Bringing new life to the 40’s Stark facilities and transforming it into the highly anticipated Avengers Campus opening this summer in Paris not only involves repurposing industrial-era buildings and developing new technologies. Vegetation also has its own starring role!
The “green plan” for the Campus is rooted in its creative concept, since landscaping has been a key priority of the creative team from Day One. Creating an environment that will keep recruits focused on their mission was central to making them feel empowered and ready to jump into action alongside Earth’ Mightiest Heroes. And to achieve this, bringing balance between the architecture and the landscaping was essential.
To meet this challenge, the teams called on Marc Boulanger, Landscaping Superintendent at Walt Disney Imagineering Paris, and entrusted him with a twofold mission: to create two “green poles” – one at the entrance and the other in the center of the Campus, in order to combat heat islands; and to participate in the unique storytelling of the Campus, by reinforcing the sophisticated and urban atmosphere of the place. “The choice of plant species and varieties was crucial. We made sure to allow a multitude of plants to flourish with a more mature bloom.” Thus, a multitude of Rhododendrons will bring a floral touch with white and blue-violet shades to recall the costume of the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.
The landscape of Avengers Campus is based on a subtle balance of forms that also includes many evergreen trees from Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. In total, no less than forty plant species have been selected to grow alongside the future recruits.
In the same way that Stark Industries has worked to enhance the heritage of the industrial past, combining it with high-tech facilities with a resolutely innovative aesthetic, the landscaping of the site is based on the valorization of the species already present within green spaces enriched with new species. “This superimposition of old and new elements is also found in our work, since as soon as Tony Stark’s plans were announced, we preserved the magnolias that were already on the site of the future Campus and took care of them throughout the construction. We then replanted them around the restaurants and the south entrance to give them a second life, along with new plant species.”
Just like our heroes, plant species also have their imperfections. But when they complement each other and join forces like the Avengers, they unleash their superpowers and put themselves at the service of the Planet. See you this summer to discover the natural side of Avengers Campus!