Twelve landscape architecture students at the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (OST) in Rapperswil designed “future worlds” for the initial NEXPO cities as part of individual specialisation projects during the spring semester 2020.

“Future worlds” refer to urban spaces that cannot be found today, either in terms of their characteristics or because they actually don’t exist yet. For example, climate change will result in new plants and materials needing to be used and will change the way we travel and get around, which means that open spaces in cities will end up looking very different. Open spaces in cities currently seen as gaps are now being turned into green corridors and microparks. Increasingly, roofs are being used as a matter of course for public activities and for growing food at the same time as providing a place to relax.

The students researched the potential of open spaces and city changes in the 10 initial NEXPO cities, created mood boards, objects, installations and process visualisations related to future development, devised image collages and associative photo series and designed “future worlds” with new open space networks and new uses for the spaces.

• Key topics: The resilient and sustainably self-sufficient city; design and use of public spaces in a future of climate change; city dwellers – urban nature, ways of co-existing; city of short distances and amenities close by.
• Direction and organization: Andrea Cejka, Markus Huber and Roger Aeschbach, OST_site in Rapperswil
• Students: Josh Brun, Michael Tulio Bühler, Silvan Eberle, Lukas Flühmann, Sybill Frei, Lukas Freudenberger, Thomas Moor, Nicolas Reinhard, Basil Rüegg, Manuel Schär, Riccarda Schmid, Daniel Wolf
• Assistance and support: Michael Gersbach
• Link to photo gallery of the students’ work

hydrological network of West Switzerland. It is designed to be an immersive, sensory experience for around 30 landscape architecture students from HEPIA. During the week-long experience, the excursion provides the students with training in action. Multiple tools and procedures are introduced to glean “landscape samples”. The students are encouraged to travel around, experience, observe, learn, memorise, describe, collect, translate, take away and reveal their findings to NEXPO.The students, as witnesses of their time, explorers at heart, and full of their exploits, will share their discoveries and surprises – the weather no doubt being the first! – in photos and stories.

• Focus areas: raising awareness of the landscape; a relational approach and an immersive experience of the territory; use of drawing, writing and cartography to capture experiences; “landscape samples”.
• Direction and organization: Laurence Crémel and Michaël Tranchellini, HEPIA Geneva
• Students: Morgane Aeby, Estelle Aguado, Margaux Bielmann, Amaury Carlier, Laura Ceballos Arbelaez, Mickaël Chassot, Mathieu Compagnon, Marvin Eguienta, Mélina Errichelli, Luna Florey, Antoine Friant, Samuel Halbeisen, Audrey Houver, Laetitia Leubaz, Simon Loiseleur, Lucie Masset, Jérémie Morel, Loïs Morel, Chloé Perez, Joan Perritaz, Sébastien Rivas, Angèle Ropraz, Simon Schaller, Romain Simonot, Julie Théry, Killian Thomas, Ilan Tordjman, Luciane Dhôte, Mélissa Naert, Lucas Peyronel
• Assistance and support: Leika Barthe, Matthieu Faudrin and Brice Goyard
• Link to photo gallery of the study trip

Nature urbaine beneficia del supporto dell’Ufficio federale dell’ambiente UFAM.