MAX IV LABORATORY LANDSCAPE

Lund, Sweden
Snohetta

MAX IV Laboratory is a synchrotron radiation facility that houses three particle accelerators, as well as a wide range of experimental techniques. The landscape is a cut and fill design based on a set of unique parameters that support the performance of the laboratory work by mitigating ground vibration from nearby infrastructure, managing storm water and also meeting Lund’s sustainability goals. The park is open to the public in a city-scale initiative to create an open “Science City” to attract people to the area. The cut and fill strategy was used intentionally to keep all soil on site during the construction of the park, which will allow the site to reverse to agricultural use when the facility is decommissioned. GPS was used to track the movement of soil across the site, so masses will be able to be recovered. The landscape was planted as a wetland with native hay species and will use traditional landscape management techniques, including grazing sheep, combined with conventional machine landscape maintenance. The project relied on 3D-modeling to create a series of wave patterns to reduce the ground vibrations that travel quickly across flat ground. The design responds to this challenge by creating chaotic combinations of waves, which were then built, though the main challenge in the project remained the process of moving from geometry to fabrication, with the bulldozers and construction equipment, as well as native grasses, abstracting the computer generated design. The MAX IV Laboratory is an example of landscape architecture’s partnership with engineering and research industries, particularly in harsh climates.

2011 - 2016
46.95 acres
264 feet above sea level

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