Before/During/After – Arsenal – Paris Pavilion by Wagon Landscaping « Landscape Architecture Platform

Nowadays, a discussion is unfolding between landscape architects, ecologists and urban planners about plants strategies to be favoured in the global change context and the sudden failure of biodiversity. In other words, polemic does exist between endemic supporters and ornamental or “vagabond plant” fanatics.

In this garden, regional and Mediterranean plants assume planetary mixing of species, focusing on this wondering: can our society give a chance for plant resiliency promoting a mix of species and experiments based on observing plants dynamics and evolving?

Pavilion garden, during “Beauty and the City” exhibition, shows plants from Parisian garden, from classical Alphand tradition to a possible unknown future. This before/during/after garden may be understood as time travel among yesterday, today and tomorrow plants which were, are or will be useful in our everyday city life.

In a way this garden presents diversity plants pattern which made Paris classical gardens identity, explores possible resources in what could constitute its tomorrow identity finding inspiration from traditional ornamental exotic plants and plants, planted or spontaneous, that evolve naturally and adapt themselves to climate change.

The garden is organized around four large plants collections:
* The traditional ornamental garden’s collections since the XIXth century;
* The hosts of biodiversity which strengthen biotopes in contemporary city;
* The climate transition companions, from other climates, which adapt to the Parisian climate evolving;
* The hard-bitten adapted to urban soils, which express richness of poor urban soils.