1271 City Park Uster

Location:
Uster, Zurich, Switzerland

Completion:
2008

Client:
City of Uster

Landscape Architecture:
Studio Vulkan (formerly Schweingruber Zulauf Landscape Architects)

River and Hydraulic Engineering:
Staubli Kurath und Partner

Lighting Design:
Gramazio & Kohler, Zurich

Photography:
Roman Keller, Daniela Valentini

Details:

• [furniture]
• [park]
• [vegetation]
• [water access]

Reorganization of an Urban Green Space

Approaching from Uster’s city center, the newly redesigned city park now presents itself with a clear and structured appearance, unfolding between the Stadthof and the riparian woodlands of the Aabach stream. The defining landscape elements – the Aabach, the pond, and the promenade – along with the park’s elongated form, are now distinctly perceptible. Prior to its redesign, the park appeared overcrowded with overlapping uses, which obscured its spatial clarity.

The design concept aimed to expose, clarify, and strengthen the existing spatial structures. The Quellenstrasse, which forms the northern boundary of the park, has been transformed into a promenade that acts as a connective spine, linking and integrating the various zones of the park.

The spatial configuration of the park refers to its original layout and can once again be clearly read in relation to the adjacent factory architecture and the canalized Aabach. Beyond its historical narrative, the pond’s longitudinal orientation now plays a key spatial role: whereas in the past it divided the park into three segments, it now serves as a central element of a unified open space. The western bridge over the Aabach marks a key junction between the pond, the canal, and the stream.

In front of the city hall, the promenade opens into a generous plaza, complemented by perennial plantings and sculptural light fixtures, which lend the space a distinctive atmospheric quality. This setting leads toward the covered wooden bridge on the eastern edge of the park.
Along the park’s paths, sculptural concrete seating elements accompany the route. Oriented mostly toward the water, they invite quiet contemplation and observation. Against the backdrop of the wooded riverbank, open meadow spaces unfold, with the pond appearing as an added horizontal layer in the landscape. The promenade-facing bank remains freely accessible, while the opposite, southern edge – fringed with reeds – serves as a protected natural retreat.