LE CELLIER, LES FOLIES SIFFAIT

FRANCE

LE CELLIER, LES FOLIES SIFFAIT

FRANCE

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Hanging gardens, rich with contrasts: A series of terraces and an arboretum

“Here, I see the myth of architecture yield at long last to the landscape.” Julien Gracq

The Folies Siffait hanging gardens were first built in the nineteenth century by amateur architect Maximilien Siffait, then later expanded by his son Oswald, a botanist. Perched atop a rocky outcrop 70 meters above the Loire River, the gardens feature a breathtaking tangle of terraces and a lush arboretum bursting with native and exotic species. The interlinked terraces alternate spaces of dense, well-maintained vegetation with spaces of large, open, grassy glades that reveal the views beyond and highlight the lines of the garden walls. The only element added to the ground is crushed brick, a nod to both the site’s original construction and Italian exotic gardens. Forest ecosystems are maintained and developed, while exotic vegetation is bolstered. This enhances planting composition from both a sustainable and encyclopedic standpoint. The garden paths pass through varied and contrasting environments, from dense green and forested foliage to sweeping vistas of the Loire.

data
Year:
2021
Status:
Competition
Program:
Public spaces, Gardens, Cultural
Client:

Département de Loire Atlantique

Project Team:

Eugene Architectes (mandataire) / Michel Desvigne Paysagiste / Atelier FCS / Hydrogeotechnique / Tugec / Equilibre-structures / Biotope / Cabinet-studiolo

Area:

6 ha