Even though the garden of Villa Ernst is enclosed on all side by a fence, one’s gaze always sweeps over these boundaries and gets lost in the vegetation of the neighbouring gardens. There are a variety of visual connections especially to the scenic garden of the neighbouring parcel of land. This was already a part of the concept by Mertens / Pfleghard & Haefeli, for the garden plan from the early 20th century calls for ‘shrubbery that can be seen through.’ At the same time, certain visual connections were prevented through the use of tall evergreen trees. This proves to be a successful design, because even though the garden cannot be called small, it would seem small if viewed on its own and relative to the impressive residential building. The siting of the building on the plot (in accordance with urban planning) did not allow for a generous, coherent garden.
Expert's report
2012
Location
Zurich-Fluntern