The art of omission (less is more?)
LAOS landscape urbanism designed a wooden sculpture that serves as a meeting point as well as an entrance area to a number of temporary buildings on an institutional site. For a long time, the site has been part of a sand landscape consisting of heath, sand drifts, and forest. Undisturbed areas showed a beautiful planting image of heath and sparse grassland, and we used that image as well as the fact that it is a temporary installation – around 10 years – as the starting point for the design.
To provide contrast to the natural vegetation, there is decided to design a strong geometric sculpture using a circle and a rectangle. The rectangle creates the entrance pathway, and the circle connects the buildings. An elevated section of the circle creates a seating area and provides visitors of the buildings with a place to meet and stay. The object “floats” above ground level, adapting and thus forming a connection to the existing landscape. Through this connection, the design shows appreciation for the unique vegetation and emphasises the impermanence of the intervention.
The sculpture is entirely made of wood. Three plank sizes in three different directions were used for the three components – platform, path, and bench. Existing trees have been spared, and they provide definition to the area. The surrounding landscape is the backdrop, and we make that visible through strong geometric shapes.
Location: The Netherlands
Design year: 2021
Year Completed: 2021
