Blog

Toppilansaari Park, by Atelier Dreiseitl, in Oulu, Finland. Do you happen to know what the word Toppilansaari means? Perhaps you can translate it, if you live in Finland, but for the rest of us wondering why a park would have such a name, Toppilansaari is Finnish for “Park of the Young Sailor.” As in most of the northern countries, the history of Finland and its people is closely connected with water – the Baltic Sea, the sailors, and the fishermen. Let yourself feel the ambience of the archipelago of the “land of a thousand lakes” as we take you to one of its most populous and economically hearty cities. About Oulu Located 160 kilometers south of the polar circle, the city of Oulu is sheltered away at the outermost parts of the Baltic Sea. Oulu is a hub for new technology business, with w...Read More

Velenje City Center Pedestrian Zone Promenada, by ENOTA, in Velenje, Slovenia. As a central axis to the fifth-largest town in Slovenia, the Velenje “Promenada” is quickly becoming an important space in the young garden city. Built in the 1950s on the Modernist’s ideal, the city is one of only a few modernistic cities in Europe, and this latest installation by ENOTA continues to follow these ideals and is representative of the city’s commitment to revitalizing the city center. After a fire destroyed the original city in 1801, it seemed that the remaining 364 inhabitants might be the last. But by the end of the 19th century, the town began to have hopes of revitalization after a coal mine opened on the city’s outskirts. But it wasn’t until after 1950, when there was an increased demand for c...Read More

Design for Healing Spaces. Therapeutic Gardens, by Daniel Winterbottom and Amy Wagenfeld.  Modern societies grow further and further away from nature. People tend to interact less and less with each other, instead spending their time locked in safe apartments and houses in front of their computer screens. At the same time, our old problems — sickness, disability, trauma, and loneliness — persist, while others, such as obesity, seem to become more common. We need to try to help the less fortunate among us – the sick, the lonely, the outcasts … the list goes on. Nature — particularly gardens — is a wonderful therapeutic tool for helping a variety of different people with a whole array of problems. Working, playing, or just spending time among plants has been proven to...Read More

Restructuring of Town Center and the District of La Fonderie, by Urbicus, in Inzinzac-Lochrist, France. The ability to bring together the elements of nature and those belonging to the urban world is one of the greatest gifts that landscape architecture has to offer. So many of the projects that bear the trademark signature of a reputable landscape architect are characterized by this blend. On the one hand, nature is brought closer to the people, its elements allowing for the natural soothing that one always yearns for. On the other hand, the urban elements allow for the exploration of nature. THIS PROJECT FOCUSES on the restructuring of Inzinzac-Lochrist’s town center, commissioned by the officials of the city. Completed in 2010 and covering an area of 40,000 square meters, the project dem...Read More

LAN writer Caitlin Lockhart, met with several professional landscape architects who have started their own practices to find out what mistakes people should avoid when following the same path. Starting a firm is a goal for many landscape architects and designers. Some start working for themselves right out of school, while others wait, learning from more experienced professionals before setting off on their own. No one will tell you that it’s easy to start your own business. Mistakes will be made and lessons learned, but it is entirely possible. We interviewed several entrepreneurial landscape architects and designers on the do’s and don’ts of starting your own firm. Here is their best advice of what to avoid when starting a business: Starting A Landscape Architecture Firm 1. Not Hav...Read More

National Fitness Campaign Fitness Court, by NewDealDesign, in Marina Green, San Francisco. Do you have a gym membership? If so, how often are you able to motivate yourself to arrive at the doorsteps of your gym for a hardcore workout session? Here comes the big question: Have you actually achieved your fitness goal? Gyms have become so standardized these days that they have become more of a marketing tool for consumerism. With so many of us having the odd rarely used gym membership, being too busy, and feeling more guilty than fit, we have actually become blind to other solutions. But there are ways to get exercise and a better sense of well-being without dealing with pricey membership fees, travel costs, and mind-boggling use of gym equipment. National Fitness Campaign Fitness Court Let u...Read More

We take a look at the importance of drawing and the influence it has on the world of design. Drawing is one of those things that is with us from the earliest stages of our lives. It has always been the best way to entertain kids and it has always been the ultimate time killer in a boring class. It’s been there with us in our everyday lives, from scribbles at the margins of our notebooks to the creation of a realistic rendering. As landscape architects, we sometimes have to draw a little. OK, not “a little”. A LOT. From perspectives to panoramas to planting beds, we’ve drawn them all at some point (and if not, it will happen soon enough, trust me). It doesn’t really matter if you’re working on a new design for your client, drawing for an assignment in your college, or creating something sim...Read More

Paulay Courtyard Garden, by Ujirany/New Directions in Budapest, Hungary. What is your first thought when you see a landscape project for the first time? The answer is straightforward: Do you like it or not? Could you explain why? To answer this question, let’s do an exercise, taking as an example a 430-square-meter project located in the capital of Hungary. According to World Atlas, Budapest is the most populated city in Hungary. Budapest’s climate is humid continental, which basically translates into a huge temperature difference across seasons, meaning that summers can be extremely hot and winters extremely cold. Consequently, species that live in this type of climate must be able to withstand extreme seasonal and temperature changes. Back to our example: Paulay Garden was designed by Uj...Read More

Liljeholmstorget, by Nivå Landskapsarkitektur in Liljeholmen/Stockholm, Sweden. The famous Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman once said that Stockholm “is not a city at all. It is ridiculous of it to think of itself as a city. It is simply (a) rather larger village, set in the middle of some forests and some lakes.” – *Ingmar Bergman: An Artist’s Journey, by Roger W. Oliver The interview was given many years ago, but Bergman’s point of view still resonates in modern Sweden. Undoubtedly, the relationship between a vibrant city and nature is strong. One example is Liljeholmen, which is known for being the first suburb outside the Stockholm city limits. Liljeholmen was eventually incorporated into the capital city in 1913. Many offices, apartments, and industries are situated th...Read More

If a space is suitable for children, it’s suitable for everyone. We take a look at 10 of the best playgrounds we could find and look at what makes them so special.  If we look at areas designed for children, we see that they are all different, even though they fulfill the same purposes: fun, stimulation of children’s imagination and creativity, and socialization. They must also be safe and secure. Some of the best playgrounds are small, some are spacious, some are thematic or mysterious, some contain a variety of equipment, and some are very simple. Whether they are modern and urban or made from recycled materials, each of these playgrounds is unique in its own way. There are a large number of really awesome playgrounds, but here is our list of the top 10 best playgrounds of th...Read More