02. Le corridor végétal
Awarded on the 21st of June 2023 by a jury of professionals renowned in the world of garden art
Humankind is producing ever greater quantities of carbon dioxide. Climate change is causing the floods, fires and heatwaves that now characterise our seasons. In cities, massive use of concrete and asphalt contributes to soil sealing. In this anticipatory garden, a green corridor enables maintenance of soft means of transport in an urban world. The city’s soils crack open and let nature burst forth once more.
Le corridor végétal (The Green Corridor) fashions an area of freshness where minerality and sterility once ruled. With a cunning combination of local, exotic and edible plants (albizia and passion flower), the corridor updates the age-old technique of wickerwork while fostering biodiversity for birds and pollinators. Pathways are woven from live willow branches and are interspersed by patios emerging from evocations of fractured asphalt. Here, with humankind’s assistance, nature starts on a regenerative process, reasserting herself over asphalt and concrete.
DESIGNERS
Born in Paris in 1994, Ashley Martinez always spent his school holidays on the slopes of Mont Ventoux, where his grandparents lived. As a child, nature was his main playground, where he could live in complete freedom and let his imagination take him where it would, far away from Paris. He remembers examining the design of leaves, flowers and grasses, and gathering them for his herbariums. It was during those happy days that his grandfather introduced him to mushrooms and hunting, instilling in him a passion for vines, vegetable gardening and looking after olive trees, all of which made him want to live his life in the midst of nature. Bored by the traditional school curriculum, he enrolled at the École Du Breuil horticultural school for his upper secondary education. It was there that he discovered the landscaper’s profession, which brought together all the passions he had nurtured since his early childhood. After an introductory course in applied arts (MANAA) and a year studying for an Advanced Technician’s Certificate (BTS) in spatial design, due to his liking for architecture and art, the landscape called to him once again and he completed his educational path by taking a degree in landscape design in Marseille. Initially employed in various landscaping companies and involved in design and creation, he particularly enjoyed the customer relations side of the business. In 2018, he launched Paysagraphe, a firm that works with private individuals and companies alike, designing gardens that are sensitive to the environment and adapted to the increasingly unpredictable climate. Very much the graphic artist, he prioritises the landscape designer’s traditional way of working, using watercolours and crayons, while also using the latest virtual techniques. His proficiency in freehand drawing is the envy of others in his profession. His customers contact him simply in order to dream in front of his drawings, artworks in their own right, promises of their future gardens.
A true nature lover since her earliest childhood, Julie Cote has happy memories of long walks in the forest with her parents and observation of landscapes untouched by human hand. The beauty of those magical spots, where each season paints a new picture, left its mark on her as she grew up. Determined to become a landscaper, she began her studies in her field of choice in 1996, enrolling at the École Du Breuil horticultural school where she developed a taste for design and computer graphics. In 2008, drawn by the wide open spaces, she decided to escape from Paris and explore Aveyron and Isère, finally settling down in Drôme. The unspoilt Vercors Massif and richness of its heritage soothe her and provide inspiration for her projects. Her career has led her to work in several parks and gardens in Paris (including the Jardin du Monde en Mouvement, Albert Kahn Gardens and the Claude Monet Foundation) and various design offices. She drew on their various styles to create her own landscape designs and decided to launch her own agency in 2022. With a true passion for art, gardens and design, audacious and creative, Julie is always on the lookout for new inspirations and ideas that will help you discover her world.
