competition
Route de Meyrin CERN, Schweiz, 2011
location: Meyrin, Schweiz
client: comité route de Meyrin
useable floor area: 36.860m2
status: competition entry, 2011
team: Anna Flavia Giamanco, Andreas Körner, Alexander Matl
consutant:
3:0 Landschaftsarchitekten
The design intention of our proposal was to create a field of attractive spatial qualities whichresponds to the scientific context of the location on one hand, and on the other hand to the urbanconditions of the given site. The emblematic design of the plaza should enhance the explorativeattitude of its users. It invites visitors to discover the areas around CERN and offers individualmeeting points for employees and scientists which use the area in their usual day-to-day life.
Generation of the field-patternThe textual description of the research done at CERN marks the point of departure for the generativeprocess. The text is translated into an abstract coded pattern and furthermore deformed by twogravity fields. This structure creates an artificial landscape which correspondsto its surroundings and creates new paths and visual connections in the CERN-area.The entire public space is turned into a multi-functional urban plaza. The emerging zones define theboulevard, accompanying the main street, and the former gas station is turned into a marketplace. The outdoorarena is located at the center of the site and the terrace which will extend the urban plaza forms the roof of the museum.First Phase:The boulevard is the first step of all further developments and introduces the visitor and passers-by alike to a multifunctional urban area.The area on the other side of the street is designed as a marketplace.The roof of the gas-station is transformed into a green canopy, containing a restaurant and a bar.The concrete fence-objects are designed as shelter, and serve as local market stands where peoplecan buy some food, while enjoying the adjacent park.This creates a meeting point on the axis between Meyrin and Saint-Genis-Pouilly.The required parking areas for phase one will be relocated to the empty property between theclubs and the entrance of gate A and next to gate B (park and ride).Second Phase:The second phase includes the outdoor arena which would become the central plaza of the complex.In case of huge events the arena can be combined with the 1000 seats auditorium of the main building.Due to the fact that the main building will be a separatecompetition, the arena can also operate on its own.Concerning the museum, the old building enclosure of the 600 Me V Synchrocyclotron building isremoved and the machine marks the center of a new 500m2 exhibition space. The landscapepattern is continued as a roof-terrace covering the new building.