Fish Pond, Stagnant Water, Pool, Little Lake

architects Miha Kazelj, Iztok Kavčić, Etbin Tavčar, Rok Žnidaršič
project Landscape design of Koseški Bajer pond, Ljubljana, Slovenia
written by Janez Koželj

 

Micro landscapes are in their origin already of temporary character. These are working landscapes; they represent a working surface which, over time, is always again favourable for organizing different usages and hosting various manifestations. Their space is always open, and they are able to assume miscellaneous forms without much effort. Their construction is of open type, they are made of different parts integrated into an irregular entirety. The various shapes are created by combining, mixing different possibilities, forms, elements, events. Micro landscapes are the best proof that only after regularity is abandoned, heterogeneousness occurs.

 

 

The design of the banks and surrounding area of Koseški Bajer, a small artificial lake, is part of the long-term design process of its broader area. It is here that the central landscape park of Ljubljana turns west from a hilly area into forested plains, and marshy meadows and fields. This attractive, but sensitive area has undergone a number of substantial transformations; it was cultivated, then degraded, almost destroyed, then re-naturalized on its own, and eventually re-cultivated into a contemporary hybrid landscape.