The Vertical Garden as a Symbol of Community

On the occasion of the festivities in the Hungarian city of Veszprém, which was chosen to be a European Capital of Culture in 2023, the architecture studios Hello Wood and Balázs Szelecsényi have created a public pavilion. The Garden of Communities symbolizes the cultural diversity and unity of the 116 participating Hungarian communities. 

Floating wooden bodies

The public exhibition space plays with the contrast of solid geometric shapes and hollow spaces among which vegetation seeks its way outside. The spiral arrangement of the stacked wooden boxes leads to a shift in perspective when visitors enter the pavilion, a shift that automatically draws the eye towards the sky. The inner construction, which holds the triangular plant containers, creates a unique atmosphere of floating wooden bodies and hole-like viewpoints at the centre of the installation. In the evening, the pavilion transforms into a lantern that shines in all directions. 

A biodiverse garden

The planters of the vertical garden construction contain 116 different, native saplings from each participating region of Hungary. The names of the communities have been engraved into the wooden boxes. The design of the pavilion is conceived to position each species of tree according to its particular needs, thus making the best possible use of the local sun, wind and precipitation conditions. Moreover, an automatic watering system inside the construction ensures that the vegetation will grow gradually in every season. 

Reclaimed material

The cladding of the planters was made of larch planks that are nearly 120 years old and were salvaged from the recently renovated Drechsler Palace in Budapest. This choice of material not only has its finger on the current pulse, but also demonstrates the historical significance of the location, which was home to the region’s largest furniture factories for more than 120 years. 

A sustainable monument

Like several other public urban installations by Hello Wood, the vertical garden is intended to be temporary. After four years, the planters will be returned to their respective communities, where the saplings can easily be transplanted. The aim of this work of art is to create an interregional monument that symbolizes Hungarian unity in 2023.