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TED has certainly been an inspirational platform for anybody looking for insights into how do we things, live and develop the world around us, delving into psychology, scientific breakthroughs, pioneering thinking and much much more. With so many topics covered TED was bound to touch on landscape architecture related topics, such as cities, biodiversity, social integration and world of design. We’ve filtered through the impressive, stimulating and always intriguing world of TED to bring you 9 Unmissable TED talks for Landscape Architects; of course we don’t expect you to watch all of these TED talks at once, so take our LAN 9 Day TED Challenge and watch one a day for the next 9 days; easy, entertaining and you may even be inspired! 1. Ron Finley: A guerilla gardener in South Ce...Read More

Landscape architecture is an amazing profession, covering the design, specification, and management of the built environment, as well as the analysis, preservation, and enhancement of the natural environment. Here we look at nine interesting facts about landscape architecture that you might not know. 1. Origin of Landscape Architecture Many people credit the likes of Capability Brown (1716-1783) and Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) as being the “godfathers” of landscape architecture. But it is in fact a little known Scotsman by the name of Gilbert Laing Meason who first coined the term “landscape architecture” in his little-known 1828 book “Landscape Architecture of the Great Painters of Italy”. Thankfully, this is now available on Google Books, for all to read. 2. Origin of the Word “Lan...Read More

It’s time for another one of our famous Sketchy Saturdays, where we round up all the sketches you send into us and select what we feel are the top 10. We always try to keep it as fair as possible however we are getting to a point now where we have some artists featuring regularly, really cementing their place in the Sketchy Saturday hall of fame! This week we had some really unique styles with a special contribution all the way from Brazil. Enjoy this week’s top 10! 10. by Maria Rochowiak, studying landscape architecture in Agricultural University of Kraków ” I was inspired by my neighbourhood. There is a big forest near by the river Wisła, where there are a lot of ponds. This place is called Nazieleńce and is a protected area. I like very much to take photos and do drawi...Read More

The Cultural Landscape Foundation just launched their newest Pioneers of American Landscape Design video oral history project featuring Richard Haag, one of the nation’s most important Postwar landscape architects. Now in its 11th installment, TCLF’s ongoing Pioneers series documents and preserves first-hand information from leading landscape architects such as Cornelia Hahn Oberlander and Laurie Olin. The Pioneer’s latest oral history volume consists of approximately 25 bite-sized video clips that chronicle Haag’s life and career from his founding of University of Washington’s landscape architecture department in the late 1950s to the present day. The clips are organized under the themes of biography, design, and projects.  (Related Article: TCLF Spotlights Life and Work of La...Read More

SWA Group design Sands Bethwork at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA. We have seen how landscape design can create an oasis in the desert and how a temporal landscape installation can promote consciousness about the constant exploitation of the land. Landscape design can also be used in recovery. This type of project, such as the recovery of the Thames River, is responsible not only for the natural recovery of a land mass, river, or mountain, but also can be a catalyst to regenerate societies, economic markets, and social roles. Human activities can be harmful to the Earth; many times we have seen how places once occupied by factories or houses are abandoned and become sites without any living organism. The Sands Bethworks, a project consisting of a new casino, hotel, museum, and mixed-use reta...Read More

Here is the final part of the three part series on How to Design a Landscape for Extreme Workouts. This time, we are going to explore the exciting world of bouldering. We have gathered a number of examples from around the world to demonstrate that designing for bouldering can have many aesthetic and physical benefits for our landscapes. Whether you are interested in the sport or not, you are going to want to see what we have lined up for you! What is bouldering? Bouldering is a form of climbing that is done without the use of harnesses. Climbing is an art that starts from an early stage for many human beings — children love to climb anything, from trees to rocks to walls! However, as we get older, our participation in what was once a natural desire is often superseded by the needs an...Read More

The Rootstein Hopkins Parade Ground at Chelsea College of Art and Design Our modern cities desperately need great public spaces, which allow for large public gatherings; encourage people to meet, socializes, and participate in cultural life; and provide space for various public events. The Rootstein Hopkins Parade Ground at Chelsea College of Art and Design in London provides all this and more – a great design that enriches the area and creates a multifunctional, large space so badly needed in any city. Location The Rootstein Hopkins Parade Ground is a 3,500-square-meter square adjacent on three sides to the buildings of Chelsea College of Art and Design and also open onto Atterbury Street. It is special in many ways: It is situated right in the center of London, in the very heart of Westm...Read More

Across the East River from Manhattan, Hunter’s Point South Waterfront Park showcases impressive views of the iconic New York City skyline.  In addition to the sweeping views, the park also successfully demonstrates strategies for resiliency and aesthetic appeal in a complex urban environment. Although the project just opened last year, its reputation as a leading model of urban resiliency has already stretched far beyond NYC.  Hunter’s Point South from the north.  The elliptical lawn, with its flexible program, serves as the focus point of the park. Image credit: Albert Vecerka, Esto. Designed by Thomas Balsley Associates, Weiss/Manfredi, and ARUP, the 11-acre waterfront park in Queens was created as part of a much larger Hunter’s Point South redevelopment of an old industrial sector...Read More

The Gingdao Plant Pavilion by Weddle Landscape Design The Plant Pavilion, inspired by the image of a falling leaf, is the main pavilion designed for the 2014 International Horticulture Exhibition in the coastal city Gingdao in northern China. It opened its doors on April 28. With its floor area of 12,800 square meters, it is the largest public glasshouse in Asia. It is the permanent centerpiece of the Expo, and after the event ends, it will become the focal point of a new Botanical Garden, the future key tourist attraction in the city. British landscape architecture practice Weddle Landscape Design is the responsible party for the design of the huge glasshouse. The firm is most known in the United Kingdom for the design of Sheffield Winter Garden, which attracts more than 2 million visitor...Read More

It’s no secret that climate change is a hot topic right now. Due to recent megastorm events, climate change has become a central focus in many professional circles. Within the design realm, Hurricane Sandy’s destruction in 2012 spawned a focus on exhibits in New York City that predicted devastating repercussions if preemptive infrastructural measures were not considered, such as the Rising Currents at the MoMa in 2010. While the exhibits in New York helped spur more discourse about climate change in a design framework, equally vulnerable cities were left out of the discussion.  Enter four budding professionals from the Boston area-based design and planning firm Sasaki Associates. This small group of spirited, driven designers and planners developed a personal research passion into a well-p...Read More

Amazing facts about one of the biggest design trends of the 21st century.  Green walls, also known as living walls, bio-walls, eco-walls, or vertical gardens, are walls partially or completely covered with vegetation. Some include a growing medium, such as soil, others are grown in hydroponic systems, a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. Green walls that require the soil usually feature an irrigation system. These living walls are found all over the world and may be indoors or outside, freestanding or attached to an existing wall, and come in all shapes and sizes. But what is it that makes green walls so fantastic? Following is a list of five green wall facts that stand out from the rest and prove that growing vertical is the new way to grow....Read More