Zukunftsinsel Gelsenkirchen

Highly intensive use, shaping and over-shaping have determined the appearance of the Emscher Island to this day. Coal and its dust, an industrial heritage, formed the starting point for the design of the Bundesgartenschau 1997. To continue this history, the current task is to shape the verdant succession and the green blue banks of the island with a characteristic design and to turn their playful charm and ecological value into a part of the island park experience. A precise insertion of sometimes wider, sometimes narrower gaps creates new views, contexts and spaces in the dense population. Offset from the primary network of paths, wood structures form a complementary system of groves and small woods. Its spatial entanglement with existing infrastructure routes and new paths generates special moments and places in the expanse of the flowing and connective sea of meadows.