• Wood Land

• Marly, Switzerland

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After the construction of the Bridge Pérolles in 1922, Mr. Alexander Winckler saw the site as a strategic location for the construction of its new plant. Major investments were made to develop the core business activity: the construction of wooden buildings. The company played a pioneering role in the industrial development and life of the Canton Fribourg. The city grew with monofunctional low-density housing blocks. In the seventies, as a consequence of the oil crisis and a conservative management, the Winckler Company started declining and finally went bankrupt in 1981. The site has lost its industrial momentum, it is obsolete. The buildings are demolished, the principles of the layout of the plot is retained: it is a memory, but it is also functional. A few new land is used to densify the site and a large part is turned to common green. The neighborhood gives the critical mass for the development of wood chain production in Canton Fribourg. The whole industry will be strengthened: from the trees cultivation up to the building site, passing through the processing in factories for creating pre-fab components and wood pellets, chips or logs for energy purposes.