Gold Winner of the International Architecture & Design Awards 2024
sustainable biophilic landscape design
Landscape
Sustainable & Eco-friendly Landscape Design
Completed / Professional Category
Architect / Designer:
Sofia Touboura
Studio:
ElMago art ‘n’ design in Space
Design Team:
Scrap marbles mostly donated by Mprousas, Peraia, Thessaloniki. Rocks purchased at Pangea, Thermi, Thessaloniki
Gravel purchased at Kousimitris, Peraia, Thessaloniki.
Copyright:
Sofia Touboura
Country:
Greece
Sustainable Biophilic Landscape Design
2023
This work took place at Greece, at a detached house in a village that lies at the skirts of Thessaloniki city and that gradually turns into a suburban area.
I approached it both as a designer and a sculptor.
Using scrap marbles and stones that I mostly sourced or salvaged at nearby businesses, I created a biophilic design garden that resists the urban aesthetics gradually intruding the once simple coastal fishermen village.
A very small amount of cement was used, handmade, coloured and sculpted by me to create the curved “margins” that hold the free standing gravel at place. The salvaged marble pieces, free standing on sand would have ended up in the landfill, hadn’t been handpicked and used by me. Both random left overs and shaped pieces that went wrong in the making and had “flows”, were picked one by one among the scraps at a local marble business’s yard.
The composition is a play of shapes and colours.
A few standing rocks add a 3D effect on this 2 dimensional piece. Together with the curved margins, they also add a biophilic accent.
Locally sourcing the materials was important in decision making and it had an impact on the final design.
After the completion of the work, the lawn at the garden is gradually left to be replaced by wild local flowers and herbs.
Sustainable Biophilic Landscape Design
2023
This work took place at Greece, at a detached house in a village that lies at the skirts of Thessaloniki city and that gradually turns into a suburban area.
I approached it both as a designer and a sculptor.
Using scrap marbles and stones that I mostly sourced or salvaged at nearby businesses, I created a biophilic design garden that resists the urban aesthetics gradually intruding the once simple coastal fishermen village.
A very small amount of cement was used, handmade, coloured and sculpted by me to create the curved “margins” that hold the free standing gravel at place. The salvaged marble pieces, free standing on sand would have ended up in the landfill, hadn’t been handpicked and used by me. Both random left overs and shaped pieces that went wrong in the making and had “flows”, were picked one by one among the scraps at a local marble business’s yard.
The composition is a play of shapes and colours.
A few standing rocks add a 3D effect on this 2 dimensional piece. Together with the curved margins, they also add a biophilic accent.
Locally sourcing the materials was important in decision making and it had an impact on the final design.
After the completion of the work, the lawn at the garden is gradually left to be replaced by wild local flowers and herbs.
ElMago art 'n' design in Space
ElMago is the art design office of artist Sofia Touboura, mostly focusing on biophilic design of interior and exterior spaces and custom textiles, furniture and wallpapers.
It was longlisted in the Best Emerging Studio of the year category, Dezeen Awards 2021. (https://www.dezeen.com/awards/2021/longlists/elmago/)
It is nominated for the international Earthshot prize, 2024.
*Sofia Touboura is a Greece based audiovisual artist with background in social studies. In her work she takes under consideration the specific cultural and natural surroundings of each projects’ location and the people it addresses to.
She often dissolves the boundaries between fine and applied art, inserting design elements in her fine art and a sculptural colourful approach at her design.
Both of her practices are strongly and deeply influenced by nature – thus both are strongly biophilic.