Author: Land8: Landscape Architects Network

Are you taking lawns for granted? Do you just implement them from an esthetic point of view with no regard to the environmental aspects of it? In this article, we take a deeper look as to what designing lawns really means. Turf grass is perhaps the most prevalent plant used in Western public and residential space alike. It’s always in a designer’s back pocket as a quick way to create multi-use space. But good designers think about the long-term effects of their projects, and traditional lawns can be a bad idea. Their maintenance sucks resources, helps decimate ecosystems, and wastes money.

Here are some reasons to stop designing lawns:

1. Turfgrass is the most irrigated crop in the United States According to a 2005 NASA Study, irrigated turf grass accounts for three times more land area in the United States than corn. American residential landscapes consume about 9 billion gallons of potable drinking water per day, about half the amount of water used in a given house per day. In hot climates such as America’s Southwest, an average of 60% of a single house’s water use goes to landscape irrigation.

2. Gotta kill the bugs Traditional lawn care practices account for 70 million pounds of pesticides used in the U.S. every year. And pesticides cause serious environmental problems. Killing all the bugs, not just the bad ones, turns surrounding ecosystems into an unbalanced mess. Pesticides and fertilizers also pose poisoning risks for humans and other non-target species. 3. A lawn that is not often used for recreation or play is a waste … and you know it We know that a well-designed site should be used for many different purposes, and a lawn that is primarily decorative is a wasted opportunity. Lawns are great for unprogrammed use of outdoor space, but admit it — you’ve seen great swaths of meticulously mowed, green people-pasture that is completely empty most of the time. It may be pretty, but can’t we do better? Related Articles:

• 10 Practices Showing That “Sustainability” is More Than Just a Buzzword!
• Weeds, Walls and Sustainability with Steve Martino
• Rain Gardens | Book Review

4. Fertilizer Similar to pesticides, fertilizer runoff into the surrounding waterways also causes big, fat problems for ecosystems. The excess nitrogen in water systems, such as ponds or streams, causes algae to grow out of control. The thick algae soak up all of the available dissolved oxygen in the water and drowns fish and other marine life that need oxygen. 5. Decreased biodiversity Besides poisoning by pesticides and drowning by fertilizers, birds, bugs, and bacteria all thrive better in a diverse mix of species. Human-maintained monoculture causes problems for animals that eat native plants, moving them out of old habitat or providing them with less nutritious food. Monoculture also supports overpopulation of animals that eat the one thing we let survive. 6. Maintenance Unless your maintenance personnel are out every week mowing that lush carpet with push mowers, a lot of energy is being consumed to keep your lawn so trim. Using a standard lawn mower for one hour creates as much pollution as driving a car 100-200 miles in average conditions. A string trimmer is even worse — but it’s worth it for those clean edges, right? 7. Welcome the invasives! Extra nutrients? Leached soils? Monoculture and plenty of water to spare? Sounds like the perfect place for invasive species to call home. They can be kept at bay with constant maintenance, but skip the mowing and weed-eating for a week and the lawn can turn into an invasive wonderland. 8. Status quo bias is going out of style, anyway The American love of the front yard has caused lawn size to grow larger and larger since World War II. A giant lawn makes a house look like the inhabitants can afford to waste space, water, and maintenance hours that could be used for growing something edible. It’s really time to move past that mindset, don’t you think?

Two Reasons to Keep Designing Lawns

1. Sightlines and safety Urban parks face safety problems. The more people using a public space, the more safety should be forefront in the minds of the designers. Turf grass is a flat groundcover that when mixed with trees with high branches creates great sightlines all through the space. Removing mid-height shrubs and adding flat pavers or ground covers was one of the strategies used in the monumental Bryant Park, New York City safety remodel.

2. Meadows and prairies are already in style Because of the aforementioned reasons, lawns are going out of style anyway. But for a multifunctional recreation space that promotes ecological biodiversity, native plant growth, and a reasonable amount of irrigation, some designers are turning to native prairie grasses. The mixes are mowed once every few weeks, already reducing pollution due to maintenance. Yes, they look messier, but that messiness hopefully heralds the dawn of an age of better ecological landscapes. Lawns are a ubiquitous part of landscape design history; they are classic and so normal that most don’t think twice about adding one into a design. But it is time to pull this go-to tool out of our back pockets and seriously evaluate it with 21st-century data. Is it responsible to design a lawn when I know the damage it can cause? What is a better alternative for multifunctional use? How can spaces be designed to encourage sustainable maintenance? Article by Caitlin Lockhart Recommended Reading: 

• Designing the Sustainable Site: Integrated Design Strategies for Small Scale Sites and Residential Landscapes by Heather L. Venhaus
• Lifelong Landscape Design by Hugh Dargan

Return to Homepage

Featured image credit: By Tonamel. Licensed under CC-SA 2.0

Have you ever wondered about technology for landscape architects? In this article, we take a closer look at some of the advances in technology that landscape architects can look forward to. As technological development continues to progress at an unprecedented rate, it is becoming more and more exciting to witness what new developments are next to emerge. In the world of landscape architecture, technology is always developing for the convenience of the designer and, more importantly, for the benefit of the user. We are now seeing more modern and sophisticated tools that only seemed feasible in science fiction 40 years ago. We must pay attention to the likes of 3D printers, as they provide accuracy and productivity that cannot be matched by older methods. These printers are now creating houses within 24 hours. Is this exciting or terrifying? Some may question our increasing overdependence on technology, as we can potentially lose other skills, such as sketching. This change does impact the way landscape architects work, so we must make sure that this change is for the better. How exactly do these new tools help us?

Technology for Landscape Architects

Sketching Revolutionized 3D printing pens such as the 3doodler or the LIX pen are affordable pens that release heated plastic that almost instantly cools, forming a solid. They are used by all types of designers. These pens can help the design process by creating a highly tangible component that can have a much stronger impact than a 2d sketch. Ideas can be developed just as quickly and will give the designer more information. Students and professionals of landscape architecture may now experience sketching and model making like never before. WATCH: LIX – The Smallest 3D Printing Pen

Productivity Unmatched 3d printers are becoming more and more incredible. Behrokh Khoshnevis, director of the manufacturing engineering graduate program at the University of Southern California, has announced the aim to develop 2,500-square-foot houses in just 24 hours. This is significant for landscape architects because 3D printing is very useful for conveying design ideas to the client and because the overall productivity is faster than previous methods. These printers work well with 3D software, such as SketchUp and Rhino, and can vary in scale, producing highly accurate models for garden designs. WATCH: Joseph DeSimone: What if 3D printing was 100x faster?

They have been used by RHS Chelsea Flower Show Best in Show winners Sarah Eberle, Adam Frost, and Jo Thompson. Stoss Landscape Urbanism developed custom made benches from 3D printers. It is developing these custom elements that make 3D printing particularly useful. Eight prototypes were created with speed and accuracy. These are much more productive processes to communicate design ideas and should not be ignored by landscape architects. A Change in Topography Analysis The augmented-reality sandbox is another fascinating device that can allow landscape architects to analyze the landscape in an entirely new way. Contours and elevation colors are rendered through a projector. The colors change as the sand is manipulated, which is monitored by a Kinect camera. Clearly, this is not commonplace in a landscape architect’s office, but it is a form of analysis that is of undoubted interest. It is perhaps better used as part of an exhibition to help people understand topography and its sensitivity. Related Articles:

• 5 Top 3D Modeling Software Programs for Landscape Architects
• Computer Aided Software for Landscape Architects: The Essential Guide
• 7 Top Landscape Architecture Trends of the 21st Century

WATCH: Alaska’s Augmented-Reality Sandbox: The whole world in your hands

Biotechnology We are not only seeing a development in mechanical technology; the development of biotechnology is just as exciting to witness. In the future, the use of glow-in-the-dark plants could be an interesting aspect in design. Developed by the biotechnology company Bioglow, the DNA from luminescent marine bacteria was introduced into houseplants, causing the stems and leaves to illuminate. There is an intention to increase the lighting intensity to these plants with the hope of revolutionizing ornamental planting design. WATCH: Biotech Company Creates Auto Luminescent Plants

Of course, it is implausible to have streets illuminated by plants, but in the future they could be a small part of the design. Landscape architects should certainly pay attention to the development of biotechnology. Perhaps less extravagant products of biotechnology should be considered. For example, the introduction of genetically modified plants that are more resistant to disease may be a common consideration in planting design in the future. What have we got to lose? With all of these technologies continuing to develop, we must ask the question: Are we losing anything as designers and are these advanced tools, in fact, necessary? Indeed, 3D printing pens and high-tech sandboxes are interesting for designers to use, and no doubt the design process can be facilitated. But they are not essential. It is easy for students of landscape architecture to become captivated by these tools. Students and practitioners must always be fully aware of what is necessary when designing a space. We must never lose sight of this. However, it is acceptable for landscape architects to use advanced 3D printers. They speed up productivity and produce with accuracy. This is an invaluable asset for the development of landscape architecture, but the intention of the design must always be appropriate and well considered. That should never change. Article by Stephen O’Gorman Recommended Reading: 

• Designing the Sustainable Site: Integrated Design Strategies for Small Scale Sites and Residential Landscapes by Heather L. Venhaus
• Lifelong Landscape Design by Hugh Dargan

Return to Homepage

5 Easy Steps to Mess Up Your AutoCAD Drawing … and Make it Look Better from our resident AutoCAD expert UrbanLISP to make your work in AutoCAD more efficient. With landscape architecture, we try to shape and organize spaces with trees, plants, water. In other words, we work with nature. When developing a plan in AutoCAD, we work with a computer — just about the opposite of nature. How do we make something look like nature with something that is the opposite? Well, we can randomize! In a previous article, you can read how to do this in sections. In each of the following steps, we use a tool to approach a natural look with trees by randomizing in plan view. WATCH: 5 Easy Steps to Mess Up Your AutoCAD Drawing … and Make it Look Better

We start with a drawing with tree blocks. There are blocks in a grid, which is easy to draw in AutoCAD, and a few blocks representing a variety of species. In the top left corner, there are hatches with different colors.

1. Rotate When creating a block, it’s important to think about how you set it up. These tree blocks are set up in such a way that the insertion point is in the center, where the trunk would be. With the ‘Rotate Random‘ command, we can select all the blocks and apply a random rotation. The command uses the insertion point as rotation point, so the blocks stay where they are. After this step, we already see a less rigid composition. 2. Exchange As mentioned in the article ‘10 must do’s to become an AutoCAD professional‘, it’s important to create a library of blocks. And it’s advised to set them up in the same way, the way the blocks in this drawing all have their insertion point in the middle. So when we exchange the blocks randomly, we see the blocks all stay in place, but change graphically. We mixed the species. 3. Color Although blocks seem very rigid, they can change appearance more than you might think. In this case, all the tree blocks have a hatch in which color is set “By Block”. This means the hatch adopts the color of the block. So when we apply the ‘Color Random‘ command, the blocks will change color and so will the hatches. 4. Scale The blocks all have the same size now. By applying ‘Scale Random‘, we change the blocks to a random size. Again, the blocks stay in place because of the carefully chosen insertion point. 5. Move After scaling and rotating the blocks randomly, they remain in place, so we have kept control of the position. With the ‘Displace Random’ command, we can move them out of position in a random direction with a random distance. You can also apply the first four steps to blocks that are already placed randomly like we did in the article ‘How to place a lot of trees at once‘. In that case, you can skip this step. Randomizing in 3d with SketchUp But it doesn’t have to stay with 2d plans. Fortunately, SketchUp understands AutoCAD blocks. So when you import an AutoCAD drawing and place a 3d tree in an AutoCAD tree block, your drawing is filled up with trees in no time. In a 2d plan, you want trees to look the same when they are in a row along a street, for instance, to show that it’s a continuous row. It’s a more diagrammatic representation so people understand right away that those trees are part of that row. In 3d, however, it looks very weird when you have a row of 3d trees that look the same. See these AutoCAD tutorials:

• 4 AutoCAD Commands to Draw Paving Patterns on Curving Paths
• How to Show Topography in your Plan Drawing in AutoCAD
• How to Place Large Quantities of Trees in a Master Plan Instantly with AutoCAD

You will never find such a row in real life. And with a 3d model, you want to approach real life. One way is to create variations of the 3d tree you have. Creating one 3d tree with leaves is already time-consuming, however. To prevent getting stuck in “designing” trees, you can simply apply “Rotate Random” and “Scale Random” to the blocks before you import them into SketchUp.

By rotating them randomly, you essentially look at the same tree but from different sides. They will look like completely different trees. Although we have created very big differences in the tree sizes at step four above, we can also create subtle differences. By scaling the blocks slightly, let’s say from 90 percent to 110 percent (that’s 0.9 and 1.1 when applying the command), the 3d trees look even more unique. In the image, you see two equal rows of trees. The trees in the row on the right are scaled and rotated randomly. You decide which row looks better.

Recommended Reading:

• Digital Drawing for Landscape Architecture by Bradley Cantrell
• Detail in Contemporary Landscape Architecture by Virginia McLeod

Article by Rob Koningen

You can see more of Rob’s work at UrbanLISP

Return to Homepage

Vache Noire (Black Cow), by Agence TER Landscape Architects, in Arcueil, France. Agence Ter has made a huge change in the city of Arcueil, France, by creating a contemporary public park out of a non-place once used only by cars. Indeed, the locality of the Vache Noire (Black Cow) was originally an urban wasteland alongside a crossroads deemed dangerous for pedestrians. But thanks to the recent construction of a new neighborhood composed of a shopping center, housing, and offices, the hub of the Vache Noire is expected to become a gateway to the city and an important place for all new users of the site.

Vache Noire

The overall project covers three hectares; 50,000 square meters of the site includes eight housing units, offices, an urban park, and a shopping center. The latter is built on two levels above the ground, with a third level partly buried, a fourth entirely buried, and three levels of underground parking for 1,750 vehicles. With the burial of a large part of the building, the Agence Ter was able to offer a more ambitious project than originally requested.

Breaking Boundaries to Create Better Spaces The initial project was designed to create at least 2,000 square meters of green space for the city, which was sorely lacking such space. But the designers have gone much further. They decided to use all of the available space — including the entirety of the roof of the mall area. They created a garden covering 13,000 square meters — 6.5 times more than what the client requested. However, designing a public garden on the roof of the shopping center required the team to show ingenuity, taking into account the many constraints facing them. The Main Components of the Project The project is comprised of three main parts: the podium, a large multipurpose grassy area; the stern, a grassy slope used as a glaze for housing; and the bow, consisting of a south-facing balcony treated on an inclined, flowery meadow. The balcony, rising to 17 meters above the ground, serves as a lookout and entrance porch to the mall. To use the roof and integrate the framework and technical elements, landscapers have folded the roof surface into an eventful topography. The tectonic roof shape obtained by these deformations creates different access points to the mall, the street, and also the offices and homes. Other Articles Featuring Agence TER Landscape Architects: 

• Urban Jungle Created to Perfection by Agence TER
• The Magic of Foundation Jeantet Produces a Timeless Design
• Aqua Magica Park: The Dark Magic of Ephemeral Experience in Landscape Architecture

Creating Functional Works of Art Agence Ter turned the technical constraints, such as windows and ventilation, into works of art that enliven the garden with their grace and flexibility. The flat glass roofing serves as routing and skylights, allowing passersby to admire the interior architecture of the building from the roof. Thus, the sun illuminates the mall during the day. At night, artificial light from the mall’s interior illuminates the garden and creates a luminescent path, eliminating the need for external lighting. The Creation of Turbulent Sculptures The team incorporated the 7.5-meter-tall metal reinforcements of the breakdowns in the garden without altering the site’s harmony. They transformed these rigid structures into turbulent sculptures. Some are vegetated while others are covered with a printed green glass screen. All are illuminated from the inside, creating an enchanting atmosphere. Reworking the Once Dangerous Crossroads The once dangerous crossroads have also been reworked. The center is ringed with a Corten steel strip and the ground is covered with red (Lauze) pavers from Brazil. In the center, 42 Metasequoia glyptostroboides of about 15 meters were planted. Today, a walkway spans the traffic lanes, providing safe crossing for pedestrians. In creating a new pedestrian flow, the crossroads has gained a new landscape with flamboyant colors, since metasequoia needles turn copper in fall, complementing the red of the Corten steel and pavers. Dead Places Can Become Living Spaces If these interventions look independent from each other, this is only in appearance since the crossroads and the roof of the mall are spaces where the pedestrian is usually not invited. But this project shows us that these places can become living spaces. Once again, Agence Ter has accustomed us to grandiose projects, continuing to forge ahead with designs like this one, which has revitalized the city and offered a mix of activities and new sensations in the urban park on the roof. In addition, this project included many technical and esthetic constraints, none of which stopped the designers from turning those constraints into living sculptures. Full Project Credit:  Project: A new commercial and residential area, including redevelopment of the ‘Vache Noire’ crossroad and shopping center roof garden Designers: Agence Ter (Henry Bava, Michel and Olivier Philippe Hoesller) Landscape planners, BET COTEBA (crossroads), BET Berim (garden), work execution by gardens Group 6 architects Areas: 3ha (crossroads) + 13,000m² (garden) Realization: 2006-2008 (intersection); 2006-2007 (garden) Budget: € 4,500,000 VAT (intersection); € 2,300,000 VAT (garden) Client: SADEV 94 Design & Construction: 2004 – 2007 All pictures: ©agenceter- Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre photographers Show on Google Maps

Recommended Reading:

• Landscape Architecture: An Introduction by Robert Holden
• Landscape Architecture, Fifth Edition: A Manual of Environmental Planning and Design by Barry Starke

Article by Alexandra Wilmet

Return to Homepage

A strong, powerful and dynamic portfolio can be the difference between you getting a job and looking for a job. Here are 8 tips to make a knockout landscape portfolio.  Your portfolio is a showcase of your best work, a creative expression of you, and a way to demonstrate the breadth of your talent. It provides a brief snapshot of what you can do and gives you the chance to create a fluent first impression. Therefore, you need to spend the time and the energy to get it right, whether you are a landscape architecture student or a graduate. For this article, I have searched for some of the most creative landscape portfolio designs and pulled together a selection of great tips and advice to make sure that your portfolio becomes the very best it can be. Read on to discover how to create a knockout portfolio.

Landscape Portfolio

1. I want to be a landscape architect… Tell us a story A portfolio isn’t just a collection of work. In fact, it is more than that: It should tell a story about you; draw your career and professional path, and illustrate your vision about landscape design. You should highlight your projects, your skills, and your passions, as well as your goals. WATCH: I want to be a landscape architect…

2. You Only Have One Chance to Make a First Impression An introductory page should be eye-catching, making the reader curious about you and your work. So make sure to use the title page to share a little about your background and to give your portfolio a story that makes more sense with an engaging intro. A good rule of thumb is to keep it simple — a few well-worded sentences will get the job done. 3. Know the purpose of each project Before you rush into building your portfolio, you first need to know the purpose of every project in it. That purpose should be somehow related to highlighting your talent and abilities as a landscape designer. Do you want to show that you are an award-winning landscape designer? Or is it all about your graphic design skills and the way you proceed to get your projects realized? WATCH: landscape architecture portfolio

4. Quality Over Quantity Take the time to look at all of your work and carefully select relevant projects for your portfolio. Don’t show hundreds of examples; show only the projects that you are really proud of. It’s always better to have a portfolio that displays a few remarkable projects rather than dozens of projects if some of them are just “average”. Related Articles: 

• 5 Mistakes You Should Avoid When Designing Your Portfolio
• 10 Great Interview Tips For Graduate Landscape Architects – The Essential Guide
• 10 Great Apps for Landscape Architects – Part 2

5. Organization Even if your work is absolutely flawless, it won’t speak for itself unless you create a decent presentation that will make it stand out from the crowd. Get into the nitty-gritty of each project and figure out the best way to present it. Make sure your portfolio is organized by project or by type of work, then present your process based on the steps you followed (Initial concept, early sketches, and the finished product). Remember that the person who is evaluating your work would eventually like to know the story behind your last result, so think about contextualizing the project with a short paragraph and adding a title to sum it up. Landscape hand drawings would be a big plus to emphasize your projects. WATCH: T. Clark Stancil – Landscape Architecture Portfolio

6. Recognition Since at this level you have all of the necessities, consider any other distinctive elements that you can customize and include to give you an extra edge. Add distinctive elements, such as awards, scholarships, details of training, workshops, and others. 7. Give it a regular spring cleaning Keep in mind that your work doesn’t end with just creating that outstanding portfolio. You’ll also want to regularly refresh it. When you create new work, make sure you make additions to feature your latest projects. But try to organize your work with the same level of careful curation that you started with in the beginning. 8. Share it! Now that your landscape portfolio is ready to shine, you surely want a place where people can find you online and learn more about what you do. For that, you have to deploy portfolio pieces to Behance, Flickr, Issuu, Calaméo … The more places you share your work, the more you’ll drive traffic toward you and your portfolio. – Beyond any doubt, creating a landscape architecture portfolio can be an exhausting task, as it can take hours and hours of editing and revising. But everyone in the field has to go through it, as it remains a required step for getting into some great landscape architecture firms. It is just that there are landscape architects who will fight to nail their portfolios while others will choose to take the easy shortcut and just hope that it will work. Recommended Reading:

• Portfolio Design (Fourth Edition) by Harold Linton
• Burn Your Portfolio: Stuff they don’t teach you in design school, but should by Michael Janda

Article by Naila Salhi Return to Homepage Featured image: Printscreen from Youtube, source

Baan Sukhumvit 16, by Landscape Architect 49 Limited in Sukhumvit, Bangkok, Thailand. Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok is one of the main commercial streets in the capital city of Thailand. This street is very busy, surrounded by soaring skyscrapers, making this area a crowded concrete jungle in the middle of Bangkok. Landscape Architecture 49 Limited has done a terrific thing, turning a small part of this busy urban space into a miniature tropical rainforest filled with serenity and relaxing ambiance. Baan Sukhumvit 16 offers comfy residences in the middle of the city, with a feel of a tropical rainforest sanctuary that makes you forget about the business of urban life for awhile. Baan Sukhumvit 16 consists of four houses and a shared clubhouse facility, separated by lush, green soft-scape that acts as a border to maintain individual privacy while connecting all the residences. The whole concept of a tropical rainforest sanctuary is well done, using a variety of multilayer tropical plants and a simple yet beautiful hardscape. And the interesting thing is, this design idea was inspired by “Oku” — a Japanese philosophy of an internal and mental spatial experience expressed in a two- and three-dimensional space.

Baan Sukhumvit 16

Local Tropical Plant Selection Creates a Relaxing Atmosphere Landscape Architects 49 Limited did a great job in choosing plants to create a natural tropical rainforest feel. The plants perfectly fit in with the climatic conditions of the area. The year-round sunshine and high-intensity rain help them grow well, and they require little maintenance.

Planting to Reduce and Cover up Outside Noise The combination of tall deciduous trees, shrubs, herbs, ferns, and groundcover planted in a natural, organic pattern creates a multilayer canopy, both reminiscent of a rainforest and providing an effective way to reduce noise from the city street. The foliage reduces noise by absorbing, reflecting, and dispersing the sounds coming from outside the residences. And the sound of leaves rustling in the wind helps to obscure extraneous noise as well, providing a more comfortable and relaxing atmosphere for living. Related Articles:

• Residents Get Luxurious Garden and Pool Project in Thailand
• Thai Landscape Architecture Award (TALA) 2015
• The Garden of Hilton Pattaya by TROP: terrains + open space

The Illusion of Space The use of soft-scape as a visual border and the property boundary gives a perfect touch in creating spaces. The green features give a soft touch in allowing for privacy for every occupant without cutting the connection between each space. This makes the building and the open space feel borderless and much wider. Deep and Intimate Space — the Oku Philosophy The depth of the space is obviously seen in Baan Sukhumvit 16. The landscape design idea is inspired by the Japanese philosophy of Oku. “Oku” in Japanese means private, intimate, and deep. By creating sequences of space from a narrow, enclosed area into an open, bright one at the very end, this pattern enriches people’s spatial experience and helps in creating the depth of the building and landscape. How to Create a Deep and Dramatic Feel It is a visual sequence that gradually changes, starting from the grand foyer where the center terrace appears and connecting the parallel indoor rooms. The room continues to a fish pond near the courtyard lawn and a wall feature that seems to protrude from the living room, serving as a backdrop displaying the movement of shade throughout the day, giving a deep and dramatic feel to the whole building space. Clean and Simple Materials The simple white color of the building and hardscape blends really well with all of the green tropical plants. The white hardscape acts as a stunning modern accent in the middle of the tropical forest, giving a modern touch to urban city life without sacrificing a fresh, green environment. Wide-Open Window — Perfect Solution for a Tropical Building The designers took advantage of all the visual possibilities by using lots of wide-open windows for the building. The wide, frameless windows give plenty of lights, making the building space feel much wider. The windows also provide good air circulation to reduce the temperature and humidity of the hot tropical climate. The windows also help strengthen the Oku philosophy of creating the visual sequences needed to develop intimacy and depth of space. Full Project Credit:  Project: Baan Sukhumvit 16 Location: Sukhumvit, Bangkok, Thailand Designer: Landscape Architect 49 Limited Awards: Thai Landscape Architecture Awards 2015 Nominee, Private Residences Project

Recommended Reading:

• Landscape Architecture: An Introduction by Robert Holden
• Landscape Architecture, Fifth Edition: A Manual of Environmental Planning and Design by Barry Starke

Article by Harkyo Hutri Baskoro

Return to Homepage

PS 234 Independence School Play Yard, by KaN Landscape, in TriBeCa, New York City, USA. A classroom only creates an illusion of enlightenment. A learning atmosphere is where kids can express themselves in their own way, explore their surroundings, and think freely. Children need a space where they can create their own world, free of fear and judgment, and at the same time learn through observing their surrounding environment. When designed thoughtfully, schoolyards can offer such an atmosphere. In the fall of 2014, KaN Landscape designed a new schoolyard for PS 234 Independence School, the first public school located in historic TriBeCa in lower Manhattan. The school was in need of a play yard with diversified sports opportunities and a play experience for children ranging in age from kindergarten to fifth grade. In response, the design team thought of creating a space that would be intriguing, interactive and fun.

PS 234 Independence School Play Yard

The Magical School Building The building that houses PS 234, designed by Dattner Architects in 1988, is rich in history. It provides pupils and the people of the city with lessons about the area’s architectural history, construction techniques, and the history of the city and its waterfront. The brick arches, curved corners around the exterior perimeter wall, and the deep industrial windows all reflect the area’s 19th century mercantile buildings, while the cylindrical turrets and castle towers at both ends seem like magical fairytale towers and also hearken back to the former river’s edge.

The Old School Yard To keep up with the architectural history of the 1890s and the skyline of the present city, the KaN Landscape team had to come up with something that would not interrupt the architectural and historical messages while at the same time offer a modern outlook. Related Articles:

• How “A Toddlers Playground” Inspires Learning
• Zorlu Center, The Playground Where Imagination Comes to Play
• What are the Benefits of Natural Play?

Thus, the given program (basketball, track, baseball, and games such as four square, hopscotch, scully, etc.) was integrated and interpreted into a dynamic and playful layout revealing the strong architectural identity of the building.

The Design, the People, and Their Involvement It is always very important to involve the people who will use the space in the design. When it comes to designing especially for kids, close and careful observation is always required. The point of view about games, play experience, or the atmosphere that a kindergarten kid loves differs a lot from that of a fifth-grader. As children grow, their points of view and understanding expand with their changes in likes and dislikes. Hence, KaN interviewed children, parents, the school principal, staff, and neighborhood residents to know and understand their visions, choices, and opinions regarding the design of the new play yard. Besides that, they also spent time observing the behavioral patterns of different age groups, play habits, use of space, and how they interact with the setting. Reflecting Maritime Features Porcelain medallions and a decorative fence around the yard’s perimeter were created by artist Donna Dennis to echo the area’s marine history. The fence illustrates scenes from the vanished Washington Market and silhouettes of clippers, lighters, ferries, tugboats, and barges. The architectural team thoughtfully introduced some of these maritime building features, such as the porthole windows, which land in the yard to create the base for a merry-go-round and other spontaneous team play. A Delightful, Free-Play Area The world around us heavily influences the way we feel and what we design. The use of colors and shapes affect our emotions. Keeping that in mind, KaN used various shades of bright hues, shapes, and lines on the schoolyard. The children follow the shapes, jump over them, and hide in or gather within the lines – these functions create a delightful play area for them and fulfill the main intention of the architect. The bright hues make it an eye-catching dream area for children. Overall, this project shows us why the involvement of the users is important for an efficient design and shows how its success lies in creating a balance between the architectural history of the school and the present needs for the play yard. Though the school’s faculty and children are happy with the new design, I think it would have been more efficient and intriguing if they could have added some green spaces and trees to further boost interaction between children and nature. Full Project Credit:  Project: PS 234 Independence School Play Yard Designers: KaN Landscape Location: TriBeCa in lower Manhattan, New York City, USA Date of Construction: 2014 Client: PS 234 Independence School Show on Google Maps

Recommended Reading:

• Landscape Architecture: An Introduction by Robert Holden
• Landscape Architecture, Fifth Edition: A Manual of Environmental Planning and Design by Barry Starke

Article by Farah Afza

Return to Homepage

Atelier COLE designs an innovative fundraising merchandise store for Free the Bears in Laos with the help of our most excellent partners Building Trust. Following the construction of several built projects in South East Asia using natural materials and seeing the growing interest and response in sustainable design and natural materials such as bamboo. Building Trust organised a Design + Build workshop to be held at Kuang Si Falls on the outskirts of Luang Prabang with Free the Bears. Working alongside Atelier COLE, a new merchandise store was designed and built which educates both workshop participants and the high volume of annual tourist visitors to the Tat Kuang Si Park on building with bamboo. Free the Bears work tirelessly to combat the illegal trade in live bears and provide a safe sanctuary for any rescued bears at Tat Kuang Si Rescue Centre. Most of the bears at the centre are Asiatic Black Bears (Moon Bears) that were illegally captured from the wild as young cubs. It is likely that they were destined for use in the traditional medicine trade. The merchandise store will enable Free the Bears to sell items such as T-shirts, in order to receive much-needed donations to allow them to continue their ongoing efforts to protect bears in Laos and beyond.

Free the Bears

The fluted fountain like canopies protects the deck area by catching rain water and passing it through the gravel filled, hollow, circular foundation footings. As with all Building Trust projects the Bamboo Trees project worked closely with the local community who, in this case, were Khmu. They assisted in sharing local skills such as bamboo, rattan weaving and palm thatching which were later used to develop the roof of the structure.

Figuring Out How to Use The Bamboo “This was not about wrapping a steel structure in bamboo or squeezing pieces of bamboo together to use like timber. We wanted to explore the tensile properties of the material to bend it and use it in a way that compliments its structural characteristics. We did not stray far from how the plant grows and how it has been used for centuries in basketry and weaving by the local people who were instrumental in the design and construction.” David Cole, Principal, Atelier COLE See More Articles Featuring Building Trust:

• Building Trust International-PLAYscapes Competition
• Building Trust International Interview
• Saving Wildlife Through Building Community led Eco-lodges in Cambodia

Neo-Gothic Architecture in Laos The bamboo is complemented by a rope (around 10 kilometres) that spirals around the structure, weaving each piece together and creating strength from the whole. The resulting tensegrity structures lean against each other in a tripartite vault. “… in a way you could say this is one of the only examples of Neo-Gothic architecture in Laos. It is certainly the only building which uses the very common building material of bamboo in this way.” David Cole, Principal, Atelier COLE How Atelier COLE and Building Trust Are Working Alongside Conservation Groups Nearly all homes in rural Laos use bamboo in some form in their construction be it as flooring, structure, walls, roofing or all of the above. Bamboo Trees celebrates this versatile material and shows that traditional can be modern. Atelier COLE and Building Trust are working alongside conservation groups in South East Asia, Africa and South America to not only deliver alternative more sustainable buildings but also to use the building process as a tool to introduce new techniques and revitalise traditional skills. Editors Notes About Atelier COLE Atelier COLE is an architecture and design practice. Established in 2010 their work includes low cost residential, public art, public projects and master planning. They are led by the idea that sustainable design is about doing more with less and that designers should be catalysts, working alongside clients for better solutions rather than sole providers of design solutions. This ultimately creates more holistic results that have the opportunity to go beyond the conventional boundaries of a building or single project. www.ateliercole.com About Building Trust International Building Trust International is a non-profit organisation offering design assistance to communities and individuals in need. Building Trust International assesses areas in need, finds sustainable, economical aid solutions and ultimately provides buildings and infrastructure. These core actions have blossomed into advocating and educating on the principles of socially aware design, providing an accessible resource on humanitarian design projects and providing a structure for the crossover of information between design professionals. Building Trust International is a charity registered in England and Wales (1142338). www.buildingtrustinternational.org

About Free the Bears

Since 1995 Free the Bears has provided support to a wide range of projects across the globe; from the rehabilitation of orphaned bear cubs in the Russian Far East to surveying wild Spectacled bears in Ecuador. As Free, the Bears has grown we have focused more intensely on the Sun bears and Asiatic black bears of South-east Asia and the Sloth bears of India. By creating partnerships that are tailored to each individual country and situation we have been able to support a wide range of projects in six priority countries; Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. www.freethebears.org Issued by Atelier COLE, 11th May 2015 For further information please contact: Louise Cole, Design Director, Atelier COLE louise@ateliercole.com Photos: © Building Trust international Return to Homepage

Zorlu Center, by Carve & WATG Landscape Architects, Beşiktaş, Istanbul, Turkey. Designing a place where children can explore, grow and develop is not an easy thing to accomplish, as there are so many things to take into consideration, including the safety of the elements used. Zorlu Center is one of the prime examples that could be offered, being a playground where even imagination comes to play. This project was undertaken by the talented team of landscape architects from Carve (Amsterdam), in partnership with WATG Landscape Architects, the London branch. It was completed in 2014, as one of the largest playground developments in Istanbul, covering an area of 1600 m2. Carve is a renowned Dutch design and engineering studio, being especially known for the design of spaces for children and their unique integration with the rest of the public space.

Zorlu Center

Children love to explore and discover new things more than anything else in the world. In designing this playground, the landscape architects chose different elements, so as to appeal to the main users of the area, meaning children. The basic idea was to allow children to use their imagination to the fullest, enjoying the diversity of shapes and colors. The design elements were chosen in a careful manner, guaranteeing the most incredible play experience for children of different ages.

The Need for Constant Stimulation One could not have designed this playground without taking into account the children and their need for constant stimulation. From concept to layout, this project is unique, showing the true talent of the landscape architects who have worked on it. It is amazing to see how well the play equipment has been integrated into the landscape, delivering a play experience that cannot be compared to others. Parents Can Safely Supervise Due to varying Heights Throughout the Design The playground has different heights and it is bright and colorful; one can enjoy the natural looking environment and the different opportunities for adventure that are offered throughout the park. Whether the children play in the low or in the high area of the playground, the parents can safely supervise them from the neighboring terrace. Or, if they want, they can relax on the elongated bench that embraces the whole area of the park. As you can see, every element of design has been carefully considered, based not only on the needs of the children but also on the ones of the parents. Designed Sections for Different Age Groups At the start of the playground, there is a specially designed area for young children. This offers plenty of opportunities for physical activity, including climbing and sliding. Children are free to explore the most diverse play elements, with trampolines, spinners, climbing nets, hammocks and slides guaranteeing diversity above all else. The middle area of the playground is defined by a change in landscape, with the hills turning into deep valleys. Secrets Awaiting to be Discovered Here, children feel like they are in a hidden world and they are stimulated to discover all of its secrets. There is a bridge to walk upon, a giant netting structure that creates a lot of fun and a giant family slide, accommodating a lot of children at the same time. Two of the most interesting play elements are represented by the climbing net and the family slide. These have bright colors, standing out from the rest of the play elements and they also serve to the needs of the children – they stimulate the inner sense for adventure and exploration that children have. Opportunities for Hide and Seek – Expert Level The deep valleys of the park are beautifully embraced by a man-made mountain range. Children can discover here the most diverse opportunities for play, as the row of walls deliver a wide range of physical activities, including running, climbing, hiding, sliding and even crawling. A good game of hide and seek is also possible in this unique playground. Tunnels Organized as a Labyrinth Children are enticed by the tunnels that are organized as a labyrinth, enjoying the sliding walls, the bird nests that act as lookout points and the narrow alleys they can surprise their friends on. The giant slide is definitely an element of interest, as it connects the valleys to the hills of the playground, allowing children to enjoy the ultimate sliding experience. Related Articles: 

• Strijp-s Reveals the Key to Brilliance: Keep the Old Factory Charm
• Industrial Site Transforms into Beautiful Landscape
• MFO Park in Switzerland

The Two Towers The playground also has two towers, each of them with its own size and levels of abilities. The children enjoy the possibilities of going up, with alternative routes (transparent and non-transparent) and plenty of play elements to discover. The first tower has three floors and it is found in the highest part of the playground, having a long slide for kids to use. Hidden Outlooks It also has the birds nests that seem to be part of the landscape, but they are actually hidden lookouts. The second tower has four floors, with the interior being focused on climbing and hiding. Both of them stimulate the imagination of children, tempting them to play and develop.

Zorlu Center – A True Masterpiece

Once again, the talent of the landscape architects who have worked on the project has to be appreciated. Zorlu Center is a playground where children come to enjoy the most diverse play elements, engaging themselves in various physical activities. From the point of view of the design, it represents a great work of landscape architecture, with the playground blending in beautifully with the rest of the landscape.

Full Project Credit:  Landscape architects: Carve, WATG London Design: 2013-2014 Completion: May 2014 Client: Zorlu Center Location: Zorlu Center, Beşiktaş, Istanbul, Turkey Area: 1,600 m2 Carve Team: Elger Blitz, Thomas Tiel Groenestege, Marleen Beek, Hannah Schubert, Lucas Beukers Photo credits: Zorlu Center (photos: Oğuz Meriç), WATG, Ijreka Show on Google Maps

Recommended Reading:

• Landscape Architecture: An Introduction by Robert Holden
• Landscape Architecture, Fifth Edition: A Manual of Environmental Planning and Design by Barry Starke

Article by Alexandra Antipa

Return to Homepage

Butterfly Bridge by Dietmar Feichtinger Architects, in Christianshavn Canal and Trangraven, Copenhagen, Denmark. The capital and most populated city of Denmark is Copenhagen, one of the oldest capitals in Europe and part of the most dynamic region too. In the 10th century, Copenhagen used to be a Viking fishing village surrounded by rivers. Its name in Danish reflects, in fact, its origin as a harbor and place of commerce. Copenhagen is located on the eastern edge of the island of Zealand and partly situated on the island of Amager, (these two are connected by five bridges) and on a number of natural and artificial islets between them. It is also part of the Øresund, commonly known as “The Sound” in English, which is the strait that separates Denmark from Sweden, specifically the Danish island Zealand from the southern Swedish province of Scania. One of the Most Environmentally Friendly Cities in the World Copenhagen is one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world, by using renewable energy such as solar panels, recycling rainwater, green roof and efficient waste management solutions, reducing electricity consumption and also by reducing considerably the use of private transportation. By 2025, 75% of trips could be made on foot, by bike or by using public transportation.

It is recognized that the architectural planning authorities are taking a full commitment account of these environmental activities that have become a priority nowadays, Copenhagen has been ranked as the top Green City for the second time in the 2014 Global Green Economy Index (GGEI) and received the title of “European Green Capital 2014” as the result of its environmental record and its ambitious goals.

The Butterfly Bridge

The Butterfly Bridge is the most recent example of this environmental commitment. It is a lightweight foot and cycle bridge designed by the French firm Dietmar Feichtinger Architects finished in January 2015. The bridge connects Christianshavns Kanal and Trangraven, it’s designed as a three linear bridge, adapting itself to every individual situation of the canals.

Where does the name Butterfly Bridge come from? It takes its name because of the two spans that can be opened independently of each other for passing sailboats, when both of the spans are open at the same time; they form the figure of a butterfly and serve as barriers, which allow the bridge to function to and from Islands Plads. The opening width of the “wings” is 15m and the length from the pivot point to the flap tip is 23,3m. Related Articles: 

• Incredible Double Footbridge in Paris
• New Access Promotes The Revival of Mont Saint Michel

What’s it made from? The main structure is made of steel and it consists on a single web, continuous T-beam; As the authors said: “The beam web, which extends over the entire bridge, is built of a trapezoidal, for reasons of corrosion protection hermetically welded hollow section”. The structural system of the bridge flaps corresponds in a closed state to this single-span beam with a supportive structure which is restrained on one side (platform side) and pinned and supported on the other side (ramp to the shore). In an open state the bridge flap corresponds to a clamped cantilever. Structural Details The anchor point of the hydraulic cylinder is about 5 m from the axis of rotation; the axis and its support are part of the central pedestal. The hydraulic cylinders are stored on the pile cap of the center landing. When closed, the flap tip rests on the opposite shore-side bridge. The Central platform with the onshore connection consists of two pivot axes and an onshore linkage which are connected with the central platform. The rigid plate construction consists of the central webs of the bridge meeting in the middle and a peripheral edge support that holds the cross-sectional shape of the bridge. Directly below the axes of rotation, as well as under the bearing of the onshore connection, three pillar couples with V-shaped arranged columns. The storage of the superstructure of the onshore connection to the abutment is made on elastomeric slide bearings. It has been designed as a light and removable onshore connection; the ramp can be easily removed and modified in the event of a widening of the road on the embankment, a renovation or even a general overhaul of the existing walls. An Unsuspected Addition  The wide central platform of the bridge becomes an unsuspected addition of public space and potential informal gatherings, by night, the illumination changes and with it, the perception of the users. The Butterfly Bridge is a very functional and clean design; it combines both architecture and engineering as one and reflects the environmental essence and commitment to the city and its inhabitants. Copenhagen is emphasizing the design of the city planning, encouraging cycling and walking rather than driving, they are focusing their efforts to increase the proportion of the population cycling to work to 50% this year; this should be the main goal for all the cities, at least the more populated ones. Full Project Credits:  Project: Butterfly Bridge Location: Christianshavn Canal and Trangraven. Copenhagen, Denmark Designers: Dietmar Feichtinger Architects Project team: Ulrike Gabriel (Leader planning), Guillaume Buton, WTM Engineers GmbH (Engineering), Schippke (Aerodynamics). Construction: 2009 Completion: 2015 Budget: 4.7M € Length: 63m

Recommended Reading:

• Landscape Architecture: An Introduction by Robert Holden
• Landscape Architecture, Fifth Edition: A Manual of Environmental Planning and Design by Barry Starke

Article by Tahío Avila

Return to Homepage

With sustainable cities being one of the key terms in the 21st century, we take a closer look at the role that the landscape architect has to play in it all.  When we think of sustainability we think of living in a remote natural area with solar panels, on-site sewage treatment, a large vegetable garden and maybe even some livestock. Pretty sustainable hey? Maybe not. In fact, one of the leading causes of climate change is due to people seeking escaping the city in search of nature. By living on the outskirts of the city, we increase our carbon footprint through commuting and encroach further and further into the natural environment. Thus, in order to think sustainably we need to realise that our dense inner cities are not the problem, but, in fact, the solution! With this in mind, one would think then that the sustainable cities equal “green buildings”. While architects and engineers have great progress in these fields recently, their efforts only address a very small portion of the problem. The same goes for re-using, reducing and recycling: everyone should be doing this, but it won’t necessarily save the world.

Sustainable Cities

Landscape Architects to Save the World This is where the landscape architect comes in. We have the ability to not only begin to make cities more liveable, but also have the ability to understand the complex relationship between the city and the natural environment. Our holistic approach allows us to see the city as an organism where urban density and natural processes can come together to create a sustainable solution. Green Infrastructure One of the ways in which landscape architects address this problem is by bringing nature into the city, satisfying the human need to connect with the natural environment. This is, however, not about creating green parks where people in the city and escape into nature, but involves creating green networks and habitats. This concept has been implemented in a dramatic scale by the landscape architectural firm, Field Operations, in the High Line project in New York where the disused elevated railway was turned into a green public park. This shifted the concept of a traditional urban park, allowing nature to become part of the urban fabric.

Landscape Urbanism Landscape architects have, in fact, become such important role players in the future of sustainable city-making that we have had to introduce a new concept of “landscape urbanism”. This concept allows landscape (and not architecture) to become the building block of contemporary urban form while incorporating aspects such as ecology and process. Michael van Valkenburch and Associates have embraced this concept and have not only shown how landscape architecture can create ecologically functioning sites, but how landscape and processes can be experienced. Related Articles:

• Are Animal Bridges Life-saving for Wildlife?
• WARNING: Why You’re Losing Money By Not Using a Green Roof
• The Urban Matrix: How Far Should We Go?

WATCH: Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy | A Micro-Documentary

Their recent project, Brooklyn Bridge Park, focussed on the emotional power of social connection with the Hudson River while providing sustainable design solutions, creating habitat and increasing economic value. Sustainable Urban Drainage Water is a critical aspect of sustainability as our planet’s water quality and quantity is slowly diminishing. This is of even more importance in the context of the city due to an increase in hardened surfaces and pollutants.

Concepts such as SUDS (sustainable urban drainage) have addressed this issue, but its implementation often fails to fully address the larger context. Landscape architects, however, have taken this approach and have begun to extend it into the complex realm of public space combined with ecological preservation. Qunli Wetland Park by Turenscape has demonstrated this by not only implementing SUDS principles and cleaning stormwater, but have managed to rehabilitate a wetland while creating an active and beautiful green public space. Sustainable Urban Rivers Most great cities have been built around rivers and water bodies with the result that many urban rivers have been suffocated by urban development through canalisation or piped systems. Landscape architects have begun to lead the way in the rehabilitation of these rivers as important environment, recreational and economic assets. A dramatic example of this is in Seoul where landscape architects from SeoAhn Total Landscape day-lighted the Cheonggyecheon Stream from beneath a major highway. The result is an increase in biodiversity by 639%, a reduction of pollution by 35%, flood protection for up to a 200-year flood and the creation of a beautiful public space. WATCH: Cheonggyecheon River history and restoration

Planting a City Landscape architects have also begun to find unique ways to introduce nature into the built environments. Vegetation in the city not only improves streetscapes but also creates a natural habitat, reduces of the heat island effect of built infrastructure, improves air quality and can even increase food security through growing edibles. One of the greatest examples of this is the Millennium Park in Chicago by landscape architect Terry Guen. The park is, in fact, a 24.5-acre roof garden and sits above a parking lot and railway, making it the largest roof garden in the world.

So instead of feeling guilty about living in the city we should embrace the potential of the sustainable city. We should learn to live in close proximity to one another and should allow the landscape architect to guide city making in a way that will potentially save the world. Recommended Reading:

• Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design by Charles Montgomery
• The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs

Article by Rose Buchanan Return to Homepage Featured image: Printscreen via Youtube source