Architecture: A Journey of the Senses
Extasia, the architect’s group, conceived the Arteplage Yverdon-les-Bains as a park of the senses. For this purpose, the land at the edge of the lake has been divided into 3 separate sections: a cloud floating on the water with the forum and the exhibition park located on the bank.
The visitor begins his exploration with the exhibition park, whose layout was designed by the Dutch architects-landscape gardeners West 8. Passing between the winding hills bedecked with flowers, he discovers, like at the Arteplage Neuchâtel, an unusual landscape: the technology of the multimedia blends into the seas of flowers and the perfumes awaken the senses and revive memories.
As he leaves the garden and heads for the bank, the visitor then notices the main attraction of the Arteplage Yverdon-les-Bains: a Cloud of artificial vapour, visible all around from some distance, floating mysteriously above the harbour. This example of a volatile construction owes its existence to the New York team of architects, Diller et Scofidio.
Listen to a cloud breathing from the inside
The walkway leaving the bank leads right to the heart of the shimmering cloud. This construction made of an egg-shaped roof structure 60.00 x 100.00 metres, and 20.00 metres high, covered with a fine network of water pipes. Around 1'780 litres of water pass through it each minute at a pressure of 80 bars.
Each vein is perforated with minute holes. Purified lake water escapes through these, pulverised into tiny droplets by a metallic point. However, this high technology vaporiser does not drench the visitors too much and they can walk around in raincoats under the cloud, at the very heart of the misty expanse, or take a drink up above in the Angels' Bar.
And penetrate a world full of finesse and sensuality
The other areas of the exhibition are situated on dry land. The organic architecture, chosen by the Zürich architects Vehovar & Jauslin as the forum, blends into a countryside of soft forms. The gentle, fragile interior of the forum offers the visitor a real explosion of lights, materials and colours.
Open air scenes throughout the park provide entertainment, just like a roadhouse, an area for the large events as well as a theatre, designed by the Zürich architects Morphing Systems.
By means of these conceptions, the Extasia group encourages visitors to rediscover or better perceive the world of their ideas and feelings. The way across the Arteplage Yverdon-les-Bains is dotted with temptations and promises which come to fruition in different ways: coloured hues, bewitching fragrances, seductive images, and as many urges to touch, smell, taste and observe.
Concept, architecture and design
Team extasia consisting of:
Vehovar & Jauslin AG, Zurich www.vja.ch
Morphing Systems, Architektur & Ausstellungen GmbH (new: Holzer Kobler Architekturen GmbH) (Barbara Holzer, Tristan Kobler, Viola Thiele), Zurich www.holzerkobler.com
West 8, landscape architects and urban planners b.v., Rotterdam, Netherlands www.west8.com
Diller & Scofidio, New York, Vereinigte Staaten (Authors of the Cloud) www.dsrny.com
Techdata AG, Bern (Coordination of team extasia) www.techdata.net
Delux Theater Lighting (Rolf Derrer), Zürich
Lignting design
AIK expéditions Lumières, Paris, France
Delux Theater Lighting (Rolf Derrer), Zürich
Engineers
Emch+Berger AG, Uetendorf www.emchberger.ch
General contractor
Marti AG, Moosseedorf (piles for Cloud) www.martiag.ch
HRS Hauser Rutishauser Suter AG, Crissier (Cloud and Expopark) www.hrs.ch
Expen AG, Nidau (infrastructure)
