Establishing Order and Relation in the Les Jardins de Médongaule: PATH | Pezo von Ellrichshausen

SPACE July 2026 (No. 704)

The path design is meant to celebrate the movement and interaction of visitors through an irregular and diverse set of patterns. The large scale of the project is reduced to small blocks and slates, with multiple shapes and finishes. The resulting overall texture appears as a rather improvised set of rules that adapt themselves to the particular circumstances of the site, while introducing symbolic elements. The proposed irregular pavement can be read as an expression of an organic-human settlement, of small pieces that have been carefully crafted and put in place over time. The various patterns are arranged according to a precise geometric system. The centrality of the ring becomes one more object within the garden. Considering the linear extension of the path, the pavement is formalised according to a regular series of transversal sections.  

The repetitive logic of these bands allows for a division of the ring into sixty sub-areas, thus incorporating a human scale within the landscape. Within such regular superstructure, there is a secondary substructure formed by prefabricated concrete pavers in various dimensions. Within these prefabricated concrete frames, there are large areas of pour in-situ concrete, according to ten types of surface treatment (from polished, combed, washed, hammered, stamped to plum or irregular tiles). Within these raw in-situ concrete patches, there is a series of one hundred geometric figures, individually composed, made out of a wide palette of veins, grain and coloured stones (from white marble to green or red granite). This refined craft is meant to contrast with its grey, raw background. In this sense, the figures become a constant visual reference for the garden visitors, turning the experience into an intimate journey of appreciation of both natural and artistic beauty. 

Image courtesy of Pezo von Ellrichshausen 

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