In the latest edition of FORUM ‘de Tuin’, an article by both Elise Zoetmulder and Anton Zoetmulder have been published about the experience and possibilities of the garden in an urban environment. These publications are in line with the ongoing research we conduct within ZOEMULDER into gardening in high-density residential buildings.
The specific occasion for this is the realization that hardly any contemporary green residential tower in the Netherlands offers the possibility of gardening. These towers have a management contract with an external party, so nature is degraded to visual greenery, resulting in a distant attitude between residents and nature. We actually think the social act of rooting in the garden is important. Watching green die and grow, taking responsibility and taking care of the garden. This shows the involvement of man with nature and this could be a missing link in today’s urban environment.
Elise writes with her article ‘Balkon: Dromen van zoete rozen tuinieren als wooncultuur’ about the possibilities in above-ground gardening. She writes about Dominique’s balcony. A compact balcony with such a layering and embracing green atmosphere that the plant experience is sufficient as the experience of a garden. Creating the possibility to garden on someone’s own garden balcony offers an interaction that is essential to soften the gap between man and nature.
Anton writes in his article ‘Renaudie: Een terras als synoniem voor vrijheid’ about the French architect Jean Renaudie. An architect who in the 1970s designed an architecture that was deeply rooted in an idealistic communist worldview in which the garden played an important role. By means of the project ‘Jean-Baptiste Clément’ there is described how green terraces manifest themselves within an angular architectural language. The initial emptiness of Renaudie’s terraces gives space to its inhabitants for discovery, the unexpected, complexity, diversity and a search for their own identity.
View the entire article at the bottom of this page or in the print publication of FORUM April 2023 ‘De Tuin’!
Or order the latest edition via the website of Architectura et Amitia.
