The city of Sion, located in Switzerland and more precisely in the Canton of Valais, has about 35,000 inhabitants.

This historic and charming Swiss town rests on more than 8000 years of history, so much so that the oldest trace of human settlement dates back to 6200 BC.

The iconic city thanks to the two castles located on the respective peaks of the two hills in the city, that of Valère and of Tourbillon.

Due to the increasing damage due to climate change and its squeezing position between two mountain ranges, the Municipality of Sion has decided to prevent rather than cure. The AcclimataSion project was therefore born with the aim of giving priority to vegetation and the water cycle, in order to reduce heat islands, promote biodiversity and reduce the risk of flooding.

This project also has a parallel purpose of improving the quality of life in the city and bringing the green back to the grey areas of the city.

Research has shown that urban environments, devoid of vegetation and colour, lead to an increase in autoimmune diseases and psychological stress levels, while contact with nature has been shown to have effects such as decreasing stress levels, strengthening the immune system and reducing the risk of oncological diseases.

The Municipality of Sion has drawn up an urban plan taking into consideration measures to adapt to climate change and the need for more green areas. Within this ambitious project, there is also the redevelopment of the road of the Energypolis campus.

Located between the train station and the banks of the Rhone, this innovation and science district stretches along Rue de l’Industrie for almost 500 linear meters. As the gateway to the industrial and craft district of Ronquoz, which is undergoing major transformations, it prefigures the contours of the future piece of the city imagined along a wooded strip and dedicated to the homes and businesses of tomorrow. It is in this perspective of a city on the move for the next twenty years that the modular and evolving concept of seats and flower boxes fits.

Nearly sixty large, multifunctional green modules will invite campus stakeholders and residents of the early renovations to test, experiment and, if necessary, adapt these malleable and vegetated structures. Original, colourful and evolving, they will respond to and accompany the real needs of users and offer a quality of daily life during the multiple phases of evolution of the neighbourhood under construction. The project thus responds to the “AcclimataSion” program, reducing heat islands, offering biodiversity and places to sit and watch nature.

This project was born for the city of Sion and Metalco has embraced this vision of the architects and the city, in line with our mission, by developing and cataloguing these modules that combine planters and seats, which take the name of “CITY OF SION”.

Discover all the modules of the CITY OF SION collection on our website.

Published on September 1, 2022