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According to a recent study by the National Gardening Association, more than 1 in 3 American households now grow a portion of the food they consume — a 17 percent increase over the last 5 years alone. For the 18 to 34 age group, the statistics show a staggering 63 percent increase in food gardening in the same time period. The popularity of food gardening has led the practice out of the realm of a backyard hobby, and into the popular public realm, where it is now an important subject for landscape architects to attend to. Food gardening has become a marketing phenomenon that benefits the profession, but it also gets at the root of what landscape architecture is about: stewarding the relationship between humans and the environment. Architect and urban planner Andres Duany has described food...Read More

In the 150 years that landscape architecture has been formally recognized as a profession, there has existed a gulf of separation between our discipline and agriculture. Even though plants, soil, and people are fundamental to each field, the former focuses on aesthetics and the structural functions of human settlements (drainage, access and circulation, integration with the built environment, etc.), while the latter is centered on the process of cultivating edible species for consumption. Recently, however, there are signs of integration between the two disciplines and landscape architects are now being challenged to adopt new methods to mitigate the discord between them. Lafayette Greens Community Garden in Detroit, MI via Land8 In many ways, environments designed by landscape architects ...Read More

What kind of public space could you create with less than $4 per square foot ($40 per square meter)? In the wake of the economic crisis, Spanish landscape architects EMF were given a total budget of 40,000 Euros ($54,000) to temporarily transform 1,330 square meters (~14,300 square feet) of derelict urban space in Barcelona. Aerial photo and before shot via Ajuntament de Barcelona Located in the Eixample district of Barcelona, the neglected pocket of space had been identified as an area for future development. Due to the economic crisis, however, development of the site was temporarily suspended. The area became an unsightly storage facility for waste materials from adjacent construction sites. The city council therefore sought a temporary solution for this ephemeral wasteland. Twenty perc...Read More

Mirage – Tinos Island, Greece – KOIS Associated Architects Talk about taking a rooftop pool to a new level: The pool at the Mirage residence doesn’t just sit on the roof; instead, it IS the roof. Even before viewing the pool, one can garner a vision of what it might look like by reading the introduction on the Kois Associated Architects website. Stelios Kois and his Grecian firm practice a style of architecture that “embodies (Kois’) taste for a purity of style which seems to combine physical and the spiritual serenity. His works testify to the coherence of this aesthetic vision, but also demonstrate his ability to reveal its spatial essence by structuring the visitor’s experience of it.” Kois describes his firm’s work as an antithesis and as diverse. And the pool at Mirage truly embraces ...Read More

Ever since the High Line opened its doors in 2009, the elevated park has continued to inspire similar urban transformations from Philadelphia’s Rail Park to D.C.’s elevated bridge competition. Five years later, the High Line continues to enjoy its iconic status worldwide. While we anxiously await the completion of the High Line’s third section slated to open later this year, we’ll spend today revisiting the High Line’s second section that opened in 2011. Produced for the July 2011 Issue of Architect Magazine by Arbuckle Industries, this short film splices beautifully shot scenes of the park with behind-the-scenes interviews with the High Line’s leading designers and organizers. High Line Phase Two from arbuckle industries on Vimeo. Missed last week’...Read More

In a profession dominated by men,we take a moment to reflect on some of the world’s leading female landscape architects.  As an outcome of men’s dominance in practically all professional fields throughout history, we often tend to mention only male figures when naming the most influential experts in a certain profession. Landscape architecture is no different. For that reason, we have put together the following list — far from being holistic — with the aim of celebrating seven of the most prominent contemporary female landscape architects. 1. Rosa Grena Kliass Born of a multicultural, Jewish, half-Brazilian, half-Polish family, Kliass not only made a large contribution to Brazil’s urban landscapes in the 20th century, she also participated in countless initiatives that ca...Read More

Can you imagine a public space that gathers landmarks from more than 60 different countries? Superkilen is an urban park designed with an artistic approach that embraces the cultural diversity of the city of Copenhagen. In collaboration with the local residents, the designers responsible for the project represented several national identities in this park, which became the heart of the neighborhood. The idea was to revitalize the area by creating a public space where everyone could feel at home – no matter from where you are or how far you are from it. This 750-meters-long urban park is located in the district of Nørrebro, north of Copenhagen’s centre, which is one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in the city. To create a public space to please everyone in such a mixed context ...Read More

Scribble Announces Kickstarter Campaign Being Launched to Crowdfund World’s First Color Picker Pen. California, USA, May 26, 2014- A compact accurate color picker pen that picks any color around you and draws in that same color, the Scribble, is the subject of a new Kickstarter campaign with the goal of bringing the exciting new technology to the market quickly and open up an entire world of color opportunities for its future owners. The idea that you can quickly pick any color around you and instantly draw using that same color on paper or on your favorite mobile device is an appealing one. This is a cutting edge technology that’s on the verge of becoming a household gadget, thanks to the recently announced Kickstarter campaign for the Scribble Pen, the world’s first col...Read More

OKRA take over car park to create Catharina-Amalia-Park As world population increases and urban open space becomes threatened, cities are forced to look for new ways to create multifunctional spaces that bring value to communities and solve numerous problems simultaneously. The city of Apeldoorn in the Netherlands found itself in this predicament over the past 25 years. Brinkpark, an urban park in the heart of Apeldoorn, was turning into a parking lot, with little room for people and an abundance of pedestrian and automobile congestion. The city brought in the landscape architecture firm OKRA to help realize its vision for a greener park that could accommodate numerous user groups, hide the parking and the presence of automobiles, and reveal The Grift. OKRA returned with a plan that would ...Read More

It’s a common phrase heard in networking: “It’s not about who you know, but who knows you.” As a student, how do you even start to put yourself out there? Everyone realizes they need to shake hands to get their foot in the door, but it seems like the biggest issue is finding the right door to start with. Moreover, the process of contacting firms, going out to meet them, and keeping in contact can be daunting. That’s why I’ve pulled together advice that I’ve learned from visiting over a dozen high profile firms, from James Corner’s Field Operations to Andropogon. Here is my take on how to visit landscape architecture firms from a student’s perspective: A few photos of some of the firms I’ve recently visited How to Contact a Firm Fi...Read More

Pavegen is a product that immediately catches the eye as an inventive and creative way to harvest the kinetic energy in footsteps on the pavement. As I write, I’m listening to the familiar sound of the pitter-patter beneath my desk, as my restless feet rattle on the floorboards to the far-off harmony of my town’s weekend orchestra of heavy-footed businessmen and shoppers’ chatter conducted by urban life. I think of how much energy I have wasted over time; in my mind’s eye, I see the countless steps taken in my bedroom alone, franticly pacing up and down on the eve of a deadline. Pavegen inventor Laurence Kemball-Cook’s product harnesses energy in a way that is unobtrusive and subtle. It’s a small product that shifts perceptions, ingraining a grassroots-level method of creating energy. The ...Read More