designers hide a lush landscaped oasis within a courtyard in montpellier

designers hide a lush landscaped oasis within a courtyard in montpellier

at the 2016 festival des architectures vives — an annual program reflecting on architecture and its development within the urban context — a team from france has created a natural oasis in the heart of montpellier. as part of the event, visitors are invited to discover contemporary works in unique sites across the city, where courtyards of private hotels, typically restricted to the public, open their doors to host media art installations and exhibitions.

all images by paul kozlowski © photoarchitecture.com

for its contribution to the festival des architectures vives, belle ville atelier d’architecture has realized ‘thin green’ — a multi-sensory and immersive experience encapsulated within a hidden courtyard. the creative team, comprised of ilan bitoun, vincent imfeld, alexandre ferron, anthony le page and lucile nicosia, offers a private and lush retreat from the bustling city that surrounds it though an abundant expanse of greenery and vegetation.

while the installation seeks to allow visitors to rediscover the landscape — even within a city — ‘thin green’ simultaneously allows them to experience a natural cooling system, made possible by the combination of plants and a water-based misting system. water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation from the soil and transpiration from plants, allowing the temperature within the courtyard to organically cool down.