Landscape Architectureby Dan Sullivan, ASLA

INTRODUCTION

Landscape architecture is the comprehensive discipline of land analysis, planning, design, management, preservation, and rehabilitation. The profession of landscape architecture has been built on the principles of dedication to the public safety, health and welfare; and recognition and protection of the land and its resources.

Currently 47 states require landscape architects to be licensed or registered. Although requirements vary from state to state, licensure is based upon the Landscape Architecture Registration Examination (L.A.R.E.), which is sponsored by the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards.

2004 ASLA Award Recipient, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas TX, by Peter Walker and Partners (Photo: Tim Hurley's Studio—Tim Hurley)

The national professional association representing landscape architects is The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), which was founded in 1899. Beginning with 11 original members, ASLA has grown to more than 15,000members and 48 chapters, representing all 50 states, U.S. territories, and 42 countries around the world. ASLA promotes the landscape architecture profession and advances the practice through advocacy, education, communication and fellowship.

The American Society of Landscape Architects ASLA Public Policies Australian Institute of Landscape Architects Award Winning Landscape Design, Analysis, and Planning Canadian Society of Landscape Architects Federation of German Landscape Architects The International Federation of Landscape Architects Landscape Architecture Body of Knowledge Study Report  (PDF 1.42 MB, 181

pgs)

The Landscape Institute—United Kingdom U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook—

Landscape ArchitectureBACK TO TOP

DESCRIPTION

2004 ASLA Award Recipient, General Mills Corporate Headquarters, Minneapolis, MN,by oslund.and.assoc (Photo: George Heinrich)

Landscape architecture can be traced to the origins of man and early agricultural development, although it did not evolve into a profession untilthe mid-19th Century, as society sought to meet many of the new challenges of industrialization and urban growth. With that concern came the realization that cities, in particular, had to be more functional, welcoming, and aesthetically pleasing to their inhabitants. Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903), best known for his design of Central Park in New York City, was an early proponent of the more formalized consideration of man's interaction with the land, and has long been acknowledged as the founder of American landscape architecture.

Frederick Law Olmsted National Association for Olmsted Parks

Today, projects that involve the work of landscape architects include: residential, parks and recreation, monuments, urban design, streetscapes andpublic spaces, transportation corridors and facilities, waterway restorationand reuse, gardens and arboreta, security design, hospitality and resorts, institutional, academic campuses, therapeutic gardens, historic preservationand restoration, conservation, corporate and commercial, landscape art and earth sculpture, interior landscapes, and more.

2004 ASLA Award Recipient, Cedar River Watershed Education Center, Cedar Falls, WA by Jones and Jones Architects and Landscape Architects Ltd.(Photo: Nancy Rottle)

The inclusion of landscape architecture can have a profound impact on the "whole building design" process. Optimally, a building is not an invasion ofthe landscape but a vital extension of it. It is inescapable that a buildingmust rest in a space, and that before it can be entered, it must be approached. Where a building rests on the land, and how it rests on the land, sets the context for its evolving construction, development, and use. This initial phase of the 'whole building design' process is the domain of the landscape architect. So too are the end phases of construction, when measures are taken to complete the areas around a building—the look and feelof the surfaces, hardscaped and landscaped spaces, structure itself, and theapproaches to the site on which located. A well designed property, when developed within 'whole building' design principles, is properly integrated with its' surroundings; must be a good neighbor within the community where it rests to other structures and its natural setting; and should be accessible, secure, and aesthetically pleasing from the outside.

A landscape architect is the arbiter of a building's interaction with its physical location. As a part of a "whole building", collaborative approach, a landscape architect can help to answer these questions:

Where in a community should a building be placed? Where does it best fit on a particular site? How can a building's

interaction with the land be maximized? How can a building's environmental impact be efficiently managed? How can the goals of the owners and users be accommodated?

Because of the wide range of work that encompasses the profession, landscapearchitects have a great appreciation for a multidisciplinary approach to design challenges. The premium landscape architecture places on the relationship between society and the natural world also means that its'

practitioners often urge the employment of sustainable design practices thatbalance stewardship of land—which minimizes environmental degradation and consumption—with the need to provide a healthy, productive, and meaningful life for all members of society, so that the needs of future generations arenot compromised.

Good practice of landscape architecture maintains that sustainability shouldbe an integral part of the design process. The goals associated with creating a sustainable built environment include: avoiding or otherwise minimizing the impacts on resources; conserving ecosystems; using renewable resources; avoiding waste where possible by reuse, recycling, and recovery; supporting the general realization of human potential and happiness; and creating healthy built environments and landscapes for present and future generations.

Sustainable landscape architecture accounts for the following principles:

Ecological: the natural forces that shape a landscape, including climate, geology, hydrology, soils, elevation/landform, vegetation, wildlife, and other living organisms

Social/Cultural: the human forces that shape a landscape including history, communities and customs, development patterns, agriculture, and social behavior and uses

Economic: the budget realities and cost-saving considerations that shape the built environment and the fiscal requirements necessary to supportlivable places and communities.

Landscape architects frequently work to:

Both enhance the understanding and strengthen the integral relationship between natural processes and human activity, and how sustainable design fits into everyday life.

Improve practices, processes, procedures, products, and services that take into account long-tem sustainable considerations and stewardship.

Examine policies, regulations, and standards in industry and government to identify barriers to the implementation of the principles of sustainable design.

Encourage community and business leaders to bring the existing built environment up to sustainable design standards and to reflect the philosophyof sustainability in the design and management of their communities.Sustainability and Building Green Links

Biodiversity by Design: A Guide for Sustainable Communities Building and Fire Research Laboratory Building for Environmental and Economic Stability (BEES) Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems EPA Environmentally Preferable Purchasing GardenMart GardenWeb Green Landscape Architects Green Laws and Community Design Green Laws Overview Green Roofs for Healthy Cities

Green Space Design Irrigation and Green Industry Network Low Impact Development Center Low Impact Development Urban Design Tools U.S. Green Building Council o The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green

Building Rating System®BACK TO TOP

EMERGING ISSUESSecurity Design

View of White House from the Ellipse

In recent years the security of public places and federal sites has become an increasingly urgent concern. The federal government has moved swiftly to install a full range of security responses to thwart terrorism. Physical barriers, surveillance, and metal detection devices and protocols have either been strengthened or established. By their nature, these measures channel and restrict personal movement. The challenge has become to protect citizens without erecting barriers that have a detrimental impact to how people interact with the government and with each other.

The principles for combining security and good landscape design include:

Provide an adequate balance between threats and the beauty of the public realm.

Recognize that good design and good security are not incompatible. Expand the palette of elements that can gracefully provide perimeter

security, producing a coherent security and urban design strategy that embraces whole streets and districts.

Provide perimeter security without dampening the pedestrian activity and the vitality of public streets.

Landscape architects are uniquely qualified to develop and showcase design principles that achieve an appropriate balance between security measures andan open society that values its democratic principles, freedom of movement, and accessible public spaces.

Security Design Links

City Hall Park, New York City (Photos: ASLA)

Designing For Security in the Nation's Capital (PDF 2.86 MB, 39 pgs) FEMA Hazard Mitigation Publications The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP) o TISP Publications National Capital Urban Design and Security Plan P-100, Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service (GSA) Safe Spaces: Designing For Security and Civic Values  (PDF 8.42 MB, 69

pgs) UFC 4-010-01 DoD Minimum Anti-Terrorism Standards For Buildings

Designing Healthy Communities

Every national assessment of healthier living has identified the importance of exercise and recreational opportunities—yet it has become clear that Americans are not active enough, in part because we have increasingly designed daily physical activity out of our lives. Site planning must encourage creating or improving access to places for physical activity.

2004 ASLA Award Recipient, Eastbank Esplande, Portland, OR, by Mayer/Reed(Photo: Bruce Forster Photography)

Landscape architects work with developers, homeowners, and public officials to:

Transform existing facilities such as streets, parks, plazas, and public open spaces into safe, attractive, functional amenities for the benefit of the community.

Enhance and complement other park and recreation programs, leading to a more integrated community wide system.

Encourage communities to promote buildings that are mixed with other land uses affording individuals the ability to live, learn, work, shop, and play in a healthy, walkable setting.

Protect and enhance natural, cultural, and scenic resources and avoid environmental land degradation by respecting ecological systems and landscape character.

Design facilities that are well connected to communities by sidewalks,bike trails, and transit service, as well as roadways.

Ensure that individuals of all levels of mobility have full access to transportation networks.Active Living, ADA, and General Health Links

Community4—2004 ASLA Award Recipient, Learning Garden for P.S. 19, Queens, NY, byKen Smith Landscape Architect(Photo: Paul Warchol Photography)

Active Living by Design Active Living Network Active Living Research ADA Access Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities American Horticultural Therapy Association Americans with Disabilities Act Information Therapeutic Landscapes Database U.S. Access Board: Accessibility for People with Disabilities

Transportation and Smart Growth Links American Public Transportation Association The Centre For Sustainable Transportation Complete The Streets Partners for Livable Communities The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center Planetizen—The Planning and Development Network Research Design Connections Smart Growth Network Walkable Communities, Inc.

Water Resource Planning and Management

Water is a finite and valuable resource that is widely shared for human activities and natural processes. Over time, water quality in the United States has been greatly reduced due to numerous factors, but through proper planning and management of waterways, wetlands, aquifers, and coastal zones this trend can be reversed. The nation depends on ample, clean water

supplies to sustain a high standard of living and maintain the quality of ecosystems.

Left: 2004 ASLA Award Recipient, Trillium Projects, Seattle, WA, by Charles Anderson Landscape Architecture (Photo: Charles Anderson Landscape Architecture)And Right: 2004 ASLA Award Recipient, Tidewater Residence, Tidewater, VA, by NelsonByrd Woltz Landscape Architects (Photo: Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects)

Landscape architects have designed numerous innovative approaches to providefor the efficient use of water and the protection of water quality. This includes the design, planning, and management of coastal zones, waterways, enhancement and revitalization of wetlands, wastewater treatment, storm water management, and irrigation.

Currently, our nation's water quality is not optimal: waterways have become dumping grounds for wastes; fossil water reserves are drawn down; wetlands are being drained and filled; rivers are channelized; building over streams and in floodplains has increased downstream flooding; obsolete infrastructure has generated "non-point" pollution, such as storm water runoff from general urban or agricultural areas, that cannot be traced to a specific source.

Storm Water

Impervious surfaces caused by sprawling urban development increase volumes and rates of storm flows, which carry pollutants into streams, prevent groundwater recharge, and reduce stream base flows. Often the channels, dams, and reservoirs built to mitigate these effects have further disrupted ecosystems and human communities. To begin to address this problem, runoff and effluents can be reclaimed to reduce the need for imported fresh water; reservoirs of all kinds can be adapted to integrate with multi-functional natural ecosystems and human communities; and new development can be arranged and constructed to minimize impervious surfaces. In addition, excess storm water runoff can be directed through soil and vegetation to recharge ground water.

Coastal Zones

Fresh water and salt water coastal zones may be described as those areas along the land/water interface affected by waves and currents, storms and spray, and characterized by a variety of landforms, including coral reefs, rocky headlands, sandy beaches, sand dunes, vegetated sand flats, maritime forests, inlets, bays and estuaries. Landscape architects work on managementand development strategies that reflect and acknowledge that many of the landforms within the coastal zone, such as barrier islands, undergo constantnatural change, and are not stable or fixed in a place.

Waterways

Waterways should be managed from a multi-use approach, including scenic and cultural values, wildlife resources, and recreational potential, as well as appropriate commercial development potential. Planning for an entire watershed, designation of appropriate land uses near waterways, and implementation of riparian buffer to protect stream-bank erosion and filter adjacent agricultural runoff is necessary to protect water resources.

Wetlands

With an understanding that the development pressures on wetlands continue toincrease, landscape architects work toward site-specific development and management efforts that allow for compatible land uses while preserving the ongoing function of wetland resources.

Water Resource Planning and Management Links

2005 ASLA Award Recipient, 12,000 Factory Workers Meet Ecology in the Parking Lot, by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.(Photo: Ron Anton Rocz)

American Association of Port Authorities American Water Works Association ASCE Journal of Water Resource Planning and Management ASCE Report Card for America's Infrastructure Coastal Conservation Association EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds Inland Waterways International National Park Service Water Planning

National Waterways Conference NOAA Coasts Page Tulane University Coastal Zone Primer U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civilian Works U.S. Fish and Wildlife National Wetlands Inventory U.S.G.S. National Wetlands Research Center Wetlands International Wetlands Regulation Center

Landscape Preservation

During the past two decades the definition of historic preservation has gonebeyond the singular historic building or urban district to include the historic landscape that provides the setting and context for a property. Historic landscapes are special places. They are important representations of national, regional, and local identity and culture. They foster a sense of community and place. Historic landscapes are also fragile places, affected by the forces of nature, by commercial and residential development,and by vandalism and neglect.

2004 ASLA Award Recipient, Peirce's Woods at Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PAby W. Gary Smith, ASLA (Photo: W. Gary Smith, ASLA)

Landscape preservation also encompasses the stewardship of public lands, rural landscapes, forests, and parks by careful assessment to determine usesthat are consistent with long-term sustainability. Appropriate land use decisions sustain natural systems, utilize the best management practices forthe development of extractive resources, and where possible, consolidate private lands with public lands to better protect habitats and increase aesthetic and recreational opportunities.

The consideration of vegetation and wildlife habitats, both major influenceson health and quality of life in the built environment, are also and important component of landscape preservation efforts. Trees, shrubs, grasses, and herbaceous plant material filter pollutants in the air and water, mitigate wind and solar heat gain, stabilize soil to prevent or reduce erosion, and provide an aesthetic counterpoint to the built environment. These attributes are essential to balancing human effects of

the land, and provide some of the strongest cues to the unique identity of aplace.

Historic Preservation

2004 ASLA Award Recipient, Morris Arboretum, University of Pennsylvania (Photo: Nick Kelsh)

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Historic American Buildings Survey Historic American Engineering Record Historic American Landscapes Survey National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers National Landscape Conservation System National Park Service Historic Landscape Initiative National Preservation Institute National Trust for Historic Preservation The Trust for Public Land

Horticulture Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Information Gateway NPS Plant Conservation Alliance Plant Find Planting Trees in Landscapes Plants Database Tree Link Urban Forest Research

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RELEVANT CODES AND STANDARDSAccredited Programs for the Study of Landscape Architecture

ASLA Code of Environmental Ethics ASLA Code of Professional Ethics Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (C.L.A.R.B.) Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board—Standards and Procedures Landscape Architecture Accreditation Standards and Procedures Landscape Architecture—Professional Practice Landscape Architecture State Licensure Requirements MasterSpec® Landscape Architecture Specifications

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MAJOR RESOURCESRelated Organizations

American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta The American Institute of Architects

American Planning Association American Society of Golf Course Architects Association of Professional Landscape Designers The Brick Industry Association The Construction Specifications Institute Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards The Design Build Institute of America Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute International Society of Arboriculture The Irrigation Association National Concrete Masonry Association National Council for Science and the Environment National Recreation and Park Association National Scenic Byways Association Pace University Land Use Law Center Professional Landcare Network Society of Urban Arborists Tree Care Industry Association Urban Land Institute The Urban Parks Institute Wave Hill Catalog of Landscape Records

Software Resources Autodesk—AutoCAD CADdetails Eagle Point—LANDCADD Environmental Systems Research Institute (ERSI): GIS and Mapping

Software ERSI Virtual Campus

Professional Journals Architecture  Information from Architectural Record Architecture Ecotecture, The Online Journal of Ecological Design eco-structure magazine Environmental Building News Environmental Design + Construction Garden Design Green At Work Horticulture Land Development Today Landscape Architecture Landscape Australia Landscape Design Online Landscape Management Native Plants Journal New Urban News Terrain.org, A Journal of the Built & Natural Environments Topos

“Living the City in the City” | Genoa Italy | OpenfabricBy Damian Holmes on June 5, 20122

“Living in the City in the City” is the outcome of the international design competition organized by the Municipality of Genoa for the enhancement of Via XX Settembre. The elimination of private traffic on Via XX Settembre becomes an opportunity for Genoa to create new places to live in the city within the city, generating urban gravitations and reverberating existing functions in the neighbour hood.

In addition to rethink the system of mobility referring to functional and logistical requirements of traders and residents, the project produces a system of urban relationships stretched on the axis of Via XX Settembre, through a series of new polarities detected at the cross-roads, developing three themes: Culture – Information – Meeting. The idea of the project promotes a strong sense of self-identification by the Genoese, recovering the essential meaning of living seen as taking care of their city. As the inhabitant lives his own home, so the citizen lives his own city: Via XX Settembre becomes the “urban salon” where a renewed community can share their own identities. In this sense the project favourites a process of urban renewal with expanded benefits on the body of the city (in terms of real estate development also), rediscovering Via XX Settembre as a very urban

place, with strong environmental and social values.

Jubilee Gardens | London UK | West 8 |UPDATEBy Damian Holmes on June 6, 20129

Jubilee Gardens Aerial | © SBEG

Back in February we reported that construction had started on the Jubilee Gardens, this week the new JubileeGarden opened to the public as part of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations.

Jubilee Pageant | © West 8 urban design & landscape architecture

© SBEG

The Gardens were first created in 1977 to celebrate The Queen’s Silver Jubilee, and it is particularly fitting that 35 years on, the new Jubilee Gardens will open to the public in the landmark year 2012, for the Diamond Jubilee. The South Bank will be an important viewing point for this weekend’s Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant and the new Gardens will become one of the most visited green spaces in the country, appreciated not just by the millions who visit the South Bank, but also by local employees and residents.

© West 8 urban design & landscape architecture

The re-landscaping of Jubilee Gardens transforms what wasa flat and featureless patch of grass into a lush, green landscape of the highest quality. The brief was to createa space which would be as soft and green as is sustainable, and the outcome is a wonderful new landscaped area, worthy of its Royal Jubilee associationsand reflecting the quality of the South Bank’s cultural organisations, tourist attractions and high profile businesses.

© West 8 urban design & landscape architecture

© West 8 urban design & landscape architecture

 

Jubilee Gardens includes many appealing new features. 10,700m2 of high quality turf has been laid, and flowerbeds of the highest quality have been planted with Geraniums. Lilies will be planted in summer and Asters inOctober. There are elegant granite edges, formed from 1,169 granite pieces, providing extensive seating alongside a generous new granite path network. 27 lighting columns have been installed, together with a brand new playground including a ‘timber tangle’, ‘junglearena’,'spider web’ and a flock of wooden sheep. In addition, the International Brigades Memorial, a tribute to British volunteers serving with republican forces in the Spanish Civil War, has been restored and re-located in a more accessible position, with adjacent seating areas.

© West 8 urban design & landscape architecture

69 mature new trees have been planted including English and Pin Oaks, Common Beeches, Red Beeches, Sweetgums, Bald Cypresses and Small Leaved Limes. Particularly elegant examples of the Common Beech may earn the name ‘Queen Beech’, which befits the Royal associations of theGardens.

The transformation of Jubilee Gardens has been made possible by the partnership of neighbouring landowners, local business and community organisations, who now make up the Jubilee Gardens Trust. The new Jubilee Gardens hasbeen supported by Kate Hoey, MP for Vauxhall, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Shirayama Corporation, owner of the adjacent County Hall.

© West 8 urban design & landscape architecture

© West 8 urban design & landscape architecture

© West 8 urban design & landscape architecture

© West 8 urban design & landscape architecture

© West 8 urban design & landscape architecture

IMAGES Courtesy of  West 8 urban design

Latz + Partner win St Peter’s Square design competitionBy Damian Holmes on May 21, 201214

The winners of the St Peter’s Square international designcompetition have been announced by Manchester City Council. A design team led by German landscape architect Latz + Partner have been selected to make their vision a reality.

At the heart of the plans for St Peter’s Square is the idea of a wide, open urban square which celebrates the architecture of the surrounding buildings. A high quality‘carpet of paving’ will blend the square in with nearby areas while a grove of decorative trees will be planted and positioned to frame views and complement existing trees. The Cenotaph would be sensitively relocated withinthe square and the cross marking the historic site of St Peter’s Church enhanced by placing it on a plinth equal to the height of the Central Library colonnade.

Meanwhile the relocation of the existing St Peter’s Square tram stop to the corner of Princess Street and Mosley Street as part of the proposed Metrolink 2nd City Crossing scheme will open up the square in front of Central Library, enabling views and movement from all directions. A planning application will be submitted later this summer and will include plans for a Peterloo Memorial, which are still being developed.

Sonja Hlawna, project lead for Latz + Partner said: “We feel honoured to have the task of turning Manchester’s vision to create a world-class space into reality. The redesign of St Peter’s Square is a crucial step in the Town Hall Complex transformation programme and we are convinced that the future square will constitute an outstanding place in the fabric of the city of Manchester.

“It is our ambition to make the square more generous while respecting the context to unlock its full potential. We look forward to the challenge of creating

an inspiring place for its citizens at the heart of Manchester.”

The rest of the design team consists of Arup Associates (Transport, Structural and Civil Enginering) and Speirs and Major (Lighting Design).

NYC breaks ground on new Governors Island ParkBy Damian Holmes on May 27, 20127

The Shell at Liberty Terrace

Recently, New York City officials broke ground on Phase 1of the new Governors Island Park, with over 30 acres including Liggett Terrace, a six acre plaza with seasonal plantings, seating, water features and public

art; Hammock Grove, a ten acre space that is home to 2,000 new trees, play areas and hammocks; and the Play Lawn, 14 acres for play and relaxation that includes two turf ball fields sized for adult softball and Little League baseball. Also to be built will be welcome areas, a re-graded Parade Ground and key visitor amenities, including lighting, seating and signage throughout the Historic District.

Masterplan (click for enlargment)The new Governors Island Park was designed by West 8 urban design & landscape architecture. The design was founded on a richly layered conceptual approach, responsive to the promise of the Island’s opportunities and the diverse interests of New Yorkers. Since beginningdesign in 2008, the team has been refining, enhancing andlaying out initial strategies.

Hammock Grove

Ballfields

Governors Island opens Saturday May 26 for the 2012 season including the reopening of Castle Williams after

an extensive three year renovation which was funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, National parks Service Recreation Fee Program, and an appropriation secured through the efforts of Congressman Jerrold Nadler. This renovation has made it possible for members of the public to experience this historic structure, learn about its history through interpretive exhibits, and for the first time, experience an unparalleled view of Lower Manhattan and the New York Harbor from the top of the Castle.

The Island will be open every Saturday, Sunday and Holiday Monday from May 26 through September 30. The Island is closed on Fridays to facilitate construction ofthe new park and public spaces.

“Dance floor” Recreation and Memorial Park | Ronabanya Hungary | SAGRA ArchitectsBy Damian Holmes on May 30, 2012Tweet

The site is situated in the Karancs-Medves landscape areain North-East Hungary. Around and in the city of Salgótarján the memorials, geological and mining attractions are forming a hiking trail. Along this trail is set the “Dance floor” Recreation  and Memorial Park. The site is embraced by the surrounding hills and huge hillside trees. In our architectural concept we aimed to preserve and strengthen this special character of the place. The park would function as an exhibition for the mining memorials and as a natural recreational area. The organising element in the park is a wall providing covered space. This space can be used for exhibitions andperformances.  Open air theatre may also function here, the covered space is used for stage and the “Dance floor”as auditorium.

The “Theme slope“ uses the potentials of the natural slope for playful elements. Climbing wall, climbing net, slides and climbing trunks are placed for active recreation. Previous to the “Dance floor” a picnic area is located with timber tables, benches and fire rings. Weused local, natural building materials like basalt stone and wood.

Besides the “Dance floor” Recreation and Memorial Park, Gusztav Tunnel Entrance no. 4 reconstruction is another attraction along the hiking trail around the city of Salgótarján. The tunnel is out of use. This entrance was imploded and closed with a wall at 15 metres from the entrance. The imploded part of the tunnel is planned to be reconstructed and transformed into a tourist attraction. By the walkway to the tunnel we designed a covered exhibition and leisure space. The entrance appears only at the end of the walkway after a slight turn. We placed the information wall along the outer archof the walkway’s turn. The information wall introduces the visitors into the basics of mining and the history of

Gusztav Tunnel. The slight break of the basalt wall leadsto the tunnel’s reconstructed entrance. Along and opposite to the wall seating is placed where visitors canstop and rest. The space in front of the entrance is covered with a cantilevered roof of white corrugated steel plates.  The walkway leading to the tunnel entranceis covered with basalt gravel. Reaching the entrance the basalt gravel is changed to timber trunks. The entrance of the tunnel will be reconstructed similarly to its original state. The reconstructed exhibition space is the15 metres long part of the original tunnel entrance. Visitors can see there old mining tools, machines and an ancient bogie on a railway track.

IMAGE CREDIT: SAGRA Architects

“Dance floor” Recreation and Memorial Park | Ronabanya Hungary | SAGRA Architects

Architect: SAGRA Architects

Landscape Design,Construction,Consultancy & ManagementPractical Hints,Pictures & Ideas for Landscape Projects

Looking for ideas for your garden or yard? Not sure what you would like? Thissite could be for you.

Looking for award winning Designers, Consultants or Construction in either the United States or England ?

Our prices are very reasonable - email  us for more details 

today.. info@landscapeknowledge.com

or visit  for more ideas  www.landscapingprofessional.comFor the past  35 years we have, Designed ,Built, Project Managed and Maintained a wide variety of award winning landscape schemes, many have been our own designs, others have been for well known Designers and LandscapeArchitects.

Everyone who saw our work asked us to put our experiences down on paper, for all to enjoy and perhaps find some good ideas. So after some consideration wehave started. You will see a huge variety of gardens, from the small cottage garden to the large estate, highly detailed commercial projects, roof gardens, playgrounds and parks.Many received awards,we have collected 19 to date. - the result of team work between all the staff.

The opening pages of this site are completely free to all, later as more and more pictures are added a small fee will be requested- we have found two thousand more from our archives!  With techniques on how and what good detailshould look like, tips on such issues as selecting a designer or a contractor, how to supervise your project ? All will be available for a modest charge  - this will help defray the cost of the site and allow regular upgrades. Please take a moment and enjoy what can be done, we would welcome a comment or two..yes, we love the work we do and the joy it brings our clients!

My aim is to give you an insight into how to develop a successful project that will stand the passage of time and provide years of enjoyment to all that are lucky enough to see it. It has been such fun and enjoyment being allowed to develop these projects over the years, to all our clients thank you for allowing us to work for you.

Take a few minutes to look around these first pages you will be amazed at what you can do. Simple design with exquisite detail is a true art form, those that can do this are worth seeking out. By all means contact me if you wish. We work these days in both England and America, offering Design,Consultancy,Management and Construction.When asked what was my most favorite project ?My answer is always , well it depends on what you mean:The Most Challenging ?This has to be the Museum of London’s, London Pride exhibition, designed by two wonderful landscape architects, the late Carol Colson and Richard Stone. Building a 26000 sq ft roof garden with access via a smoke vent halfway up anunderground car park wall with an opening of 900mm and two expensive cars on either side is certainly a challenge, especially as you then had to travel another 15 metres before going vertically for three floors to the roof ! The project required about 110 tons or so of additional material transported thatway, no mean feat for the staff. We then manned the exhibition for three months !

The most exciting : -

 Well that is always the Chelsea Flower show, having built three, they are  wonderful, everyone helps everyone, there is a spirit of excellence all around, it’s a very intense time, complicated, awkward for deliveries, a nightmare when the weather plays up, but somehow it always turns out fine.–well almost !!

The most beneficial ?

The most beneficial in my mind was Raglan School, it was a wonderful opportunity to develop a really good idea, the creation of a Kentish River Bank on a former car park area by Architect Andrew Scott RIBA, who asked us to work up his ideas. Mike Middleton one of our Landscape Architects with some help from the team produced an amazing award winning scheme, which we were fortunate to be able to construct. The result was simply exceptional. Ascan be seen the children use the garden as a quiet area, there are ceramic fish swimming in the dry river bed, all the plants and material were sourced from Kent. Many planted three or four times over as all the children were encouraged to participate ! There was, by the way, zero vandalism.

This fun project won a number of awards

The Most Attractive ?Well as of now I have no idea, is 10 years or even 20 years long enough to tell ?Seriously though, remember that the true benefits from such work only emerge some two to three growing seasons after installation, but more of that later.In the meantime if you would like to contact us about a particular project you have in mind we would welcome an email from you - contact us at info@landscapeknowledge.com

Information on this site is intended for guidance only.Itis advisable to engage a professional for your own project.Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.

« Sasaki Associates awarded APA National Planning Excellence Award for a Planning Firm

Railway Project Landscape | Clifton Hill Australia | Jeavons Landscape ArchitectsBy Damian Holmes on January 19, 2012

The Clifton Hill Rail Project began as a key transport initiative to duplicate the railway track between CliftonHill and Westgarth Stations. The result of which was an opportunity to deliver a landscape that stitched togetherthe Merri Creek environs, a new rail bridge, pedestrian and cyclist needs and the local community. The result is a beautifully executed landscape which demonstrates the integral role that a landscape architect has in delivering a multi-dimensional project varying in scale, programs, stakeholders, and contexts.

The Clifton Hill Rail Project won the 2011 Australia Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) Victoria Landscape Architecture Urban Design Award. The jury commented about  Jeavons Landscape Architects Clifton Hill Rail Project

This project demonstrated sensitivity to social, culturaland physical contexts through an extensive consultation process with the community and various authorities. It also demonstrated the role of the landscape architect from the broad strategic scale to the detail resolution. The project focused on improved accessibility and community linkages but goes beyond a cycle routes and footpaths and creates a public space in an area that is generally forgotten. This is further developed through the use and treatment of the space under the bridge as a ‘Park.’

Urban design guru praises 'Bilbao effect' to revamp ailing citieseitb.com

01/18/2012

Charles Landry, an international expert on revamping cities, thinks the City Garden Project could have the same impact on Aberdeen as the Guggenheim in Bilbao.

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Could a project similar to Bilbao's Guggenheim museum have a similar effect on Aberdeen, a city in the northernpart of Scotland with a population of 200.000 people? Charles Landry, an international expert on revamping cities, thinks so.

In an article published on the Evening Express, the design guru praises the winning design for the City Garden Project and thinks that the project, which targetsto transform the Union Terrace gardens into a new city centre, could have the same impact on Aberdeen as the Guggenheim in Bilbao.

"The design is amazing. Aberdeen is really very lucky ...it could create a Bilbao effect", Mr Landry told the Evening Express.

Aberdeen City Council believes construction could be finished by 2016.

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, designed by architect FrankGehry, was opened in 1997 and saw visitor numbers go fromless than 100,000 to almost one million in 2011.

The museum was the signature architectural project of a new time that managed to turn a decaying port into a destination. Tourists were closely followed by banks, businesses and law firms, transforming Bilbao into the prosperous city we now know, and the financial hub of theBasque Country.

« Diller Scofidio + Renfro with Keppie Design & OLIN win Aberdeen City Garden Competition Sasaki Associates awarded APA National Planning Excellence Award for a Planning Firm »

Miami Science Museum | Miami USA | Arquitectonica GEOBy Damian Holmes on January 17, 2012

View from Biscayne Boulevard - Planting at grade has a native focus in which environment suggests planting strategy.

Landscape design for a 5 level, state of the art Science Museum in the heart of Downtown Miami. The site is comprised of 4 acres and will share an elevated plaza with the new Miami Art Museum.The Miami Science Museum will be an institute of technology, education and the environment, and the landscape design will serve as an extension of this. Outfitted with a 17,000 sf garden roof, ½ acre rain garden, and civic scaled plaza; the landscape design plays a major role in the Museum experience. In addition to illustrating regional landscape types, this “functioning landscape” reduces water use, improves waterquality, enhances biodiversity, provides educational opportunities, and even produces food.

Site Plan

Sequencing Hardscape - Inspired by the patterns of genetic sequencing maps, the hardscape pattern utilizes density of marking to represent intensity of activity on the plaza surface.

The plaza provides civic open space for public and museum-related events, and screens sub-grade parking. A

planned art and event space will link it to the Miami ArtMuseum.

North Elevation

 

A collection of palms or “palmettum” will be on display at ground level to highlight native palms of Florida.

Food Forest/Permaculture Diagram - The “food forest” sites on the green roof and as 500 sf of raised planter beds utilized for food production.

Planting at grade has a native focus in which environmentsuggests planting strategy. A ½ acre rain garden frontingBiscayne Boulevard affords a decorative landscape that provides stormwater attenuation for Museum Drive, reducing the need for retention and infrastructure. Irrigation demands and potable water use have been mitigated throughout the project by the use of native, drought tolerant planting as well as stormwater collection to a 25,000 gallon cistern.

Ground Level Landscape - Native planting and micro-habitats cover the site reducing water demands and enhancing urban ecology.

Science Museum outparcel shown in a “flooded” condition. Miami Science Museum’s outparcel works to accommodate stormwater runoff from adjacent streets. The .5 acre sitecan accommodate over 7,000 cubic feet of stormwater runoff.

Bird’s eye rendering - View of the outparcel after a rainevent

Creating and capitalizing onoutdoor kitchensChris Mordi -- Casual Living, 1/1/2012 2:00:00 AM

Picture a man standing alongside aflaming hot grill in a white apron,burger flipper in one hand and tongsin the other. It's a stereotypicalpicture that at least one designerthinks defines homeowners' views ofcooking outdoors.     "Many still think the outdoor kitchen is a thing

where you grill out and then you bring things inside and clean them up," said Dena Brody, principal at Dena Brody Interiors, a Houston-based interior and kitchen and bath designer. "It's not that way anymore. It's much more."     In its most recent Residential Trends Survey, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) shows itsmembership agreeing with Brody. The survey finds many components that make up a modern outdoor kitchen are rated as somewhat or very popular, including grills, counterspace, storage, sinks and refrigerators. "Despite the economic climate, homeowners continue to reconnect with their outdoor space," said Nancy Somerville, EVP andCEO of ASLA.     In an article for Builder magazine's website, Amy Albert, design editor, recently rated the outdoor kitchenas one of the 10 top trends of 2011 and sees outdoor kitchens continuing to be popular through 2012 and beyond. "I continue to be amazed at the evolution from just a grill and prep area into something that is so complete," she said.

A solid understanding of kitchen design principles suchas work zones and the proper amount of counter space to accommodate landing areas is equal in importance to knowingthe array of equipment available for outdoor kitchens. (Photo courtesy of Housewarmings Outdoor)

The pros know     The rise in the popularity of outdoor kitchens is in"direct response to the economy. People can't afford to move into bigger homes," said Albert. She also says the appeal of outdoor kitchens is that it blurs the line between indoor and outdoor living.     "People want to enhance their lifestyle and enjoy their lives at the home they have," said Shiva Noble, EVPof Cal Flame. "They want it to look like their indoor living room, but they want to sit outside. It's all about

increasing livable space in the current home."     Russ Faulk, VP of productdevelopment for Kalamazoo OutdoorGourmet, said the rise in thepopularity of outdoor kitchens isdue "partially to a new foodie beingborn every minute and partiallybecause the nesting trend continues,and because of what it does for yourquality of life and time spent withfriends and family."     Bud Renfroe, VP of Housewarmings Outdoor, sees the rise in popularity a little differently. "The main reasonfor the past five or six years is that people are not taking vacations - they're staying at home more and they are not staying indoors," he said.     Homeowners have already done their basements and kitchen and now they want to carry the indoor look outside, Renfroe added. "It's why this market has grown where others haven't," he said.

Outing the in crowd     Helping a homeowner design an outdoor kitchen can bea delicate and time-intensive process. "This is still a new market, homeowners don't know it," Renfroe said. "They don't [even] know that an outdoor refrigerator is available."     "Consumers don't really know what they want," said Ted Scott , national sales manager for Napoleon Gourmet Grills. He said the outdoor kitchen is a sale that requires a different type of knowledge. "When selling a lifestyle - people gathering in the backyard, etc. - you have to present an expertise to sell the whole package. This means having to think beyond your comfort zone and take on a new personality, like that of a landscape designer."     Faulk said the definition of an outdoor kitchen can be a loose one. Some define it as "any space where you can do outdoor cooking," he said. For those in the industry who have to help homeowners put together outdoorkitchens, he offers a more strict definition: An outdoor

cooking area that features almost all or any of the capabilities of an indoor kitchen, centered on the grill.

Outdoor kitchens have become popular because they offer added enjoyment, luxury and relaxation for the homeowner.They expand a home’s livable square footage and their return on investment is comparable to an indoor kitchen remodel. (Photo courtesy of Kalamazoo OutdoorGourmet)

 

     Designing an outdoor kitchen requires uncovering a homeowner's cooking and entertaining personality. "You have to understand the customer's lifestyle," Renfroe said. "It has to be defined by the occasion. Do they entertain a lot of friends or is it just family? The needs of the two are polar opposites. You need to open uptheir minds, get them to share their lifestyle."     Renfroe added when people are spending thousands of dollars they have to feel confident. "You must be able tosay, ‘Mr. Smith, based on our conversation, this is what you need.' Being the expert is very important," he said.     Faulk is emphatic when he says that to properly design an outdoor cooking space, a strong understanding of kitchen design principles is a requirement. He points out that knowing about proper amounts of counter space, landing areas and work zones are critical to helping a homeowner create an outdoor kitchen that will be efficient and enjoyed for years.     "No two outdoor kitchens should ever be the same because everyone has different entertaining and cooking styles," Noble said. "The key to defining an outdoor kitchen is to let the consumer decide. The consumer's visit should be like seeing a psychologist. By being asked the right questions, they can be guided into what fits their needs."     In addition to being able to ask the right questions, Faulk says an understanding of products that

are available and the potential of the space are criticalknowledge points. Last year, Kalamazoo introduced the first outdoor dishwasher. Other companies continue to expand their offerings with new refrigeration, smoker andgrill options.     Noble said one of the newest trends that directly relates to outdoor kitchens and is routinely forgotten isconnectivity. "While outdoors, [people] don't want to give up watching any football games or see what's happening with the stock market. They still want to be connected to the world. This is where the future is. We're connected all the time. They want to buy features that will allow them to do so," she said.

There are two types of outdoorkitchens: satellite and independent. Satellite kitchens are less expensive tobuild, but rely on the indoorsto provide some important functions, such as prep and refrigeration. Independent kitchens are more expensive and include items such as refrigeration, wine chillers, storage cabinets and more. They don’t rely on the indoorsand offer the homeowner freedom to spend more time outdoors with friends. (Photo courtesy of Housewarmings Outdoor)

     Interior designer Brody recommends thinking even further beyond the cooking space. "When people entertain outdoors they tend to have more guests," she said. "It's casual. You don't have as much pressure, so you can invite more people. You have to have a place [for them] to eat."     Brody said casual furniture businesses need to ask the right questions of themselves and their merchandise mix, making sure they have access to or carry products

that accommodate these larger gatherings. For several projects, she has been unable to purchase products from local businesses because they didn't have what she needed. "There's just a limited size of tables. And they really are not the right sizes for entertaining," she said. She added she needed tables ranging in size from 96inches to 120 inches.     Another "understanding the potential of the space" example Brody gives relates to barstools. In many outdoorkitchen designs there will be a bar where food or drinks can be served and guests can be close to the host while she or he prepares food. "I was looking for barstools that didn't take up much space and were the right height.All I found was low lounge furniture," she said.

Materials used in an outdoor kitchen matter as much as the appliances. They should be chosen based on their ability to endure the weather extremesof the area. (Photo courtesy of Housewarmings Outdoor)

     Some savvy casual businesses have begun striking relationships with design professionals in order to buildtheir outdoor kitchen design knowledge and expertise. "The connection makes sense because the outdoor kitchen has changed," Brody said.

A heart aflame – choosing the right grill     One of the most important pieces to get right in outdoor kitchen design is its heart -the grill. "You haveto have a ‘badass' grill," Noble said. "It's the focal point."     Faulk said getting the grill right is "absolutely critical" to a homeowner's overall satisfaction with their outdoor kitchen. "It's where the cooking occurs," he said.     Asking the right questions helps uncover a homeowner's cooking personality. "Are they doing straightgrilling? Smoking? Barbecue? Roasting?" are the questionsFaulk recommends asking. "Different grills have different

strengths," he said.     "Understand the grills, know the different technologies," Scott said. "You're selling a lifestyle experience, not just dollars and BTUs."     Renfroe said knowing the importance of the grill to a homeowner's cooking style can lead to some unexpected design results. "We have done outdoor kitchens for $10,000 with a $700 grill head. Others that are $9,000 have a $7,000 grill head. It's hard to understand," he said.

How Does your Garden Grow? The role of Therapeutic Landscapes in Design

What does landscaping mean to you?  Most likely, not nearly enough.  Too easily, we view it as decorative, a “nice to have” part of a project.  However, as we learn more about salutogenic design and the effects of the environment on wellness (everything from healing to better job performance), landscape starts to become a critical element, one which should form the basis of design.  With this in mind, I asked Naomi Sachs, Founder

and Director of the Therapeutic Landscapes Network (TLN) to share some insights on the power of nature.  Naomi is a landscape architect and recognized expert in therapeutic landscape design, and part of the Center for Health Design’s Environmental Standards Council working on expanding the Environment of Care section of the 2014 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities.  Rather that helping afflicted people to feelless bad, her goal is to use landscape to make them feel good:Usually, when architects think about landscaping, we think about outdoor rooms or ways to enhance areas like building entries or parking lots. What are your suggestions for getting more landscaping inside of buildings?Nature needs to be viewed as a part of the built environment.  While being out in nature is best, bringingit indoors with interior gardens, atria, or even potted plants is the next best thing. A great recent example of nature incorporated within the building is the Stoneman Healing Garden at Dana Farber’s Yawkey Center for Cancer Care. Providing windows is an excellent way to allow visual access to nature, which is especially important when people can’t go outside. Allowing for views out alsolets natural light in (one study found that patients in east facing rooms who were exposed to morning sunlight did better than other patients), and “advertises” the garden, which then encourages use.  Research has also shown that while images of nature, like artwork or videos, do help people, they are not as effective as views of nature through a window or – best yet - an experience of real nature. Using natural materials (wood,stone, etc.) is another way to “bring nature in” to an indoor space.

In terms of facilitating access to the outdoors, transitions from one to the other are critical: Architects must design to minimize barriers (providing flat thresholds, doors that are easy to open, etc.) and allow for transitional spaces, such as a paved area with an awning where people can enjoy the outdoors close to the building, even in inclement weather, and can get a sense of the space before they venture out into it.

How do you explain the link between nature and wellness?Biophilia – our innate attraction to life and living things - is intangible, but research is working towards measurable results. The book Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-Being, by the neuroscientist Esther Sternberg, addresses the role of nature not only in reducing stress, but also in eliciting positive psychological and physiological responses.  For example, Sternberg documents how seratonin receptors in the brain,when exposed to positive sensory stimuli, light up. She posits that being outside creates multiple positive stimuli (and therefore more seratonin) because it’s a multi-sensory environment.  You can hear the birds, feel the sun on your face, smell flowers or freshly mown grass.  Being outdoors also enables exercise, and tends to facilitate social connections because people are more relaxed. At the San Diego Hospice, the nurse leading my tour of the facility observed that people shared more about themselves and their situation when outside. 

Kuo and Taylor have published several studies that measure the positive impact of green settings in reducingADHD symptoms, and the correlation of trees in a neighborhood to reduced domestic violence, lower crime rates, and higher self esteem.  These studies show, empirically, that people in environments with nature do better.  Research by Whitney Gray presented at Greenbuild2011  focused on sick building syndrome.  Gray looked at sick days, turnover, stress, and ability to concentrate; when access to nature was provided, there was a measurable improvement in all of these factors. Debajyoti, Harvey, and Barach showed that nurses who had a view of gardens over those who just had access to natural light, or no windows at all, were better able to concentrate and had less long-term stress. When you thinkabut the fact that it can cost around $60,000 to train each new hire, the economic benefit of providing access to nature is huge. [Full citation is below]

Maintenance is always a concern when it comes to landscaping- I’ve actually worked with healthcare clients who wanted nothing but grass in the areas

they “had” to landscape for ease of maintenance.  What kind of recommendations can you make to landscape skeptics about using plantings?Access to nature just makes good business sense. Studies by Roger Ulrich, confirmed by others, have demonstrated less need for pain medication, improved patient satisfaction, faster recovery rates, and many other examples of improved outcomes for patients and staff. When you really look at the benefits of providing access to nature, the return on investment (ROI) justifies the initial cost and lifetime maintenance.  Hospitals need tosee landscaping as a strategic investment in the same manner they would the purchase of a new MRI.

Sure, a lawn is better than no landscaping at all, but when you consider the benefits of gardens and more designed landscaping, you can make the argument for the cost of maintenance. A study by Matsuoka showed that students viewing just lawn vs. a more varied view that included trees and shrubs performed better. Access to a lawn is often restricted; it may be wet or uneven, and wheelchairs cannot travel on it.  Lawns are best as one element in children’s play areas, since they – especiallyvisiting children - need to run around and blow off steam. [In case you want the full citation: Matsuoka, Rodney (2010). “Student Performance and High School Landscapes: Examining Links.” Landscape and Urban Planning, Vol. 97]. Incidentally, lawns actually take a LOT of money to maintain: They need regular irrigation, fertilization, mowing, leaf-blowing, etc. Facilities thatare using alternative landscapes such as native meadows and rain gardens are finding significant savings after the initial investment. And at the same time, they are sending a very positive message about their commitment environmental as well as human health. It’s all related.

That being said, the landscape architect needs to know the resources and capabilities the client is willing or able to put into the project – up front and for the future - and design around that. Your typical “mow and blow” crew is not qualified to handle anything more than routine maintenance, so there needs to be a funding strategy in place for an annual maintenance budget. It’s

also a good idea to create a maintenance manual for staffor an outside landscaper to follow.Some healthcare facilities, usually those with a horticultural therapy program (http://www.healinglandscapes.org/related/hort-therapy.html),  integrate gardens into physical and occupational therapy.  This is a great way to provide benefit to patients while keeping the garden expertly maintained. The gardens at Legacy Health (http://www.legacyhealth.org/Gardens), in Portland, OR, are excellent examples of this strategy.Healing gardens can be easy to raise money for because they are “warm and fuzzy.” The institution can also use the space for social events and to generate PR (promotional materials, events, press releases, etc.). The likelihood of assisted living facility resident referrals has been shown to increase with the quality of the grounds.

What is the difference between landscaping and a garden?  Is it only about habitation?In general, I would say that a “landscape” is any outdoorspace, wild or designed, and a “garden” is a designed space. A restorative landscape is simply an outdoor spacethat makes you feel good when you’re in it. To me, “landscaping” implies decorative elements like a lawn, shrubs, some trees, and is not necessarily intended for interaction.  A therapeutic (or healing) garden is a space designed for a specific population (children, cancer patients, people with Alzheimer’s) and a specific intended outcome (stress reduction, positive distraction,rehabilitation). This is not to say that landscaping isn’t important. Well-designed and maintained landscapes communicate to patients and their families that they willreceive a high level of care, and this can happen from the moment you cross the property line.  Even areas such as parking lots can utilize landscape to provide and reinforce the overall image and mission of the facility.

What is landscaping’s role in wayfinding?This goes back to the importance of views outside from

indoors. As a wayfinding tool, a garden stands out as a strong landmark, something people notice and remember.  Plantings - indoors and out - can also provide visual cues or themes for a space.  Again, when well-integrated with design, views to a garden can also act as advertisement for that space.  So often, gardens are underutilized because people (even staff!) don’t know they exist.  Signage can help, but creating direct views to the garden is the best way to ensure that people use it.

Landscape is a blanket term that includes plantings, water feature, site furniture and hardscape elements like pavers and walls. How does your ideal therapeutic garden utilize these elements?My ideal garden would focus on the needs of the user population (patients, visitors, staff) and would be designed based on evidence, but also with a heavy dose ofempathy and inspiration. As with any good design, there are parameters, but we can never just tick off boxes on achecklist. All landscape elements – overall layout, paths, seating, hardscape, plantings, water features – should facilitate health and well-being. Two useful theoretical frameworks are Ulrich’s Theory of Supportive Design, in which a space supports the users by reducing stress; increasing a sense of control; encouraging socialsupport; and facilitating physical movement and exercise.And Stephen and Rachel Kaplan’s theory of environmental preference, which calls for an emphasis on coherence, complexity, legibility, and mystery. I would add that especially in the healthcare environment, outdoor spaces must be safe and comfortable, and should provide a markedcontrast to “the hospital,” which is often perceived as avery cold, alien, intimidating environment. Finally, all of the elements should contribute to that positive multisensory experience we talked about earlier to help people feel not just “not bad,” but instead “good.” That is true salutogenic design.

How does this play into prospect/refuge theory in biophilic design?It is really important to design with this in mind.  People like to survey the space from a protected vantage point.  Creating transitional space like a covered patio

at the entrance to the garden is important, especially for elderly people who may not feel safe going directly outside.  Those with certain psychiatric issues, including autism, like to be “read” a space before immersing themselves in it.  Good designs create transition spaces throughout including shade to sun and walking and seating areas, and “nooks” or nodes where people can feel a sense of security and even privacy.   

It’s not unknown for a project to get landscape elements value engineered outdue to budget concerns. What’s your advice for architects regarding how to work best with landscape architects and really integrate their work into the design so that the landscape elements become less expendable to the client?Bring the LA in right away! Landscape architects are valuable members of the interdisciplinary project team [or A/E team] and they need to be included in the conceptual design phase. LAs have so much more to offer than simply “putting the parsley around the meatloaf.” Their site planning expertise can be a great asset to preserve open space, maximize views, create walking paths, take advantage of existing natural amenities, and to create that “healing experience” that starts at the entry drive, not just in some tucked-away “healing garden” courtyard. They can assist in design of the building to maximize visual and physical access to nature, both indoors and out. They can also best address EPA standards and maximize LEED and Green Guide For Healthcare points and help make sustainable measures likestormwater management or green roofs into design features.

It is important to use a landscape architect trained in healthcare design for healthcare projects (the TLN has a list of designers and consultants who specialize in this field). They know the research and requirements for each specific user population; they have the experience in this particular area and so they know how to do pre-occupancy evaluations and talk to the various stakeholders: Healthcare providers, facilities and maintenance staff, the C-Suite, board members and donors,patients and community members. They can be allies in your design efforts because they have the experience,

examples and precedents to share with clients regarding the sustainable or evidence-based value of a design decision.

Can you talk a little bit about the book you are working on with Clare Cooper Marcus?  What kind of issues are you looking at?his book (to be published by John Wiley and Sons in 2013)will address a lot of the issues we’ve talked about in this interview.  Marcus and Barnes’ Healing Gardens: Therapeutic Benefits and Design Recommendations has been considered “the bible” for evidence-based therapeutic garden design, but it is over 10 years old and has becomequite expensive. More recent research, examples of built works, and issues such as sustainability and “healing-washing” (just as with “green-washing,” the “healing gardens” fad is raising some important questions) make this new book timely. Our book will be accessible, economically and aesthetically, to designers, health and human service providers, students and others interested in the role of landscape in promoting health and well-being. The heart of the book will be design guidelines that are applicable to all patient populations and settings, as well as guidelines for specific users (hospice, cancer care, people with PTSD, etc.), and we will be drawing on many examples of built works to illustrate various theories and practical applications. Other chapters will focus on history, theory, and definitions; the design process; funding; maintenance; and more. Clare and I are both very excited, and from thefeedback we’re getting, others feel the same way.

I encourage all of you to explore the wonderful resource that is the TLN site. You don’t have to be a landscape architect to take advantage of the TLN as a springboard for your sustainability and evidence based design research or as a resource for finding a great landscape architect specializing in healthcare.  How will you harness the power of  landscape and gardens on your next project?

*Citation: Debajyoti Pati, Tom Harvey Jr., Paul Barach (2008). “Relationships Between Exterior Views and Nurse Stress: An

Exploratory Examination.” Health Environments Research & Design Journal, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 27-38.Exterior views of nature decreased stress and increased alertness in pediatric nurses.Abstract: Objective: Examine the relationships between acute stress and alertness of nurse, and duration and content of exterior views from nurse work areas. Background: Nursing is a stressful job, and the impacts of stress on performance are well documented. Nursing stress, however, has been typically addressed through operational interventions, although the ability of the physical environment to modulate stress in humans is well known. This study explores the outcomes of exposure to exterior views from nurse work areas. Methods: A survey-based method was used to collect data on acute stress, chronic stress, and alertness of nurses before and after 12-hour shifts. Control measures included physical environment stressors(that is, lighting, noise, thermal, and ergonomic), organizational stressors, workload, and personal characteristics (that is, age, experience, and income). Data were collected from 32 nurses on 19 different units at two hospitals (part of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta) in November 2006.Results: Among the variables considered in the study view duration is the second most influential factor affecting alertness and acute stress. The association between view duration and alertness and stress is conditional on the exterior viewcontent (that is, nature view, non-nature view). Of all the nurses whose alertness level remained the same or improved, almost 60% had exposure to exterior and nature view. In contrast, of all nurses whose alertness levels deteriorated, 67% were exposed to no view or to only non-nature view. Similarly, of all nurses whose acute stress condition remained the same or reduced, 64% had exposure to views (71% of that 64% were exposed to a nature view). Of nurses whose acute stress levels increased, 56% had no view or only a non-nature view. Conclusions: Although long working hours, overtime, and sleep deprivation are problems in healthcare operations, the physical design of units is only now beginning to be considered seriously in evaluating patient outcomes.

« This Week in Landscape | 22 January 2012 Central Delaware Riverfront Master Plan receives 2012 Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects »

Manchester Airport City | Manchester UKBy Damian Holmes on January 23, 2012

Designated as one of the UK Government’s new Enterprise Zones last March, the Airport City project has received asubstantial amount of interest and the detailed masterplan created by Manchester Airports Group (MAG) with Urban Strategies Inc., Drivers Jonas Deloitte, and Jones Lang LaSalle, including 5Plus Architects, AECOM, Davis Langdon and Planit. The masterplan sets out the vision to transform Manchester Airport from a transport hub into an international business destination.

Existing Site Condition

Building on the global connectivity offered by the airport location, the 150-acre regeneration scheme will deliver over five-million square feet of new high-qualitybusiness premises, with the aim of attracting international companies that would not previously have located in the region, or even the UK.

Future Masterplan Aerial Perspective

Becoming fully operational from April 2012, it is estimated that the wider 116-hectare Manchester Enterprise Zone will create up to 20,000 new jobs over the next 15-years. The Airport City project will be a focal point of the Manchester Enterprise Zone proposition, alongside a MediPark development at University Hospital South Manchester and Wythenshawe towncentre – sites all linked by a new Metrolink tramline currently under construction – and complemented by a series of smaller opportunity sites in across South Manchester.

The detailed ‘stage two’ Masterplan for Airport City, identifies the creation of two core Airport City zones. The first is a development area adjacent to the airport’sexisting railway station and to north of the M56, which will focus on hotel, office, retail and advanced manufacturing uses – whilst a second area adjacent to theexisting cargo centre at Junction 6 of the M56, will focus on freight and logistics uses.

This stage of the Masterplanning has focused on reviewingthe concept for Airport City and how Manchester can interpret elements of existing Airport Cities across the world in its own unique fashion, including what it looks like, how the infrastructure works and how the development integrates with both the existing airport campus itself, and surrounding neighbourhoods such as Wythenshawe.

Sustainability and connectivity are identified in the Masterplan as the key elements in the design – the main central business district of Airport City to the north ofthe M56 will be linked to the airport terminals and The Station by a series of wide, landscaped ‘green bridges’ based on New York’s elevated urban park, the Highline. This will ensure that every part of the northern Airport City zone is within an eight-minute walk from the airport’s coach, bus and rail hub. A new Metrolink line to the airport and Wythenshawe is now under-construction and will also serve Airport City when it opens 2016.

A landscaped ‘Central Park’ area of over 800m long, featuring a number of pavilions and a large-scale event space, will form the centrepiece of Airport City, along with traditional components of a conventional city centresuch as retail outlets, coffee houses, bars and restaurants. The Central Park will also integrate with

the existing green space at Painswick Park in order to provide greater connectivity from Wythenshawe’s WoodhousePark housing estate so that Painswick Park benefits from a series of regenerative enhancements as a result.

Images Courtesy of  Manchester Airports Group (MAG)

« Central Delaware Riverfront Master Plan receives 2012 Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects Riverside Park South Waterfront | New York USA | Thomas Balsley Associates »

Mubarak Bin Mohammed Cycle One School | Abu Dhabi UAE | Broadway MalyanBy Damian Holmes on January 25, 2012

Learning environments are constantly evolving to stay in stride with the world around us. The factors that influence how and where we choose to educate our future generation are many. With the pace of the world’s technological innovation, and the increasing level of convenience and distraction it provides, there is a realistic concern that people, kids especially, risk losing a tangible connection and respect for the natural world. As a landscape architect, being asked to shape an educational environment, the first responsibility is to create a healthy, safe and inspirational setting. Secondly, it is an opportunity to bring the natural worldout of the background, and back into focus in a fun and inspiring way.

Right: Drew Kent (Landscape Architect & article author) Left: Nick Davies (Architect)

It was clear at the beginning of the design process that the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) endeavored to create something forward thinking, progressive and special for the children of Abu Dhabi, making a departurefrom institutional and architectural norms. It was also clear that an efficient and functional landscape would bea key part of the educational experience they aimed to create. In typical institutional settings, the landscape is often just used as a backdrop or to help create a scene.  But at the Mubarak Bin Mohammed School in Abu Dhabi, Broadway Malyan’s landscape architects have taken the resources that are poured into the landscape – the water, the planting, the maintenance – and used those to serve the children, the school and the learning environment as a whole, creating a multi-use, educationallandscape.

Any newly conceived landscape must respond to its own unique programme and context to be successful. Abu Dhabi presents an especially challenging context for creating afunctional, educational landscape. Even though schools are not in session at the hottest times of the year, 3-4 months of the academic calendar are still impacted by extremely hot and humid conditions. It is important stillto acknowledge and foster the idea that the learning environment extends beyond the walls of the classroom, and lessons shouldn’t be limited to indoors only.

Local climate and cultural sensibilities have traditionally caused schools in Abu Dhabi to be quite enclosed and inwardly oriented. The Mubarak bin Mohammed School is noticeably more open and outward focused. In plan the school is composed of a single large building mirrored across a centerline to create a distinct division between boys and girls facilities. Tall date palms (Phoenix dactylifera) frame the entry and function to direct movement on site. The main entrance is marked by adeeply set glass façade creating a welcoming arrival. This feature alone immediately sets a broad-minded and inspirational tone to the whole scheme. External learningareas, play areas and sensory gardens spill out from the main building into multi-use landscaped plazas surroundedby a funky boundary wall. A generous outdoor “Eco-courtyard” unfolds at the heart of the school injecting life and allowing natural light to flood into the surrounding interior spaces while also acting as a flexible space and spill-out area for the labs, dining rooms and classrooms that surround it.

While the eco-courtyard space brings natural light into the building core, it also increases solar exposure potentially causing temperatures to sore, both inside and

out. In order to mitigate these factors and to prevent this space from becoming dead, uninviting, and unusable, offering an appropriate mix of sun and shade is vital. Nearly every surface that casts shade into the courtyard is coated with photovoltaic cells that capture the sun’s energy, and direct it to the building to offset the overall energy consumption.

Beyond photovoltaic shading, the eco-courtyard features two separate vertical garden elements that enhance environmental comfort and offer additional opportunities for landscape-based learning. Living walls are set in niches on either side of the space, extending the full two-storey height of the courtyard. The vertical gardens are made from large PVC frames that contain hundreds of small nylon pockets, each of which holds a separate plant. Alternanthera spp., Portulaca grandiflora, Sesuvium portulacastrum, and Rhoeo discolor dominate, and a line of drip irrigation feeds off a single vertical mainline to water each horizontal row of plants.

The second vertical garden element of the eco-courtyard is a specialized steel structure we’ve dubbed the ‘Eco-tree’. This free-standing structure supports a vertical garden topped with photovoltaic panels for additional shading. The eco-tree is a fully interactive landscape structure accessible to the school children. The “tree” is one of the key spaces where outdoor lessons can take place. The intention is to encourage students to explore the practical benefits of learning to look after plants by seeing first-hand how they grow, are harvested, and recycled. We imagine part of the science lesson could be held within the eco-tree itself.

The planting in the vertical gardens and eco-tree actively demonstrate the important role that landscape, trees and plants can play in creating more sustainable urban environments. They help to clean and cool the air, improve humidity and provide shade in the courtyard. In doing so, they make a positive contribution to the performance of the building by helping to reduce the amount of energy it consumes.

Of all the positive roles for plants to play in the school, shade is the most important. Estidama, Abu Dhabi’s local sustainable development initiative, requires that 60 percent shade be provided to all outdoorgathering spaces and 75 percent to all pathways, and an additional 40 percent to all parking areas. This is a serious challenge from both a design and a budgetary perspective. However, this provides yet another opportunity to show what plants can really do. Trees provide a far better shading experience than do architectural shade structures. Trees mitigate the moisture in the air and cool the wind and breezes that flow through them. If you were to sit in an exterior courtyard under an architectural shade and then under a tree, the environment would be much cooler under the tree. A mature tree can actually provide as much as 20-30percent more cooling than an architectural shade. This isvital to understand and creating a functional and inviting landscapes in the UAE.

The real power of the school’s landscape lies in a careful understanding of the site’s context and a thoughtful response this context through efficient use oflandscape resources the make the exterior spaces more usable. In doing so the landscape does in fact emerge from the background, making a functional contribution to the daily lives of the people in the school. It moves beyond the ornamental and points to a future when the real value of the natural world is harnessed and recognized.

Text by Drew Kent, Landscape Architect at Broadway Malyan

Design Firm:                  Broadway Malyan

Architects:                    Nick Davies, Salim Hussain, Ben Somner, Alvaro Visier

Landscape Architects:    Drew Kent, Beth L’Estrange,

News Article:                 Nick Leech / The National

Additional Text (below):   Drew Kent / Broadway Malyan

Images:                         Silvia Razgova / The National

« Manchester Airport City | Manchester UK Mubarak Bin Mohammed Cycle One School | Abu Dhabi UAE | Broadway Malyan »

Central Delaware Riverfront Master Plan receives 2012 Honor Award from the American Institute of ArchitectsBy Damian Holmes on January 24, 2012

© Kieran Timblerlake / Brooklyn Digital Foundry

The Central Delaware Riverfront Master Plan has received a 2012 Honor Award in the category of Regional and Urban Design from the American Institute of Architects. OLIN worked in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team including Cooper Robertson & Partners, KieranTimberlake, HR&A Advisors and over thirty stakeholder groups to create the master plan for the riverfront in downtown Philadelphia.

© OLIN

The master plan addresses six miles—924 acres—of urban waterfront and features access to public parks at half-mile intervals, using landscape as the connective tissue between new and old fragments of the city.

“Our multi-disciplinary team developed a 25-year implementation strategy that is visionary—yet practical—for Philadelphia’s waterfront,” stated OLIN CEO and Partner Lucinda Sanders, who led OLIN’s participation in the project.

Central Delaware Riverfront Master Plan will appear in the upcoming #04 edition of WLA Quarterly Magazine

IMAGES Courtesy of OLIN – Copyright as noted

Project Consultants

Landscape Architect: OLIN

Urban Design Team Leader: Cooper, Robertson & Partners

Architect/Sustainability: KieranTimberlake

Economic Consultant: HR&A Advisors

Outreach Consultant: Hurley Franks & Associates

Waterfront Policy Advisor: Toni L. Griffin

Wealth Building Consultant: Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition

Transportation Engineer: Parsons Brinckerhoff

Civil Engineer: KS Engineers, P.C.

Cost Estimator: Davis Langdon

Land Use Counsel: Blank Rome LLP

Activation Programming: Karin Bacon Enterprises

Supporting Architect: Kelly/Maiello

Planning Consultant: CHPlanning

Historic & Cultural Resources: Emily T. Cooperman, PhD

Archaeological Resources: Katharine Woodhouse‐Beyer, PhD

« THE LENS by Michael Maltzan Architecture wins St.Petersburg Pier Design Competition Manchester Airport City | Manchester UK »

This Week in Landscape | 22 January 2012By Damian Holmes on January 22, 2012

This weeks round-up of landscape news and views from around the web

The design at the centre of Tim Waterman discussion: 'Snail and Snake Mound' Garden of Cosmic Speculation (Image Credit: Flickr user yellowbook)

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Nature as Infrastructure An  architecture  report  from  Haerbin City  by  Ethel Baraona Pohl

Turenscape's founder Kongjian Yu demonstrates how nature can be a cost-free service provider in an urban context. Ecology is a synonym of economy

Landscape urbanism is a cross-disciplinary profession where surfaces are manipulated and artificial terrains are created. In this context, Kongjian Yu founded Turenscape in 1999 after taking his doctorate degree at Harvard University. He began teaching, trying illustrate alternative ways of understanding the urban process. But what happened when students and architects asked him to go from theory to practice? With this question in mind, we talked with Kongjian Yu about his most recent project,the Qunli National Urban Wetland.

Ethel Baraona: Let's talk about the close relationship you have with natural environments. Where does this interest come from?Kongjian Yu In Chinese tu means dirt, earth and ren means people, man. So, Turenscape means "people from the land", the wonderful metaphor behind our name is that we are "the land and the people". I come from a rural area and grew up with people who lived there for decades, which gave me a true sense of nature. I started Turenscape with my wife and a friend. One of our first projects began in 2000. We finished it in 2002. Suddenly it became really famous. People were admiring projects they never had seenbefore in China.

SectionArchitecture AuthorEthel Baraona Pohl PhotographyKongjian Yu Published19 Jan 2012 KeywordsKongjian Yu, landscape design, Turenscape, urbanism LocationHaerbin City

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The elevated walkway around Qunli National Urban Wetland. This storm-water project on the eastern outskirts of Haerbin City in northeast China is a national reserve. The 34.2 hectares of former wetland aresurrounded on four sides by roads and dense development. 32 million m2 of buildings will be constructed here in the coming two decades

I suppose this interest comes from a real need.That's right. People need ecological ways of thinking. We

don't want to simply do huge projects. We try to find solutions for every specific situation.

In the Qunli National Urban Wetland you worked with a multidisciplinary team, didn't you?We have a multidisciplinary team: architects, landscape architects, biologists, urban planners, environmentalistsand engineers. Our projects are not merely landscape design. They are urban projects.

While leaving a major core of the wetland untouched for natural evolution, the pondand- mound ring surrounding the swamp is a buffer zone that filters storm water for the core wetland and acts as a barrier between nature andthe city

Thinking along these lines (landscape projects as urban projects constructed in the cities and not in the periphery) it's easier to understand the concept of "ecological infrastructure" that you use in your work.I speak of "ecological infrastructure" because I believe that nature has the capacity to clean water and air and regulate flows. Nature has the capacity to provide life and joy to human beings. Usually we can't afford all these services easily, right? I think that nature is a security pattern.

That's wonderful but radical thinking.People usually depend on man-made infrastructure: drain pipes, motorways, lamp-posts... These provide services, but are expensive and sometimes even unnecessary. For example, in order to drain water we think that we need huge pipes. Or to prevent floods we think that we need big concrete structures. Our cities depend on these unsustainable pieces of infrastructure. It's a poor approach to urbanisation. My idea is that nature can provide even better service, for free. That's how we can define nature as infrastructure.

"Huge surfaces of impermeable concrete and rainfall concentrated in the summer months lead to flood risk in Haerbin without even taking climate change into account"

General plan of Qunli National Urban Wetland. Turenscapeused a simple cut-and-fill technique to create the necklace of ponds and mounds that surrounds the wetland as a buffer zone

Can you explain how the Qunli National Urban Wetland works to provide these services?The wetland in the project acts like a sponge, absorbing the water. It's a project for storm water management. With this project we stop depending on drainage to flush floodwater.

Water has a spiritual, emotional meaning for Chinese people. How do you use this cultural influence in the project?China is a country where people need to have the power todeal with water, because we have a monsoon climate, causing flood problems. Due to its intrinsic presence, itis also a philosophical issue. Industrialisation has led us to clean water by means of chemicals and mechanical engineering, and this destroys the whole meaning of water. The scientific understanding of "water" reduces itto H2O. But water is not just H2O. Water is a living

system. It is related to land, life, vegetation and food.Water has colour and smell. We need to go back to the ecological meaning of water.

A network of walkways is built into the pond-andmound ring allowing visitors to observe the wetland, which Turenscape planted with native marsh grasses and silver birch trees. Platforms and viewing towers lend panoramic views of the surroundings

Why is there is a global interest in water nowadays?I think it's a post-modernist way of thinking. We experienced the industrial age and we now understand thatscientific or mechanical approaches are not enough. We can never fight against water or against nature. Nature has its own forces and human beings are part of this. Maybe we are coming around after having suffered in the past. Now we know that we have much better ways to deal with nature.

As for the Qunli National Urban Wetland project, I was surprised that it was built in just 18 months. How did you do that?Yes, from design to finish it was about two years. We were asked to design a park, but then we thought about the different meanings that the term "park" can have today. We considered the park as an ecosystem, and working with nature is always faster and easier than starting from zero. That's why this park has a multifunctional approach. It is a recreational space, it can hold and clean water, it supports life. During the design process, we transformed the park into a wetland, using storm water. This ecosystem provides natural services that make the city more resilient, maintain biodiversity and are productive at the same time.

Turenscape, Qunli National Urban Wetland, 2011

Is ecology part of an economical system?That is a key point. Economy means ecology. Nature has nowaste. If species can't have minimum energy to survive, they die. So, nature is economy. We should consider the

city as an organism and parks should provide all these services. At the same time this project is very economic.We used a very simple cut-and-fill system on the ring with a minimum cost. We built the sky-walk, a kind of jungle inside the park, with wood, bamboo, stone: all local materials. And it is important as a social node too.

Turenscape, Qunli National Urban Wetland, 2011

Qunli National Urban WetlandDesign Architects: TurenscapeDesign Principal: Kongjian Yu

Design Team: Long Xiang, Han Xiaoye , SongBen ming, Li Hongli, Zhang Wen juan, Men Fanx in, Men g Xiangyun, Li Guo, Zhang Li, Giuan Miaomiao, Xu Bo, Yuan enk ai, He Chong, Chen Feng, Lin HongClient: The Municipal Government of Haerbin CitySurface: 34.2 HADesign Phase: 06/2009—11/2009Construction Phase: 2011

The cross-disciplinary project is an urban stormwater park and a national nature reserve. It filters storm water from the city and protects against flooding. The new urban district of Qunli New Town was zoned with only 16.4% of developable land as permeable green space

Revisiting the Urban Design Streetscape ManualPosted by Chris Bateman / January 20, 2012

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If you have ever wondered how the City ensures Spadina Avenue matches College Street and University matches Bloor in terms of street furniture and zoning then the Urban Design Streetscape Manual is just for you. Althoughit's been online for roughly a year and half, it's one ofthose documents that just doesn't get much attention — and if you're an urban form geek, that's a shame.

Providing in-depth information on the positing of sidewalk paving, trees, medians, street furniture and lighting, the manual is intended to make Toronto's municipal requirements easy for designers and interested citizens to access and understand. You don't have to be

an engineer to get something out of the manual — there are plenty of insights for curious-minded people who lovea good diagram as well.

Born out of the new zoning bylaw, which designed to iron out many of the creases created by amalgamation, the manual was compiled by the Civic Improvement Program and made available in summer 2010.

There's a wealth of information on the oft-criticized Coordinated Street Furniture Program that covers the appearance and location of garbage cans, the original info/map pillars, bus and streetcar shelters and public bathroom(s) among other everyday street-side objects, along with specific details about how each right of way is divided from the storefront to the yellow lines or streetcar tracks in the middle of the street.

The manual also recently added training sessions to make some of the finer details easier to digest. Take a look and explore the level of fastidious detail that's gone into planning the city's streetscape, for better or worse.

Gardens and Language — What’s the Missing Link?January 23, 2012 By blackwalnutdispatch 16 Comments

Garden sculpture at Little Sparta, designed by Ian Hamilton Finlay

I’m always fascinated by the ways that garden design intersects with other art forms.  The connection between gardens and painting is obvious and intuitive, and has a long history in garden design.  After all, English landscape “improvers” like Capability Brown were really attempting to create idealized landscapes common in paintings by the likes of Poussin and Lorraine.

The vistas at Stourhead were created in the same spirit as paintings of idealized landscapes by Renaissance artists.

Gertrude Jekyll was a painter before she became a garden designer and her borders are often said to be composed with a painter’s eye.  And most of us are familiar with Monet’s garden at Giverny, which he called his “most beautiful masterpiece.”

Thanks to its three dimensional nature, sculpture, too, is a natural partner of garden design, and sculptureand statuary have been features of garden design since its beginnings.

One art form that we don’t often find incorporated into garden design these days is language.  Poetry.  I’m not talking about the cute little signs you can buy at the garden center that say stuff like ”So many weeds, so little thyme.”  No, I mean language fused intentionally and thoughtfully with other components of a garden by thedesigner.  I mean language that is integral to a design rather than just thrown in as an afterthought.

The Chinese were good at this.  They liked poetry in their gardens, and not just in the form of cute puns. 

Descriptive signs and inscribed couplets are found all over ancient Chinese scholar gardens.  Rather than just labeling parts of the garden with something straightforward like “Meditation Garden” or “Woods Path,”Chinese scholars were meticulous in selecting just the right morally and aesthetically pleasing name.  Check these out these descriptors:

The Gorge of Dripping Verdure

The Grotto of Secret Clouds

The Wind of Autumn over the Ocean of the World

The inscription over this moongate says "Read the painting; Listen to the fragrance."

Maybe a little over the top, but you’ve got to appreciatetheir passion for language and their desire to capture the spirit of the garden in words.  We certainly don’t try that hard.

In addition to signs and names, Chinese strolling gardensoften featured couplets written on vertical panels to resemble scrolls of calligraphy.  Maggie Keswick, in The Chinese Garden, said that these couplets aimed for “just theright mixture of tradition and metaphor” and offered thisexample from The Drunkard’s Pavillion:

“Three pole-thrust lengths of bankside willows green,one fragrant breath of bankside flowers sweet.”

Not bad.  Ten syllables each line, sweet rhythm, Shakespeare would give it a thumbs up.  Actually, what interests me more is the idea of having a “Drunkard’s Pavilion” in the first place.  Seems there was a place inthe garden for all manner of folk back in ancient China.

Couplets were also added to Chinese gardens by groups of visiting literati, who would stroll around and comment on all of the garden’s surprising and artful features.  Polished rocks and other surfaces were left clear so that visitors could inscribe their impressions and emotions, and these bits of poetic commentary were thought to lend richness and erudition to the garden.  Keswick notes:

“In China a garden is often compared to a piece of landscape art, and the inscriptions in a garden are perfectly analagous to the colophons in a painting.”

Chinese landscape painting with colophons

I haven’t done exhaustive research or anything, but it seems to me that language and poetry is nearly absent

from western garden design.  With the exception of Biblical and literary quotes in cemeteries and memorials, I really cannot think of any well-known gardens that integrate the written word with other elements of landcape design.

Of course, there is Ian Hamilton Finlay.  This Scottish poet and sculptor, who passed away in 2006, mixed up language and landscape in a most intriguing way.  On an abandoned farm in the hills near Edinburgh, Finlay created a landscape infused with language.  A visitor to this landscape — which Finlay named Little Sparta — will encounter words and phrases at every turn.  The inscriptions appear in all manner of objects: rocks, plaques, urns, bridges, statuary, etc. and may be subtle or (as in the photo below) quite assertive.

What exactly Finlay was up to with his landscape art I cannot say.  This website for Wild Hawthorn Press, which publishes art books about Finlay, states that “Little Sparta is a deliberate correction of the modern sculpturegarden through its maker’s revisiting the Neoclassical tradition of the garden as a place provocative of poetic,philosophic and even political thought.”

While you’re chewing on that, here’s another piece of (would you call it sculpture?) from Little Sparta:

“A cottage, a field, a plow.”  The inscription makes me think of Scottish crofters, the small, self-sufficient farmers who were driven off their land by the English during the Highland Clearances.  The sequence of three singular nouns has a nice rhythm – ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum – iambs I believe.  The language complements the simple, home-spun wooden gate.  Gorgeous.  The whole vignette — the gate, the poetry, the sense of anticipation created for the visitor — is certainly reminiscent of the thresholds in ancient Chinese scholar gardens.  See:

Metropolitan Museum of Art reveals Fifth Avenue plaza design by OLINBy Damian Holmes on February 8, 20123

Fifth Avenue Steps looking South © OLIN

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has unveiled OLIN’s designs for the four-block-long outdoor plaza that runs in front of its landmark Fifth Avenue façade, from 80th to 84th Streets in Manhattan.

The plan also calls for the creation of new fountains—to replace the deteriorating ones that have been in use since they were built in the 1970s along with the existing plaza. The fountains will be positioned closer to the Museum’s front steps, improving access to its street-level public entrances at 81st and 83rd Streets. The renovated plaza will also feature tree-shaded allées (in place of the current trees that have limited lifespans and low environmental benefits due to their

planting conditions), permanent and temporary seating areas, and entirely new, energy-efficient and diffused nighttime lighting. Seasonal planting will be added alongthe building to provide color and visual interest throughout the year. All of these new features respect and complement the architectural highlights of the landmark façade and the monumental, recently refurbished central stairs. OLIN, the landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm, has been retained by the Museum as the lead design consultant for the project.

View of Fifth Avenue Plaza ©OLIN

 

Forty years have passed since the last renovation to the Metropolitan Museum’s Fifth Avenue presence, when the design emphasis focused on accommodating vehicular access. Today, pedestrian access is a greater priority, and some of the exterior works—including the fountains,

trees, limited seating, and paving—have aged beyond repair. In particular, no long-term solution has been found for maintaining the fountains, which recently underwent a round of temporary repairs. The Museum will leave untouched the most iconic element of the prior design, the monumental front steps at 82nd Street.

Fountain ©Fluidity Design Consultants

The new design includes an improved Museum access with additional seating and new North American granite paving to accommodate numerous visitors and pedestrians.

Fountains 

A pair of contemporary granite fountains, designed by theaward-winning firm Fluidity Design Consultants, would be operational year-round, bracketing the grand stairs to create an energized connection between people sitting on the steps and those at the fountains, while punctuating the long plaza along Fifth Avenue with attractive water elements. Each fountain would be a quiet square form inset with a circular stone dome, with seating on long stone benches placed adjacent to the north and south

edges of the pools. A circular basin would be subtracted from the rectilinear stone form to reveal a shallow stonedome occupying the basin’s negative space and generating a lens effect in the pool’s water volume. Evenly spaced nozzles, mounted around the edge of the circular basin, would orient glassy streams toward the center of the feature. The streams would be individually size-controlled and programmed to present a wide variety of programmable patterns. In winter, the water would be warmed by recycling steam to prevent freezing, thereby allowing for year-round use.

Elevation showing ornamental planting © OLIN

LandscapingAt the far north and south ends of the wings by McKim, Mead, and White, where the architecture steps forward toward the street, two allées of large Little Leaf Lindentrees would be planted. The presence of trees would create a pleasant experience within the streetscape, reinforcing the central plaza’s volume, yet hedged to ensure that the trees do not detract from the monumentality of the Museum’s façade.

Within the central plaza, pairs of bosques of trees wouldbe planted, flanking the 81st and 83rd Street entrances. By planting the bosques at a 45-degree angle to the street, the resulting lines of the tree trunks would guide pedestrians toward the doorways.

The London Plane trees will be pollarded, a historic pruning technique that allows for maximum sun penetrationin the winter to warm the plaza and maximum shade in the summer for cooling. The pollarding also limits the heightof the trees so they do not grow to block the view of theimposing façade. Along the base of the building on eitherside of the central stairway, ornamental beds of mixed shrubs and herbaceous flowers would be planted, referencing plantings seen in early- to mid-20th-century photographs and drawings, including original concepts presented by McKim Mead and White.

In the new plan, the Museum would plant approximately 100new trees, more than doubling the current number. The 44 London Plane trees currently on the plaza are planted in inadequate conditions, which impede their health and limit their environmental benefits. The Museum would transplant as many trees as are deemed viable for relocation to other areas of the City chosen by the Department of Parks & Recreation. The Museum would also make tree restitution payments to the Parks Department, in conformity with New York City law and the Parks Department’s standard reimbursement formulas to support tree plantings citywide. The new London Plane and linden trees would be planted in large tree pits that collect rainwater run-off and allow for healthy root growth, thereby maximizing their life spans and environmental benefits.

Lighting © OLIN

LightingThe evening ambiance of the Museum plaza would be enhanced by a hierarchy of light on the landscape, water features, grand stairs, and façade. The façade is currently lit unevenly by light poles across the street from the building, on the east side of Fifth Avenue. Current lighting would be removed under the new plan. Thenew elements, which have been designed by the renowned lighting design practice L’Observatoire International, would form a composition to assist with wayfinding, provide visual interest for passers-by, and ensure safe and secure passage through the plaza at night.

Rather than lighting the façade with floodlights, which are energy-inefficient and tend to flatten the features of the architecture, the redesigned LED lighting, mountedon the Museum’s façade and the plaza itself, would treat the building like a work of art, providing highlights that enhance the sculptural nature of the façade and its many beautiful carvings.

Environmental SustainabilityThe plaza design attempts to reconcile the physical need for a significant area of paved plaza with the desire to employ sustainable strategies regarding stormwater management and the urban heat island effect, two goals that are often at odds with each other. To accomplish this, the proposed trees would significantly increase thesquare footage of shade in the plaza, thereby reducing the surface temperature of the paving by as much as 25

degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, the design calls for a suspended paving system, which allows for extensive subsurface tree pits that can collect and utilize onsite stormwater that would otherwise drain into the City’s infrastructure. Excess stormwater that is not captured bythe subsurface tree pits or the ornamental planting areaswould be collected and directed into underground retention areas that hold and slowly release water into the City’s stormwater system. This gives some relief to the extreme demand put on the City’s aging system. On average, the projected annual stormwater reduction per tree is 845 to 1390 gallons.

Construction could begin by fall 2012 and would take an estimated 23 months to complete.

The OLIN team, led by Partner Dennis McGlade, managed andcollaborated with a number of consultants for the project, including: Gorton & Associates for project and cost management; Fluidity Design Consultants for water feature design; L’Observatoire International for lightingdesign; Rick Mather USA Inc. with Spatial Affairs Bureau for kiosk and site furnishings design; and Sam Schwartz Engineering for the vehicular and pedestrian traffic flowplan. Additional consultants are contributing to the areas of civil engineering, transportation engineering, site surveying, irrigation, and other field

Images Courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art

Generator Studio Team Chosen to Build Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art PavilionBy Damian Holmes on February 8, 2012

Sun Pavilion

A temporary pavilion that applies current and emerging technologies will be built on the grounds of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art to coincide with the exhibition Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs 1851–1939, opening April 14. Generator Studio, a Kansas City architecture firm, designed Sun Pavilion in conjunction withLos Angeles-based artist Tm Gratkowski, Brightergy LLC, Prosser Wilbert Construction and structural engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti.

Sun Pavilion

Sun Pavilion interior

In late November, the Nelson-Atkins requested proposals to construct a temporary pavilion. A pool of 15 entries was winnowed to five finalists, who presented their designs to a panel of judges thatincluded Bloch Building architect Steven Holl. “We were thrilled with the great amount of effort that went into each presentation,” said Catherine Futter, The Helen Janeand R. Hugh “Pat” Uhlmann Curator of Decorative Arts. “Wewould love to be able to have all five finalists build a pavilion, but that’s not possible. Sun Pavilion embodied our vision most closely to activate the museum campus, especially from the street, and open up a discussion about design, innovation and architecture. The Sun Pavilion is also visually provocative and elegant. We areexcited to see how the community interacts and enlivens the internal and external space.”

Nimbus | Echomaterico

A Temporary Front Porch | el dorado inc DESIGN+MAKE (a Kansas State University graduate architecture studio) Derek Porter Studio, Burns and McDonnell, Planet ReUse, Kansas City Habitat ReStore

Ex3 | Hufft Projects Edwin Blue Derek Porter Studio Lea Griggs, artist

Praxino-Scape | AECOM, t2, Centric Projects, Zahner Company, Brightergy Solar Solutions, Thornton Tomasetti, Cultivate Kansas City, UMKC Department of Architecture Urban Planning and Design

Images Courtesy of  The   Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

The Edge Park | Brooklyn USA | W Architecture & Landscape ArchitectureBy Damian Holmes on February 7, 20128

The vision of W Architecture and Landscape Architecture (also known for the West Harlem Piers Park), was to create places of interaction that form a lasting connection between people and their environments. The Edge Park emphasizes the confrontation of forces at the water’s edge and encourages public use. Here, the city grid and the river’s ecosystem converge, mingle, and clash: the road turns into a pedestrian greenway, a garage is surmounted with a sloping lawn, piers reach gently into the water from deep within the park and stone

riverbank contrasts with concrete bulkhead. This blurringof the boundaries between land and water extends the waterfront benefits inland into the community. The various seating areas within the park are positioned as if they have been scattered by the river’s current. The central seating area directs the entire park towards the stunning view of the Empire State Building.

Stepped Waterfront over parking structure

Empire State Building View

Not only is The Edge Park LEED silver certified, maximizing opportunities to utilize green practices, the design approaches the lasting sustainability that will improve the environment into the future. The new parkincreases site permeability by more than 50% greatly improving stormwater management. This was achieved through several dramatic substitutions of planted areas for hard surfaces. Much of the park serves as a planted roof for an undetectable parking garage situated below its lawns. Additionally, the hard division between the site and the water was replaced with a natural rock edge and the paved street was converted to permeable grass. The increased planted areas are populated with native species that require minimal watering and maintenance reducing the resources for years to come.

North 6th Street converted to lawns

Walk at the waterfront with terraces and overlooks

The Edge Park is a new center for Williamsburg, bringing all members of this diverse community back to the waterfront. The Edge Park is very active on the weekends with the Brooklyn Flea on the adjacent lot. Additionally, the park is a new stop for Manhattan’s

newest innovative transportation infrastructure, the EastRiver Ferry. W is also currently developing the pier at the neighboring India Street stop in Greenpoint.Ms Wilks describes W’s participation in the development of New York’s waterfront, “We are working to support Mayor Bloomberg’s bold image of the water as the ‘sixth borough’, helping to make the waterfront more accessible and vibrant.”

IMAGES: W Architecture & Landscape Architecture

Brickell CitiCentre | Miami USA | Arquitectonica GEOBy Damian Holmes on February 3, 20121

ArquitectonicaGEO is working with Swire Properties and Arquitectonica on Brickell CitiCentre, a three and a halfblock downtown redevelopment which aims to create an urban gathering place for downtown Miami. The 4.6 millionsquare foot mixed-use project will consist of four-levelsof retail and entertainment supporting hotel, office, andresidential towers. The landscape will be anchored by improved downtown streetscapes which lead to landscaped public courtyards, pedestrian passages, gathering, and performance spaces.

The project is seeking LEED ND certification and will be the first major project to be implemented under the Miami21 zoning ordinance. As such, we are pushing the boundaries of sustainable tropical urbanism, seeking to create public spaces which support a thriving urban social environment while being sensitive to the natural environment. Linking with the surrounding streets, and a Miami Dade Transit corridor, the project aims to create an ideal pedestrian environment that accommodates bicycles and automobiles. ArquitectonicaGEO’s streetscapedesign will set a new high standard for livability and quality of life that will serve as an example for future downtown projects.

Image Credit: Arquitectonica GEO

Narrabeen Multi-Use Trail | Sydney Australia | ASPECT StudiosBy Damian Holmes on February 13, 20128

ASPECT Studios has completed a multi-use trail at Narrabeen Lagoon on Sydney’s northern beaches. The lagoonis one of Sydney’s natural assets and is a major drawcardand focal point of the area. Diverse experiences are on offer at different locations around the lagoon. The eastern side comes to life especially at the weekendsas people take to the water in kayaks and swimming, or strolling and pausing at cafes, restaurants and the bustling Sunday market. The western side of the circuit, which ASPECT Studios have designed, offers a tranquil bush experience. The new trail provides a multi-layered recreational facility and safe shared trail for

pedestrians and cyclists to enhance the existing trail and facilitate the area.

ASPECT Studios was commissioned by Warringah Council to design and document a new multi-use trail for Narrabeen Lagoon. The walk spans from Deep Creek to Middle Creek. The client, Warringah Council in collaboration with Pittwater Council has been striving for many years to bring this project to fruition in order to complete a circuit around Narrabeen Lagoon. This will greatly enhance the community’s recreation experience. The area of the project scope was in parts accessible and consisted of a variety of conditions mostly in a state of disrepair.

A new timber and fibreglass panelled boardwalk has been designed, with seating and a series of lookout points which take you from the bush to the lagoon edge. A new

pedestrian/cycle bridge at Deep Creek has recently been installed. The trail provides access for everyone including wheelchair users, recreational cyclists, pedestrians and dog walkers. When completed, the trail will allow for diverse groups of users to enjoy the lagoon and surrounding bushland for a range of experiences. These range from fi tness to relaxation through walking, cycling or jogging, family picnics, for nature and wildlife enthusiasts. This recreation circuit will become regionally signifi cant, similar in visitation and importance to the people of the northern beaches as the Bondi to Coogee walk is to the eastern suburbs.

Design and MaterialsThe first portion of trail provides a benchmark for the materials, construction methods and fine detailing which can be adopted in the subsequent stages of trail construction. Material selection is sustainable, low

maintenance, durable and appropriate for its bushland setting. The design intent is to create a consistent and robust boardwalk with simple design and construction method with more design emphasis given to the lagoon lookouts which are sequentially spread along the walk. The lagoon look outs are unique sculptural elements that provide opportunities to rest and view out to the lagoon. This gives a new spatial experience to being at the water’s edge.

IMAGES: Simon WoodText: ASPECT Studios

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Hapa Collaborative wins Market Lane Design CompetitionBy Damian Holmes on February 10, 20125

Hapa Collaborative from Vancouver, British Columbia, withtheir design “Figure Ground” have won the Market Lane Design Competition in London, Ontario. The city of London, Canada is located midway between Detroit and Toronto. With a population of more than 365,000, it is the 10th largest city in Canada and serves as a regional hub for surrounding communities.

Like many North American cities, London has had a heavy reliance on the automobile. That love affair with the carhas encouraged the construction of sprawling suburbs, massive shopping malls and big box retail stores. The affect on the city’s downtown was predictable: a once vibrant core became badly in need of rejuvenation and reclamation.

Market Lane is a small and uninspiring pedestrian lanewayconnecting Dundas Street, London’s main street, to CoventGarden Market. Albeit a relatively small new design project, Market Lane is in a key location and being redeveloped at a pivotal time in advance of the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships being hosted by the city. Not only will the lane play a key pedestrian role during the celebrations of the event, Fanshawe College will soon be opening its School of Applied and Performance Arts next door to Market Lane, bringing a whole new and young clientele to the area.

The design competition was launched last September as a two-step, national competition. Eighteen (18) submissionswere received and five (5) teams were selected to proceedto stage-two of the competition. An independent design jury of local architects, landscape architects and urban designers adjudicated the submissions.

An on-line survey sought public input and those results were forwarded to the design teams as background information while developing proposals.

Jury Comment:“ HAPA’s winning scheme offers Londoners an opportunity to realize a leading edge design that responds to their

needs for a pedestrian focused, day and night, all seasonurban environment that is both delightful and elegant in its simplicity.”  Steve Ries, Chair of the Jury for the Market Lane Design Competition

Site Analysis“Market Lane today is often considered a windy corridor: unpleasant, unsafe, and a route to somewhere else. Yet its presence in the mental map of most Londoners and common use as a shortcut makes it relevant and under appreciated. In the same way the downtown library has sparked renewed interest in London’s downtown, Market Lane can be the outdoor opportunity to catalyze a new urban revival in the public realm.”  - Hapa Collaborative

“In part, the design for Market Lane must be a London narrative: a story of its central role in the agrarian history of southwestern Ontario, its location on the fabled Thames River, and its contemporary aspirations. Inpart, Market Lane must continue to be a linchpin in the urban apparatus, a critical shortcut that connects Dundas

Street and Covent Garden Market, John Labatt Centre and Richmond Street. Most importantly, it must be elevated toa greater function: a ‘foyer’ for the larger downtown venues, a ‘porch’ for one of the country’s most recognized digital media schools, and a ‘living room’ forall Londoners.” – Hapa Collaborative

IMAGES: Hapa Collaborative

City creates Pop-up Park in YarravilleBy Damian Holmes on February 29, 2012Tweet

Part of bustling Ballarat St in Yarraville, Australia (a suburb of Melbourne)has been transformed into a “pop‐up” park for a short term project which is introducing more open space into the Yarraville Village. The pop‐up park is one of a few installed in Australia on a public streetand is inspired by similar parks installed overseas in New York, San Francisco and London.

The park stretches from Canterbury St to Murray St and includes large planters, synthetic turf, tables, chairs and umbrellas to allow people to come together, relax andtake part in village life. “You don’t need an excuse to

join in the fun, just drop by for a coffee, read a book, have lunch or catch up with friends before a movie,” saidCr Zakharov. Traders, community groups and locals will begiven the opportunity to help bring the new park to life by holding events or art installations in the space.

“A huge chunk of the kudos belongs with the local tradersand community in Yarraville. It is a very unique place

with a positive and supportive community. Local traders adjacent to the park are responsible for the set out and storage of the portable furniture each day. Without theirsupport the project wouldn’t be successful.” said Amelia Longhurst from Maribyrnong City Council.  Around $50,000 has been spent on setting up the park and all materials will be able to be reused in future parks following the completion of the project in April.

By enhancing public space in the village the project aimsto:

Encouraging community pride in public spaces Reduce vehicular noise and traffic Ease pedestrian movement around shops Create a place for people -not cars Increase public life in the village

IMAGE CREDIT: David Hannah & Maribyrnong City Council

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Design the Story for a Change (lecture by Kristine Woolsey on TEDxPhoenix) Serene Resort On Mauritius’ East Coast – Long Beach HotelMar 20

Jelly Bean, an Interactive Park that Showers RainExtreme Architecture, Green Architecture, Photos, VirtualArchitecture Add comments

In order to better utilize a space of 9 acre site at the heart of the Seattle Center, the Urban Intervention invited designers to conceive a fresh vision of social, economic and environmental opportunities. This was clearly with a view of generating ideas for a new generation and towards applicable solutions for major urban sites around the world. The 9 acre site is originally where the Memorial Stadium stands and will soon be demolished. It is to make way for more public space, which holds whimsical ideas for a new cultural center and public place.

Project Description from the Architects:Because of its previous use, the site creates a discontinuity in scale from the surrounding blocks. In order to scale it down to a more human scale, similar to the general grid of Seattle, we introduced a new pattern onto the site. The logic of the pattern connects different access points from around the site. The patternfor pedestrian passage is not only down-scaling the site,but also improving accessibility to the site.

As an outcome of the new patterning, new courtyards are designed as inversion of passage pattern; courts become voids while passage remain as solid. Each solid and void creates its own topography, and thus the topography of the solid provides different experiences for pedestrians and joggers, while topography of the voids provide different types of functions and landscape fields.

To extend the logic of the surrounding fabric, not only multiple access points are introduced, but a dialect of South Fountain Lawn and International Fountain are repeated and manipulated in the proposed park. This is a way for the park to absorb the existing features and strengthen them.

Lastly, the Jelly Bean is proposed as a new way of creating a dialog between the park and the city, park visitors, public at the Center Core, and communities in distance. It is a device that can control micro level climate, and thus, depends on the weather or public demand. It can create fog, cloud, rain and sunshine effects. Also, the bean will function as reflecting object during the day, reflecting other parts of the cityfrom the park, while it can be used as a projection screen at night for new urban activities.

bustler.net

Projects

Kossuth Square Reconstruction | Budapest Hungary | SAGRA ArchitectsBy Damian Holmes on March 15, 2012Tweet

We were inspired by the spirit of the place and our time.In our concept we created a place that is rooted in the original structure of the square but still up-to date. Wealso aimed to strengthen the connections of the square toits surroundings. Our main ambitions were to balance the historical and modern elements and connect the existing and new elements of the square in harmony.

Strengthening of the public functions was one of our mainaims in order to fill the square with life. After the designed reconstruction the square will become the publiccentre of its surroundings and the local inhabitants. Thenorthern part of the square designed by Béla Rerrich in 1929 will be reconstructed according to the original plans. In the axis of the Reformed Church and the school we suggested paved walkways to connect the old and new, the contemporary and historical parts of the square organically.

The public square becomes more and more urban towards theÜllői Street. The parks green woods create the public space towards the Üllői Street. It works as a transition zone to the busy street, the old park and the connecting public spaces. The paved open square in the centre is sensitively drawn by the existing main traffic lines, it takes in and divides the walkers. Providing a paved, but still green park with water surfaces, seats, gardens and cafés, the square becomes a place to stay, which is able to become a public centre.

We opened the borders of the square to communicate betterwith its surroundings. We continued the grass between thetram tracks. The pavement of the traffic island was connected with the parks pavement in order to strengthen the connection to the Üllői Street. At the northern part of the square we extended the square to the façades of the buildings. A meeting and program square was created in front of the school and the church. The fence of the churches was pulled back to the line of the façades in order to bring the buildings closer to the public park and activities. At the eastern side of the Thököly Streetwe made the connections to the square more intensive. Thepromenade fuses with the Kossuth Square beside the Üllői

Street. The promenade runs at the southern part of the square and connects the park and the street. The heart ofthe walkways is the public space at the southern part of the Kossuth Square. It has a multiple function: besides becoming the main public space it organises the main traffic lines. The pavement of the square is referring toa graphic of Béla Kondor from 1963.

The images of people (Béla Kondor: Drawing 1963) in the pavement are referring to the square’s role to form a community. The concrete figures are in the same level

with the cut basalt pavement.

These concrete elements provide the borders of the waterfronts and the gardens, sometimes they  emerge from the ground as seating.

An open pavilion is placed at the eastern corner of the public space to lead in from the main traffic axis. The building borders the green with open, glazed surfaces andcovered terraces.

Architect: SAGRAArchitectsProject team: GáborSajtos, Péter Virág,András Páll, Gabi VastaghLocation: Budapest,HungaryProject year: 2011

Project area: 101000m2

Biologistsquestionviability ofSt.PetersburgPier'sUnderwaterGarden plansBy Craig Pittman and Waveney Ann Moore, TimesStaff WritersIn Print: Sunday, March18, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — Thecenterpiece of the

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winning design for the city's new $50 million Pier, dubbed the Lens, is a soothing oval of green amid the soaring white concrete walls. Within the oval lies what designers have called an Underwater Garden, to be filled with oysters, sea grass, fish and manatees.

No sea grass now grows beneath the Pier, and the water ismurky at best. Yet California landscape architect Tom Leader told the jury that selected the Lens: "We can recreate the diversity that existed once within this enclosure."

While the Underwater Garden plan has been embraced by city officials, it has been met with skepticism by biologists.

"Whoever wrote this doesn't know a thing about sea grass," said Margaret "Penny" Hall, the top sea grass expert at the state's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg.

The Underwater Garden isn't essential to the Lens' structural plans. Still, it's a signature feature that has captivated community leaders.

"I thought that was one of the outstanding features of the project. It certainly is a major feature and really struck a chord with me,'' said Will Michaels, chairman ofthe Pier Advisory Task Force's design committee. If it fails, "you'd be losing a very important part of the design."

Task force vice chairman Ed Montanari said the UnderwaterGarden struck him as "one of the main attractions to walkout there.''

Michaels, a former president of the Council of Neighborhood Associations, said that when CONA members reviewed the Lens design, they learned of concerns about the Underwater Garden's feasibility among St. Petersburg's large community of marine science experts — which includes federal and state biologists as well as university professors and researchers.

But the Los Angeles-based designer of the Lens, Michael Maltzan Architecture, contended in an email to the Times that the Underwater Garden "is based on sound principles of estuary restoration and species diversification that have been applied and proven effective throughout Tampa Bay."

The plan, as envisioned by the Tom Leader Studio, calls for keeping the pilings that now support the Pier and using them as the framework for an artificial reef that would be adjacent to the area where boats would dock.

To create the Underwater Garden, the plan says, oysters in wire mesh bags would be put into trays attached to thepilings. The oysters would filter and clarify the murky water. Four kinds of sea grass would be planted — Johnson's, manatee, widgeon and turtle — in a tilted circle the plan calls a sea meadow ring.

"A series of planted trays placed at varying depths in the water will provide the right habitat for many speciesof sea grass," the plan says. "These trays can be arranged in a ring around the inner bowl and will attractmanatees looking to graze."

As the oysters clarify the water, allowing more sunlight to penetrate, sea grass growing near the Pier will fill in bare spots and "attract larger sea life as well like manatees and sea turtles." The plan also calls for installing underwater lights that would "reveal marine life and become a natural aquarium."

To Hall, the biggest problem is the idea of planting Johnson's sea grass. It's the rarest sea grass in Florida, growing only in a small area on the Atlantic coast. The federal government lists it as a threatened species.

Another questionable part of the plan is the idea of growing sea grass in trays, rather than on the bay bottom, which at 10 feet in that spot is too deep for seagrass to sprout naturally.

"You certainly can grow sea grasses that way," said Mark Fonseca, a top sea grass expert with the National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administration. "We grow sea grass in captivity that way."

However, Fonseca said, he doesn't know of anyone who has ever tried growing sea grass that way outside of a laboratory.

He also questioned the notion of growing new sea grass soclose to where boats would be zipping in and out, explaining, "If there's a lot of waves, that could be a little bit of a problem."

There's a bigger problem in that area than the lack of sea grass. According to Gregg Brooks, a marine science professor at Eckerd College, a recent survey by his students found "fine-grain, organic-rich mud deposits" upto 3 feet deep, most likely due to human development along the shoreline.

That type of sediment is often contaminated by pollutantssuch as heavy metals that can be toxic to marine life, hesaid, and the only way to clear it out is to dredge the bottom.

The Times emailed the designers of the Lens 17 questions about the Underwater Garden project. The questions included "Where will you be getting your Johnson's grass from?" and "How will you keep waves from nearby boats from affecting the growth in the Underwater Garden?"

The reply from project director Tim Williams to six questions — including the ones about Johnson's grass and boats — was, "To be determined during the design process." That was also the answer about whether they still plan to build the tilted sea meadow ring.

Williams said the team came up with the idea "from looking at different aspects that have been done before.''

But when the Times asked if there were any projects anywhere that had tried the techniques being proposed forgrowing sea grass, Williams was unable to cite a single one. "Ultimately all projects are unique, and the Lens isno different," he replied.

He acknowledged the design team had not done a survey of what's under the Pier now. He said the city and the designers are working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers "to identify what surveys are required and whenthey should be done."

He said the Underwater Garden section of the plan had been prepared based on input from marine ecologist James Culter of the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, an expert in plants and animals that grow on the bottom of bays and oceans. Culter referred all questions back to the designers.

The Maltzan team estimates the Underwater Garden could becreated for $879,565, though the budget does allow for contingencies. That does not include the cost of constructing full-scale mock-ups to determine whether theidea would work — or asking for help from local scientists who are raising questions.

Now that the city has accepted the concept of the design,Williams said, "we plan on reaching out to the scientificcommunity and pulling them into the conversation. Once wetalk with the scientific community, we're pretty confident we are going to come to a consensus about what can be put out there ."

Craig Pittman can be reached at craig@tampabay.com. Waveney Ann Moore can be reached at wmoore@tampabay.com or (727) 892-2283.

[Last modified: Mar 17, 2012 11:41 PM]

Copyright 2012 Tampa Bay Times

Waterbank | Perth Australia | HASSELLBy Damian Holmes on March 21, 2012Tweet

Waterbank is located in East Perth, on the edge of the CBD and the Swan River. The six hectare site will be developed over the next seven to ten years, and aims to generate more than 8,000 jobs. The staged development includes the construction of approximately 700 residential dwellings (apartments and townhouses), up to

20,000 square metres of commercial office space and approximately 4,000 square metres of retail space. Potentially, a hotel and a significant public realm, including green spaces, wetlands, riverfront promenades, a town square and the Hay Street pier, will follow.

The Government of Western Australia has selected Lend Lease to develop a premier riverfront site adjacent to the Perth city centre. “Waterbank is a significant city-shaping initiative and we are thrilled to be able to joinLend Lease in guiding the design of this key transformational project for Perth,” said Angus Bruce, Principal, HASSELL.

HASSELL has been involved in this project since 2008, when we were commissioned by the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority to review the 2004 Riverside Master Plan to ensure the original objective and vision for the site remained valid.

The proposed master plan incorporates:

Low rise buildings overlooking the river, public promenades and new green spaces

A town square area Accessible river edges with continuous public

access, including the creation of a natural beach area and boating access

Connection to Hay Street, creating a direct link to the Swan River from one of Perth’s major streets, with a new river pier and continuous site line from the city

Large area of new wetlands, ensuring a water sensitive outcome that delivers an Australian leading Green Star residential development

The HASSELL and Lend Lease design brings the city to the river creating a vibrant waterfront community, offering visitors and residents a range of entertainment, commercial and residential uses in a unique waterfront location.

IMAGE CREDIT: Virtual Ideas

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Landscape | Architecture »

 12 5 4share

Landscape Design: Education Facilities

Landscape fulfils two essential roles in children’s livesand education; as a place of play and as a place toexperience nature. In today’s society, both roles arediminishing or being challenged.

This raises two questions: why is this happening, and whyis it a problem?

PLAY

Jan Deans, director of University of Melbourne’s EarlyLearning Centre says, “we are grieving the loss of traditional forms ofplay that we used to consider a birthright – like making a cubby or mud piesin the garden. Play is compromised, because children’s lives are socontrolled….as a by-product of the sophisticated world that we live in and theenvironment of test taking.” (The Sunday Age, October, 2010).

Technology is king. So much of play involves the use ofscreens whether it be iPods, iPads, personal computers orgames consoles. Children are not building or practicingcrucial social skills such as negotiation.

With changing societal values and a changing urbanstructure – larger houses and smaller gardens – otherthan the occasional family getaway, there is an absence

of nature from most children’s lives today. When added tothe rapidly urbanizing population in Australia and lossof natural habitats and biodiversity due to urban growth,it creates a dire situation.  We are losing theopportunity to be able to play in nature.

Children spend over 30 hours a week at school. But thereis an increased obsession with safety and minimizing riskand it is limiting playgrounds to gross motor activitiesand manufactured play equipment.

It is a problem because the benefits of play are wellunderstood:

There are the obvious benefits in terms of physicalhealth and fighting obesity

Children learn social and life skills through play Quality play involves the whole child: gross motor,

fine motor, senses, emotion, intellect, individualgrowth and social interaction

NATURE

The problem is exacerbated by the concern today thatchildren are also suffering from ‘nature deficitsyndrome.’ This is once again largely due to our rapidlyurbanising communities, which are leading to a loss ofnatural or even green environments, as well as the lureof technology taking preference over going out to explorethe natural world and parental fears – brought on bysocietal concerns – about kids being outsideunsupervised.

Traditionally, our schoolyards have not helped. Thetypical schoolyard consists of asphalt and steelplayground structures. Both inside and outside theclassroom, children’s lives are much more structured andsupervised than before, with less time to explore natureeven where available.

But there is the emerging concept of eco-psychology: theidea that humans have an affinity with their environment.Research demonstrate that our environment affects bothour physical and mental health.

Recent findings suggest:

Children who regularly play in natural environmentshave cognitive development two years more advancedthat those who don’t

Primary school children who undergo nature-basedprograms show improvement in their concentration,communication with peers, creative problem solving,creativity and cognitive ability

Concern for the environment is based on affectionfor nature that only develops with regular andunchecked contact with it

Natural playgrounds have academic benefits becauseoutdoor play fosters a sense of wonder that servesas a motivator for life long learning

Top Emerging Trends

With the aforementioned factors in mind, what are some ofthe trends that schools can look to integrate into theirplans?

Kitchen garden schemes – Kitchen Garden Schoolscommit to a dynamic and innovative model that seeskitchen and garden classes run weekly, enablingskills-based learning that extends across the entireschool curriculum. The diversity of locations ofKitchen Garden Schools – from Coober Pedy in theoutback, to Alawa in the tropics, to beachside Bondi– means that each school community has its owndesigns, challenges and successes.

Introduction of natural elements in school grounds –e.g. wetlands, woodlands etc. These are ofenvironmental benefit but their true value emergesonly through their integration into the school’soverall educational program

Wireless technology with portable devices that canfree a wider range of spaces for learning, extendingbeyond the physical building into the surroundinglandscape

Discovery Gardens – Children value unmanicuredplaces and the adventure and mystery of hidingplaces and wild, spacious, uneven areas broken byclusters of plants

Play pods – Play for Life Australia has conductedtrials of the pods started in Britain and the US 5years ago and has found their use to improve kids’decision-making skills, create more inclusiveplaygrounds and reduce playground incidents.

Top Landscape Design Tips

Depending on whether one is looking for a combination ofplay and nature-based learning or outdoor learning in aconstructed natural environment, there are a number ofkey elements to consider:

Look to use landscape and vegetation as the playsetting

Create an informal and naturalistic environment tostimulate free play and discovery learning

Ensure seamless integration between indoor andoutdoor

Design on different levels and look to includeplenty of nooks and crannies

Use natural materials such as water, sand, stone,wood and plants set within a robust structure

Build outdoor teaching spaces with fixed seating andshade structures

Landscape is important as a place for play but mostimportantly as a place to play in nature.

There is an opportunity for schools to play a vital partin restoring children’s access to play in nature, withmeasurable, cognitive development improvement. Schools ofthe future that offer this type of experience will have amarked advantage over those that do not.

By Dean Thornton, Manager: Urban and Landscape Design

Meinhardt Australia

Sunset Triangle Plaza opens in Los Angeles on March 4By Damian Holmes on March 2, 2012Tweet

Image Credit: Rios Clementi Hale Studios

Rios Clementi Hale Studios has transformed a dull space into a vibrant community plaza in Los Angeles by creatingthe new Sunset Triangle Plaza under the auspices of Streets for People (S4P), an initiative of the City of Los Angeles Planning Commission and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.  Rios Clementi Hale Studios contributed its time and talents to transform an underutilized public right of way into a safe, pleasant, and vibrant public space for pedestrians and cyclists alike.  Located at Griffith Park and Sunset Boulevards inthe Silver Lake area of Los Angeles, Sunset Triangle Plaza opens on Sunday, March 4, 2012, at 11AM, for a community celebration.

BEFORE Image Credit: Margot Ocañas

A key concept of S4P is to quickly and inexpensively reclaim under-used street space and involve local residents and businesses in the design and maintenance.  “Using paint and planters allows us to recapture streets for people in months rather than decades, and for thousands—rather than millions—of dollars,” says William Roschen, FAIA, president of the Los Angeles Planning Commission.  “Now that we have the process, template, and cooperation of city departments and the community, we have several key variables in placeto do upward of 40 projects a year,” continues Roschen who sees S4P as a way “to make great open space in a citythat is amazingly park-poor.”

Sunset Triangle Plaza will be outlined by rows of planters working as bollards to demarcate the 11,000-square-foot site.  In addition to planters containing drought-tolerant plants (generously donated by Monrovia nursery in Azusa, CA), moveable bistro tableswith umbrellas and chairs, and a whimsical painted streetsurface help create a community atmosphere and a respite in the middle of a busy neighborhood.  Grass and trees—aswell as a fountain—of an existing pocket park will complement the new plaza.

Literally a “green space,” the Sunset Triangle Plaza surface is painted in two tonesof green in an enlarged polka-dot pattern.  The playful dots are open to interpretation, according to Frank Clementi, AIA, AIGA, principal at Rios Clementi Hale Studios, the Los Angeles-based architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, urban planning, graphics, and product design firm that is known for its creative use of color and pattern in corporate, municipal, and entertainment designs.  “In pre-digital printing, dot patterns created halftones, and Sunset Triangle Plaza represents a site in transition—a halfway point—from street to plaza,” he notes.  “Also, the dots play off of D.O.T., the abbreviation for Department of Transportation, which is integral to the Streets for People program,” continues Clementi, who collaborated on the design with Tony Paradowski and

Sebastian Salvadó, both senior associates at Rios Clementi Hale Studios.

At Sunset Triangle Plaza, the twice-weekly farmer’s market will continue to operate uninterrupted, additionalparking spaces will be created along Sunset Boulevard to accommodate for some of those lost in the planning, and all street furniture will be brought inside each evening to maintain its quality and cleanliness.  The pilot project will be in place for approximately one year.

Streets for People is spearheaded by the City of Los Angeles Planning Commission and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, working closely with the Departments of Transportation, Planning, and Public Works; the Office of Councilmember Eric Garcetti; community-based organizations, including the Silver Lake Improvement Association (SLIA) and the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council; and local businesses.  Green LA hasalso been integral to S4P, providing staff support and acting as its fiscal agent.

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Real Madrid building $1 billion resort island in theUnited Arab Emirates

What Real Madrid Resort Island will look like. (Getty)

Have you ever dreamed of a place where the warm sun driesIker Casillas' tears before they reach his cheek, the Persian Gulf breeze blows through Xabi Alonso's beard andPepe stomps someone to death on the beach? Then welcome to Real Madrid Resort Island -- a $1 billion resort on anartificial island in the United Arab Emirates scheduled to open in January 2015.

[ Related: Photos of Read Madrid Resort Island ]

From Reuters:

A presentation at the Bernabeu on Thursday showed plans for sports facilities, a marina, luxury hotels and villas, an amusement park, a club museum and a 10,000-seat stadium with one side open to the sea.

"It is a decisive and strategic step that will strengthenour institution in the Middle East and Asia," said Real president Florentino Perez.

The 4.6 million-square-foot venture is in partnership with the government of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah and is expected to attract a million visitors in its first

year of operation. But since that's a whole three years away, Jose Mourinho probably won't be one of them.

Hopefully Barcelona will build its own island right next to Real Madrid's, but make it so everything is miniature and inhabited by Ewoks.

Look at the tiny computerized people! I see Ozil! (Getty)

lunes 6 de febrero de 2012PARK OF LA VILLETTE

©Marcelo Gardinetti

In 1982 was held a concourse for the urban

renewal area of the Villette in the northeast

corner of Paris. The winning project by Bernard

Tschumi away of all design conventions of public

spaces previously developed, breaking the rooted

tradition the Parisian garden.

To 40 years to its gestation the complex project

is considered the initial point in the road

traveled for the architectural neo vanguards in

the design of the urban spaces.

By Marcelo Gardinetti

The concourse of Parc de la Villette formed part

the renewal process the wide of Paris city where

are once was installed the slaughterhouse and the

meat market closed in 1974.

The communal authorities organized in 1976 a

concourse chaired for the Brazilian landscape

architect Roberto Burle Marx and a jury

integrated among others by the architects Renzo

Piano, Arata Isozaki and Vittorio Gregotti, and

the landscape Paul Frieuerberg and Jacques Simon.

Is presented 472 projects of which the jury

selected 9 for a second phase. Finally, in March

of 1983 by not reach consensus for any works the

jury decided reward to design by Tschumi who

obtained the most votes.

Of the original elements constituting the place

were maintained the “Grande Halle” and the

channel de L’ourrcq.

The winner project based his proposal in the

creation of a large urban area that despites the

changes suffered from the awards to the final

draft maintained the essence of his conception.

The architecture of the park is considered by its

author as “architecture of signifier more than

the significance”. The result of the project is

product of simultaneous design processes from

analysis and decomposition of the program in a

series of fragments and its reorganization around

autonomous systems and the definition of movement

of the site. From these operations are defined

the three systems that structure:

        An objects system represented by points

        A movement system represented by lines

        A spaces system represented by surfaces

©Marcelo Gardinetti

©Marcelo Gardinetti

©Marcelo Gardinetti

©Marcelo Gardinetti

The layer or system of point is constituted by a

grid of 120 x 120 meters that eliminates any

hierarchy within the structure of the park

treating the whole as a uniform grid.

The points of intersection determine where are

localized the references built, the “Folies”. The

second layer constructed by lines is represented

by the galleries. The third layer of surface is

represented by the areas of pavement, grass and

trees.

The superposition of the three systems leads to

situations at random and conflict. Giving from to

the spatial structure of the park a progression

to the text of landscape Michael Corajoud, who in

analogy to Archimedes palimpsest defined the

contemporary park as a superposition

superposition of the trace of the English park on

the trace of the French park.

The Folies are designed from a cube structure of

10,80 x 10,80 meters with different formal

processes. According Tschumi, the Folies may

originate from a programmatic operation and vary

over time, or a combination formally from the

deconstruction of the cube in confined space or

moving elements represented as ramps o steps.

©Marcelo Gardinetti 

©Marcelo Gardinetti 

©Marcelo Gardinetti 

©Marcelo Gardinetti 

©Marcelo Gardinetti 

The Folies are the major milestone in space

originated in the attraction of the red and its

repetitive feature in the park. Of the 35 Folies

projected were built 26, the majority contains

specific functions.

The galleries that run site from north to south

parallel to Grande Halle, is a large pergola wavy

that accentuates the sense of movement and the

gallery which crosses from east to west runs

parallel to the large channel as elevate walkway

connecting different Folies.

The gardens surfaces are organized trace that

contain activities and are part of a cinematic

tour organized between the coordinate axes and

the large geometries. Each garden covers

approximately 600m2 differentiating traditional

gardens of the host children’s activities and

spaces for recreation.

To collaborate on the project Bernard Tschumi

invites the architects Nouvel, Eisenman, Piñon y

Viaplana and other, however part of the works not

materialize for the rescission prevailing in

France in those years.

Today the park encompasses 35 hectares in an area

of 55 hectares, that contains in the far north

the “Cite des Sciences e l’Industrie” projected

in the structure of the old disused

slaughterhouse, and the “Geodé”, an huge mirror

ball witch host a cinema hemispheric of 1.000 m2,

both works by Adrien Fainsilber opened in 1986,

and in the southern the “Grande Halle de La

Villette”, a structure for the sale of livestock

constructed in 1867 by Jules de Meridol and the

“Cite de la Musique”, work by Christian de

Portzamparc in 1995 that houses the museum of

music an amphitheater and a concert hall.

The Parc de La Villette is an urban space of many

references which is by features and content is

one of the most important public spaces designed

in recent decades and a reference model of the

conformation of the XXI century urban space.

©Bernard Tschumi Architects

©Bernard TschumiArchitects

©Bernard Tschumi Architects

©Bernard Tschumi Architects

©Bernard Tschumi Architects

©Bernard Tschumi Architects

Gardening VegetablesLearn all the secrets about home vegetable gardening.

How to Start an Organic Vegetable Garden – Your Guide to Ideal Gardening Practice Organic Gardening Vegetables  Add comments

Feb 222012 

Once you learned the benefits you can get from organic planting, your next step would be to know how to start anorganic vegetable garden at your own residence.  Luckily,this article would provide you the essential information you’ll need to do the job correctly.  Have a full understanding of how to start an organic vegetable gardenand begin planting your crops now!

How to Start an Organic Vegetable Garden – Difference of Organic Plantsfrom Conventional PlantsTake a look of the following descriptions to know what are the basic differences of organic plant and

conventional plant from one another.

Steps to start an organic vegetable garden

Organically-grown plants

-          Have never treated nor applied with chemical pesticides

-          Are not genetically modified

Conventionally-grown plants

-          Have loads of pesticides or fungicides

-          Loaded with chemical fertilizers

Now that you have distinguished the two ways plants can be grown, you may now proceed on studying how to start anorganic vegetable garden and see the results for yourself.

How to Start an Organic Vegetable Garden – 3 Things You Must Be Focused AtHere are the important stuffs you should always bear in mind when it comes to organic vegetable gardening.

Focus on ENRICHING SOIL.

If you have unhealthy soil, you cannot simply rely on fertilizers to patch up everything for your plants.  Although fertilizers may have some effects on your veggies, you will still be able to see the difference hadthe plants grew in a rich and healthy soil.  Another benefit you’ll get if you focus on enriching the nutrients in your soil is healthy plants, which have highresistance against pests and disease problems.

Focus on PREVENTIVE MEASURES.

1. Diseases – One way to prevent diseases is by planting your plants not too close with each other. Doing so would allow air to circulate in their area and lets your plants breathe.  You may also buy disease-resistant items and plant them.  Above all, you must maintain a clean garden.

2. Pests – Your plants can resist pests if you pay attention on their moisture and other vital preferences.  Also, you should observe your plants

on a regular basis especially for some infestation so that you can act on the problem on its early stage.

Focus on TROUBLE-FREE SOLUTIONS.

If you noticed a pest infestation on an early stage, don’t get freaked out by spraying chemicals immediately. Remember that water is a universal solvent, it has many uses and one of those is removing unsightly pest from your plants without exposing them to harmful chemicals.  If water does not work, try to consider some do-it-yourself or homemade spray solutions.

Well, those are not so complicated things that the gardenowner should be focused at.  Now that you know these items, let’s move to choosing the garden location which is a part of how to start an organic vegetable garden.

How to Start an Organic Vegetable Garden – ChoosingYour Garden Location

If you are going to build a garden outside your urban residence, then you better take into considerations some important factors in your preferred location.  Ask yourself the following questions.

Does the site offers direct sunlight?

Make sure that the site you chose provides your plants with 6-8 hours of sun exposure.  This would help them a lot especially on their growing seasons.  If sunlight is the main ingredient for some plants, there are other crops that can still grow even without too much sunlight,so you need not worry if you have those types of crops.

How is the land’s condition?

Be sure that the terrain’s condition is not too moistenedbecause this might cause decay in plant roots while they are growing.

How is the soil’s condition?

Considering the land area is one thing and can be done qualitatively but knowing the soil’s condition is a bit more quantitative in nature.  You may start assessing thesoil’s condition by sending samples to local testing laboratory where they can detect the presence or absence of nutrients in it. This way, you’ll be able to identify what kind of soil you have.   Also, you will be able to receive suggestions on how to improve the soil’s characteristics.

Is the site windy?

Wind is everywhere and although you can’t avoid it, you may still find a location where there’s a hedge or wall to lessen wind’s strength.  But if there’s really none, then you can build your own windbreak structure.

Is the site accessible to the plant’s needs?

If you don’t want yourself dragging gallons of water to irrigate your plants, then you better be sure that the site you select is accessible to this basic need.

Now that you realized that selecting the best site for your crops comes with responsibility, you’ll have a better interpretation on how to start an organic vegetable garden properly.

How to Start an Organic Vegetable Garden – Why You ShouldPrefer Organic Gardening

Starting an organic Vegetable garden

People choose one option over the other when they are provided by the advantages they can get from the chosen item.  Just like with organic gardening, you’ll be able to give yourself the following benefits if you opt for organic practices.

It Saves the Environment

Organic gardening does not include chemicals that can destroy marine life nor pollute any bodies of water.  There are also some organic gardeners who would like to contribute in keeping the wildlife by shifting into organic gardening practices.

It Saves Your Health

-          Once pesticides are ingested it can be passed from mother to child.

-          Children have high chances of acquiring asthmaonce exposed in chemical pesticides.

-          Pregnant women may increase miscarriage rates once exposed in pesticides even in low concentrations.

-          Pesticides cause kidney or liver damage.

-          Pesticides cause unsightly birth defects.

It Saves Money

-          Organic gardening uses compost which you may create from garden wastes which are definitely free whilefertilizers are pricey.

-          Insect sprays are expensive while with preventive organic practice you’ll be able to maintain healthy lawn.

-          You may remove wild plant by buying costly sprayer while with organic ways you may simply pour boiling water on them or just dig them out.

Given the benefits you can acquire, you’ll surely get more interested on learning how to start an organic vegetable garden the soonest time possible.

If you can’t wait to share this information about how to start an organic vegetable garden, then go and spread theword to your friends and be welcome to post your commentsas well.

3 Key Steps to Creating the Perfect Xeriscape

Posted by David Groleau on Wed, Apr 04, 2012 @ 07:24 AM

3inShare 

Xeri. Comes from the Greek “xeros”, meaning dry

Scape. A scene; a view

Xeriscaping, the practice of landscape design with slow-growing, drought tolerant plants, conserves water, reduces debris and waste, reduces the need for fertilizers and requires very little maintenance. So why doesn’t everyone do it? In today’s modern era of high-tech irrigation systems and progressive fertilizers, landscapes are able to depend on large amounts of water,

high levels of maintenance, and growth-stimulating fertilizers. But some of the Southeast's recent drought conditions have created an urgency to take a step back and incorporate landscapes that adapt to drought tolerantconditions. It’s not only adaptive to our environmental conditions, it can also look beautiful when it’s done properly. Below are three important steps on the best wayto start your xeriscape!

Designing Properly

The most important factor in xeriscaping is to have the right plant material in place. Whether you’re putting together a new landscape or giving an old landscape a facelift, a proper design is vital in making sure your landscape will look amazing while conserving resources. Here are some great steps for designing your xeriscape:

-Look at what’s currently growing in the location your looking to xeriscape. Existing vegetation gives you a hint as to the types of plant material that will grow well.

-Think of your new xeriscape as a set of three different zones; a high water-use zone, a moderate water-use zone, and a low water-use zone. A high water-use zone should bevery small (no more than 10% of the area) in a high visibility area. This zone should be watered as needed. Amoderate water-use zone is larger (30% of the area) and

is only watered when plant material seems stressed or wilted. A low water-use zone (60% of the area) would onlyinclude plant material that needs to be initially wateredin. This type of design is efficient, practical, and easily maintained.

It’s all about the Soil

This is the not-so-fun part of your xeriscaping endeavor.Get your soil tested. We know, we know; it’s kind of likeasking you to floss your teeth, but we’re telling you, it’s vital in making sure you’re putting the right plantsin the right place. By knowing your soil’s strengths and weaknesses, you’ll know exactly what kind of amendments may be needed for healthy growth. Always make sure to slope beds away from buildings; it’s also best to plant drought-tolerant plants at the higher part of the slope, and plants that need a lot of water at low elevations, orthe bottom of the slope.

Picking the Right Plants

Good plant choices for your xeriscape can be derived fromthe native landscape, but remember, just because it’s native doesn’t mean it will adapt well to your local environment or microclimate. Choose plants that will adapt to the environment you’ve created. Also choose plants that have slower growth rates, that will mature with the rest of your landscape, that have textures and colors that compliment the surrounding area, and of course, pick functional plants. Below are some great plant choices, depending on your micro-climate, to make your xeriscape beautiful, efficient, functional and low maintenance:

Creeping Gardenia, Indian Hawthorne, Southern Indian

Azalea, Camellia, Cleyera, Trident Maple, Red Maple, LiveOak, Climbing Fig, Confederate, Jasmine, Creeping Juniper, Pampas Grass, Abelia, Semi-Japanese Boxwood, Impatiens, Sweet Alyssum

These 3 steps are just a start to learning the art of xeriscaping. If you’re looking to learn more about great plants to use when xeriscaping, learn about how to createawesome xeriscape designs, or want to become a xeriscaping expert, a great resource is Xeriscape, A Guide to Developing a Water-Wise Landscape from the University of Georgia’s (UGA) College of Agricultural Environmental Sciences. Another great source is Make Every Drop Count—Seven Steps to a Water-Wise Landscape from UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

This xeriscape guide was created using Xeriscape, A Guideto Developing a Water-Wise Landscape, Cooperative Extension, UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Make Every Drop Count—Seven Steps to a Water-Wise Landscape.

Tags: Florida Friendly Landscaping, Xeriscaping, Going Green

Jiwa - Development - Planning - Architecture Jiwa Blog is focused on development around the Asia Pacific. Ranging from Urban Developments to Resort Developments both large and small scale. Promoting a holistic approach to improve the quality of life in an environmentally and financially sustainable manner rootedin a natural and cultural heritage of a location.

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Tuesday, 1 May 201224.4 Master Planned Beach Resort Destination Checklist – Part 4 – Development Products

This subject check list covers the third of the 5 mainsubjects from the Master Check List - Components of the Ideal Master Planned Beach Resort Destination. Thesesubject check lists are by no means comprehensive, butmore like a shopping list with brief explanations asreminders. This check list series actually goes hand inhand with an earlier series I posted on Integrated MasterPlanning for Destination Development. This check listwould actually be similar to some of the outlines for thephase of Product Development in the Integrated MasterPlanning methodology.

International brand luxury hotels.

Local cottage hotels.

Unique local products / handicrafts shopping.

Unique F&B outlets making best use of the local landscapeenvironment.

Nature and heritage tours unique to a destination enhancethe visitor experience.

Of course once you have the beautiful environment, you have easy access there, you need to have facilities to help you enjoy this environment. Those on the list aboutaccommodations, F&B and retail are all quite standard andthe more unique and site specific the better in making a memorable experience. The parts that may be less familiar to planners of the destination are some of thosethat come under the category of Other Tourism. For thiswe need to understand a bit of the Push and Pull factors oftourism. For the Pull factor, particularly long haul, long staytourists, there needs to be a variety of activities thatthey can participate in to keep the tourist busy over theminimum 10 days they may stay in order to Pull them to adestination. Ideally a good number of these are relatedto the natural and cultural heritage of the place and areunique to that location. The more unique along withvariety and choice as well as value for money the better.On the other side the Push factor has to do with travelagents. Travel agents play a major role in the success

of any tourist destination and they basically are inbusiness. The more potential for them to generate incomethe better and more they are willing to Push yourdestination. That’s not to say as long as they can makemoney they will push, but like any business they want tohave happy customers. So ideally good products that arevalue for money and the more abundant the moreopportunities for the Push factor to come in and fortravel agents to benefit.All of these products are essentially man made and hencecan be created anywhere. The goal in creating adestination is to uniquely develop these and creativelyintegrate them for greatest synergy such that thedestination can stand out in its physical appearance aswell as user experience.

A.      DEVELOPMENT PRODUCTSNo.

Aspects Features Implications

1. Accommodations

Budget Hostels to budget hotels target young tourists thatadd “life” and value add by good “word of mouth” marketing. Ties in with budget airlines. Target price $5 to $25 per night per person.

Cottage / Chalets

Home grown properties, “Mom and Pop” operations can range from $25 to $100per night. A very local touch and ideal for long stay visitors and repeat visitors, young professionals.

Boutique Good for exotic sites, ie.private coves or creating a unique internal environment. The Rich looking for privacy, an escape and service. Sky is the limit on price for quality and experience.

Local / Regional Brands

3 to 5 star range cateringto the local market familiar with the brand standard and product. Good local / regional awareness building.

International Brands

3 to 5 star range cateringto the international market familiar with the brand standard and product. Good international awareness marketing putting the destination on the world map.

2. Food and Beverage

Hotel Dining

Main restaurant primarily for breakfast. Creation of unique experience i.e. beachfront location can generate good out of hoteltraffic.

Exotic Specialty Dining

Unique experience best if takes advantage of the natural landscape and foodresources. The type of product everyone is willing to splurge on once to remember the holiday.

Cafes Need to be abundant in both quality and cuisine in order to make a long stay destination and get repeat visitors. Can be associated with accommodations, a mix of local and international.

Food Courts/ Fast Food

Familiar fast foods in a clean and simple environment suitable for all markets of tourists adds to attractiveness of long stay for mid markets.

Local Street Food

Properly managed these addso much value to a destination giving both character and a place for an authentic local experience. Ideal for long stay budget travelersas well as locals.

Pubs Range from cheap “wateringholes” to more chic wine bars. Ideal to spill out onto beach fronts and pedestrian walks.

Dance Clubs/ Discos

Music night spots are the popular contrast to daytime beach activities. Particular popular for theyoung western market live bands or DJ’s.

Karaoke A must have for any tourist destination catering to Asian and Asian business entertaining.

3. Retail Local Products

The cornerstone of all tourism shopping is being able to purchase a unique local fashion, food snacksor arts and crafts as a souvenir.

Books / Music

Reading is a major pass time of any resort. Variety of subjects such as local specific guides and novels in addition to best sellers. Local musicin CD is also desirable.

Convenience/ Sundries

Drug store, chemist, convenience store and snacks.

Regional Shops

Regional products familiarto local markets and

something different for international travelers.

International Brands Duty Free

A must of any international tourist destination. The latest name brand fashion added incentive to travel. Bestif open in town and pick up at site with airport refund.

4. Other Tourism

Local Nature Tours

Unique features combined with a storyline could be more activity related suchas rock climbing, rafting or horseback riding. Helps increase length of stay and push factor.

Local Heritage Tours

Unique architecture, history, culture especially related to buying products such as handicrafts or locals snacks makes a destinationmore unique. Increases length of stay and push factor.

Theme Park / Water Park

Probably small scale unless the destination is located near a major city.Unique to local environment and heritage is most ideal.

Golf Course At least one 18 hole championship caliber golf course. Good for both local and tourist recreation and holding competitions. Multiple courses can create a golfing destination.

MICE Facilities

To become a mature destination, convention

facilities would be required. Most viable if built by the government and operated independentlyfrom a hotel.

Marina / Leisure Boating

Necessary for private pleasure boating and to become a port of call. Connects to other regionalmarinas and provides infrastructure for diving,fishing and other water activities.

Shows Quality, destination unique entertainment is best if night time to complement day beach activities. Increases length of stay and push factor.

Events Seasonal regular events add to the draw i.e. triathlons, surfing competitions, golf tournaments.

Copyright: Jiwa Studio Pte. Ltd. 2012

Link to other parts of the series:Master Planned Beach Resort Destination Checklist

How to Make a Raised Garden Bed in Six Easy Steps How To Build A Raised Garden Bed  Add comments

Mar 292012 

Gardeners everywhere are opting to learn how to make a raised garden bed over the traditional garden as they begin to realize the great potential for this type of gardening.

If you know how to make a raised garden bed, you know that it is typically a framed or contained garden and it offers more control over the quality of garden soil and moisture, provides greater accessibility to crops, and iseasily maintained from year to year with only a new layerof nutrients applied at the beginning of your growing season.

How to Make a Raised Garden Bed for Particular CropsThe framed garden bed is the most popular style of raisedbeds, and gardeners are finding out that that they can easily learn how to make a raised garden bed that can be easily adapted to the types of produce they wish to plant. Knowing how to make a raised garden bed is a greatway to grow just about anything a gardener wants to grow.You can have an herb garden, a vegetable garden, a fruit garden, or any combination thereof.

How to Make a Raised Garden Bed Using the Right MaterialsAs you learn how to make a raised garden bed, you’ll findthat materials used to make a raised garden vary and depend upon the suitability of the material for outdoors and weather as well as your personal preference and budget.  Wood, like cedar, is a popular choice; it’s easily attainable at any lumber store, it’s easyto work with, and inexpensive. Other options include natural stones, concrete blocks, and brick, and while they add anelement of beauty to the landscape, they will run more

expensive than wood. As you learn how to make a raised garden bed, you’ll find what works best for you.

The Six Steps of How to Make a Raised Garden

how to make raised bed gardens

Because wood is a very common option selected by gardeners learning how to make a raised garden bed, we’lluse wood in our example to build your raised contained garden.Supplies include:

Materials needed to make a raised garden bed

One 6-foot-long 4-by-4 Six 8-foot-long 2-by-6s 32 3½-inch #14 wood screws and 16 ½-inch #8 wood

screws Newspaper or gardening cloth 32 cubic feet of planting mix to include topsoil,

compost and manure.

How to Make a Raised Garden Bed:

Step 1 – Select Your Garden Location

raised garden bed plans

As you learn how to make a raised garden bed, you’ll findthat a good location has 3 important qualities: it has easy access to watering facilities, it gets an abundance of sunshine, and there is enough room to build the raisedgarden with room to maneuver around the garden with easy accessibility to the crops. Vegetables, herbs, and many flowers need plenty of sunshine and you’ll want to selecta site with this in mind. A site that gets a full day of sunshine – a minimum of 8 hours – is ideal. You will alsowant the area to be as flat as possible to ensure uniformwatering patterns. If the site isn’t level, water could pool in areas and have an adverse effect on the plants.

Step 2 – Decide on the Size of Your Raised Garden

One of the things that make gardeners want to learn how to make a raised garden bed is that they are built for accessibility. When choosing your location, you made surethat you would have enough room to maneuver around the garden, eliminating the need to trample through it to access your fruit and vegetables.

how to make a raised bed vegetable garden

The great advantage of this type of gardening is that thesoil will not get compacted, removing oxygen in the soil that is necessary for plant growth, because you build theraised bed for accessibility. You should be able to access every part of your garden without treading into thegarden.

In light of this accessibility, the garden’s width shouldbe no more than 4 to 6 feet wide. This is a good width that allows for accessing the middle of the bed from any side. If you are short on space and need to back the garden up against a fence or other type of barrier, the bed should be no wider than 3 feet, so that you can easily reach into the garden to pick your produce.

The garden’s depth could vary depending on the crops thatyou want to plant, about 6 inches deep is the minimum depth that you should start with since many vegetables and fruits will grow nicely in six inches of soil and compost. A deeper bed will cost more for the added wood in the frame, but if you can afford it, an ideal depth for a raised bed garden is more like 10 to 12 inches.

Step 3 – Construct Your Garden Frame

Making of Raised Garden Bed

To build your raised garden frame, purchase rot-resistantlumber like cedar, redwood, or a composite lumber from your garden center or lumber yard. In this step, you willcut your lumber pieces to the proper size, and then fasten them together making a simple frame.

You could have the lumber yard cut the pieces needed for your garden frame, or if you have the right tools, you could do it yourself. To do it yourself, use a power or table saw to cut the 4 x 4 lumber into 4 16-inch corner posts. Cut 2 of the 2 x 6 pieces in half. Assemble piecesupside down on a flat, hard surface.Place a 2” x 6”, 4’ section of wood on its short edge and place a 16” post onone end of it. Attach the post using two 3.5-inch screws.Follow the same procedure for each short board andpost.

Next, join the short sides with an 8’ board, securing it with 2 screws. Add the other long side and then add another layer of 2 x 6s.

Next, flip the frame (you will most likely need help withthis) right side up. Place the frame on the garden site chosen earlier and mark each corner post’s location usinga trowel. Move the frame aside and dig holes for each post, measuring 5- to 6-inches deep.

Put the frame back in place, setting the posts intothe holes.

Step 4 – Level Your Bed Frames

Use a level to ensure the garden frame is level. This is an important step in constructing a good raised bed garden; if the garden isn’t level, it makes watering the garden difficult – water will run off one area of a garden to another and perhaps just sit there. To adjust aframe that is higher on one end than another, remove someof the soil beneath the frame until it the frame is level. Once the frame is level, secure the 4 posts by filling in space around the posts with soil.

Step 5 – Prepare Your Raised GardenSite

how to make your own raised bed garden

If you don’t intend to use any of the native ground soil,you might consider placing layers of newspaper on the “floor” of the garden; it’s a real time saver in the longrun as it prevents weeds from cropping up. You could alsouse landscape fabric or even cardboard to smother any potential for weeds. Actually there are several ways to use newspaper in planting your crops as well, but gettingit onto the ground floor will eliminate any existing weeds from raising their heads.

Step 6 Fill Your Garden

Place your soil and any amendments that you will have foryour soil right on top of the newspaper or other material. The appeal of a raisedgarden is the opportunityof planting a garden in perfect soil, so be sure to fill your bed with aquality mixture of topsoil, manure, and compost. Soil plus amendments should be a least 6 inches in depth, more if possible, to ensure enough room for the

plants to grow well.Once your raised garden frame is filled, rake it smooth, moisten it with the garden hose, and then you’re done!

Now that you know how to make a raised garden bed, you can get creative and add raised bed gardens to accommodate many types of gardening exploits!

Jellicoe Harbour & Silo Park | Auckland New Zealand | Taylor Cullity Lethlean & Wraight + AssociatesBy Damian Holmes on May 8, 20126

Image Credit: Simon Devitt

Working waterfronts are constantly in flux; crusty, utilitarian, muscular and dissolving, with temporal qualities that engage all of our senses. Yet contemporarywaterfront redevelopments are often characterised by the removal of the very qualities that attract us to these places. At Auckland’s Wynyard Point redevelopment these conventions are challenged in a development that anticipates transforming a forlorn industrial and maritime precinct into a layered, mixed-use precinct.

Master Plan | Image Credit: Taylor Cullity Lethlean & Wraight + Associates

The first catalytic projects of this redevelopment are public spaces centred on Jellicoe Harbour and Silo Park. These spaces promote an alternative design approach to the typical erasure of waterfront memory. Here, friction is encouraged, smelly fish are the attraction, rust, gritand patina are embraced and derelict artefacts are reprogrammed.

Image Credit: Simon Devitt

The design weaves public realm experiences around these ‘as found’ conditions. The harbour edge, North Wharf Promenade, is now a site of negotiation, a pedestrian andcycle promenade from which to witness and experience the coexisting waterfront industry. It is also a site of contrasts with the patina of wharfs, rails, rust and ropes juxtaposed with the adjacent lustre of alfresco dining that has thrived in this authentic waterfront condition.

Image Credit: Jeff Brass

Jellicoe Street runs parallel to the harbour edge and contrasts with the exposed, hard harbour condition. This ‘boulevard’ establishes a new public realm language for Auckland, one that promotes a civic presence with an indigenous character; a grand axis with a pedestrian focus and rich, informal planting.

Image Credit: Simon Devitt

Silo Park is a triangular tract that links Jellicoe Harbour with marine industries to its west. It is locatedon a former cement depot from which a large silo – once earmarked for removal – is retained. The silo now forms amulti-programmed focus of a layered public space that facilitates a range of hybrid uses; passive recreation, event space, youth precinct, industry and folly. Each program is new to the site, yet built from the pattern language, infrastructure and the mythology of place.

Image Credit: Simon Devitt

Image Credit: Simon Devitt

Image Credit: Simon Devitt

Jellicoe Harbour & Silo Park will be featured in full in the #05 edition of   WLA Landscape Architecture Quality out on June 26

Landscape Architecture: Taylor Cullity Lethlean and Wraight + AssociatesClient: Waterfront AucklandLocation: Wynyard Quarter, AucklandConstruction: completed Aug2011

Shennong Valley Resort | Baoting County China | Broadway MalyanBy Damian Holmes on May 17, 20122

Broadway Malyan will provide design services for a globalheadquarter, research and development, hospitality and visitor centre in China. Located in Baoting County, northof Sanya on Hainan Island, the ‘Shennong Valley Resort’ will sit in a stunning 35 acre site between the famous ‘Qixianling Seven Angels’ mountain ridge and the valley’sterraced rice fields.

The centre is the brainchild of Grand Agriseeds Technology and will play a strategic role in realising the company’s ambition to be the world’s leading innovator in the field of high-yield hybrid rice and a leader in the crusade to alleviate future world food crises.

The practice will provide masterplanning, architectural and landscape design services for the project, from concept to detailed design and onsite delivery, with the centre set to become a global centre for hybrid rice research, a showcase for sustainable development and an international leisure destination in the Qixianling area of Hainan, China’s southernmost province.

The design will maximise views of the ridge and the valleys below for visitors staying in new luxury private villas, large format club house villas and a luxurious five star resort hotel, operated by the Intercontinental Hotel Group and including conference and spa facilities. The scheme will also include a new museum of hybrid rice,showcasing new production technologies, global solutions and the story of rice cultivation in Asia, which in itself is the story of civilisation.

The practice is now developing the concept design, with detailed design work due to commence in the early summer and construction expected to start in early 2013.

Images Credit: Broadway Malyan

Minneapolis Tussles Over a Faded Plaza

Stephen Maturen for The New York Times

Peavey Plaza in Minneapolis, designed by M. Paul Friedberg, has fallen into disrepair since it opened in 1975. More Photos »

By KATHRYN SHATTUCK

Published: May 16, 2012

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In 1975 a two-acre outdoor public space called Peavey Plaza opened in downtown Minneapolis, offering city dwellers an “urban oasis” at a time when many Americans were re-embracing city life, its designer, M. Paul Friedberg, said in a recent interview. Using a 10-foot depression created during construction of the adjacent Orchestra Hall, Mr. Friedberg, a Modernist landscape

architect based in New York, built a terraced amphitheaterlike space and a drainable reflecting pool that could be used as a stage in summer and a skating rink in winter. Waterfalls absorbed noise; garden rooms offered intimacy and softened concrete edges. In 1999 theAmerican Society of Landscape Architects recognized the plaza as one of the nation’s most significant examples oflandscape architecture, along with Central Park in Manhattan and the Biltmore estate in North Carolina.

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In Minneapolis, Redesigning a Landmark

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But things have changed. These days two of the plaza’s three fountains no longer work, their pumps and lines noteasily replaceable. Concrete is stained and crumbling, exposing rebar. The reflecting pool is dry more often than not. And those intimate spaces are occasionally put to unsavory uses. Peavey Plaza’s time may be up. Even as preservationists argue for rehabilitation of what they consider the finest surviving example of Mr. Friedberg’s

work, the City of Minneapolis, which owns 75 percent of it, has commissioned a significant redesign of the space.The plaza has become another battleground in the wars being fought around the country between preservationists determined to save what they see as underappreciated Modernist designs and cities and developers pushing to move on.

On Thursday the city’s public works department will appeal the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission’srecent denial of a demolition permit, and if the permit is approved, the issue will be voted on by the City Council on May 25. Fund-raising has begun for a new design by Tom Oslund of Oslund and Associates, a Minneapolis firm, which is expected to cost between $8 million and $10 million, with $2 million provided by state bond funds.

“Even though Peavey Plaza is not a city landmark, the commission is considering it to be an historic resource worthy of further study and possible designation,” said Chad M. Larsen, chairman of the preservation commission.

Whatever it may once have been, the plaza “is not a beautiful space now,” said Gwen Pappas, the director of public relations for the Minnesota Orchestra, which owns 25 percent of it and has used the planned $50 million remodeling of its 1974 building to generate momentum for remaking the plaza. “The concern was if the hall was to get a shiny, new refurbishment and Peavey was left in itscurrent state of disrepair, the discrepancy between the two would be even greater,” she said.

In addition, the city points out that Peavey Plaza meets neither Americans With Disabilities Act accessibility requirements nor sustainable water-use standards, and that it lacks the electrical supplies necessary for outdoor events. Mr. Oslund’s design addresses those issues and also creates a more open space, sunken less deeply below street level.

Supporters of rehabilitating Mr. Friedberg’s design say the city has not met its legal obligation to prove “that

there are no reasonable alternatives to the demolition” as required by the code of ordinances on historic resources.

In June a group of people recruited to give feedback on proposed changes to the plaza was shown four concepts with preliminary budgets, said Erin Hanafin Berg, a member of the group and a field representative for the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, which supports savingMr. Friedberg’s design. In July the group was told that the city would move forward with developing two of those concepts, both by Mr. Oslund: a new scheme and one that adapted the original design.

But at an October meeting, “it was a rude shock when onlythe new, reconfigured scheme was on the table, and we were told that the restorative scheme was unfundable,” Ms. Berg wrote in an e-mail. In its demolition application, the city maintained that no feasible alternative was available because of the scope of construction and because funders would not contribute millions of dollars to restore the original design.

“There have been some conversations” with potential funders, said Charles T. Lutz, deputy director of the city’s Community Planning and Economic Development Department. They believe Mr. Oslund’s design “better reflects what is needed on the plaza today,” he added.

Mr. Friedberg had originally been on Mr. Oslund’s team; in an e-mail, Mr. Oslund said he removed Mr. Friedberg after he made it clear that he thought the plaza should not change.

Mr. Friedberg, who has recently come up with a set of design additions to Peavey Plaza that he believes would bring the space “into the 21st century,” said he would beopen to more extreme change “if I thought what was being created advanced the idea of landscape architecture and urban culture.” Mr. Oslund’s design, in his opinion, “is not a significant view in that direction.”

Hamilton Residence | Miami USA | Arquitectonica GEOBy Damian Holmes on May 19, 20121

A residential landscape that integrates the owner’s heritage, French with their place of residence: Florida. An exposed and unused lawn is converted into a poetic display of hardy native plants and trees which require little maintenance and no water during the dry season. The driveway integrates elements of French formality de-constructed classic shapes of Versailles parterres floating in a bed of Florida seashells.

Hamilton Residence is located at the edge of the BiltmoreHotel golf course in Coral Gables, Florida. The design instruction from the client was “…a creative Florida garden that is low maintenance, without touching the tamarind tree.” The garden is anchored by an immense tamarind tree which was growing on this property well before Coral Gables was ever platted as a City, at the turn of the last century. The existing garden consisted of an unused lawn exposed to the street. The master bedroom required screening from traffic.

The concept for the design was to capture this very exposed space next to the house as a totally private garden enclosing an outdoor space, off the master bedroom, for quiet reflection, reading, sunning and mediating. “The kids use it to study and when I come in from running in the summer, I collapse under the outdoor shower.” – The client.

The low perimeter wall creates privacy from the street from the house weaving playfully from the giant tamarind

tree and falling southward before finally turning to hidein the tall palms on establish the southern border of thegarden. This allows the driveway to serve traffic as wellas cars. “We even set up drinks under the shade of the tamarind to greet the guests with. Before it was just a paved roadway” client. In addition, the seashell pathway also fosters a sense of security in the low light conditions of an urban night.

The native plant palette was selected for texture and color. The coontie is a reference to the original South Florida crop that was as a starch source for the pioneers. The black mulch enhances the shades of green and silver. An enclosed herb garden is off the kitchen door. The hardscape materials are a combination of poured

in place concrete, sea shells and native coral rock. Theyblend seamlessly into their surroundings.

To allow for open vistas towards the golf course from theliving room, no planting was proposed except for an ‘old

man’s palm’ which looks as if it  had been sitting there all along… the east lawn extends into golf course and thehorizon beyond…

Edible Front-Yard Gardening

Beautiful landscaping, fresh food, less cost and fewer chemicals: what's not to love?

By Shelley Sparks | May 14, 2012 Share On   

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courtesy of Shelley Sparks

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When it comes to landscaping your front yard, maybe it's time to think beyond the traditional grassy lawn. We've come to view it as the "gold standard," yet vast expansesof grass do not maximize the utility or value of your property. So why not use that space to plant delicious, edible fruits and vegetables instead?  

Edible landscaping is a trend that's based on World War II victory gardens and was initiated by Los Angeles architect and artist Fritz Haeg on Independence Day 2005. After getting a commission from the Salina Art Museum in Salina, Kan., Haeg convinced a household of local, would-be gardeners to let him transform their front yard into an edible paradise. Since then, he’s overseen the planting of edible landscapes across the United States and in London. In 2008 he authored a book about the movement called Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn. Don't worry about scaring your neighbors. It’s not about creating wild, messy, unattractive front yards. Over the years it’s evolved into an aesthetically appealing, socially accepted community-based practice. You can startsmall with just a small patch of edible beds — or you canturn your entire front yard into a Garden of Eden, depending on how much time and energy you have to invest.

Benefits of Front-Yard Gardens Rising food costs and the desire to eat healthier producehave helped propel the idea. So, too, have environmental concerns over lawn maintenance: the use of chemicals to keep a lawn green and weed free, and the toxic emissions and noise that lawn mowers, edgers and blowers emit. Besides saving money on produce, you won’t be buying fuelto keep all the lawn equipment running. And if you opt for an organic garden, you won't have to deal with any toxic chemicals at all. On a deeper, philosophic level, there are even more reasons for front-yard edible gardens: “You can look at these gardens seriously as a form of culture and an agentof social change,” Haeg says. “People don’t value gardensthe way they do architecture because they have to spend more money to build a house. Yet the benefit of a good garden can be equal to or greater than that of a house," he adds, suggesting that this is also a way to shift people's entire way of thinking about the role of the front yard. 

 Haeg believes that the design should be simple, accessible and inexpensive. Transforming a front yard is a contagious act, he says: Once your neighbors see you working your garden regularly and you share the fruits ofyour labor with them, they'll likely be inspired to do something similar with their own lawn. Another benefit of an edible garden — less tangible but huge — is the calming, stress-reducing qualities that working with and being connected to the earth provides. Is an Edible Garden for You? If you are looking for a no-maintenance garden, then edibles probably aren’t for you. Even the easiest-care fruit trees require occasional pruning, spraying and harvesting. But if you want to do something, you needto start by asking yourself, realistically, how much workare you able to do? Start small, and if your stamina and interest hold, expand slowly over time. If your lifestyle is more geared to a low-maintenance garden, you could start with a single raised bed or one row of vegetables in the front yard, or three to five fruit trees or berry bushes. This probably requires aboutan hour of maintenance a week, possibly less. Feel like you can handle a bit more? A medium-maintenanceyard (say, four to six 4 x 10 raised beds or six to 10 trees or edible shrubs) could consume two hours a week onan average, depending on what you choose. A high-maintenance garden that requires several hours a week of care could extend to an area that’s 1,000 to 2,000 squarefeet. Checklist to Start an Edible Yard Before you dig, you need a plan. Here are the main considerations:

1. How much space can you devote? It’s best to draw your plan first. If you are going to grow

vegetables, decide whether you want raised beds and if so, how high. They give you full control of the soil and water. The disadvantage is that they limit your aesthetic flexibility.

2. How will you design your plantings? One benefit of planning is that you can rotate the types of crops you’re growing in each bed — important because soil gets tired from growing the same type of plant. (Forexample, corn exhausts nitrogen in the soil and should be alternated the following year with a legume, like soybeanss that replenishes the nitrogen.)

3. Plant selection: It all begins with what you like toeat. Will you start from seed (much harder) or starter plants? It's easier to begin this process with starter plants that are readily available at nurseries. You can graduate to seeds later, and if you do, go with reliable companies like Burpee, which offers a growing calendar that’s applicable tothe entire United States, or send away for free seedcatalogs. 

4. Water: The most efficient way to water is through a drip system or soaker hose. You’ll need to monitor the plants to be sure that the system is operating properly throughout the growing season. Rainbird irrigation is one reliable manufacturer.

5. Maintenance of soil (fertilizer): Different plants require different types of fertilizer. If you go with organic soil, that may be sufficient, but depending on your plant selection, you may need to fertilize. This is a big topic and is worth doing some research on. Here's a good primer. 

6. Maintenance of plants: You’re not the only one interested in harvesting the fruits of your labor. Insects always want to get in the act. A good, organic approach to protecting plants is companion planting. Interspersing plants that repel ravaging bugs or plants that sacrifice themselves to the bugscan save your veggies. Other means of protection include adding beneficial bugs and birds to remove pests. You’ve probably heard that ladybugs are helpers, but so are green lacewings, spiders,

parasitic wasps, birds and even bats. You can also rid yourself of pests using various organic protectors, like garlic, tobacco, fish emulsions, mineral or vegetable oils, cayenne peppers, salt or soap solutions.

7. Harvesting/saving seeds: Once the veggie bug gets you, you may want to grow and save seeds for heirloom vegetables. This practice preserves old vegetable varieties and enhances biodiversity.

These tips may sound like a lot of work to eat a fresh tomato, but there are so many more rewards than a great salad. There is the wonder of growing vegetables and fruits that you didn’t know existed, the security of knowing that what you are eating is healthy and pesticide-free, an opportunity to discover a new forum for connecting with your friends and neighbors. And of course there's the priceless value of moving away from the purely decorative to a far more fruitful use of your precious land. Shelley Sparks has been a landscape architect for more than 30 years and is author of Secrets of the Land and Keep Plants Healthy.  

New Campus & Healing Gardens for Nationwide Children’s Hospital | Columbus USA | OLINBy Damian Holmes on June 20, 2012

OLIN  has designed the surrounding campus and healing gardens for the newly constructed hospital tower and research building of Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s most prominent pediatric health care and research institutes, and has just completed the largest pediatric expansion project in U.S. history, adding 2.1 million square feet of clinical and research space. A dedication ceremony will take place on June 11, 2012. Thenew facility will open to the public on June 20, 2012, and is expected to welcome at least one million patient visits in its first year.

OLIN worked as part of a multidisciplinary team which included FKP Architects, local landscape architects MSI-KKG, engineers EMH&T and Trans Associates, environmental designer Ralph Appelbaum and Associates and Horton, Lees,Brogden Lighting Design. Nationwide Children’s tower and campus design are envisioned as a cohesive and holistic healing environment that reaches beyond the campus itself, creating opportunities for the institution to become a good neighbor to the community. OLIN Partner Laurie Olin explains: “The project expands the principlesof therapeutic gardens to the entire healthcare campus and neighboring community. Nationwide Children’s Hospitalis a pioneer in its field in that the hospital has created something for people beyond just its own patients.”

OLIN’s design for the new six acres of green space on thecampus creates an environmentally vibrant setting that serves the needs of the campus while creating accessible space for surrounding neighborhoods. Adjacent to historicLivingston Park, the campus extends gathering spaces and creates a cohesive park setting along the entire southernperimeter of the campus. A series of healing gardens provides an amenity that is enjoyed by young patients, their families and the medical staff. A sensory-rich mazeof plantings includes lemon and chocolate mints, wild thyme, fluffy lamb’s ear, cone flower and colorful snapdragon. OLIN intentionally did not use plants with toxic leaves or berries that curious children could accidentally ingest. The gardens also include children’s climbing sculptures, an intimate area for story time, anda moonlight garden that extends the use of the site into the evening. Sustainable features of the landscape include rainwater collection, storage and re-use – almosta 2.5 acre increase of permeable surface throughout the campus. A LEED® certified central energy plant supplies sustainable energy to the whole of the campus.

As the main corridors of entry, the vast surrounding avenues of Livingston and Parsons were transformed into grand canopied civic boulevards with an allée of London Plane trees and new disease resistant American Elms, new sidewalks, brick crosswalks and bicycle lanes. The avenues have also been re-graded to better integrate utility corridors and introduce bio-filtration rain gardens, which help absorb and filter stormwater runoff. Along Parsons Avenue, a luminous ‘Grove of Light,’ consisting of a series of illuminated vertical masts, defines the entry into the hospital campus.

The design team created continuity between interior and exterior spaces to provide an enhanced visual and physical connection to natural materials and flora. Interior design of the tower incorporates playful nature-themed motifs, such as mobile sculptures depicting colorful flocks of birds. The welcome lobby employs wood paneling, and surprises guests through the use of playfulfigures such as rabbits, deer and turtles. This relationship between interior and exterior is fully realized in the dining courtyard, which connects the hospital tower to the landscape. The dining courtyard is a tranquil area under a dappled canopy of Locust trees and vertical plantings of Virginia Creeper vine, which creates a feeling of woodland surround. The bluestone paved courtyard is bordered by grooved walls, which are reminiscent of the regional limestone strata of nearby Hocking Hills State Park.

 

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How Urban Parks Enhance YourBrain, Part 2

ERIC JAFFE AUG 03, 2012 2 COMMENTS

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Last month we explained how parks can restore much of the mental fatigue imposed on our brains by the busy city. The psychological evidence for this concept, known as the "attention restoration theory," is quite clear. What would be great to know,as I noted at the end of that post, is precisely how many trees it takes to recover the cognitive strains of urban life.

Well sometimes the gods of semi-obscure-hybrid-behavior-nature-academic-publications listen to your calls. In an upcoming issue of the journal Landscape and Urban Planning, a group of Finnish researchers describe recent work that just so happens to address our exact curiosity. They conclude that restoration reaches peak potential when every inch of the city — which they term the "urban matrix" — escapes our vision:

Our results showed that perceived restorativeness in urban forests was strongly affected by closure of view to the urban matrix through the forest vegetation. This means that perceived restorativeness was higher inside the forest with a

closed (i.e. no) view to the urban matrix as compared to semi-closed and open views.

For the study, the researchers identified nine patches of boreal forest in greater Helsinki that bordered the "urban matrix" — in this case either a housing development (some single-family units,some flats) or an urban road with a steady flow of traffic. Within each nature site the researchers found three viewing points that offered a clear open look at the urban matrix (below,A and B), a partial glimpse (C), or no view of the road or homes at all (D).

Next, they recruited 66 people of all ages from the metropolitan area. Each study participant visited two of the viewing points at

one of the nature patches and completed a questionnaire on the restorative potential of that particular site. The results followed a clear linear pattern: as one's view of the urban matrix increased, the perceived cognitive restorativeness of the park decreased. (There was no statistical difference between a view of the road and that of the homes.)

The work lacks a bit of force for its methods. While the researchers focused on "attention restoration theory," they provided only a questionnaire of perceived restorativeness as opposed to direct cognitive tests of attention. The questionnairethey used has been validated in previous empirical settings, but it's certainly a weaker measurement than, say, the "backwards digit-span task" used by other psychologists studying urban parks.

Still the findings provide urban planners with some nice food forthought. The most intriguing conclusion to be drawn here is that the size of an urban park isn't nearly as important as the density of its vegetation. Even when a nature site borders an urban road or housing development, it can function as a restorative place so long as it offers easy access to a dense interior. In other words, the ultimate goal is not to see the city for the trees.

Image via Hauru, K., et al. Closure of view to the urban matrix has positive effects on perceived restorativeness in urban forests in Helsinki, Finland. Landscape Urban Plan. (2012), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2012.07.002.

2.9 Sustainable Landscape DesignFor projects located in a district designated for special landscapingby the local government, local design guidelines should be followed. Where local government has not designated special districts or guidelines, GSA’s project and site design may be a catalysts for encouraging such efforts.

Maintenance ConsiderationsBefore initiating the landscape design, the landscape architect should discuss with the facility manager how the landscaping will be

maintained. If this information is not available, assume that only limited maintenance capabilities will be available.

Sustainable design benefits GSA with healthier, longerlived plantingswhich rely less on pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, minimize water use, require less maintenance and increase erosion control.

Russell B. Long Federal Building andU.S. Courthouse

The long-term upkeep and maintenance of landscape elements such as lighting, plaza or courtyard areas, fountains and similar elements must be considered during design. Equipment required for maintenance should be readily available standard equipment such as forklifts or electrical lifts, and its use approved by the facility manager.

General Design Principles

Sustainable landscape design considers the characteristics of the site and soil, and the intended effect and use of the developed area,in addition to the selection of plants. Where appropriate, regionally-native plants will be used. Zoning or grouping by plant materials may be considered if an irrigation system is to be used. Refer to the seven principles of Xeriscape™ on the Internet for further information.

Given limited maintenance budgets, GSA conceptually divides the areasin a typical site into two categories. Category I areas have high visibility—such as the building entrance—and consist of highly developed designs. These areas should be sensitive to the architectural features of the building, and can require higher maintenance. Category II areas have lower visibility—such as parking lots, maintenance areas and outlying areas—and are of simpler design and maintenance.

Design teams shall carefully consider how these landscape plans affect the use and feel of adjacent public spaces and properties. Where appropriate, they should coordinate design with local

properties and plans—considering input but also encouraging compatible approaches by other developments.

The designer should discuss the appropriate amounts of Category I andII areas with the facility manager, as the proportions will depend onthe level of total maintenance capability. As the landscape design isdeveloped, Category I and II areas should be identified on the drawings to clarify the design concept. A preliminary description of the necessary maintenance program should also accompany the Final Concept Submittal. See Appendix A: Submission Requirements.

Soils will vary from site to site and even within sites selected by GSA. A soil test based on random samplings will provide the landscapearchitect with information needed for proper selection of plant materials and, if needed, soil amendments. The design will include those soil amendments to enhance the health and growing capabilities of the landscape.

Landscape ElementsOutdoor Plazas and Courtyards. Consideration should be given to development of plazas and courtyards for employee and visitor uses, and for both planned and passive activities. It may also be possible to incorporate program requirements into these spaces, for example, for use as outdoor dining or meeting spaces.Fountains, Reflecting Pools and Ponds. Water may be used as a visual and possibly as an acoustic element. However, water features should not become a maintenance burden. Water consumption should be kept low, especially in very dry climates with high evaporation rates. Non-potable water sources may be considered for these uses. In colderclimates provisions must be made for easy shut-off and drainage during the winter season. Fountains and reflecting pools with pumpingsystems are restricted to Category I areas of the site. Water features should not be placed over occupied space since leakage problems frequently occur.

Old Post Office historical preservationSculpture. Sculpture may be provided as part of the Artin-Architecture Program. It is not addressed by the site designer exceptas a coordination effort since the sculptor is selected under a separate contract. Although under a separate contract, it is crucial in such cases for the artist and the A/E to coordinate not only the

art installation, but how people will move to and from each other’s designed areas and how one might support the other. It is also important to ensure that routine maintenance of the artwork can be performed at reasonable cost and that it does not create safety hazards.Rocks and Boulders. Lightweight and synthetic rocks or boulders will not be used as landscape elements.