Author: Land8: Landscape Architects Network

The Evergreen Brick Works by Claude Comier Associates, Toronto, Canada. Also known as Don Valley Brick Works Park because of its location in the Don River valley, this old brick works factory and quarry has been restored and re-naturalized to provide Torontonians with a high-quality and revered park and community environmental center. During the 100-plus years in which it operated as a brick works, materials quarried from the site went into numerous buildings constructed in Toronto and further afield. When raw materials ran out in 1984, the brick works closed, leaving behind a large industrial footprint — 16 industrial buildings, a damaged river floodplain ecosystem, and contaminated soil.

During the early 1990s, the site was used for illegal raves and urban exploring. Graffiti took over the buildings. Local government got into the act, deciding to restore the site to parkland and, with the help of generous private donations, funds were raised to begin the development process. Work began over the years that followed, including the replanting of trees and the digging of three ponds into which river water would be diverted to be purified and returned back to the river in an improved condition.

Urban Sustainability Through Greener Cities

  Run by the charity Evergreen, a non-profit organization aiming to provide environmental education in pursuit of urban sustainability (predominantly through greener cities), the site has become a real community hub, hosting farmers markets, clothes swaps, and a community bicycle hub promoting sustainable transport. The buildings that were left behind from the brick works days have been retained to remind people of the history of the site and retain the character of the place. Repurposing the buildings and structures also helps to deliver Evergreen’s message on reuse and sustainable practices.

A Community Resource In addition to the community events, visitors can enjoy the exhibition and gallery spaces housed within the heritage-listed buildings, learn about the history of the brick works and the brick making industry, and enjoy regular talks and guided walks with local ecologists around the 40-acre parkland surrounding the brick works, which includes wetlands, urban forest, wildflower meadows, examples of Pleistocene geology, and nature trails. There is even a seasonal ice rink! Nowadays, the developing ecosystems and habitats within the parklands host a wide range of native species of flora and fauna, including fish, amphibians, insects, birds, and mammals. Community Engagement Ensures Urban Sustainability  A multitude of workshops, from cooking to ecology and gardening to green design, ensure year-round community engagement and continued interest and ongoing education. There are plenty of opportunities for volunteers to roll up their sleeves and get involved in looking after the parks’ grounds. Related articles:

• Top 10 Reused Industrial Landscapes
• Community Turn Abandoned Industrial Site into Public Park
• Industrial Site Transforms into Beautiful Landscape

A former quarry, the brick works is considered an urban model for ecosystem planning because of its extensive landscape restoration, re-naturalization, and wetland re-establishment. The Centre for Green Cities It’s only new building, The Centre for Green Cities, has received LEED Platinum accreditation, the highest measure of efficient building status available. This underlines Evergreen’s philosophy on working toward greater sustainability. The center is a key tool in the education process surrounding sustainability in our cities and is described as “the stage and incubator for Evergreen’s programmes”.

In 2010, Evergreen Brick Works (which is open year round) was named one of the top 10 geotourism destinations in the world by National Geographic. So if you’re in the area, make sure you check it out! The Importance of Developing More Quality Green Space You may have seen in other recent LAN articles such as Developing on Inner-City Brownfield Sites, or Riverside Park South Celebrates New Yorks Industrial Past that there are increasing opportunities to develop brownfield sites in and around our cities. We have discussed the importance of developing more quality green space for growing populations and how the remains of our industrial past are providing unique and highly sensitive sites with the potential to be developed into multifunctional community and environmental facilities. The work that Evergreen, the city of Toronto, and city residents have put into Don Valley Brick Works is certainly an exemplary case study. The project has been a massive success, with more than 100,000 visitors annually. Serving the local community as well as the environment while retaining the unique qualities and identity of a site steeped in local history, Evergreen Brick Works has really shown how to deliver its message on sustainable city living with a fantastic project that is continuing to develop and evolve and engage its visitors. Hopefully, it will be the inspiration for other similar sites around the globe. Recommended Reading: Phytoremediation: Transformation and Control of Contaminants by Steven C. McCutcheon Phytoremediation: Role of Aquatic Plants in Environmental Clean-Up by Bhupinder Dhir Article written by Simon Vive Return to Homepage

A Brief and Visual Guide to Historical Landscape Architecture. Although Scot Gilbert Laing Meason first used the term landscape architecture in 1828, humans have of course shaped the landscape around them since the inception of civilization. Over the centuries, mankind’s interaction with the land and the designing of it has led to the creation of a plethora of societies, cultures, and landscape technologies. Of the countless historical landscapes that dot the world today, I have chosen 15 to discuss — some well known and, hopefully, some that will be new to you.

Historical Landscape Architecture

1. Patio de los Naranjos

Located within the Mosque of Córdoba (or Mezquita de Córdoba, as it is known in Spanish), southern Spain, the Patio de los Naranjos is thought to be one of the oldest gardens in Europe. It was established at the time of the Great Mosque’s initial construction in 784. Originally containing plants such as pomegranate, cypress, and palm trees, the garden today is comprised of a simple grid of orange trees — 98 to be exact — planted in rows dating back at least to the end of the 18th century. The Patio de los Naranjos stands out due to the designers’ sapient response to the limits imposed by the garden’s environment, transforming the necessity of irrigation into artwork, and coalescing nature and religion.

2. The Piazza del Campo

Siena, Italy’s 700-year-old plaza is one of Europe’s great public spaces. Originally the site of a Roman forum, the square has acted as the cultural heart of the city since the construction of the town hall in the 12th century. “Il Campo”, as the Sienese call it, functions superbly as a civic and social space because of its active edges and affordability toward social gatherings and interaction. Renowned Danish architect and urban designer Jan Gehl lauds The Piazza del Campo as a champion of the human scale, describing it as a “one hundred percent place”.

3. Ryōan-ji Garden

The rock garden at Ryōan-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan, is considered one of the finest surviving examples of kare-sansui, or dry landscape garden. It is not known exactly who designed the Ryōan-ji Garden, nor exactly when. Speculations regarding this date range between the late 15th and 17th centuries. The garden itself is gracefully simple: An encircling wall of earth and clay frames 15 rocks arranged in a rectangle of raked white gravel. Constructed as a visual form for users to attain meditative states of consciousness, this garden also acts as a familiar reference symbol for Eastern mysticism.

4. Villa d’Este

Akin to many of the world’s other superlative gardens, Villa d’Este in Tivoli, Italy, is the product of an eager owner with a willingness to spend gargantuan sums of money. The garden was designed between 1550 and 1572 by Pirro Ligorio and is famed for apotheosizing the use of water through the inventiveness of 16th-century hydraulic engineers, who utilized gravity and hydraulics to choreograph water through the garden. Together, the palace and gardens at Villa d’Este are considered to symbolize Renaissance culture at its most refined.

5. Vaux le Vicomte

The design for Vaux le Vicomte is today considered the most admired of the French Baroque landscapes and is the first great work of André Le Nôtre. The garden spans more than 1,000 acres and encapsulates the essence of a Baroque-era landscape in the French formal style. French garden design in the 17th century asserted the idea of man controlling and manipulating nature, and together with the enormous price tags that ensued, they imparted an important message of monarchical power and taste.

6. Stowe

The gardens of Stowe House in Buckinghamshire, England, are some of the most celebrated in the country — worthy of such because within its lifetime, the garden has witnessed all three periods of the English style of landscape gardening: the formal phase by Charles Bridgeman; the phase of classical allusion characterized by William Kent and James Gibbs; and the final naturalistic phase established by Lancelot “Capability” Brown. The grandiose layout of Stowe directly reflects the shifting currents of garden design in the 18th century. Kent’s work at Stowe and his invention of the ha-ha, or sunken fence/ditch, put an end to the bisection between formal garden and surrounding landscape, resulting in him becoming one of the most influential figures of the Romantic generation and adopting the notion that all nature was a garden.

7. Stourhead

Another exquisite example of the English landscape style, Stourhead gardens in Wiltshire, England, possess a picturesque itinerary rich in allusion and meaning. The circumambulatory nature of the garden can be interpreted through a series of stations, whose unifying theme is that of the voyage of Aeneas from Troy leading to the founding of Rome. It is thought that the whole ensemble was to a degree a monument to the dead, as Henry Hoare II, Stourhead’s owner, witnessed the death of many family members over the years. It was in 1743, however, when Hoare became a widower, that he and architect Henry Flitcroft (a protégé of William Kent) embarked upon the major garden enterprise that is today one of the consummate works of art achieved by Western culture.

8. Het Loo

The Baroque palace and gardens of Het Loo are located in the Veluwe region of the Netherlands. Much like the Palace of Versailles, Het Loo had its origin as a hunting lodge, dating back to the late 17th century, and is often referred to as the Versailles of Holland. The designers, Jacob Roman and Daniel Marot, completed Het Loo in 1716, appropriating much of the 17th century French landscape style, but lessening both grandiosity and scale to suit the site’s topography, as well as social expectations in the country at the time. Sadly, the gardens were subjected to 300 years of decline. Thankfully, due to the palace being deemed of great national significance, the site was fully restored, opening as a national museum in 1984.

Related Articles:

• Top 10 Influential Landscape Architects
• 7 Female Landscape Architects That You Need to Know About
• 30 Landscape Architecture Firms To Keep Your Eye On!

9.Central Park

The United States’ first landscaped public park — Central Park — was designed by the pre-eminent landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. Together, their simple social and artistic vision was to provide the exploding number of urban dwellers in New York City with a place of rural respite. Given that this landscape was to not only be the first landscaped public park in America, but to also establish New York internationally as an urban center and to rival Paris’ Bois de Boulogne or London’s Hyde Park, Central Park was one of the great political and cultural achievements of the American people.

10. Prospect Park

As any landscape enthusiast would attest, the names Olmstead and Vaux are synonymous with New York City’s most famous park, Central Park. However, Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, designed between 1864 and 1866, is often considered the most perfectly realized landscape of the two stalwart designers. Much like Central Park, the 585-acre green emerald is comprised of three typologies: undulating meadow, placid lakes, and bucolic woodlands. It is claimed the duo themselves considered Prospect Park to be their masterpiece. What do you think?

11. Park des Buttes-Chaumont

Engineer Jean-Charles Adolphe Alphund designed Parc des Buttes-Chaumont under Napoléon III’s urban design program that wrought panoplies of change in the appearance of Paris during the Second Empire. Opened in 1867 in alignment with the Exposition Universelle, the former refuse dump and quarry site showcases advancements in landscape technologies and industrial materials available at the time. This included steam-powered machines performing earthwork duties, and the functional application of concrete — a material integral to the construction of the park.

12. Park Güell

Antonio Gaudi designed Barcelona’s Parc Güell between 1900 and 1914 for Catalan industrialist Eusebi Güell, who envisaged a stylish park and housing development for Barcelona’s aristocracy based on the English garden city model. Only two of a planned 60 housing units were ever completed, but Gaudi’s artistry still imbued the landscape with evocations of the fantastic and supernatural. The failed venture was acquired by the city of Barcelona and turned into a public park in 1922. Today, it is extolled as an artistic masterpiece.

13. The Woodland Cemetery

Designed between 1915 and 1940 by architects Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz (who also trained as a landscape architect), Stockholm’s Woodland Cemetery occupies just less than 250 acres, most of which is heavily planted pine forest. The beauty of the former quarry site lies in its natural forest setting and its design in conscience with annual cycles and the passage of seasons. In 1994, the Woodland Cemetery became one of the few works of 20th century architecture to be placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. It was somewhat of a bitter irony that in 1940, when Asplund passed away, he became the first person to be buried in the cemetery.

14. Amsterdam Bos Park

This 2,000-acre forest-park was built in Amsterdam between 1929 and the 1950s. The designers responsible were architect Cornelius Van Eesteren and landscape architect Jacopa Mulder. Together, they took a stand against pictorialism in developing the plan and synthesised athletic facilities and native forest — two landscape typologies that had never been paired before. Foreign in appearance to that of its predecessors, for some time critics failed to align the park with any established stylistic categories. Bos Park represented a bold move away from an aestheticized composition to that of process and production as catalyst. This conceptual shift broke with the traditional public park ideology at the time and connected the landscape to the industrialized city surrounding it.

15. Miller Garden

The Miller Garden is located in Columbus, Indiana, and was designed by American modernist landscape architect Dan Urban Kiley between 1953 and 1957. The parts that form the whole of Kiley’s Miller Garden are considered classical — bosques, hedges, allées, orchards, and lawn — but the garden’s spatial configuration is in fact modern in every sense. Kiley’s plan for the gridded layout of the garden expands out as an extension of the geometric and orthogonal residence, dividing the garden into four sections that Kiley envisioned as “pin wheeling spaces” with each corresponding section possessing its own distinctiveness. The 13-acre property is considered one of the United States’ finest mid-century modernist residences and, in the year 2000, was named as a National Historic Landmark, one of six in Columbus.

Naturally, 15 examples barely scratch the surface of the wonderful history of landscape design, but in my eyes the aforementioned exemplars do our profession a great justice. What landscapes would you as a reader have included?

Recommended Reading:

• Park Guell: Gaudi’s Utopia by Pete Vivas Ortiz
• Prospect Park: Olmsted and Vaux’s Brooklyn Masterpiece by David P. Colley
• Central Park, An American Masterpiece: A Comprehensive History of the Nation’s First Urban Park by Sara Cedar Miller

Article written by Paul McAtomney

The Commonground by Land Collective. The Commonground project in Indianapolis stands as more than just a gateway to a hospital or a threshold to a medical complex, but as a model for constructive collaborative design. Landscape Architects at Land Collective were just one of many active members of a team of architects, engineers, lighting designers and others who came together to make this project a reality. This programmed plaza at the Eskenazi Health Hospital is a new destination in downtown Indianapolis for everyone in Marion county whether they are actively receiving Eskenazi’s services or not. This model and concept of a garden for all became the central driving vision of the common ground plaza. The designers had a vision to create a space for everyone to gather, contemplate, relax and renew regardless of socioeconomic status, level of ability, age, and race.

The Team There was an extensive team of designers working together on the Commonground. The wide variety of professionals spanned from large landscape architecture firms to local firms and from engineers to lighting professionals. This multifaceted design team is a model for successful collaborative design resulting in a community-based end-result. During the conceptual and schematic design phases, design consultants, Fluidity, provided services for the fountain designs and Diller, Scofidio, and Renfro assisted in the trellis design. Other members of the design team included firms such as Olin and local Indianapolis firms including Ratio and Context. The collaborative nature of the design team influenced the purpose and use of the park in the end use. Throughout every phase of the design and construction process, the main purpose for the project remained the same: to create a space designed by many, for the use of all. The Healing Water Fountains Every aspect of the park is designed with the concept of access and use for all. The fountains at the Eskenazi Health Hospital are conceptually designed to provide respite, retreat, and healing to all visitors. The feel, sound, and motion of water are all meant to engage and restore the body and mind of visitors. The Healing Waters Fountain is a zero entry fountain designed to provide access for everyone. The fountain includes 45 nozzles that create an accessible jumping array of water jets. St. Margaret’s Hiatal Guild Limestone Falls is the other fountain on site. The fountain is constructed from 1.5 million pounds of stone from Bedford, Indiana. The locally sourced stone gives the fountains vernacular feel and displays the sustainable nature of the project. The pair of fountains provides opportunities for all to touch, feel, look, listen, smell and most of all; restore their body, mind, and spirit. Planting on Site This park has something for everyone, including a wide variety of plants. There are over 5,000 perennials on site and over 80 species of vines on the 456 foot long suspended trellis. The Commonground is a space for all including a doctor taking a lunch break, a patient looking for a place to relax, and a visitor just seeking a breath of fresh air. Related Articles: Design Transforms a Retirement Center Into a Dream Home How to Make an Unnatural Space Feel Like a Natural Park Connecting People & Places: The Power of Tactical Urbanism & Placemaking The Concept for Commonground In an interview with the Indy Star newspaper, landscape architect David Rubin of Land Collective stated that the “concept for Commonground came from an appreciation for the value of the spectrum of our society. The idea that everyone has a place in a conversation about landscape.” Designers and the Eskenazi Health Hospital embraced this attitude in their firms, the services provided, and end product. This concept and mindset about landscape architecture was not only a driving force for the Eskenazi Health Hospital plaza design but it continues to shape the profession. When designers embrace the idea that landscapes provide a space and place for everyone in our society it drives the creation of more holistic and accessible projects across the world. Recommended Reading: Landscape Architecture: An Introduction by Robert Holden 1000x Landscape Architecture by Braun Publishing AG (COR) Article written by Rachel Kruse Return to Homepage

Sun City Takarazuka by SWA. Many countries are dealing with the increasing demand for adequate housing caused by the fast growth of the population over the age of 60. Governmental and private companies around the world have been producing residential buildings for this part of the population, integrating health care and accommodation services. This scenario is changing the idea that people have about how would be the ideal place to live when they reach the old age. Instead of isolated country houses, community buildings are proving to be a more practical way of living that provides different kinds of services but most of them are still far from being the people’s dream homes mainly due to their resemblance to health care institutions. To transform these places into welcoming homes, architects have been revising old concepts to include spaces for activities that are traditionally held by retirees in their residences. The critical aspect of this task is to meet the elderly’s expectations while keeping the design aligned to modern approaches.

No other example would better address this challenge than Sun City Takarazuka, a retirement community in the suburb of Osaka, Japan, since it is located in a country whose culture is based on the respect to the old generations and recognized for producing functional residences and pleasant gardens.

The Design of the Retirement Center

  The designers of SWA group did not just create a garden to soften the hard components of Sun City Takarazuka, but they actually went beyond by organizing the building around thematic gardens, blending indoor and outdoor spaces. The gardens are organized in five courtyards that can be accessed from the public spaces and the building’s common areas and private units.

The Courtyards and Their Details The arrival court welcomes the residents and visitors with a garden that harmonizes traditional elements and modern lines. Tree rows, aligned with the building’s lateral facades, and two flower beds, parallel to the central watercourse, clearly show the landscape architects’ choice of matching the garden components to the buildings’ rectilinear forms. Making use of Traditional Styles A portal, covered with wooden panels, reminds the traditional Japanese houses and defines the building’s main door as the focal point of this outdoor space. It also works as a frame through which the garden can be contemplated, transporting the residents to a tranquil hill landscape where the channel, built with a slight inclination, suggests a spring running smoothly downhill until hiding under the building. This blending of the built space and the site’s natural elements continues in the Fountain Garden, located one level below the Arrival Courtyard, where the watercourse reappears before following its natural way through the subsoil. The serpentine stream, which constitutes a vital symbol in Japanese gardens, appears in this design as a geometrical meander, interlocked with plant panels in a range of greens that form a very subtle color pallet. A Garden Free of Barriers This serene garden, providing relaxing sound and kinetic effect by the installation of modern small water fountains, can be comfortably appreciated from the adjacent seating area where trees were precisely planted so that they do not block the waterway view. By adopting the concept of energy flow while transforming it into a place with a well-defined geometry, the designers made it free of barriers and united millenary significances to modernity, enabling residents to identify their cultural values and benefit from the new building techniques. Making use of the Traditional Bonsai Tree The miniaturization of the trees, a feature that makes Japanese gardens so appreciated, themed the Bonsai Courtyard, which can be accessed from the library. Built with elevated structures and small trees resembling bonsais, this garden illustrates clearly which cultural element was used as the main reference for its design. Following a program to accommodate large group gatherings, lawns were planted at higher levels than the paved paths to organize the space, dividing it in areas where residents can walk and the spaces to be used for exposing their own bonsais or just enjoying the harmonious planting shapes. Related Articles:

• Industrial Site Transforms into Beautiful Landscape
• Burj Khalifa Tower Park: The Oasis-Like Paradise
• 30 Landscape Architecture Firms To Keep Your Eye On!

The Bamboo Courtyard brings to the residents a garden in which the verticality of the plant’s stems configures the predominant characteristic. The light green color of the plants is complemented by the darker green geometric shaped lawns, forming relaxing views for both the residential area and the exercise centre. A curved short wall gently separates the courtyard in a more reserved area close to the residences and an outdoor room, next to the physical center, which works as social meeting point. The Landform Courtyard enables enjoyable views for both the care center and the public area. Reliefs were created, elevating the planting elements so that they can be easily seen by those with reduced mobility. Planting and wisteria trellis provide shade and pleasant internal view of this garden, completing an attractive space that meets the special needs of this group of residents. Although Sun City landscape design may seem to be divided in different gardens, they are actually united by common characteristics such as the traditional components of Japanese gardens, the contemporary aesthetics and the color scheme with the predominance of greens over a neutral color base. The result is a clean verdant outdoor space involving the whole retirement center and mimicking the peaceful color and shapes of the country’s landscapes. By meeting the different needs of each part of the community center so that it is in accordance to the buildings program, this landscape design constitutes an excellent source of inspiration for other projects that aim to provide places where the retired communities can live in a more practical way without giving up the pleasure of being in gardens that refer to their cultural heritage. Recommended Reading:

• Landscape Graphics by Grant Reid
• Landscape Architecture: An Introduction by Robert Holden

Article written by Tania Gianone. Return to Homepage

This week’s Sketchy Saturday top 10. Welcome to this week’s edition of Sketchy Saturday; the sketches have been pouring in, and the talent just never seems to stop, it is a joy to see so many creative, artistic and active people out there making use of their ability to excite, connect and inspire people into observing their environment in a beautiful way. Clearly not every entry that gets sent to us will get published in the Sketchy Saturday top 10, but this does not mean you were not close to being featured, so please keep on sketching and sending in your awesome work, we love it all. Did we pick the right sketch for top spot, you decide! 10. by Kelly Hartholt, second year ‘Landscape Design’ student from The Netherlands.

“I’m currently designing a country estate at university. I also wanted to try out my new markers and practice the mirror-effect of buildings near water. I wanted to create a sad, old, foggy look. The materials I used were Copic markers + Fineliners.” 9. by  Karthik Karu, landscape architecture student “I did this  sketch night at 11 :00 pm …because the next day in the morning we had  our case study presentation regarding a museum ..which we did on Guggenheim Museum New York. I have taken a reference of this picture and I did this in an A1 drawing sheet. I used soft pastels, water colors and hb pencils. I spent around 1 and half hours  doing it. 8. by My Name is: Jesus Palafox Garcia, architect, Mexico “The important form but of expression for my is the drawing, I have developed all my life to it, in my profession I apply it constantly and this it is an example but. The style is realistic, that is to say: the form the expressed color and materials must be interpreted thus for their future construction. This drawing is the representation of a house that I am remodeling in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico. Technique: digital watercolor.” 7. by Gaby Elberg, a student in the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning of the Technion institute Israel. “I took the inspiration for the sketch from the picturesque villages I traveled to a few years ago, located near Lake Como, Italy. I made the sketch on my sketchbook using a pencil, some drawing pens (0.1, 0.3) and a few simple coloring pencils that I take with me everywhere.First I used the pencil to draw the sketch with some rough guidelines, after that, I used the pens to pass all-over the sketch and to draw in the small details. At the end I erase the pencil guidelines and paint a little bit for a nice, “clean” sketch.” 6. by Natalia Zborowska, Landscape Architect, graduate student of  the Cracow University of Technology, Poland. “This sketch was part of  an academic project. It shows a small part of Krakow stronghold and my ways of developing this area. It shows the main entrance to the artillery fort in Krakow – a  project of canopy above embankment and small architecture (information board, light and wooden gate). It was made by felt-tip pen 2 years ago.” 5. by Djordje Pralica, architect, Serbia “This sketch was a part of developing process for an initial green facade design as a part for my master thesis. (Theme of the project consisted of redesigning facades and interior of deserted structure made of concrete in the heart Belgrade’s Botanical garden). Through sketches I wanted to develop and to show my personal impression of plant dominance over man made material and find ways how to integrate green facades in the overall design. The process of making this particular sketch included visiting and exploring the site and taking photos. Afterwards, I used tracing paper, above original photograph, to sketch. Technique: H pencil and 0.2 pen.” 4. by Gustavo Garrido, landscape architect “This sketch represents a landscaping project for the redevelopment of a central area of São Paulo called Pari which included building housing units , a shopping mall and a public park. Style: free hand, Location: Pari Neighborhood, São Paulo, Material: Color marker and pen over sketch paper.” 3. by Prokopova Olga, Landscape Architect, Ukraine “This is an entry hall with trim in the Mediterranean style. Sketch executed in watercolor.” 2. by Patrick Nelligan  5th Year Landscape Architecture Student, USA “This impressionistic sketch, done in pastels on heavyweight black illustration board, was created for a competition that calls for a design that eliminates all vehicular traffic along 42^nd Street in New York City. The goal was to convey a powerful and honest representation of an aerial system as it would be experienced in the dreariest of conditions. The core concept at work is personifying pedestrian activity as wavelengths of light.” 1. by Monika Kurczewska, Interior Design Student, Poland “This sketch was made in charcoal and marker in Wrocław 3 weeks ago. I’m still looking for my own style and it’s the reason why I’m always trying something new.” – That’s this week’s Sketchy Saturday  Top 10, congratulations to all of you who featured, you have came out on top of a very talented bunch of people. Check out the Sketchy Saturday official Facebook album and see literally 1,000′s of incredible sketches! Follow all the winning entries on our dedicated Sketchy Saturday Pinterest page. If you want to take part send your entries into us at office@landarchs.com Recommended reading: Sketching from the Imagination: An Insight into Creative Drawing by 3DTotal Article written by Scott D. Renwick Return to Homepage

The Delta District Innovation in Water Management, Vinge, Denmark, by SLA  The creative mind sees opportunity where most can only see difficulty – this is the beauty of our profession as (landscape) architects. We all are aware of the climate change the planet is facing, but how can we overcome the challenges imposed by it and still provide better urban environments? Landscape architects from SLA prove that this is indeed possible with the beautiful project The Delta District in Denmark, which skillfully deals with local issues – such as flooding – and improves the quality of life of the residents.

The Delta District and the City of Vinge The Delta District is the first stage of a larger project: Vinge. Vinge is a new sustainable city (currently in development) located in the municipality of Frederikssund, north of Copenhagen. The new city will cover 350 hectares, organized in several small neighborhoods, and will be the largest urban development project in Denmark. The Delta District will be the first green residential development in the city, comprising an area of 13.6 hectares. Situated between two nature conservation areas, it will have about 450 homes, with the first residents expected to move in by early 2016.

The Designers of this Innovative Water Management

  While a lot is being discussed in theory about climate-sensitive urban planning, the Danish are putting it into practice. In fact, due to their extreme weather, the Scandinavian countries have long gathered experience and knowledge of bioclimatic principles in architecture, and today they are leaders in this field.

The Delta District was designed by SLA architects in collaboration with the municipality of Frederikssund. The designers say the key challenge in this project was storm water management, which had to be delivered while creating a green, recreationally diverse and social space to be enjoyed by the community. Related Articles:

• How Can You Make a Stunning Waterfall Even More Stunning?
• Ecological Landscape Design Embraces Massive Body of Water
• Bridal Veil Creates a Curtain of Water Through the Forest

Smart Water Management The rainwater will be diverted to a large storage wetland in the central area of the district through a network of trenches and water basins. During dry periods, the creeks and basins (which function as water reservoirs during rainy months) will become dry, while the delta will always remain full. Seeking to connect people and natural systems, SLA opted to leave the wetland open rather than hide it away in drains and pipes, transforming this manmade delta into the focal point of the district.

In regard to changes in climate, designers must take an uncertainty-oriented planning stance rather than a more conventional approach. This is more than simple spatial planning; it requires adaptation strategies that demand modifications not only in the physical environment, but also in the social-cultural system to accommodate the future impacts. Here, the landscape, the climate, and the people determined the concept of the urban development leading to a sustainable community. A Sensitive Approach to Water Management When faced with a challenge, our natural instinctive reaction as designers is to create an enclosed protective “bubble” to avoid any disturbance reaching the community. However, successful projects such as The Delta District are there to show us that an inclusive design is a lot more effective in reducing risks and creating a resilient environment than simply locking away a community in isolation to avoid climate threats. A flexible and sensitive approach is necessary when designing for uncertainty, blending the infrastructure in the natural landscape – they should complement each other, rather than conflict. This results in, among many other benefits, less ecological disturbance, less financial cost, and less energy consumption in opposition to the dated, intrusive and energy-glut traditional approaches we have experienced in the past. Recommended reading:

• Design with Nature by Ian L. McHarg
• The Urban Design Handbook: Techniques and Working Methods (Second Edition) by Urban Design Associates

Article written by Julia Lucchese Return to Homepage

Lotus Lake Park by Integrated Planning and Design Inc. Historically, China has had a somewhat less than stellar reputation for living conditions, particularly in cities where rapid growth and urbanization has occurred. However, after many decades of overcrowding, pollution, and virtually non-existent green space in cities, China has managed to become a world leader in environmental design and planning. Today, China is a cultural center for technology and innovation, and the field of landscape architecture is no exception. In fact, China was recognized as the country experiencing the most growth in landscape architecture in our article 5 Countries Where Landscape Architecture is Booming.

Sudden growth in sustainable urban design?

Growing concerns over public health and environmental sustainability have created a demand from people in China for an improved living environment, particularly in cities, which has in turn stimulated the redevelopment of industrial lands into valuable urban and community spaces that enrich the lives of locals. Lotus Lake Park, completed in 2011, is a testament to this shift in urban design. Lotus Lake Park; a park or a community complex?

At 4.4 hectares, Lotus Lake Park is less of a park and more of a community complex. Located in the Jiangsu Province of Eastern China, this park is part of the greater revitalization and redevelopment of the city of Kunshan, which is expected to be a center for growth for the region. The park functions not only as a significant cultural and recreational center for the growing community, but as a precedent that will influence the design and character of new development as the city expands westward. Award Winning Design! Designed by Integrated Planning and Design Inc, the park has been recognized globally by professionals for its contribution and excellence in the field of landscape architecture. It was the recipient of the 2014 Honor Award from the Northern California ASLA chapter. Ecologically Inspired The Chinese firm focuses on creating balance and harmony between people and the environment, particularly in urban places. Its approach emphasizes the importance of understanding context and using it to inform design. This approach is particularly evident in the design for Lotus Lake Park, which thoughtfully integrates elements from local history, culture, and geography. Utilizing  Strong Identity with Water Located in a region rich in lakes and rivers, water holds a particular cultural and historical significance for the city of Kunshan. Fishing and aquaculture have long been important economic activities in the region. As a canal city, water is also closely connected to Kunshan’s cultural identity, and Lotus Lake Park manages to incorporate this theme of water throughout its design. Related Articles:

• Contemporary Landscape Architecture in China: Beautiful or Dangerous?
• Shipyard Site Transforms into Stunning Ecological Park
• Turenscape Design Outstanding River Park

Water features play an important role in the park. The park’s centerpiece, a lake, is actually a productive aquaculture pool, where historically and regionally significant species are cultivated using sustainable aquaculture practices. A number of large display tanks, featuring historically cultivated plants and shellfish, are also present throughout the park, and act as educational tools to engage and inform visitors about local and sustainable aquaculture. Floating boardwalks create a pathway system that allows visitors to explore the site freely and reduces barriers between park visitors and the water.

 Arts and Culture Epicenter The region is also known for its contribution to Chinese performing arts. The Suzhou City Prefecture, of which Kunshan is a part, is an arts and culture epicenter and is one of only seven cities in the world where the Chinese Kun Opera, dating back to the 14th century, is professionally performed today. Kun Opera remains hugely influential on performing arts in China, and through the integration of various design elements, including a 360-degree open-air theater, a water projection screen, and a mock stage, Lotus Lake Park pays tribute to this rich arts heritage. These elements, connected by a series of pathways, aim to stimulate and encourage spontaneous performances. Site Sensitive Planting Schemes Onsite vegetation also has been selected carefully and deliberately, with sustainability and site context in mind. Both aquatic and terrestrial plant materials were selected from native and locally relevant plant palettes. This includes, for example, use of the double-headed lotus flower, for which Kunshan is famous. Overall, a harmony between tradition and the contemporary has been achieved in the design of Lotus Lake Park. The park will serve the needs of a growing, increasingly urban Kunshan while still honoring and respecting the rich heritage and tradition of the region and the integrity of the natural environment. Lotus Lake Park is just one example of how far China has come in terms of environmental design and planning. Today, China is continuing to make huge investments in sustainable urban design and shifting the focus from exploiting its natural resources to protecting them, all while improving living conditions for the country’s growing urban populations. Recommended Reading:

• Urban Design  by Alex Krieger
• The Urban Design Handbook: Techniques and Working Methods (Second Edition) by Urban Design Associates

Article written by Michelle Biggs Return to Homepage

The Lyon River Bank by IN SITU Architectes Paysagistes. In Lyon, France, the east bank, often referred to as the left bank, of the river has undergone a transformation that has taken the former ports from a riverside car park, to a varied public space that will facilitate relaxation and socialising and encourage both city dwellers and wider Lyon residents to use sustainable transport options. The 10ha site covers a stretch along the river of approximately 5km. The ‘Berges de Rhône’ (Banks of the Rhône) development was a project undertaken by the local authority who launched an architecture competition with the assistance of the Greater Lyon Open Spaces Department (Grand Lyon) and its project-management team.

Following this consultation, a team comprising landscape architects from IN SITU Architectes Paysagistes, the architect Françoise-Hélène Jourda, and lighting designers from Coup D’éclat was appointed at the beginning of 2003. The winning design proposed a continuous line of public space and nature running between the ‘Tete d’or and Gerland parks. “You can’t park there!” The design stage which completed in 2005, proposed no car parking at all in a statement of intent to reconnect people with the river and with nature, to reclaim the public space and facilitate an uninterrupted route along the river’s edge via a range of sustainable transport methods side by side – most notably walking and cycling. Instead, motorists who did not transfer to the sustainable transport options would use designated, safer, multi-story car parks. Asking the People What They Want A key component of the design process was community consultation, which engaged the local community, sought their input and ideas and ensured the expectations of both local residents and council were managed to avoid irreconcilable differences from the outset. Construction then began in 2005 and was completed in 2007. Once opened to the public, the project was deemed an immediate success and is now a key part of the day-to-day lives of Lyon’s residents. A Picturesque Cycle Route The site is also home to part of a European cycle path – the Vélo-route Léman-Mer – which runs all the way from Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean coast, so it was fitting to upgrade Lyon’s section of the route to reflect the City’s economic, social and historical significance and ensure a continuous, safe and picturesque riverside experience for cyclists using the route.

What The River Bank Offers

  At the centre of the development, the Terrasses de la Guillotière – a brand-new stepped open space created as part of this project – offers a distinctive city-centre setting with unique views over the river and the UNESCO world heritage site formed by Lyon’s historic centre.

Project expenditure is approximately €44m provided through council funding. This includes the build costs and also the provision for events spaces on the upper quays. The linear route changes in its offering along its course. Some points are 5m wide, others 75m, creating a very different feel which is described as being ‘more natural’ upstream and downstream, and less so in the more urban areas. Related Articles:

• Turenscape Design Outstanding River Park
• Green Revival Brings Life Back to River Park
• Award-winning Garden Project Along The Swan River

Refreshment bars, information points, cycle hiring points and buildings for fishermen will activate certain points, whilst in other areas ‘islands of grasses’ and significant tree plantings have provided more private garden type spaces for the barge residents up river. Whilst a large lawn area sits in front of the restaurant barges in the central section. Near the Rhone pool, the addition of skate bowls and a sports court defines the sport area. Nearby, 3 lines of Oak and Elm trees define a long raised esplanade ideal for markets and second-hand trading. Downstream, the previously hard surfaced quay has been naturalised to provide a botanical walk, showcasing the types of vegetation found along the Rhone. The design also includes a strategy for the maintenance and development of the project into the future, key to the success of any project as seen in Courthouse Pioneer Square. Following a Cultural Trend Many of our cities grew around rivers – vital for fresh water and transporting goods by ship. As cities developed, so did shipping, and with it many river banks became home to large industrial ports. Changes in processes have left some of these areas dilapidated, but cities are also now recognising the importance of riverbanks and rivers as recreational spaces for their growing populations. Research has after all shown that as a species, we are attracted to the water, and therefore the area around the water should be attractive to complement it, right? Riverside developments are happening all the time, all over the world – just look at London’s southbank, Melbourne’s southbank, Bordeaux’s west river bank. These are just a few examples of where industrial parts of the city, have been redeveloped to create central areas for city development – providing new jobs, accommodation and recreation options to city residents. But recognition that quality public space, and green space, is required as cities grow, is leading the way that these such projects are designed and delivered, in a way that we may not have seen so much in the past. It’s almost like we are undoing our development of city river banks – reducing the concrete and allowing people to reconnect with the water through quality riverside public spaces. It’s fantastic to see, and long may it continue. Recommended Reading:

• Landscape Architecture, Fifth Edition: A Manual of Environmental Planning and Design by Barry Starke
• Urban Landscape Architecture by Bridget Vranckx

Article written by Simon Vive. Return to Homepage

Sustainability is the buzzword that’s making the world a better place! You have probably realized that the way we manage our resources is gaining more space in the media and transforming our means of production and development. On the other hand, you may also have bought some products being advertised as sustainable and, later, discovered that certain stages of their production were contrary to this principle.

You may wonder if sustainability is just another marketing ploy or whether it is being seriously practiced. Since landscape architecture harmonizes the relationship between nature and built space, you should also be looking for a response within this field to see if it is worth using sustainable methods to produce your space to live and work. So, to better understand how individuals, designers, environmentalists, and communities are using this concept, you should read the following 10 practices that are among the most important examples of sustainability. 10. Preservation of wildlife habitats When starting to plant your garden or a larger green space, the first thing you need is to clean the site, removing all the existing plants, right? If you said, “no, that’s wrong”, you already know the first basic rule of sustainable design. Indeed, you should keep the native plants and only remove the invasive species to avoid disruptions in the natural processes in your yard. 9. Sustainable green roofs You might also be impressed by some garden roofs and consider including them in your constructions. It’s no wonder; their aesthetic effect has been living in our imaginations since the Babylonians’ (or “Nineveh’s”, according to recent research) hanging gardens were cited in history books. And, although it is still uncertain if the story about Alexander the Great being amazed by their beauty is fact or legend, it’s a sure thing that a roof garden won’t be sustainable if it relies on a system like the great conqueror observed. According to some research, the aqueducts he saw may have been built for watering the legendary gardens. To make your roof a successful green space, you would rather use the Scandinavian tradition of planting hardy species, such as several kinds of grass that can thrive with low maintenance. But, if you are really interested in a more complex garden, professionals can help you make it sustainable by selecting adequate plants, calculating the roof’s load, designing efficient rainwater storage and drainage systems, and analyzing whether the cost and maintenance suit your budget. Regardless of the type of garden roof you decide to have, it will improve your building’s thermal performance and link it to the green surface net that is reducing the heat island effect in cities. Related Articles:

• Weeds, Walls and Sustainability with Steve Martino
• Sustainable Building: 1315 Peachtree Street by Perkins + Will
• 5 Landscape Architecture Buzz Terms, Explained!

8. Efficient use of water Although including plants in your spaces shows that you are in tune with environmental concerns, if you adopt wasteful irrigation, you will probably have your green space classified as anti-ecological. Treating water as a resource and not as waste is an essential landscape design rule. And you can follow it by selecting the right plants for the local climate and the type of soil, in addition to storing rainwater. And, if the law where you live allows for the reuse of “greywater”, you can also build a system to capture water from bathing, laundry, and dishwashers, treat it properly, and use it to irrigate your plants.

7. Increasing the permeable area If you have a garden with plant beds and lawns, why not design the paths and gathering areas in a way that they can absorb the rainwater as well? Permeable pavers can make your outdoor area be as good at absorbing water as natural soil. By using permeable pavement, you will prevent stormwater from being wasted through runoff – just like professionals are starting to do in larger public spaces with materials suitable to lightweight traffic, such as parking lots, bike lanes, and driveways. There is also a trend to apply permeable asphalt and concrete in heavy traffic areas.

6. Vertical gardens contributing to a healthier city Walls are also surfaces that are increasingly becoming water absorbent through the use of vertical gardens. You might have seen versions of these living walls, some of them transformed into art panels, which promotes their use. But, nowadays, green walls are going beyond this, and are becoming a requisite for buildings and businesses to upgrade their green certifications because vertical gardens purify the air and improve the energy efficiency of the buildings. So, you if are thinking about incorporating green walls into your construction, you should know that, although the most practical types are the ones built with the insertion of pre-grown plants into panels or trays, you can make cheaper ones by growing on-site climbing species. The crucial point in maintaining your living walls will be to design the watering system and, although there are several solutions for that, the most common are those based on the recirculation concept, which uses water more efficiently. 5. Selection of plants according to the place We can’t deny that some exotic plant species fascinate us with their beauty, and that we would like to have them in our gardens. But, as you have already learned from the first practice, the sustainable method calls for planting native species. This can unite private spaces with some public parks that are restoring the local wildlife. The good news is that you can get seedlings without cost from the many non-profit organizations that distribute them as an incentive to sustainable planting. So, this step will make your garden affordable and align you with community efforts to bring natural life back to urban spaces. 4. Reduction of the use of electrical energy Of course you would like to use your outdoor space for resting or social gatherings at night as well as during the daytime. And all the efforts to reduce your footprint will have been useless if, at the moment of designing the lighting system, you waste energy. The right choice is to make the place even greener by combining devices such as motion sensors, dimmers, and LED (light-emitting diode) or other energy-saving light bulbs, such as solar powered. Although they may be still pricey, you will see a reduction in your energy bill, so your investment will have a payback. 3. Use of recycled and recyclable materials When it comes to coating, finishing, and furnishing your outdoor space, you need to contribute to waste reduction if you want to be sustainable. Since designers are increasingly adopting this principle, there is a large market focused on it; you can find materials from demolition sites that can compose very charming rooms. Other excellent choices are recycled components — those made from raw materials harvested and processed according to environmental laws, such as certified wood and materials made from local sources to avoid the high costs of transportation. And, to be coherent with green approaches, you should check whether the materials you initially used can be reused or recycled and assure that their recycling process won’t generate even more damage to the environment. 2. Increase of green transportation Will constructing green areas, according to what we are talking about so far, be enough to guarantee the sustainability of our spaces? You must agree that, if the ways of transportation we use to access the parks, gardens, or green buildings are polluting and expensive, they will soon end our natural resources. So, regardless of your location, why not opt to ride a bike, walk, or use public transportation instead of relying on cars all the time? If your city is not yet bike-friendly, it’s a great opportunity for you and your community to work to make that happen. The use of bikes as the main form of transportation can reduce gas emissions and provide the benefits of exercising outdoors, as countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium have been proving for years. 1. Urban agriculture At this point, you must have already noticed that the best way to produce outdoor spaces without negatively impacting nature is to keep them integrating to its cycles. And it wouldn’t be different in relation to our nutrition: You can help to reduce the use of energy to transport vegetables to the city if you grow your own produce in your garden. You can also join one of the organizations that develop urban agriculture through public gardens, providing a social and hands-on way to learn eco-friendly methods of producing healthy food. WATCH: Urban agriculture, closer to home Although each of these practices can help you to produce more pleasant spaces and manage our resources responsibly, your green contribution won’t be effective if you work on just one aspect while ignoring the others. Each is worth being adopted only if you are engaged in the whole process. And the commitment that professionals and communities are having with this subject proves that sustainability is not just a green wave that is ending soon, but a stream whose direction we all should follow. Recommended Reading:

• Sustainable Design: A Critical Guide (Architecture Briefs) by David Bergman
• Sustainable Design: Ecology, Architecture, and Planning by Daniel E. Williams
• Sustainable Construction: Green Building Design and Delivery  by Charles J. Kibert

Article written by Tania Gianone Return to Homepage

Bridal Veil designed by architects Louis Sicard and Emil Yusta. Have you ever felt like you were in limbo between one world and another? A walk through the Bridal Veil, built around and through the Rossignolet Waterfall in central France, might make you feel that way. The installation, designed by architects Louis Sicard and Emil Yusta, is simple, elegant, and revolutionary, regulating the flow of the waterfall so that water drips in a cascade from innumerable loci, creating illusion and mystery within the natural setting. This splendid design welcomes visitors into nature’s realm, encouraging them to become one with the water falling from above. Sicard has created a pattern that is both elegant and efficient, eco friendly and conservative. It’s time for you to pass your face through the Bridal Veil.

The Location The waterfall is located in the Massif du Sancy, a mountainous region in central France that lies at the heart of the Nature Park of the Auvergne Volcanoes. The park boasts of having the tallest volcano in France — the Puy de Sancy, with a summit of 1,886 meters. The Massif du Sancy is known for its breathtaking landscapes and unspoiled heritage. The volcanoes provide visitors with a wonderful view as they walk across the sleeping green giants, which have lain dormant for 8,000 years. Auvergne covers 26,013 square kilometers, equivalent to 4.8 percent of France’s total surface area. The Veil The project was prepared in a carpenter’s workshop in Spain, then installed onsite over a period of 10 days. The piece was installed for the Horizons, Sancy art and nature festival and can be visited until September 2014. WATCH: Horizons Sancy 2014 The Bridal Veil stretches 40 meters through the trees. Sicard worked with fellow architect Yusta and carpenter Thorsten Fischer to design and build a pine and copia timber structure that carries a channel similar to an aqueduct, zigzagging through the woods and beneath the waterfall. “The waterfall is called the Bridal Veil for its delicate appearance (and) its uniform distribution on a deposit of volcanic ash. When the sun is up, lights and shadows of the forest and reflections of the water finally complete the magical scene of the waterfall,” Sicard said. A Moment to Enjoy But the design isn’t something to just look at and admire. Sicard also created it so that visitors might interact with nature. That interaction allows people to enjoy the moment, making it remarkable and unforgettable. The way the design reacts with nature and its characteristics plays a vital role with the presence of light, shadows, and sounds, making the visitors’ experience interesting and joyful. “From the first sketches of the projects, the idea was to use the water and its characteristics as the main component of the installation. The fresh sound of the source plays with the multiple reflections and transparency of the water. The second idea is to underline the beauty of the context, to create something that would match with the lights and shadows and the large wooden trunks of the forest,” Sicard said. Related Articles:

• How Can You Make a Stunning Waterfall Even More Stunning?
• Surroundings: Episode 1 – Using Land Art to Create a Place
• Mark Nixon’s Chimecco Chime Bridge

The slender timber posts supporting the aqueduct create long shadows that mimic those cast by the tall trees, making the design a replica — a bio-mimicry — of the pine forest around the Bridal Veil. The architect has made a higgledy-piggledy arrangement of the planks, making sure that the water doesn’t spill out uncontrollably.

The Bridal Veil doesn’t just act as a play of art through light, but also through sound, with the water dripping in such a way that it produces a music that is awesome to hear and gives visitors the sense of being inside a natural shower. WATCH: The Soothing Sounds of the Bridal Veil While the installation is meant to mimic nature, it also is designed to conserve water. A reservoir collects water directly from the waterfall and an overfill containment system regulates the flow. A filter prevents particles from entering the water, keeping it clean and clear. The water then flows into the timber channel, through 4,000 holes arranged one every centimeter. Louis Sicard has developed a unique design that interacts with visitors so well that it provides the joy of taking a short, sweet shower of natural water directly from the Rossignolet waterfall. This masterpiece has really raised the bar for waterfall design. The Bridal Veil provides visitors with eye-catching view of the forests and the waterfall, creating water so neat and clean that people can’t wait to wet their heads in the innumerable drops from the veil. Recommended Reading: 

• Land Art by Ben Tufnell
• Land and Environmental Art by Jeffrey Kastner

Article written by Sha Sulaiman Return to Homepage

The Ravelijn floating pedestrian bridge, by RO&AD. The Ravelijn Bridge, designed by RO&AD, is an 80-meter long pedestrian bridge in Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands. The primary function of the bridge is to connect the mainland city to a fortress, which is surrounded by a moat. The Ravelijn is currently used for small public and private events and stands as a time capsule to the beginning of the 18th century. The island fortress was once only accessible via boat. All of the materials used to build the fort had to be paddled across the moat by workers. Paddleboats were also used to transport visitors to and from the fortress. When in a paddleboat, visitors traveled a somewhat meandering path through the water. With this historic image in mind, the designers created a pedestrian bridge that mimics the pathway of the boats.

Modern day visitors have a similar experience as the bridge does not take a straight course but rather snakes from mainland to the island. Giving visitors as authentic of an experience as possible creates a lasting impression and gives them a glimpse into the reality of the time period in which the Ravelijn was built. This connection to history creates a more meaningful experience and provides a strong connection to the culture and people of the Netherlands. The Bridge Adapts to Climatic Conditions The Raveljin Bridge displays a superior level of flexibility and adaptability. The bridge is constructed out of wood set on floating tubes. As the season changes, the water level fluctuates. Instead of closing the bridge because it is rendered impassable during rainy seasons, the bridge is designed to float and raise or fall with the water level. Forward thinking designers developed this concept through sketches, drawings, and physical models and came up with a solution that is well adapted to the seasons. Just as many other designers are thinking about holistic design, this bridge was designed with a cradle-to-cradle mindset. This means that materials were responsibly acquired with the end use in mind. This bridge is designed to be dismantled at the end of its life, in at least 20 years, and either reused or recycled. This helps reduce the amount of waste that enters the landfill and sets a precedent and an example to other designers and visitors as they visit and learn about the project. Related Articles:

• Moses Bridge: Walking Through Water
• Top Ten Pedestrian Bridges
• Mark Nixon’s Cimecco Chime Bridge

Visually, the bridge also adapts to its environment in color, form, and geometry. The convex design of the bridge allows it to seamlessly fit into its surroundings. The bridge is designed without handrails so as to not obstruct views. Nothing about the bridge is designed to stand out, make a dramatic statement or draw attention.

3 Design Lessons Learned from the Floating Bridge

  The Ravelijn Bridge offers students and professionals with a few lessons in design: 1. Design with the context in mind. The strength of this design is due to the convex nature allowing for maximum interaction between visitors on the bridge and the context. Getting visitors as close to the water as possible is another strength of this Ravelijn Bridge design. 2. Do your research. Allow the history of the site to inform the design. It’s important to find out what historical structures are nearby or were formerly there and how they were used. In this case, allowing the path of paddleboats from the fortress to the mainland to dictate the course of the bridge pays homage to the history of the site.

3. Design continues into material selection. Make a conscious effort to specify sustainably harvested and locally manufactured materials. It’s always an added bonus to know the materials can be recycled or reused when the site is later adapted to meet different needs. The Ravelijn Bridge breaks away from the form of a traditional bridge and while not supported by cables, columns or piers, it still delivers an important connection and pedestrian passageway between the city and fortress. Providing a precedent for cradle-to-cradle design, it also seamlessly integrates into its surroundings in form and geometry. The Ravelijn Bridge spans the gap between context sensitive design and creative problem solving. Recommended Reading:

• The World’s Most Amazing Bridges (Landmark Top Tens) by Michael Hurley
• Bridges: The Science and Art of the World’s Most Inspiring Structures by David Blockley

Article written by Rachel Kruse Return to Homepage

Some humorous observations from working away in the studio. Being in design school, you will find yourself around your classmates constantly. Sleep deprived all-nighters and coffee filled early mornings seem to bind us together. These people will be your best friends, critics, and inspiration. But everyone is different, so here is a list of the 10 people you will find in the studio. 1. The Coffee Addict If this person were a car, caffeine would be their gasoline. Ice coffee their unleaded, two shots of espresso their diesel, but never the unmentionable decaf – okay maybe on desperate mornings. A great friend to make for when you need a boost on a late night studio visit. 2. The Sleeper The sleeper really is the antithesis of ‘the coffee addict’. They seem to always been swaying back and forth. You will find yourself jealous of this person in their ability to fall asleep in literally every position while you spend the night tossing and turning worrying about deadlines. 3. The Teacher’s Pet The one that asks five questions about the project when it is plainly written on the rubric. The one that will always have a question, comment, and concern after a lecture. There is a teacher’s pet in every studio, just look for the constantly raised hand. 4. The Last Minute Noted for running through the halls just minutes before 8 AM, carless printing on pin ups, and some genius last ditch effort ideas. Many students take to this life style because they know working under pressure produces the “best” results. Some just like to live dangerously. 5. The Ghost Either they have a drafting table in the apartment, or I have no clue how they’re doing these projects without being here. We are all a bit jealous of the ghost being able to complete these tasks from the comfort of their own home. 6. The Supply Hoarder Need a specific brand of drafting dots? They got it. Need 5 different tones of yellow Chartpak markers? They got it. The Supply hoarder even goes all out by getting amazing carrying cases for all their gear. You love them, because you totally needed that mini glue stick set last week and couldn’t find it in any store. Related Articles:

• Life as a Landscape Architect: A GIF Party – LAN
• The 10 stages of being a landscape architecture student: GIF party

7. The Resident They might as well be paying rent to the school on top of tuition. But let’s be honest, we all live in the studio sometimes. 8. The Luddite Loathes their computer and always seems to have the printer crash on them. Usually they day dream back to the earlier days of landscape architecture, before Autodesk was a company. They are the best for tips on hand rendering. But put Rhino in front of them, and headaches will come. 9. The IT The ying to the luddite’s yang. While they know every hotkey in AutoCAD, they can’t sketch to save their life. Go to this person for questions about your computer, but keep away when wondering about hand drafting. 10. The Best Friend The truly important one to you, you will meet them, guaranteed, during your time in the program. A lot of great friendships will form over your time in school, but your best friend will always be by your side. Honest critiques and fun times downtown. The studio is a breeding ground for friendships, you are destine to find your closest friend here. You will meet so many different personalities in the studio, it’s not right to lump them into strict boxes, but it is fun to see which category you or your friends may land in. Make sure to try to meet all of your peers. You’re in the studio to learn but also to grow. Meet friends and become a better person. Article written by Kevin Pfeiffer Return to Homepage