Parc de la Distance

“What would a park look like and how would it function if it takes the rules of social distancing as a design guideline. And what can we learn from a space like this that still has value after the pandemic.” – Chris Precht

Precht, an Austria-based studio designed a park in response to the ongoing pandemic.  The overall design of the project reflects a maze-like park divided by high hedges that would allow people to be outdoors while maintaining social distance. The owner of the studio, Chris Precht, designed the Parc de la Distance as a safe alternative to being outside after numerous public, outdoor spaces all over the word were closing due to the coronavirus outbreak. Although Precht designed the park in response to the current coronavirus outbreak he believes that a social-distance park would be a beneficial environment for cities after the pandemic.

 

The park would have numerous routes divided by 90-centimetre-wide hedges to maintain a safe physical distance between its visitors. Arranging the paths in a finger print-shaped swirl pattern creates many routes that can be used simultaneously.

 

Each of the red-granite gravel paths through the park would be around 600 metres long and circulate visitors from the edge of the park to the centre, where fountains would be located, and back round. Gates on the entrances and exits to each of the routes, which would take around 20 minutes to walk, would indicate if a route is occupied.