Herbs sprouting unexpectedly between paving stones, saplings thriving on vacant plots, rare species blooming on unused wasteland, wild plants flourishing along railway tracks, non-native species spreading along the sides of motorways: in our urban environment we are surrounded by spontaneous vegetation that makes use of every available ecological niche to lead an untamed life. This special kind of nature should not simply be appreciated for its unique qualities: it deserves to be celebrated and nurtured. It has the potential to inspire a new and optimistic approach to our contemporary urban landscapes and living spaces; one that is both environmentally aware and free from nostalgia. The New Wilderness exhibition presents the innovative perspectives of selected projects drawn from landscape architecture, research and ecology, which nurture a new wilderness and share a future-orientated understanding of urban nature.

New Wilderness is curated by Studio Céline Baumann in collaboration with the Gewerbemuseum Winterthur.

The team of Studio Céline Baumann with NRP Ingenieure, OePlan, Schneiter Verkehrsplanung and Soziologie & Raum wins first prize for the revitalisation of the Mattenbach river. Stretching for more than two kilometers, the project allows the nowadays canalized stream to become the heart of a new recreational and ecological landscape. By carefully highlighting traces of history and gently redirecting the stream, it transforms the former riverbed into a shaded promenade, where the trees of the alluvial forest create a continuous, living corridor.

The team led by Stereo Architektur, together with Studio Céline Baumann and Schnetzer Puskas, has won first prize for the project Stadtfeld in Pratteln. The project envisions connecting the three plots of the Evangelical Reformed Church, the Post, and the Canton of Basel-Landschaft through an internal network of open spaces composed of alleys, plazas, and gardens.

We are pleased to announce the publication of the book Ramification, edited by Céline Baumann and published by the Museum im Bellpark.

We are familiar with the idea of ramification from botany: in the case of the tree, aboveground elements like limbs and twigs visibly branch out in order to enlarge the overall leaf surface and thereby maximize processes of photosynthesis. The principle of ramification can also be seen in the realm of larger systems: for example, in the case of a watershed, where small tributaries flow into ever-larger rivers before reaching the sea. Ramifications can cover larger areas without eliminating, or pushing out, what is already there, and can thereby connect otherwise isolated entities. And ramification is also a conceptual tool that offers insight— not only into the anatomy of a plant but also onto connections within and between landscapes.

The parliament of plants can be seen at the Nieuwe Instituut as part of the Dutch iteration of the show Garden Futures: Designing with Nature, an exhibition about the history and future of the modern garden.

The team led by SERA (Studio Esch Rickenbacher Architektur) wins first prize for the construction of a mixed-use high-rise by Zürich-Oerlikon train station. The landscape project consists of two layers: an urban plaza on the upper street level and a logistic hub connecting with the ruderal landscape of the train tracks below.

The garden for the cooperative housing Lyse Lotte in Basel is completed!

The team of Studio Céline Baumann and Weyell Zipse together with Martin Frei and Knopp+Kiel wins first prize for the open spaces of the Rosental Mitte site in Basel. The proposal “Singing Spring” guides the transformation process over the next decade of Rosental Mitte site in Basel. It consists of a concept scheme securing the qualities of the newly created open space and a set of activating measures involving vegetative and human pioneers.

This exhibition brings together the work of landscape architects, urbanists, biologists and students from various backgrounds and generations, who are – consciously or unconsciously – drawing on the metaphor of ramification within their practice.

We had the pleasure to take part in this interesting competition together with architects Weyell Zipse, Assemble, and curator Vera Sacchetti.

During the autumn semester 2023, we are investigating how rhizomatic structures may allow us to act upon broad territories in order to shape ecological and climatic corridors for humans and non-humans alike.

The garden for the cooperative housing Lyse Lotte in Basel is taking shape. Topography, flooring and plantations are being executed.