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Over the past few years, one way or another, you have probably heard of ‘The Fun Theory’. Or perhaps you’ve seen some YouTube clips of the famous Fun Theory, for example a Piano Staircase? Or what about the one with The World’s Deepest Bin? Or The Bottle Bank Arcade Machine? These three YouTube clips were used in The Fun Theory campaign run by Volkswagen. The principle behind the Fun Theory is that the easiest way to change people’s behavior for the better is to make whatever they need to do fun.  By making climbing the stairs more fun, more people chose to ignore the neighboring escalator.  Easy peasy! The Fun Theory, the brainchild of advertising agency DDB Stockholm, was a fantastic success, it went viral; people were inspired, enthused, and the Fun Theory award garnered over 700 ...Read More

There is a certain persuasion in documentaries that is not often found in books. Sometimes actually seeing, visually dissecting, a narrative can be more inspiring and engaging than words on a page. The documentaries below can be quite different in their style and delivery – what is important however, is that they all seek to explore man’s relationship with his (natural or unnatural) environment. And as a Landscape Architect, it couldn’t hurt to see a few…. Here we take you through 10 of the best documentaries for landscape architects out there, covering topics such as urban design, landscape architecture, sustainable design, biophilia, climate change and urban planning. These are films that will make you think, generate discussion within your own mind and make you question your own d...Read More

The big recent news from the world of preservation is the listing of Peavey Plaza on the National Register of Historic Places. This Paul Friedberg-designed space is also the subject of a lawsuit brought by The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) and Preservation Minnesota against the city of Minneapolis, which owns the site. You can Google for all the gritty details, but suffice it to say that Peavey feels a little like a line in the sand for TCLF. And, one could argue, rightfully so.   Former Landscape Architecture editor William Thompson wrote in 2005 that, “Built works by modern masters have been dropping like nine-pins all over the country.” Friedberg is one of those modern masters. So is Lawrence Halprin. We all know Lawrence Halprin: Freeway Park, the FDR Memorial, the Auditorium Fo...Read More

Earlier this month, an article was posted on ASLA’s The Dirt, titled ‘Detroit Is Not a Ruin’.   I read the article, and posted a response as a discussion on Land8, found here.  My initial reaction was dissatisfaction in the article based on the lack of research and an actual ‘landscape architecture’ take on the subject.  Not to be a hypocrite, I decided to take my own advice and look deeper into local landscape architects’ influence on projects that are redefining Detroit’s rebirth. The original article was based on photography by Andrew Moore and Camilo Jose Vergara and an exhibit recently held at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. to showcase their work.  The official press release can be found here.  The following images are showcased in their exhibit. Andrew Moore, Birche...Read More

Winner of the 2006 ASLA General Design Award of Honor, the Henry C. Beck Park is a privately-owned public space created in tribute to Henry C. Beck, Jr., founder of Beck Construction and one of Dallas’ great and innovative contractors of the 1960’s. Located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Beck Park is a small and intimate space, notable for its detail, limited material palette, and spatial layout, dictated by existing land contours and the desire to preserve existing large oaks. Two white, bush-hammered concrete walls—chosen to allude to Beck’s contribution to the world of construction—emerge from the landscape and intersect in a cross formation, creating four independent “rooms,” each offering a different focus and experience. At the point of intersection, a water feature fed by ...Read More

Check out the Top 10 designs from the Land8 T-Shirt Design Contest!  We narrowed down the list of our favorites from over 60 design submissions, now it is your turn to select the winner!  Head over to our facebook page and click “Like” to vote for your favorite design(s).  The three designs with the most “Likes” will win and be available for sale in the Land8 Shop.  Voting closes February 8th. Below are the Top 10 in (somewhat) random order… Enjoy!   The Heart of a Landscape Architect Design by: Eva Radenich Markers Design by: Marton Jancso North Arrow Design by: Marton Jancso Street Tree Design by: Marton Jancso The Godfather Design by: Shea Tighe You’re Welcome Design by: Shea Tighe Central Park, New York Design by: Nikko Carlo Cayaga FLO Design by: Ni...Read More

Landscape People is a great and simplified means for finding a job in the domain of landscape architecture and for companies to find their wanted landscape architects. It is the solution to helping the landscape architecture working domain. To understand how it all works, I talked to Michael Burton-Nickson, founder of the company. If you’re a fresh student looking for a job or looking to renew your career you might want to read! What services does Landscape People offer as a company? Please describe your activity to our readers. Landscape People aims to provide a platform where landscape architects can highlight their skills and show potential employers what they have to offer. This is done by completing the only landscape architecture specific ‘online profile’ anywhere on the ...Read More

Socially aware, sustainable design, and architecture for change are the main principles that Building Trust International promotes and we here at LAN heartily agree. In architecture and landscape architecture, it’s not always about size and the amount of funding, but rather about creativity, ingenious designs with great consideration for the individual, and mostly about opportunities for great ideas, which would normally not get the chance to be applied. The three main areas that Building Trust International works on are individual communities or charities in need of support, assisted by professional design advice, and coupled with funding partners and strategies. Their motto is, “Building trust volunteers and employees help to bring these three areas together, creating great designs for t...Read More

Created to commemorate the birthplace of the United Parcel Service (UPS), Waterfall Garden Park is a private pocket park tucked away in an assuming corner of Main and Second Street. Designed by Sasaki, Dawson and DeMay—Masao Kinoshita of the Sasaki office served as the primary designer—Waterfall Garden Park may be small (it measures 60 by 80 feet), but the space imparts a strong, lasting impression. A modern interpretation of a Japanese garden, the central feature of the park is the dramatic 22-foot high waterfall constructed of natural granite borders. Five thousand gallons of continuously filtered and recirculated water per minute cascade down the falls, a water feature channeling the precedent designs of Hideo Sasaki’s Greenacre Park as well as Zion & Breen’s Paley Park in New...Read More

Built atop a formerly contaminated industrial site, Tanner Springs Park is considered “an experiment in sustainable park design and management.” This innovative park is located in the Pearl District of northwest Portland, an area that was once a wetland and a lake. As the population grew in the late 19th century, however, the wetland and lake were filled in, Tanner Creek was rerouted through underground pipes and the land built over with warehouses and residences. Today, the design of Tanner Springs Park represents a desire to reconnect Portland with its ecological history; the park sits about 20 feet above the former lake surface. Initial planning efforts for the Pearl District in the 1990s included early plans for a network of open spaces. After the opening of Jamison Square,...Read More

The Land8 Webinar: Forgiving Landscape Details and Detailing for Ease of Construction featuring Thomas Ryan provided a much needed look at the adapting field of detailing. Details are a Landscape Architect’s bread and butter. Consideration, intuition, and final construction are why we’re hired. The material and design consideration for a simple detail can be mind-boggling and very in-depth; But you have to set the first brick to build Rome–and that brick, it turns out, is 3/8″ inch smaller in each direction. To expand your library further, I have found the following books inspirational (beyond Time Saver Standards): Detailing for Landscape Architects: Aesthetics, Function, Constructibility – by Thomas R. Ryan Thomas Ryan’s book wraps many of these consid...Read More

Architecture seems to have got its own list down; Blade Runner, The Fountainhead, Metropolis…but what about Landscape Architecture? With the discipline being so wonderfully varied, the possibilities to be included in such a list are endless! Here I merely outline ten films that I think should be considered for such a list. This list comprises of films that have inspired and some of which have given a haunting glimpse into our future and us. Topics covered include; environmental impacts, conservation, climate change and even edible landscapes, from the mines of Moria to the depths of outer space. So when you’re struggling for inspiration for your next project or you want your perception of landscape questioned, here are ten films you should watch! Get the popcorn! 10. North by Northwest (19...Read More