A new Mediterranean ecosystem, a Canopy of Pines and a wooded perimeter 

Transforming the ConfEx Park calls for creating new ways of experiencing, exploring, and moving through the space.

A dense forest of Aleppo and Scots pines is planted around the new buildings. Rooftops and treetops blend together to create a botanical and architectural canopy, while crowds of visitors walk or wander through the shade below.

The site’s wooded perimeter gives the impression of a vast forest landscape. Here, other Mediterranean tree species (carob, Lebanon cedar, holly oak, downy oak) enrich the planting composition found in the Canopy of Pines. This wooded perimeter adapts to existing roadways and footpaths, while simultaneously creating the experience of entering a large park. In keeping with the American parkway concept, traffic lanes are clearly divided by densely planted zones, boosting coherence and visitor comfort.

Planted streams run through the wooded perimeter, perfect for collecting rainwater and cultivating new biodiversity hotspots. Like the edge of a forest, this perimeter landscape combines hedgerows of trees, small groves, and broad meadows. Multiple pathways of varying width crisscross the park and connect its different entrances.  

The new landscape creates a Mediterranean ecosystem and reintroduces a natural environment to the surrounding urban area. It also provides a park that’s partially open to local residents. Our project radically transforms the site from its current car-centric state to a green oasis.