Building a better planet
- Source: Global Times
- [13:09 July 02 2010]
- Comments
A model of The Geopark project from Norway. Photo: Cai Xianmin
By Guo Song
Urban biodiversity, dialogue in infrastructure, use of natural resources and industrial pollution are just some of the themes in the massive undertaking of an exhibition entitled New Nordic Landscapes organized by five Nordic countries.
Showcased at the Nordic Lighthouse, the exhibition features six landscape projects: Process Urbanism from Denmark, Vuosaari Hill from Finland, The Geopark from Norway, Nya Arstafaltet from Sweden, Nuuk South from Greenland and Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Plant from Iceland. The ideas are displayed using models, maps and photos.
The most interesting thing about this exhibition is that it takes the opportunity to show architecture and urban planning as acts that do not necessarily always have to destroy natural beauty.
All of these landscape architecture projects were originally built for outdoor and public spaces, and involve relatively large areas and an attempt to preserve the natural scenery.
The reproductions sit on six transparent table-like display cases, each accompanied by four transparent stools, and each table has photographs or models displayed inside.
Audio devices attached to the stools pipe natural sounding birdsong which adds to the feel of balancing nature and urban life. Through this exhibit, visitors can take a closer look at how Nordic countries execute the ideas of sustainable urban development and efficient land use.
More than presenting the achievements in landscape architecture, the exhibition is an effort to demonstrate that with strategic use and management, landscape architecture can "do so much more than make things look pretty."
"The idea of the exhibition is to show that you can use the qualities of landscapes to create new qualities," said Kent Martinussen, chief executive officer of the Danish Architecture Center, the firm that developed the exhibition in collaboration with four other Nordic institutions.
