Piazzale Maresciallo Giardino, Rome
The Piazzale Maresciallo Giardino, with its 5 acres of extension in the northern part of the city, is an important reference place in the circulatory dynamics of Rome. Until now, the garden was an abandoned and almost forgotten piece of land.
Now, in 2024, recognizing that the Rome metropolitan area is one of the fastest growing regions in the country and taking advantage of the city’s strong tradition of parks and natural areas, a group of neighborhood enthusiasts proposed the creation of this garden of advanced urban naturation, integrated into the capital’s green infrastructure network, and destined to become an everlasting milestone for Europe.
To undertake this project I took into account the premises of the competition, which clearly delimit the intervention options, not allowing the modeling of the terrain, nor the creation of an irrigation network, nor any lighting device, nor the creation of any fountain or waterfall of water.
Respect the obligation to work only with vegetal elements and inert elements that respect the premises indicated above but at the same time avoid creating a simple garden system devoid of its own uniqueness, which cannot be distinguished from the surrounding vegetation (garden or spontaneous) ) I decided to design a composition that constitutes a visual reference point through the insertion of a singular,
stable and permanent central element, which articulates around itself a vegetal plantation inspired by some iconic elements of the European productive landscape: almond trees, fields of sunflower and natural prairie plants, where patches of poppies sometimes stand out in spring. Care has been taken to ensure that this central landmark constitutes a singular, identifiable and stable element, but without excessive sculptural character or rigid formality, which is why it is a wooden structure, whose organic nature and texture have their origin in the world. vegetable with which it will coexist.
In this way I structured the plant layout of the composition with 2 elements, the main element, stable and permanent, consisting of three tree masses of Mediterranean almond trees, positioned in each of the three corners of the lot (20 large units selected in Pistoia nurseries) and the secondary element, consisting of a natural lawn with three patches of wildflowers (750 m2 in total) in which poppies stand out, and a central crop, at the foot of the wooden ramparts, of sunflowers planted in straight rows (450 m2 in total). The three patches of wildflowers and poppies complement the three almond groves, within which they grow, to extend across the center of the lawn towards the central bastion, without reaching it.
The central field of sunflowers covers the space between the 5 towers of the central wooden bastion, venturing somewhat irregularly and randomly onto the lawn. They will be planted in perfectly linear rows to highlight the mysterious corporate and slightly martial character of these plants.
Both the core crop of sunflowers and patches of wild poppies must be sown, planted and cultivated each year, wildflowers must be mowed after their summer wilting and sunflowers must be cut and removed sometime before the end of their life cycle , to avoid the somewhat depressing appearance they present when they begin to wither. The rest of the surface will be covered with a patch of native wild grasses.
Both crops are guaranteed optimal vegetative development and their water needs are covered by installing, in the areas of the plot where their planting will be renewed every year, a layer of soil 1 m thick, composed of an appropriate mixture equal to 50% of existing land and 50% of peat, mulch, river silt, chestnut soil and hydrogel components that will store rainwater and supply it to crops in sequence. (600 m3 in total)
The central wooden bastion consists of 5 towers of unequal height, all 4 m in diameter, the central one 18 m, two of 12 m and two of 6 m, harmoniously arranged in descending order of height from the center outwards. They are all topped by a vegetal mass of Phormium tenax which gives them an air of venerable antiquity and reinforces the lively and organic character of the central complex, so much so as to constitute a visual reference point, but without an excessive monumental character.
They consist of a central structure in galvanized steel, made up of a central mast similar to that of a light tower (1 mast of 15 m, 2 masts of 9 m and 2 masts of 3 m), in which several rings are inserted to which Once the cylindrical bodies are connected, the wooden uprights of the external cladding will be fixed. These roof poles can be traditional telephone poles, as long as they are obtained free from treatments based on creosote or similar substances, or treated wooden logs commonly used in gardening can be used. (630 places in total).
The whole is firmly anchored to the ground via a large foundation shoe in which a circular claw of thick steel studs is inserted, into which the base plate will be screwed which will hold, also using nuts, the base plate of the central steel shaft. .
To accommodate the aerial planting of Phormium, the towers are topped with circular planters, constructed of corrugated galvanized steel sheet, filled with a special hydro-planting substrate that includes hydrogel, rock wool and other components with moisture absorption, accumulation and retention capabilities. rainwater that the Phormium tenax shrubs that will cover the structure can be used during periods of drought between the frequent Roman downpours.
This garden is an oasis of biodiversity, witness to the passing of the seasons and celebration of the productive landscape that is the basis of human civilization, and the allegorical nature of some of its elements, inert and vegetal, connects us with the history of Rome and its primordial role in current civilization.
