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The Canadian Museum of Civilization Plaza, by Claude Cormier Associates, Catinuae, Quebec, Canada.  The Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec, takes its form from the expansive topography of the nation itself, with one end referring to the Canadian shield, the other evoking glaciers, and, in between, an esplanade mimicking the vast expanses of the prairies. The museum, known as the Canadian Museum of Civilization when it opened in 1989, was designed by architect Douglas Cardinal. His drawings for the project sought to emphasize the Canadian landscape, with a pavilion representing glaciers on one end and, on the other, the earth’s crust exposed at the surface in the region called the Canadian Shield. Although this museum is a major tourist attraction in Canada, with 1.3 million vis...Read More

Northala Fields, by Peter Fink and Igor Marko, London, UK.  This large park opened in 2008 as part of an ambitious plan for Northolt and Greenford Country Park in West London. The plan called for creating high-quality outdoor spaces along highway A40. There is a word to describe the surroundings before Northala Fields: pollution. That pollution manifested itself in terms of noise, visual impact, and poor air quality. Artist Peter Fink and architect Igor Marko took on the challenge of exploring economical solutions for sustainable design. Here’s how they made a difference and created an enjoyable place along the highway. Redesigning the Connections of the Landscape One of the main questions was about how the park would create connections and barriers to its surroundings and why. The park tu...Read More

Typically designers need no convincing that sustainable design is necessary to protect the earth’s health, its resources, and its ecosystems.  Sustainable design is becoming an increasingly comfortable topic in the public and corporate sectors too, regardless of whether the motivation for that shift is well-intentioned or simply a PR strategy.  In residential design though, it is difficult to ask clients to foot the bill for something they do not value.  How can landscape architects approach residential design in a way that encourages sustainable design practices when our clients’ values do not match our own? A number of practical methods can help us approach sustainable design in the residential sector.  Many of them require us to capitalize on the benefits of sustainable design beyond th...Read More

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 ...Read More

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...Read More

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 an...Read More

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, archite...Read More

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...Read More

Parc du Mont Evrin (Mont Evrin Park) in France, designed by Urbicus. Designing a rural landscape can be a hard task. How does one purposefully design a vast area and make it look like it has always been there? How does one create a space that doesn’t make visitors feel like all of their movements are anticipated? Parc du Mont Evrin (Mont Evrin Park) in France, designed by Urbicus, might be the perfect example of how to make the unnatural feel natural. What made the task for Urbicus a little easier was the fact that the designers started with land that was formerly agricultural. Since the landscape had been natural for a long time, it was only fitting to restore the countryside environment while renewing the neighborhood. The park’s rural environment features prairies, hedgerows, smal...Read More