AFG Arbonia-Forster-Holding AG Amriswilerstrasse 50

Paradise was a garden too
All gardens are different but they have one thing in common:
they refl ect the house they belong to, they welcome the visitor
and pave the way to hospitality.
A garden is an open space. It connects
the outside world to the inside world and
the inside world to the outside world.
The surroundings of the AFG Corporate
Center have been designed by Peter
Weber, a landscape gardener and architect,
whose aim was to inspire a sense of expansiveness
both for the people working
at the Center and for those passing by.
Following the client’s instructions, the
garden has been designed generously but
not pretentiously.
Respect and Care
This generosity is evident in the choice
of materials and plants. The constructed
parts such as the fountain, the forecourt
and all of the walls have been built using
specially selected natural stone from the
Vals valley. The highly professional craftsmen
have shown respect for stones used
26 | AFG Corporate Center
LANDSCAPE GARDENING AND ARCHITECTURE
which are at least 50 million years old
and weight in total about 100 tons in
the outside area.
A fountain with a symbolic character
Special importance was attached to building
the fountain. The client wanted it
to portray longevity, creativity, strength,
ambition, effervescence and inspiration
in order to refl ect the character of the
company.
Implementing this idea was an interesting
and demanding challenge for both the
planners and the craftsmen involved in
this unique project.
These were not only landscape architects,
normal architects and programmers but
also construction, civil, electrical, water
and hydraulic engineers. Thanks to this
thorough and mutual planning, it was
subsequently possible for bricklayers,
Garden plants are a symbol
of the steadfastness of
AFG Corporate Center employees.
natural stone workers, tilers, electricians,
hygienists, plumbers and gardeners to
successfully contribute their part to the
construction of the fountain.
Firmly anchored in the future
During the intensive planning and execution
phases of the garden we were often
visited by the client who expressed his
enthusiasm for the chosen colors and the
different planting schemes. It was a wish
of the client that the garden should fl ower
from spring to late fall. After all, there
exists an analogy between the garden
and AFG Corporate Center employees:
only fi rm-rooted plants can bloom, which
means they can also withstand inclement
weather such rain, storm and wind. ■
Peter Weber Landscape Gardener and Architect
p.weber@bluewin.ch, T +41 71 288 40 35