The best memory of Covid

For SEMPERVIRENS LANDSCAPERS, navigating the Covid pandemic wasn't always easy, but the highlight was undoubtedly the competition for the design of the Cognac Four Elements Park. We had almost forgotten how much fun a competition could be. The funniest moment was when the project manager came to ask us to laugh more quietly after our presentations…

It is above all one of the most beautiful parks designed by Frédéric-Charles AILLET and his Sempervirens team: The park showcases the four elements used to create Cognac: Earth, Rock, Water, and Fire. But how can you represent fire in a garden… It's impossible!

Earth and rock: The gardens evoke the geology of the six Cognac terroirs. Along the Charente River, a series of terraced green spaces parallel to the water incorporate stages for concerts during the Cognac Jazz Festival, as well as more intimate areas at the heart of this garden open to the river. In this open space, lounge-like stages showcase the different Cognac terroirs, from Bois Ordinaires to Grande Champagne. The six soil and geological features and their horizons are playfully recreated in earth-concrete to create landscaped lounges with seating made of limestone monoliths.

Water: The original landscape of the Charente riverbanks is recreated on the site. Landscaped pools—mirrors of water dotted with alders and reeds—integrate the building into the heart of its setting. Varying levels create numerous reflective effects depending on the viewpoint.

Fire: The sun's path is reflected in the pools on the facades. The water features are positioned to create a shimmering effect on the limestone facades and the ceilings inside the building. This effect symbolizes the fire that distills the elixir of Cognac. On sunny days, the effect unfolds from morning to sunset, with hues and effects that vary according to the light and the ripples on the water.

The planting of trees in Joualle and other ancestral practices are being restored, such as the planting of companion plants that naturally repel or collect vine pests. This vineyard agroforestry project is being developed with winegrowers and experts from the BNIC (Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac), and its aim is to improve plant and animal biodiversity, soil quality, and water retention for crops, while also enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the vineyards.

The origins:

The grapevine cultivated today has its wild origins in Vitis vinifera sylvestris, a vine more commonly known as the woodland grape. This wild vine thrives within a complex forest ecosystem. Its natural habitat has often been described as forest edges and clearings, as well as riparian zones.

Traditional farming techniques:

It was during Antiquity that people began to cultivate the vine, drawing inspiration from its natural development.

During the Middle Ages, and especially from the 17th to the 19th century, this plant association between tree and vine is also described in more northerly areas.

Various techniques were used, such as:

- Arbustra (a technique which consisted of attaching the vine tendrils to the branches of olive trees pruned for this purpose, and the ground was occupied by cereal crops).

- in Hautains or in Italy the Piantatas (techniques according to which a tree also serves as a support for the vine).

- Joualles in the southwest of France (a technique combining on the same plot of land vines growing on fruit trees and several other intercrops grown between the rows of trees) The joualle was often a transitional system between a vineyard and an orchard.

- or even the Oullières in Provence (space left between the rows of vines and used for other crops).

Wilmotte & Associés Architects Borina Andrieu Alejo Paillard Gwen Marien REDMAN Nicolas Ponson Nina Schoenmuller Aurélien Beau Christophe Veral Raphaël Delpech Violaine Chénel Olivier HUBERT Edeis Olivier THIBAULT A40 Architects SEMPERVIRENS LANDSCAPERS Vizea Sud-Ouest (VSO) VPEAS BTP Consultants LASA COORPIBAT Thomas Robert Banque des Territoires, Crédit Agricole Charente-Périgord, Crédit Agricole Charente-Maritime Deux-Sèvres Crédit Mutuel Crédit Mutuel du Sud-Ouest Caisse d'Epargne