PORTLAND THE BOTANICAL GARDEN REDESIGNED BY LAND MORPHOLOGY
The project, which began in 2015, opens to the public a 16-acre park in the south-east of the American city, characterised by a collection of local plants and an aerial walkway among the trees. In 2015, the studio Land Morphology began to work on a 16-acre park in south-east of Portland, Oregon, undertaking the development of a new strategic master plan for the project.
The botanical garden was founded almost a century ago by a local couple, John and Lilla Leach, who once lived in the estate. Now, after years of work, the area finally opens to the public with a pavilion for events, designed in collaboration with Olson Kundig Architects, and an aerial walkway through the trees.
Divided into phases, the plan envisaged the transformation of the park in such a way as to improve the visitor experience, while at the same time not losing the history of the place. The green site is crossed by a stream and presents a diverse collection of native and non-native plants, including ferns, medicinal herbs, and flowering shrubs.
The pavilion, called the Fireside Terrace, is an outdoor, covered structure with slatted wooden walls. The garden actually has a rich history: first used by the natives as a place for hunting, fishing, and camping, in the second half of the 19th century it became part of a sawmill that supplied timber for the construction of houses in Portland.
In 1931, John and Lilla Leach bought part of the estate and set out to create a private garden. For the design of the site they turned to Wilbert Davies, who later became a prominent landscape architect in California. » Arranged by cultural and ecological sections, the master plan preserves the legacy of the founders by carrying forward their commitment to environmental management through new and expressive forms, » explains the project team.
Source: Domusweb.it
Ph credits: Land Morphology and Aaron Leitz
