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Danish-American landscape architect and conservationist Jens Jensen (1860 – 1951) was a champion of the midwestern Prairie Style landscape. A proponent of native gardens and open spaces, Jensen was a dynamic figure who became a major influence in modern American landscape design. In “Jens Jensen The Living Green,” this documentary tells the amazing story of Jensen’s pioneering work in landscape architecture, prairie conservation, fighting corruption, and building the foundation for modern livable cities. From the description: Today four out of five Americans live in cities. Yet the connection between the urban experience and the physical and emotional need for city and national parks is only just beginning to be made. A century ago, a rebellious Dane, JENS JENSEN (1...Read More

I’m a big fan of stormwater – that is, I enjoy being part of an engineering niche dedicated to mitigating pollution caused by stormwater runoff. Actual stormwater, the pollutant-laden wet stuff that is the bane of many modern cities’ existence, is not very nice. To help make stormwater management computations easier, I created Hydrographs, a free stormwater modeling web app to help engineers and landscape architects size stormwater management practices. My professional relationship with stormwater began after finishing an environmental engineering graduate program in 2011 at Philadelphia’s Drexel University. Since then, I’ve started work as a consultant in the Philadelphia stormwater industry and have spent a lot of time with various modeling tools while tinkering with computer...Read More

Dan Kiley is one of the most significant and influential landscape architects of our time but his work is in danger of slipping away. On Kiley’s prolific and impressive designs, landscape architect Laurie Olin once quipped: “Dan’s thoughts are like rabbits–they just keep leaping out.” To celebrate his work and bring attention to the ongoing threats to Kiley’s legacy, The Cultural Landscape Foundation collaborated with landscape architects and firms across the U.S. to create a national traveling exhibition dedicated to the modern landscape architect’s work. The exhibit debuted last year at the annual ASLA meeting in Boston. Dallas Museum of Art Sculpture Garden | Dallas, TX Recently, I visited the exhibition’s new location at the National Building Museum ...Read More

As a profession, we have been quietly avoiding BIM. I know that CAD is nice, simple, and comfortable in its familiarity, but hand-drafting used to be that way too. Not convinced? Well, here are some reasons why you should be using BIM: 1. Do it once, not three, four, five, or more times. Why would you draw plans in AutoCAD, create a 3D model in SketchUp, draw sections and elevations in AutoCAD… and then when the plans change (as they always do) change it several times across multiple programs and files? Working in BIM allows you to do it all simultaneously. 2. Everyone else has it! Collaboration is 100x easier when you work in the same program. All other design disciplines use BIM: architects, structural engineers, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineers. Where I work, all of these ...Read More

Bicycle commuting is booming in cities worldwide and the surge in bike-share last year indicates that this healthy trend is more than just a fad. A lack of proper cycling infrastructure, however, puts the urban cyclist at serious risk of injury or even death. Though our more cycling-conscious cities have adopted protected bike lanes and Sir Norman Foster has even suggested a pie-in-the-sky elevated bicycle highway, urban planner Nick Falbo says there’s a better way to keep cyclists safe: the protected intersection. In this incredibly clear and impressive video, Falbo explains how this Dutch-inspired design concept works.   From the description: “Protected bike lanes are the latest approach US cities are taking to help their residents get around by bike. But these protected lane...Read More

Stormwater, or runoff from rainfall or snowmelt, is one of the coolest aspects of our landscapes. It’s dynamic, chaotic and supports stream systems, which are the lifeblood of the aquatic and terrestrial environments. The fact that land has been (and is being) changed by humanity means that the natural flows and rhythms of nature have been interrupted and that significant natural forces must adjust to compensate. The art and science of stormwater management is about trying our best to help these significant natural forces adjust to what we are doing or have done to the land. This is done in the way that changes to the land surface are designed, how they are constructed, and how the drainage systems are maintained and repaired. At Stormwater Maintenance & Consulting (SMC), we̵...Read More

It’s been a while since our last Sketchy Saturday but we’re up and running with another edition: our 11th! We’ve once again reunited works of creativity, talent and detailing. Check it out and see more in our album! No. 10 by Ngoc Xuan Doan, MA Landscape Architecture student, United States ‘This is a sketch of the Davenport Memorial, home for the elderly, located in downtown Malden, Massachusetts. Working with graphite pencil, I used shading techniques, carefully studied light, shadows, and highlights, to represent form and materials. It is a wonderful method to exercise the mind to actively look at the landscape and build from microscopic details to boarder context.’ No. 9 by Julia Fogg, landscape architect in private practice, UK ‘This sketch is placed in the river landscape of Rye Harbo...Read More

If you’re looking to brush up your drawing skills, you’ll want to check out Land8 member Gašper Habjanič’s excellent Linescapes video series. With a knack for both sketching and teaching, this Slovenian landscape architecture student started filming these short, inspiring tutorials on a semi-weekly basis since last summer. Armed with a pen, a sketchpad, and a set of watercolors, he captures the spirit of the various landscapes around Ljubljana as well as the other European places he visits on his travels. Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Gašper for some behind-the-scenes insight on Linescapes. Can you tell me a little bit about your background, are you a student or working professional? I’m currently a landscape architecture master’s student in the...Read More

If you’re a fan of William H. Whyte’s pioneering ‘The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces,’ you’ll love this time-lapse of OLIN’s popular Director Park in Portland, OR. Filmed by a University of Oregon landscape architecture research team, this short film captures the life and social patterns in one of Portland’s favorite urban parks over the span of a typical summer day. The project was conducted as part of Landscape Architecture Foundation’s 2013 Case Study Investigations.   From the description: “The 2013 Case Study Investigation (CSI) research team from the University of Oregon worked to document the social benefits of Portland’s Simon and Helen Director Park. As part of the analysis, the team shot this time lapse video on Thurs...Read More

Integrating Green Stormwater Infrastructure into the Streetscape Across the country, local governments are integrating green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) into the streetscape to manage urban stormwater runoff. More frequently implemented to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs), streetside GSI also treats polluted runoff that includes oil, heavy metals, and carcinogens to help protect the quality of local water bodies. Often overlooked, however, is the vital role that GSI can play in creating a thriving, pedestrian-friendly streetscape by providing physical buffers, reducing imperviousness, increasing opportunities for tree canopy, mitigating heat island effect, and promoting traffic calming. Left: Department of Environmental Protection, Montgomery County, MDRight: image and design by ...Read More

Exactly eight months ago, HUD Secretary and Chair of the Sandy Rebuilding Task Force Shaun Donovan announced the Rebuild by Design competition, an “innovation and resilient design in Sandy rebuilding” collaborative with the Rockefeller Foundation and the NYU Institute for Public Knowledge. Secretary Donovan remarked that the catalyst for the competition was the recognition that the federal government “cannot fill every need.” Ideas and additional funding are expected of other institutions and that universities, community leaders, nonprofit organizations, and citizens are essential to creating solutions that work across scales and interconnected systems. Image credit: rebuildbydesign.org The clock for the competition started on June 20 with the request for qualifications due July 19. The co...Read More

Ceramic Museum and Mosaic Garden  by Casanova + Hernandez Last year, the city of Jingzhou, in northeast China, played host to the 2013 World Landscape Art Exposition. Formerly a shrimp farm, the site of this large-scale international exhibition now serves as a 176 Ha central park for the city. The exposition incorporated 20 gardens designed by 20 teams of international landscape architects. Designs were sought to be symbolic and unique, linking both the garden culture of the design team’s region and the history and culture of the Jingzhou region to the future. Rotterdam-based firm Casanova + Hernandez’s Ceramic Museum And Mosaic Park was one such design, and was featured in our Top 10 Projects of 2013 article. The Concept As the name suggests, the design team found the archaic tradit...Read More