Blog
Urban Parks: Designers’ Perspective – Part II
“Each neighborhood of the city appeared to be made of a different substance, each seemed to have a different air pressure, a different psychic weight: the bright lights and shuttered shops, the housing projects and luxury hotels, the fire escapes and city parks.” -Teju Cole *This article is part 2 of a 2 part article. You can find Part I here. How does proximity to the urban core affect an urban park? “It depends on how you are defining “urban park.” Those within a 10 minute walk are most likely to use a park. A park in an urban area need not be in the urban core to be successful, provided that it serves a decent population and caters to that population’s needs.” – Landoll “Your target demographics and stakeholders can vary greatly, whether it be a city of 10,000 or 500,000. Ar...Read More
Urban Parks: Designers’ Perspective – Part I
Lead Image: Maggie Daley Park | Image: Scott Shigley “You can neither lie to a neighborhood park, nor reason with it. ‘Artist’s conceptions’ and persuasive renderings can put pictures of life into proposed neighborhood parks or park malls, and verbal rationalizations can conjure up users who ought to appreciate them, but in real life only diverse surroundings have the practical power of inducing a natural, continuing flow of life and use.” – Jane Jacobs *This article is part 1 of a 2 part article. You can find Part II here. The urban park has become the object of fascination and desire of many cities across the nation and the world. Everyone wants their sleek version of the High Line. Outside onlookers fantasize of their chance to make a name for their city and reap...Read More
LA+ Takes on Landscape Identity in Their Spring Issue
LA+, published by ORO Editions, started out in the spring of 2015 as a unique, landscape-focused journal that deviated from the pack by not only bringing designers, but philosophers, artists, geographers, ecologists, planners, scientists, and others to the table for their take on a core theme in each issue. Since then, the folks over at the UPenn School of Design have covered the themes of Wild, Pleasure, Tyranny, and Simulation. Along with the individual theme, each issue ends up with its own unique tone and perspective. This season’s issue is Identity. The concept of identity shapes the very core of what we do as landscape architects. “Place-making” is often the seminal charge of clients and the means they use to create, reinforce, or change the identity of a place. This process pulls fr...Read More
Land8 Acquires Landscape Architects Network
Seizing an opportunity to broaden its reach and significantly grow its network, Land8 is announcing the acquisition of Landscape Architects Network (LAN), a prominent online resource dedicated to highlighting the work of landscape architects around the world and spreading the latest projects, events, and news that impacts the profession. Supported by its 1.5 million Facebook followers, LAN has widely promoted the profession and provided a valuable resource for both professionals and those interested in the work of landscape architects. Land8 and LAN will initially operate as two separate websites (land8.com and landarchs.com), with strategic planning underway to merge the content of the two sites into one powerful resource and social network. Land8 has experienced immense success during it...Read More
10 Reasons to Attend the ASLA 2017 Annual Meeting & EXPO
Each year, over 6,000 landscape architects gather for the largest assembly of landscape architecture professionals and students in the world: the ASLA 2017 Annual Meeting & EXPO. This year’s meeting will be held October 20-23 in Los Angeles. Here are 10 reasons why you should attend. 1. Learn outside the office (and earn credits, too) Offering over 130 courses, including education sessions, field sessions, workshops, and general sessions, attendees are able to earn up to 21 professional development hours (PDHs). With the theme of Common Ground, this year’s session topics are centered on how design is able to bring people of difference perspectives together to find common ground for positive change. Beginning with the opening general session, A Glimpse into the Future of Design, the con...Read More
How Different is the 2017 LARE?
“How Different is the 2017 LARE?” Webinar May 31, 2017 For any LARE (Landscape Architect Registration Examination) candidate, knowing what to study given limited preparation resources is key. In 2012 the exam changed so that hand drawing was no longer used, and design, grading, and drainage became computer based. New verbal and graphic questions in various formats were developed for the first time. This was a dramatic shift in the exam’s history, and by now we’ve mostly adapted to this new format, which remains unchanged for 2017 exam cycles. LARE Exam Format & Content Development Underlying the exam format is the content to be tested, which is evaluated by CLARB (Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards) every five to seven years through a “task analysis,” a ...Read More
Uiliuili Bench | How can Urban Furniture Increase Public Creativity?
Article by Aybige Tek – Uiliuili Bench, by Piotr Zuraw, in Wroclaw, Poland. Designers have always known that ergonomic furniture can increase creativity in the people who use it because if people are not annoyed by the furniture they are using they seem to work more smoothly. This very thought is even explained by the International Ergonomics Association, who define the word “ergonomics” as, “the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design, in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.” It was with this in mind that the Uiliuili Bench was created. Each piece is created with careful attention to detail and propor...Read More
Latest News Landscape Architecture May Edition
10-May-2017 – Latest News Landscape Architecture May by Brett Lezon | Edition No. 2 out of 4 In this week’s Latest News in Landscape Architecture, we feature several urban topics such as Amsterdam’s ‘Night Mayor’ and a series of technological solutions to aid global problems, highlight a proposed park in Taipei, and examine the results from a design competition in Tampa. Additionally, we showcase a book about environmental sustainability, and don’t forget our YouTube Tutorial of the Week! This week we share a resource on downtown master planning in SketchUp. 10 of the Best Stories in this week’s latest news in landscape architecture: City Planning Workflow – 1: Downtown Master Plan [YouTube Tutorial of the Week] Lessons from Amsterdam’s ‘Night Mayor’ Why Urban Trees Are Giving Us Lif...Read More
The 10 Best YouTube Channels for Landscape Architecture Students
Article by Farah Afza Jurekh – In this article, we take a look at some gems in the would of YouTube that are perfect Youtube channels for landscape architecture students. For landscape architecture students, everything cannot be taught in the studio, rather it is also self-learning process. While professors can help you learn how to generate a concept before the execution of the plans or how to work on improving your presentation skills, they may not be able to help you improve your drawing skills. All they can do is guide you, judge you, and hopefully make you a better designer. Following, we take a closer look at 10 of the best YouTube channels for landscape architecture students. Starting from generating a concept, architectural drawings, hand renderings, computer renderings and p...Read More
How the Watermark Seaport is Helping Boston Reclaim its Ecology
Article by Irene Crowo Nielsen – Watermark Seaport, by Copley Wolff Design Group, in Boston, MA, USA. The Watermark Seaport is located in Boston’s newest coveted neighborhood for the live-work-play lifestyle. It is definitely not your average transformation area. The developer brands it with three words; Unrivaled, Unobstructed & Unconventional. “This is the nucleus of the neighborhood: a marriage between Fort Point Channel and the innovation of the Seaport District,” says Charley Leatherbee, executive vice president at Skanska, who developed the building. Meet the Watermark Seaport, a 17-story luxury residential tower and a 6-story loft consisting of 346 apartments, 25,000 square feet of retail space, and two levels of below-grade parking. A future-oriented project featuring rai...Read More
10 Urban Plant Choices to Create a Bee-friendly City
Emily Sinclair – Read this article if you want to learn some top plant choices that can be implemented for a bee-friendly city. There are many factors to consider when planting for a bee-friendly city. After all, you want the garden to be enjoyable for the bees, but also for yourself. This will look different depending on who you are and where you live. Some places to consider engaging in some bee-friendly plantings could be your existing garden, your balcony or window boxes, and even your lawn. The Honey Bee Conservatory has outlined the different ways you can encourage bee activity in your garden, including providing spaces for them to burrow – an often overlooked component of the bee’s lifestyle. In planting, you want to avoid highly hybridized plants as they are bred to pro...Read More
Stranden | How to Enhance Outdoor Sociability in a Simple Way
Article by Maria Giovanna Drago – A review of Stranden by LINK Landskap, 2014 Oslo, Norway. The city of Oslo is located in the innermost point of the homonymous fjord. One of the districts which overlooks the water is Aker Brygge, the most in-style area with its numerous pubs, restaurants, apartments, and shopping centres. Way back in 1854, the shipyard Akers Mekaniske Verksted was located here and the engineering industry expanded until 1982, when it went out of business. From there, the district began a major change with the opening of the first stores and a phase of urban development following that which has made it an important meeting place, teeming with people both day and night, especially during the summer months. Stranden by LINK Landskap Telje-Torp-Aasen Architects had won ...Read More