MAX IV Laboratory is under construction in Lund, in southern Sweden: an advanced research laboratory and the first building in the development referred to as the "City of Science". Architectural studio Snøhetta was appointed to perform landscape design, and the project is due to be completed in the summer of 2016.
MAX IV Laboratory is a high performance laboratory with particle acceleration synchrotrons. The structure now being completed will be the first building in the development referred to as the “City of Science” which will be built in the Brunnshög area in Lund, in southern Sweden. Architectural studio Snøhetta was appointed to perform landscape design, and the project is due to be completed in the summer of 2016.
Snøhetta’s project is based on four key criteria. Ground vibration had to be minimised so that it would not affect the experiments. Vibration was favoured by the flat lay of the land around the laboratory, and so the architects shaped the landscape, introducing little hills made with the soil that had been dug up (Balancing masses), altering the appearance of the landscape and creating an irregular topography. The new layout of the area resulted in a need to plan for Water management, both for pools of water in the area and for the earthworks required to collect rainwater. Lastly, to cover the area with vegetation and create a new public park around the laboratory, it was necessary to select the vegetation and plan for its future maintenance. The nearby Kungsmarken nature reserve permitted selection of a number of hay species which require only simple maintenance with traditional farm equipment or flocks of sheep.
(Agnese Bifulco)
Design: Snøhetta
Location: Lund, Sweden
Images courtesy of Snøhetta, photo by © ABML4, © ABML4/Felix Gerlach, © Klas Andersson, © Inge Ove Tysnes, © Max IV, © Snøhetta, © Snøhetta and Fojab
http://snohetta.com/
