France
France has a long tradition of design competi-
tions compared to other European countries. The
system developed in the 1970s and serves today
as a model. All public commissions above a cer-
tain cost must be put out to design competition.
Normally the client chooses three to five teams of
consultants who are paid to produce proposals. For
landscape architects there are thus many occasions
to participate every year and for private consultants
this is the main way of winning assignments. The
wide variety of projects also provides the opportu-
nity for young landscape architects to find their way
into the market, even if it is hard to compete with
more established offices. The motorway service
station described in this chapter was subject to just
such a competition.
Motorway traffic is increasing in Europe. The
European Commission has anticipated a growth
of 38 per cent for freight traffic and 24 per cent
for passenger traffic between the years 1998 and
- Whatever the long-term future of the internal
combustion engine, it seems that the expansion
of the motorway network will be inevitable in the
short term. In France, drivers must pay a toll to drive
on the motorways; ‘the user pays according to his
needs’. The motorway association in France, ASFA,
says that the fees make it possible to maintain the
high quality of the French motorways compared to
those of some other countries in Europe.^5
A payment motorway is a closed system. It is not
easy for drivers to pull off the motorway to get pet-
rol, visit local shops or find refreshment. This makes
it all the more important that the design quality of
the official stopping places on the motorway is kept
very high. A break from driving should be a pleasant
experience.
