Viskans Park

Category: Design strategy
Location: Borås
Year: 2023-2024
Client: The city of Borås
Light and Art: Liljewall Arkitekter, MAA studio

Marled, MAA Studio and Liljewall Arkitekter were commissioned to produce a document based on “Staden vid parken”, a vision produced by the city of Borås. Together with officers from the city of Borås, our mission was to develop a more detailed design of Viskans park, and to specify and integrate holistic design principles into the final design. The working process was unique due to a tight cooperation between landscape architecture, arts and culture, and lighting design. The result is a design proposal where these disciplines are melted together into a cohesive, place-specific and playful design.

Illplan
Borås and Viskan's Park are located in a well-defined and cohesive landscape. The area is clearly framed by high terrain, with Rya Åsar to the west and sloping mountainsides to the east. The direction and shape follow the typical West Swedish rift valley landscape, where all rivers flow towards the southwest. Here, the inland ice and the Viskan River have carved out a distinctive topography with fractured rock, boulder-rich moraine, glacial gravel, and wetlands. It is from this landscape that the city of Borås has grown and developed.
Borås and Viskan's Park are located in a well-defined and cohesive landscape. The area is clearly framed by high terrain, with Rya Åsar to the west and sloping mountainsides to the east. The direction and shape follow the typical West Swedish rift valley landscape, where all rivers flow towards the southwest. Here, the inland ice and the Viskan River have carved out a distinctive topography with fractured rock, boulder-rich moraine, glacial gravel, and wetlands. It is from this landscape that the city of Borås has grown and developed.
Human impact on the landscape is our shared heritage and story. From early settlements and the founding of the grid-planned city in the 17th century to the powerful interventions of industrialism and modernism. To act wisely, we need to be able to read, understand, and interpret these traces. We must act with awareness and thoughtfulness, and learn from history.
Human impact on the landscape is our shared heritage and story. From early settlements and the founding of the grid-planned city in the 17th century to the powerful interventions of industrialism and modernism. To act wisely, we need to be able to read, understand, and interpret these traces. We must act with awareness and thoughtfulness, and learn from history.
Viskan is the blue lifeline of Borås. Viskan and water hold special significance for Borås and Viskan's Park. The hilly landscape and valley cause all water to collect in low points and eventually flow into Viskan. Borås is also a city with a lot of precipitation—mostly in the form of rain. Borås faces significant challenges in managing heavy rainfall and high water levels. Large paved areas need to be converted into green, permeable, and soft park environments.
Viskan is the blue lifeline of Borås. Viskan and water hold special significance for Borås and Viskan's Park. The hilly landscape and valley cause all water to collect in low points and eventually flow into Viskan. Borås is also a city with a lot of precipitation—mostly in the form of rain. Borås faces significant challenges in managing heavy rainfall and high water levels. Large paved areas need to be converted into green, permeable, and soft park environments.
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Flygbild Norrby fr söder ca 1975
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Viskans Park links Borås together. A five-kilometer-long park trail that meanders softly through the city. The landscape is woven together with greenery, public art, and a series of bridges, creating communal spaces and surprising places along the way. With a sense of playfulness, the park highlights Borås' gentle topography in harmony with the water's pathways, building upon the city's history. There is an interplay here between careful design and the qualities of preserved raw and robust environments.

In contrast to the high pace of the railway and motorways, the park is characterized by strolling, lingering, and the unexpected encounters that make us pause. The child's experience of time stopping in play, and the animal's sense of time.

The work on the park is characterized by listening and collective creation. Valuing what already exists, listening to the stories and thoughts of the people of Borås, bringing together professionals across fields, and adding dynamism by making space for art and creativity. Viskan Park is a backbone through Borås, from which the city can grow with people and nature as its foundation.

The meandering movement of Viskan through the city contributes positive qualities and creates opportunities for the development of Viskan's Park.
The meandering movement of Viskan through the city contributes positive qualities and creates opportunities for the development of Viskan's Park.
The zones of Viskan possess both recreational and ecological qualities.
The zones of Viskan possess both recreational and ecological qualities.
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Landscape, Art, and Light have worked closely together, with recurring site visits alternating with workshops. The inventory and analysis of the Viskan Park pathways form the basis for the developed design strategies.
Landscape, Art, and Light have worked closely together, with recurring site visits alternating with workshops. The inventory and analysis of the Viskan Park pathways form the basis for the developed design strategies.
Make Viskan visible and accessible. Create connections and add experiences along Viskan's various shores. View the water as an asset for play and recreation. Transform areas dominated by hard surfaces into more permeable and green urban spaces.
Make Viskan visible and accessible. Create connections and add experiences along Viskan's various shores. View the water as an asset for play and recreation. Transform areas dominated by hard surfaces into more permeable and green urban spaces.
Map, protect, and strengthen landscape elements that support biodiversity. Ensure human-free zones and urban refuges—natural environments that benefit the city's wildlife and have minimal human impact.
Map, protect, and strengthen landscape elements that support biodiversity. Ensure human-free zones and urban refuges—natural environments that benefit the city's wildlife and have minimal human impact.
How tightly must you hold the child's hand? When can you let go? Map out the park's areas in terms of the "hold-hand indicator" and ensure safe environments. In a good urban environment, the child should be able to run freely.
How tightly must you hold the child's hand? When can you let go? Map out the park's areas in terms of the "hold-hand indicator" and ensure safe environments. In a good urban environment, the child should be able to run freely.
Reliefs are horizontal artworks. They depict the city's traces, stories, and layers of time. Blickfång consists of vertical works that create focal points and vistas. They connect the city and help people navigate.
Reliefs are horizontal artworks. They depict the city's traces, stories, and layers of time. Blickfång consists of vertical works that create focal points and vistas. They connect the city and help people navigate.
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