For its 27th edition, the 2026 International Garden Festival invited designers from all backgrounds to design a garden using a sensitive, fundamentally inclusive and relational approach. Among the 204 project proposals that were submitted by designers from 29 countries, 5 were selected.
In the wake of the triennial thematic cycle initiated a year ago, this year’s theme, Mapping Sensitivity, pursues an ongoing reflection on the poetics of space — namely, how we relate to our physical surroundings and, more broadly, to the world. Whereas last year’s theme, Borders, focused on the challenges of organizing and representing geographic space, foregrounding geopolitical concerns, the theme of the 27th edition takes le tournant sensible [the sensitive turn].
It draws its inspiration from sensitive mapping, which, far more than a simple alternative to traditional cartography, is concerned with the subjective and immaterial dimensions of a place. Sensitive mapping traces the shared representations of a space that is described, lived and felt. It takes into account users’ real experiences of a given space and the emotional relationship that they develop with it, considering cultural, phenomenological, experiential, cognitive and contextual factors.
