden area is conceptualized as an extended indoor/outdoor space. To shape this area, the seminar room is mirrored both in plan and elevation to inform the geometry of the pergola. This delicate structure juxtaposes the linearity organizing the rest of the design in order to both break down and bind the areas, activating space and highlighting defining existing vegetation.
Six birches (Betula utilis) are the most substantial proposed plantings. These delicate, multi- stemmed trees with their bright white bark enhance the simple and strong linearity of the design. They stand out against the rich summer greens, and through careful placement they visually bind separate areas of the garden together and lead in visitors from the street. The Forsythie (Forsythia x intermedia) and Lilac (Syringa josikaea) help visually fill out a lower level and, like the birches, punctate the composition with strong colors that build connections. Placement often aligns with corners of new or existing structures so that these plants are partially concealed, still creating connections but simultaneously drawing users to the hidden spaces they expose. The warm and cool areas would be planted with wildflowers in warm or cool color tones respectively.
