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Enhancing the Barre Tunnel: Lausanne murals, gardens, and warm lighting

Avatar: Bárbara Bárbara

  1. Context
    : The La Barre Tunnel pedestrian passage, near Place du Tunnel and La Riponne, is home to the “Looping” gardens, created for Lausanne Jardins 2009, which evoke the plant diversity of the five continents. Every time I walk through it, the plants catch my eye. Yet the passageway strikes me as gloomy; its cold lighting and its walls give the impression of being neglected. As a woman, I feel apprehensive about walking through it alone, especially in the evening, despite its proximity to the police station and downtown.

  2. Proposal
    I propose to revitalize this passageway by combining maintenance, art, and lighting:
    • Clean and restore the walls and botanical display cases, then ensure regular maintenance.
    • Invite Lausanne-based graffiti and street artists, through a call for proposals, to create authorized murals on suitable surfaces. Each mural could evoke the continent or region of origin of the surrounding plants, through their landscapes and biodiversity. Together, these elements would form an artistic journey that harmonizes with the existing gardens.
    • Install warmer, more uniform, and sufficiently bright LED lighting on the ceiling, for example in the form of rings or circles. This would provide better visibility of the entire walkway and create a welcoming atmosphere, without glare and while respecting the plants’ needs.
    • Make information about the plants and the project’s history more visible and readable.
    These changes should be evaluated by the relevant municipal departments, while respecting the architecture and botanical layout.

  3. Rationale
    The beneficiaries would be the people who use this passageway: residents, people working in the neighborhood, and visitors. A better-maintained and better-lit space would contribute to comfort and a sense of safety, particularly for women walking through it alone. The murals would provide visibility for local artists and enhance the existing gardens. This passageway near the center could become a place of discovery where people enjoy observing the plants, rather than a space they want to leave as quickly as possible.

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