Wahlenpark

The choice Park is a 12,000 square meter public park in the area of ​​Oerlikon in Zurich North. The last of the four new parks that have been built by Green City Zurich Zurich North Development Area beginning of the 21st century, is located on the site of the former battery factory Oerlikon and bordering the school house in Birch. He was expelled in the special building regulations for the development of regional center Zurich Nord as a sports field and park and serves both the local population as well as the students of the adjacent school building.

History

The population of the choice park was handed over in June 2005 with an opening ceremony. Beforehand, opened in 2002, the MFO Park and in 2003 the Louis Haefliger Park in 2001, the Oerliker Park. Named the choice park is by Friedrich Traugott Wahlen, who named during the Second World War for the cultivation campaign, according to him also plan options, dedicated with much personal. Because of this growing battle for which in the cities public parks have been converted into agricultural land, the self-sufficiency of the Swiss population increased from 52 percent in 1939 to 72 per cent.

In the international competition advertised in 2001, the planners Community dipole Landscape Architects, Basel and Christopher T. Hunziker from Zurich was able to prevail with their project " RGB " against 31 competitors. The project name stands for the colors red, green and blue, which structure the Park optically clear.

Location

With its linear design principle, the project provided clear urban spatial relationships. It is characterized by its ease in cross-section solution with the following " building blocks " of: full ( building / school in Birch) - empty ( Pausenplatz / School in Birch) - full ( tree field ) - empty ( playground ). A planted with linden tree row decides to park in the east. The park is divided into three areas: tree body (red), pitch (green) and Promenade ( blue).

The tree field was planted as an avenue with 70 red-leaved beeches from seven different book types and to arouse associations with an English landscape park. Play equipment and seating extend the offer for the children from the neighborhood and the neighboring school system.

Be developed by the artist Christopher T. Hunziker extends 160 meters long at the framed Linden promenade and three meters wide seat bar from 7000 blue glass blocks. By fluorescent light tubes inside the bar is lit at night. The emergence of the seat bar, or the present underneath the basement space is due to the remediation of contaminated sites for which had to be excavated and disposed of prior to construction of the choice farms of the contaminated soil.

The hard-wearing lawn of the field is 7,500 square meters. A large pool of water with a diameter of 11 meters and an eye-catching shade roof invites you to cool off. A ball catcher completes the playing field. Its double mesh cover leads oblique view of a so-called moire. A sculpturally integrated, solid light pole makes it possible to use the playing surface even in the dark.

The park is since the opening well received by both the students of the school house in Birch as well as by the people and liked to use.

Very close to the park is the choice Oerliker Park.