Paul Clemence captures Burckhardt & Partners’ thriving MFO Park in Zurich
Paul Clemence captures Burckhardt & Partners’ thriving MFO Park in Zurich
Paul Clemens‘s capture of MFO Park Zurich is an atmospheric photo series for Archi-Photo that demonstrates the juxtaposition between the man-made metal shell and the wild nature of the park itself. Vines intertwining on the structure’s skeleton create an attractive destination, filling in the wasteland and replacing it with a renewed and captivating image.
The MFO-Park Zurich is a living parkland in Switzerland that was previously used by the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon (MFO) for around a century. Saturated with rubble and pollution during a long period of industrialization, it has turned into a green paradise with the nearby forests Oerliker Park full of ash trees. It offers a diverse open space and is available to the public for a wide variety of activities and events, with the presence of ‘parking garage‘, a large open hall and a trellis enveloped by creepers.
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The MFO Park “Parkhaus” was designed by the Basel architectural office Burckhardt & Partners and uses the remains of the old factory building. The hanger-sized trellis and inviting seating and relaxation areas offer Zurich residents a space to enjoy the great outdoors, which is proving particularly useful during Covid social distancing guidelines. The structure offers an array of seating areas, balconies, a rooftop sundeck, and a minimalistically designed pool, all carefully arranged and offering some seclusion. The landscape was designed by the Zurich company Raderschall Partner, which complements the industrial aesthetics of the construction. This particular regenerative project, originally opened in 2002, has won several awards including the ‘most innovative contemporary park or garden‘, of the European Garden Heritage Network.
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What is fascinating about this special project is the striking seasonal change in location. The shell of the building becomes visible in the winter months, only to disappear under the flora in spring and summer. Catching wild vines with pink and purple tones envelops the place in beauty and charm. That latticework is made of steel orthogonal construction. Clemence captured the impact of its form, casting geometric shadows on the floor. A great contrast to the natural and untamed form of the foliage.
Clemence has expressed the spirit of a place, a place full of shadows that transforms light and scents through the power of its lens. Images that show its sheer size and denote ephemeral themes. The essence of biophilia envelops the building’s shell as if it were some kind of cladding. A cloak of green covering up the murky history of this former industrial area. It has been brought to life by the undeniable beauty of nature.
Paul Clemence is an award-winning writer and photographer specializing in architecture and design. His work is well known in ArchDaily, Metropolis and others Casa Vogue Brazil among other. Archi photo also known as architectural photography, his Facebook photoblog, quickly became an online sensation with a massive following of over 970,000 followers. His published work Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House is the most complete photographic documentation of home design to date.
Watch the full series and learn more about his work on his Facebook page Archi photo.