bdonline.co.uk reported that HASSELL won third place in the international public realm competition for the Cern particle physics research centre in Switzerland.
The winner and first runner-up were both Swiss landscape practices: Studio Bürgi, run by Paolo Bürgi, a professor of landscape architecture at the University of Pennsylvania; and Basel-based Jacob Plannung.
CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) is one of the world's largest and most respected centres for scientific research, famed for its particle accelerator the Large Hadron Collider.
The competition entry, which was produced by the London studio of HASSELL, was awarded at a ceremony at CERN's Globe of Innovation.
HASSELL was the sole UK based design practice to be recognised with an award. The open international competition, run by the Canton of Geneva, was launched in May 2011.
The competition was split into two categories — an Ideas competition for the length of the Route de Meyrin adjacent to the CERN campus, and a Project competition to design an emblematic Public Realm that will form the public face of the campus. HASSELL was placed in the top three in both categories, with the Project competition completed in collaboration with the lighting architect Rogier van der Heide.
An exhibition of the competition submissions is being held from the 19 to the 28 January 2012 in the Globe of Science and Innovation, CERN.
The entry from HASSELL explored the relationship between the imposing natural setting of the CERN Campus, with the evolving technological discoveries that are making headline news around the world.
Tony Grist, Head of Architecture for HASSELL and based in the London studio commented, "The result recognises the commitment HASSELL places on the design of the public realm, and the culture of collaboration between architecture and landscape architecture within our practice."
Images: HASSELL
