For Emscherkunst 2016 the Berlin landscape architecture office atelier le balto transformed a large, overgrown hazelnut grove close to a motorway slip road in Dortmund into a place for repose on the banks of the Emscher river. The landscape design preserved the site’s original character, whereby atelier le balto incorporated sculptural accents by making targeted removals and additions of the site’s vegetation. In addition, the area in and around the hazelnut grove was structured with wooden walkways, decks and paling fences.
The artists discovered this unusual location in Dortmund during an exploratory bike tour they undertook along the Emscher. What first appealed to them was the hazelnut grove, which consisted of several large bushes, reminding them of a naturally grown spatial architecture. Furthermore, it struck them that the site – although ostensibly somewhat inhospitable – was much-frequented. It is situated between an industrial zone and Dortmund’s harbour area, while at the same time quite close to the city centre.