A tale of the Dutch and a hill The story began when MVRDV, o | Amsterdammer in English
A tale of the Dutch and a hill
The story began when MVRDV, one of the most famous Dutch architectural bureaus, undertook to create an artificial hill in the centre of London. The Dutch. A hill. Right. You have to agree that it is rather strange to expect something expert from people for whom uplands are somewhat alien.
The 25-metre high Marble Arch Mound project was intended to be a new urban landmark with sweeping views over Oxford Street and Hyde Park and to bring back to city dwellers the sense of being closer to nature. However, in reality, the greenery planted on the hill did not have time to grow and acquire the necessary looks before the opening, so the site was quickly trashed on the internet. It's not just the result and its shape, reminiscent of 90s computer graphics, that have been questioned: the creation of the Marble Arch Mound cost 2.3 million euros (!), and the ticket to visit the mound, just imagine, sold for £4.5.
On the official website, you can see what the place was supposed to look like in reality, and even admire the live stream. And I will conclude this post with one of the many illustrations of the new London landmark found online:
