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Diana Balmori understands the power of visibility. Her firm, Balmori Associates (which by the way is made up of super talented dedicated designers and amazing design alums), has projects around the globe and is known for highly creative landscapes that urge clients and users to question their idea of a lawn, garden, or park. Whether through 35,000 sq feet of green roofs in Long Island, NY or a stair climbing garden in Bilbao, Spain, Balmori Associates does not let the landscape fall to the background. For some examples, check out their website, http://www.balmori.com/balmoriMain.htm, where projects like the Botanical Research Institute of Texas in Fort Worth, Texas and their proposal for the Highline in NYC show their unflinching dedication to roaring soaring landscapes supported by cultur...Read More

Columbia, Md. (December 9, 2010) – Vectorworks 2011 software was honored at this year’s Construction Computing Awards ceremony as the winner of the Product of the Year 2010 award. In addition to winning the Product of the Year award, Vectorworks 2011 software was also honored as a runner up in two categories: CAD Product of the Year 2010 (Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc. – Vectorworks 2011) and Channel Partner of the Year 2010 (Computers Unlimited). “We are honored to be recognized by the Construction Computing Awards,” says Sean Flaherty, CEO of Nemetschek Vectorworks. “We have worked hard to make Vectorworks 2011 a breakthrough release, strengthening its 3D technology and BIM capabilities, and it’s rewarding to be recognized by members of the AEC industry in this way. We are also very fortun...Read More

In the October 2010 special issue of Fast Company, Masters of Design 2010, Walter Hood was featured in an article titled, This Land is Your Land, for his efforts to “transform run-of-the-mill public spaces – city parks, highway underpasses – into pillars of the communities they serve.” It is an excellent article and terrific for our industry to gain exposure in a mainstream magazine. Read the article… See the full list of Masters of Design 2010, here. (Photo Via Fast Company)

Did you know that LEDs last 50 times longer than incandescent lighting and 10 times longer than fluorescent. Along with their long life, here is a list of benefits to using LED’s in the built environment that I found on the illumivision website. Benefits: Extremely long life highly efficient Compact and low-profile design Breakage resistant Cold temperature operation Instant on Rapid cycling capability Controllability No IR or UV emissions Directional light emission This is an underpass that Walter Hood designed for Splash Pad Park in Oakland. This application can be achieved easily with LEDs. You can see a showcase of projects both indoor and out here. Additional Resources: Using Light-Emitting Diodes – US Department of Energy LED Lighting Technology – LandscapeForms Ple...Read More

I heard the story of the closure of Cabrini-Green housing project this morning on NPR and wanted to pass along the news. (You can take listen to it HERE.) The infamous projects were developed over a period of 20 years reflecting the the urban renewal approach to US city planning in the mid-twentieth century. The 70-acre development was initially hailed as a salvation for the city’s poor but quickly became a war-zone that victimized those it was supposed to save. Here is a time-lapse video I found on TRUE/SLANT of the demolition: Related ArticlesChicago closes Cabrini-Green project – USA TodayCabrini-Green Demolition: Notorious Housing Project Torn Down Slowly – Huffington PostWatch Cabrini-Green disappear right before your eyes – True/SlantLong Goodbye for Infamous ...Read More

THE INTERNATIONAL LAMP LIGHTING SOLUTIONS AWARDS 2011 values the creativity, innovation and sustainability of the lighting projects, regardless of the manufacturer or the brand of lights used in the project. The awards are divided into 4 categories: Architectural Exterior Lighting Interior Lighting Urban and Landscape Lighting Students Proposals: The jury will determine four finalists in each category and four winners, with a total economic reward of 33.000€, higher than 2010: Any lighting designers, architects, urban planners, interior designers, engineers, landscapers or students who are authors of a lighting project can participate. Registration for the awards and the submitting of projects can be made on-line at www.lamp.es/awards from 1 November 2010 until 28 February 2011.

Hello everybody here is a new blog to spead the world of landscape architecture in and for Czech Republic. http://sempervirens4u.blogspot.com/ If you are interested just visit and enjoy it.

Hey guys, I’m working on getting a freelance Architectural and Landscape Architectural rendering gig going using a newish engine called Thea, and wanted you guys to look at a few of the component models I have so far. Let me know what you think. The car and bench are tweaked Sketchup components that I re-skinned, the trees are from Tree[d], which the exception of the pine, which someone shared in the Thea forums. The Stop sign is original, and the people are default SketchUp people, and I’m not sure if they are the way I am going to end up doing people or not. I’m trying to get these set so anytime anyone needs a design with a maple rendered, I’m ready to plug this in. First, the trees. I spend a LOT of time with these trying to get not just the right bark, the and ...Read More

I am always excited when the latest issue of Topos arrives in my mailbox. Not only are the projects reviewed inspiring and the writing excellent, the whole magazine is high quality – even down to the weight. (Those who have picked one up know what I mean.) Topos 72: Design and Function did not fail to impress. Do the designs for open spaces meet the needs of their users? Topos 72 uses 17 different international projects to answer this question. In good fashion. To discuss the current issue, check out the Topos group here on Land8 Lounge. Order the current issue and subscribe to Topos here.

The restoration of the Durham Heritage Coast – previously an industrial wasteland – was announced as the winner of the first-ever UK Landscape Awards in Liverpool on 8 November. Durham Heritage Coast was awarded the title of UK Landscape of Year at the UK Landscape Conference in Liverpool. The project will now go on to represent the UK in the European Landscape Award which takes place in Strasbourg in March 2011. Durham Heritage Coast emerged as the winner from a diverse list of urban and rural finalists which included: A twenty five year campaign to improve the Mersey Basin Creation of spectacular spaces and streets in the heart of Sheffield Community-led rebuilding of Baxter Park, Dundee in Scotland Conservation of the hill forts and heather moorland of Denbighshire in Wales Regene...Read More

(BYLA Blog)We’ve had an Apple iPad in the office for several months, this post is intended to share our experience. What’s good about the iPad… Owning one makes a statement Excellent presentation tool Portability Intuitive navigation Valuable applications Web syncing w/ google services Content consumption The iPad is a well designed and executed facsimile of a small underpowered computer. The machine works exceptionally well as a portable image portfolio, presentation tool and internet* consumption device. Navigating through an image gallery is intuitive. An application store with more than 200,000 applications means you should* be able to find one to fit your needs. What’s not so good about the iPad… Owning one makes a statement Sometimes erratic internet connectivity ( ...Read More

I have been following eVolo magazine for several months now and their latest issue looks great. The major question that they consider How do we imagine the cities of tomorrow? Here is their description:“This is one of the most difficult questions that architects, designers, and urban planners need to answer in a time where more than half of the world’s population lives in urban settlements – a mere century ago only ten percent did. In this issue we examine innovative urban proposals that will transform the way we live; projects that preserve the natural landscape with integral architecture and urbanism with deep connections to site, culture, and environment. These are concepts of hybrid urbanism that offer a juxtaposition of programs to live, work, and play for a hyper-mo...Read More