kruh spring 2024 - Wagon and Terra Florida

The spring cycle in June will conclude with a specific landscape studio Wagon Landscaping from Paris, which not only focuses on designs but is also involved in the transformation of places, with some parts being physically realized by themselves. Their innovative idea of asphalt gardens emerged from their presence on site, where merely flipping existing asphalt surfaces creates a new space for animals and plants. Wagon strives, with exceptions, to work with local materials, plants, history, and conditions, and seeks to utilize them in unconventional ways for contemporary landscape solutions that emerge from respect and interest in local conditions. Their contextual approach is thus economical, ecological, and minimalist.
The studio Wagon Landscaping was founded by two landscape architects François Vadepied and Mathieu Gontier, both of whom will present during the June lecture in Prague. Based on their own projects and experiences, they will highlight how a gardening approach at "all scales" of the project can help to contemplate a possible future for the city based on ecological and sustainable dimensions.
As part of the last lecture evening, the Czech landscape studio Terra Florida will also present, which approaches projects with respect, individually, each time with new ingenuity, and is known for well-executed and quality work. Landscape architects Zuzana Štemberová and Lucie Vogelová will present at the lecture the project of transforming the former František Josef mine in Dubí, which demonstrates the restoration of the place while preserving local identity and industrial character. Furthermore, they will discuss the realization of a new local park V Zápolí, the conversion of a brownfield into the Waltrovka park, and the Holocaust Memorial for Roma and Sinti in the Czech Republic, in Lety near Písek, as well as the long-term project of the Railway Promenade and linear park Vršovice and Strašnice.

The lecture will be conducted in English.

Mathieu Gontier, landscape architect, is the founder of the studio Wagon Landscaping. He originally studied fine arts and Russian. In 2007, he successfully graduated in landscape architecture and strives to connect art and landscape. He has retained the use of drawing as a tool for thinking and designing from his studies. He lectures at the National School of Landscape in Versailles, where he leads a master's course. At the studio, he is co-responsible for the development and management of projects.
François Vadepied, landscape architect, is a co-founder of Wagon Landscaping. He holds a degree in geophysics and cartography from IGN. In 2003, after fifteen years of work in digital cartography, he decided on a radical career switch. In 2007, he graduated in landscape architecture. Since 2018, he has been a national advisor for landscape architecture in the Meurthe-et-Moselle region. He lectures at the National School of Landscape in Versailles and at Esaj in Paris. He is co-responsible for the development of the studio and project management. He is particularly interested in issues related to spatial quality, plant dynamics, and the implementation of sustainability.
The studio Wagon Landscaping primarily operates in France, Europe, and Russia. Since 2010, the team has been joined by Estelle Ollivier, Camille Bourgeois, Madeleine Accarain, Léa Nourdin, and Frédéric Jorel. The philosophy of the Wagon Landscaping studio is to maintain a gardening approach in both the realization and design of landscapes, so that "they can retain the right to experiment, observe, and adapt," allowing them to envision places that are easy to use and maintain, where everyday life is enjoyable. The studio develops its projects in practice and through gardening, observing plants, and the dynamics of nature. In their projects, they limit the movement of materials and energy consumption, emphasizing recycling and ecological dynamics.
The studio Terra Florida, founded in 1996 by Lucie Vogelová and Antonín Wagner, is an established landscape studio. Currently, the studio includes six landscape architects who are characterized by respect, an individual approach, and continuous innovation. Their work is known for its quality and thoroughness. The studio focuses on complex projects with an emphasis on sustainability and consideration for the surrounding environment. To achieve success in their projects, the studio collaborates closely with significant partners and experts from various fields.