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Design by: OKRA landschapsarchitecten and Zwarts & Jansma

Category:

Landshape, an eco-duct designed by Zwarts & Jansma in collaboration with OKRA, is an answer to the ‘clash’ between nature and infrastructure in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. The design is a fusion of natural and artificial forms.


^{Impression of ARC Wildlife Crossing by OKRA and Zwarts & Jansma}

The Landshape eco-duct by Zwarts & Jansma in collaboration with OKRA was designed for a competition in the United States. The purpose of the contest was to attract international attention to come up with ways of improving the construction and maintenance of the highway network along with helping wildlife populations move about more freely. It’s an issue that has been high on the agenda for some time, given that, over the last fifteen years, accidents involving wild animals and highway traffic have dramatically doubled in the States; the contest also stipulated that the design had to be adaptable to other locations. The Landshape eco-duct will first be realised as a bridge over the Interstate 70 at Vail Pass in Colorado.

The design will reflect the scale of the landscape and the wilderness. The central design element is the three curves that bear the weight of the eco-duct and act as a seamless transition between the ground levels of the natural areas; the surfaces are symmetrical contours. The eco-duct continues the undulations of the present landscape, merging natural and man-made forms into one. A flexible mould has been developed for the construction, allowing the realisation of free forms. With the parametric model and the capacity to adapt the design to fit any scale of construction, the wildlife crossing can be modified to suit any location. Another flexible design feature is materials re-use: the mould consists of a network of cables that can be worked into other constructions.

The eco-duct Landshape offers a solution to the ‘clash’ between nature and infrastructure in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. Based on knowledge of the local eco-systems, architecture and the landscape, this ‘flexible’ design can be adapted to fit any location. Landshapes will be instrumental in aiding a safer traffic network, and improving the unhampered movement of wildlife.