Entry to an open architectural competition held by the Government of Rio de Janeiro and the Universidad Estácio de Sá.

Task: As a representative component of Rio de Janeiro's bidding campaign for the 2016 Olympic Games a new architectural icon should be erected on the island of Cotunduba, vis-à-vis of Copacabana Beach, which offers a wide variety of cultural activities.

Proposal for solution: The concept 'MetaGarden' completely reinterprets the idea of the monument in terms of typology. Rather than creating a singular symbolic architectural object that serves as a purely visually experiencable object of remembrance, the whole island is transformed into a monumental site of symbolic power whose perception is significantly defined by the factors of motion and time. The monument was thus not designed as an architectural counterpoint to the natural surroundings, but as an integrative structural complement.

The most significant element of the design concept is the entwined system of pathways winding around the island in elliptic loops from sea level to the highest point. Walking along the paths expands the visitors' perceptional spectrum through an intended changes in perspective towards Rio de Janeiro's city silhouette, the ocean and the spectacular architectural structure of the MetaGarden itself. On Cotunduba, architecture and nature fuse to an inextricable entity - the architecture serves as a passé-partout that aesthetically heightens the site.

At night the MetaGarden is illuminated with a dynamically flowing light programming which traces the path loops and thus also the topography of the island. This lends the place a fascinating and mysterious appeal, even when viewed from a distance.