RMP Landschaftsarchitekten: The Schlosspark, which has taken shape slowly over time, “meets” a modern landscape garden with Chinese silver grass – we have created a green space that is simultaneously respectful and innovative, one that points the way for the future. The centre for garden craft and landscape culture / decentralised regional garden show began life on this 24-hectare former arable land site in 2002. The park is entirely and explicitly created from references to the site’s previous use and its surroundings. Rectangular areas planted with Miscanthus dominate the site’s visual profile and provide it with a spatial structure. Between these three-dimensional masses of Miscanthus are wide expanses of lawn. Together with the radiating anthracite-coloured paths, the green strips created by these elements provide the central lines of sight and connective elements for the site. The backbone for the Dycker Feld is provided by a historic avenue of sweet chestnut trees. There are 24 garden spaces located among the Chinese silver grass; in the spring, these can be seen clearly, but as the year progresses they “sink” amid the burgeoning Miscanthus. The park – like the plant itself – changes with the seasons, constantly presenting visitors with a new world to experience. The use of Miscanthus is the core element of our aesthetic strategy. This grass variety is also a renewable energy source. Burned in a biomass power plant, the harvested grass supplies the energy needs of the Schloss complex for a whole year.

Project: Center for Garden Art and Landscape Culture / Dyck Castle

Landscape Architect: Stephan Lenzen for RMP Landschaftsarchitekten

Location: Dyck Castle, Kreis Neuss, Germany

Design period: 2000-2002

Construction: 2002

Cost: 31,25 €/m²

image credits: Stephen Lanzen

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