Blog

When Andrew Fox surveyed the grounds behind Syme Residence Hall this spring, he saw a landscape in distress. “It was basically denuded of plants,” he says. “When it rained, it got squishy nasty.” But he was concerned by more than just the threat of muddy footwear. As an assistant professor of landscape architecture, Fox recognized an even more serious problem caused by poor landscaping. Rainwater was carrying sediment – along with pollutants – down a brick walkway and directly into the storm water system that connects to the newly restored Rocky Branch Creek. Not good. So Fox applied for and received a grant from the Provost’s Office to harness the design power – and muscle – of his grad students to find a sustainable solution to the problem. The result, which will be officially unveiled a...Read More

Simon Schama and Rene Bihan of SWA Group, San Francisco will be keynote speakers at the UK Landscape Conference 2010. The conference opens on 8 November with the presentation of the six shortlisted entries for the UK Landscape Award and the announcement of the winner. At the conference dinner on 9 November, Schama will share his perceptions about how landscape has changed since he wrote Landscape and Memory, 15 years ago. The conference will feature an array of high-profile speakers. Rene Bihan of SWA Group, San Francisco, will share his company’s experience of working in China, where the government is backing ambitious, large-scale projects to transform and reshape blighted industrial landscapes. Dr Mechtild Rossler, Chief, European and North America Section, UNESCO World Heritage Centre,...Read More

One of the fairly unique features of this site is the granite outcropping that runs along its eastern edge. Giving a feature like this both realism and readability is something that requires multiple layers of textures, with manual manipulation required to give it an organic, natural feel. I am again using a photo I took as the base for my granite material. This is made more challenging due to the fact that the photo I am using only has a small area of solid granite, in the form of Belgian block edging. I selected a few blocks that have similar tones, outlined in red, and used those as the base for my texture. I used a mix of both healing brushes to fill in a large area using the existing blocks as a sample area. First I filled in the gaps with the healing brush, then I used the spot heali...Read More

What’s wrong with this picture? It appears that the hula dancers are beckoning riders to park their bikes here. However, it is to no avail. This was taken on the opening day of Trader Joe’s in Larkspur, California. If you live in Marin or happen to find yourself nearby, you will quickly realize two things – the hula dancers are not there and the tightly packed bike racks are never used.   In the blog post, Guidelines & Resouces, I shared a few examples of what to do and what not to do when selecting bike racks and their layout. The above picture is a good example of what not to do. I think it is pretty obvious what the main issue is here. Below is another image to reinforce it.   Allow me to point out a few positives: Location. The location is great. The bike rac...Read More

Whenever I’m designing for a green-minded client, which happens to be my favorite kind, it’s nice to have some great pieces handy for inspiration. Thankfully, commercial stores are incorporating a few amazing options, making browsing for site furnishings easier and a little more fun. Most of the pieces pictured here are high in recycled content or made of rapidly renewable resources. 1. Wood Candles, Pottery Barn (www.potterybarn.com) 2. Vintage Grape Crate, Terrain at Styers (www.shopterrain.com/) 3. Alder Round Table, Brent Comber (www.brentcomber.com) 4. Vintage French Bistro Set, Terrain at Styers 5. Recycled Glass Lanterns, West Elm (www.westelm.com) 6. Pottery Barn Earth-Friendly Teak Dining Set 7. Willow Edging, Terrain at Styers 8. Box-weave Hurricane, Pottery Barn 9. Jute and Recl...Read More

Ride by Landscape Forms I have been paying closer attention to bike parking lately and wanted to share with you a few resources that I found useful. First, bikeparking.com, is a good site to gather information on what to avoid, what cyclists want, installation of bike racks and lockers, and about finishes that will help you when designing spaces for bike parking. For example, here is a list of things that cyclists want: Heavy-duty material on which to lock. Racks placed in line of sight from building, near entrance and constant foot traffic. Give cyclists the choice of regular racks or security racks. Sheltered or even inside a building is a definite plus. Functioning, quality lockers. A dedicated cage is quite the rage. Makes sense right? Well, here are a few common mistakes to avoid: Ins...Read More

It’s been a long gap. Forever it seemed land8lounge would be blocked in China but one day, reasons unknown, the great firewall was lifted. Long periods apart often cause relationships to fade but I have decided that it is time I started a blog again. Maybe not every week but everytime a new experience comes along. Generally for me now nearly 9 years in China not that much surprises me (on the bad side) but I am happy to report more and more surprises on the good side. By good I mean client intentions, general trends, peoples awareness, graduates etc.. This year Shanghai’s World Expo ‘Better City Better Life’ is true for me in that I have now moved on from my previous position as Head of Landscape for Scott Wilson. Whilst I have started a new role as a Senior Landsca...Read More

With the World Cup 2010 officially underway in South Africa, it’s got me thinking of another country planning to host their own set of worldwide sports events: Brazil. Two of the largest sporting competitions in the world, the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, , will be held there. Brazil has made it their goal to create and adopt strict environmental criteria for the design and implementation of these events, going down the list from promoting organic products all the way to neutralizing all greenhouse gas emissions. Have you ever heard of net-zero Olympics?? I’m game. There are certainly some wacky designs out there that deserve to be shared. Here is a great set of articles all about the venues for additional reading: Solar City Tower by RAFAA Sweet video of the Olympic venues ...Read More

I’d like to take the opportunity to share the course of my life these past few weeks. A couple days after my last post, I discovered that I’d been accepted into a Sustainable MBA program. Hurrah! At first it was exhilarating. Then it dawned on me that I’d better get cracking on my FAFSA, among other things. For all those in school or planning on going to school, read on to get a little help on the money side of things. First things first, check out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (or FAFSA for short) form, now available completely online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. I swear it is much less painful than it used to be, and was certainly less painless than doing my taxes this year! All you’ll need really is your last tax return handy, and some uninterrupted time in front of the laptop. T...Read More

So…you have decided to become a LEED professional? Congratulations on your decision to advance your career and become part of the green movement! Now, you mustidentify exactly how to achieve a LEED professional credential. This step should be easy, however, it can be difficult to navigate through all the information available to determine how to begin your LEED training. Don’t worry; we are here to help! Follow this step-by-step process, and you’ll be good as gold: 1st: Determine which LEED credential you want to achieve. In order to receive the proper LEED training, you need to decide which LEED credential is right for you. There are currently two levels of LEED credentials: LEED Green Associate and LEED Accredited Professional. Think of the levels as if they were a high school diploma an...Read More

The official launch of the LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) Rating System was on April 29, 2010. The US Green Building Council (USGBC) is the first national organization to regulate neighborhood design by focusing on smart growth and eco-friendly building principles. The LEED for Neighborhood Development Certification awards a stamp of approval for developmental design and location choices that meet the high standards of sustainable development and environmental responsibility in urban building practices. USGBC has partnered with the Congress for New Urbanism and the Natural Resources Defense Council to launch the LEED-ND Rating System, which aims to reduce the negative environmental impacts associated with urban sprawl. Urban sprawl is the spreading outwards of a city and its s...Read More

With the current push for more stringent, eco-friendly, building standard practices being supported by the federal government and abroad, the need for LEED training is now expanding globally. An agreement was signed between the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and China’s Green Building Council (CBGC) on April 6, 2010 that signifies the dawn of a new era between these two powerful green building organizations. The agreement officially acknowledges that the two parties will begin to collaborate together to promote the reduction of carbon emissions and support eco-friendly building practices worldwide. The demand for LEED Accredited Professionals in the building workforce is becoming even greater with the recent collaboration between these two parties. China’s Green B...Read More