Blog

Clos Layat Park by Base Landscape Architecture + Arcadis + Les Eclaireurs in City of Lyon, France. There are often empty abandoned spaces in our neighborhoods that are not so often destined to becoming public spaces or parks but rather often taken over by real estate developers. The new park of Clos Layat was one of those forgotten places before the city administration decided to provide the three bordering neighborhoods of 7th, 8th districts and Vénissieux with the open space their communities were lacking. The strategic decision to “put nature in the heart of the neighborhood” as the deputy representative of the city administration Alain Giordano puts it, was taken by the city leaders despite the real estate pressure in the area and is of great importance for the public space structure o...Read More

Waterplein Benthemplein, by De Urbanisten, in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Rotterdam is a city that literally swims in abundance – the abundance of water. Unlike many other cities worldwide where scarcity of water is a huge problem, densely populated Rotterdam is regularly confronted with great quantities of water causing floods in many parts of the town. For years, experts were unable to come up with sustainable solutions. However, the planning bureau De Urbanisten finally put an innovative Watersquare-concept into practice; Waterplein Benthemplein was born but is this really a place that makes a virtue out of too much water? How does a so-called Water square work? WATCH: Animated video of the Watersquare Benthemplein, by studio analoog Waterplein Benthemplein Waterplein Benthemplein is a squa...Read More

LaLaport Toyosu, by Earthscape, Tokyo, Japan. Upon first arrival at LaLaport Toyosu in Tokyo, Japan, visitors are invited to embark on an oceanic adventure through a park and public plaza designed by the landscape architects at Earthscape. The former dock and port site now hosts spaces for a variety of uses. Completed in 2006, the vision of the project was to consider the entire landscape as an ocean. The goal of the project was to allow site history and context to influence aspects of design while providing public space for both passive and active use. In LaLaport Toyosu, the ground plane literally undulates, emulating the waves and motion of water. The changing topography of the site allows for a variety of uses. Some hills form visually enclosed spaces with built-in seating, while other...Read More

We take a closer look at 10 of the most common mistakes people make in planting design and how to avoid them. Landscape architecture is a comprehensive subject that requires a profound knowledge of multiple disciplines. History of landscape, city and regional planning, urban design, architecture, environmental science, planting design … Each of these subjects is substantial and none should be neglected. We all know that it’s almost impossible to be equally good at all disciplines – usually we’re best at two, maybe three. If you could choose which subject to become best at, which one would you select? How about planting design? Isn’t that the backbone of landscape architecture projects? Isn’t planting design the only mastery that distinguishes landscape architects from all the other profess...Read More

No signals, no traffic lights, no pedestrian crossings, no sidewalks, and no curbs. At first glance, that might seem like a chaotic road. But what if shared spaces are making streets safer for pedestrians, with fewer accidents and a lower speed limit?  For most of us, when we are walking in the city, the most secure place to put down our foot is on the sidewalk. However, the latest trend in designing human-scale streets is called “shared spaces”. This new kind of thinking is not anti-car, but it is a philosophy in which pedestrians are the ones who get first priority. And vehicles? Well, they act just like guests. So, without any clear right-of-way among all types of traffic users, everyone is forced to focus and to be cautious by making eye contact with pedestrians, cyclists, and other dr...Read More

Project Warde helps to revive an otherwise dead urban space, by HQ Architects, Jerusalem, Israel. With cities growing faster than ever, more and more neglected urban spaces are cropping up all around the world. Dealing with the increase in these neglected spaces poses a serious problem for virtually every major city, but could art be the answer to this urban problem? A new installation, titled Warde, was implemented in Jerusalem’s Valero Square in order to help address the lack of pedestrian engagement with the site. HQ Architects, based in Tel Aviv, is responsible for the installation, which is part of a greater plan to enhance the neglected urban spaces in Jerusalem’s city center. Reviving a Dead Urban Space Valero Square is located squarely in the center of Jerusalem’s downtown, at a bu...Read More

300 Ivy Street, by Fletcher Studio, in San Francisco, California. Public space plays a really important role in residential areas. People spend most of their leisure time inside dwellings with family or outside in public spaces visiting with neighbors. How do we create attractive public spaces surrounding a dwelling to increase social communication between neighbors and at the same time improve the pedestrian experience? The following project will give us an excellent answer. 300 Ivy Street is a new five-story mixed-use dwelling area in San Francisco. The project was built on an existing surface parking lot that was part of the now-demolished San Francisco Central Freeway. Designers concentrated on a balance between private and public space in order to build a peaceful dwelling area and vi...Read More

We all want our homes to be as safe as possible. Most of us understand that this entails more than simply locking our doors and windows when we leave. We know that using a wooden dowel is a cheap and effective way to secure sliding glass doors and windows. We know not to leave ladders out and windows open. We know to close our garages. We know all of the basics. But what about the advanced stuff? What many people don’t realize is that there are a lot of ways to beef up home security that have little to do with your actual house. Yes, that’s right: one of the best ways to beef up your home security is to secure your yard and the rest of your property. Here are some tips to help you do that. Keep it Clean A yard with a lot of debris makes the house beyond it look like an easy target. Messy l...Read More

T. Residence, by LOKOH=Co, Bangkok, Thailand. The tops of large trees and the side of an arbor just behind a high perimeter wall may prompt a visitor to ask what hidden delights lie beyond the large rustic wooden gates of T. Residence in Bangkok, Thailand. A lush vine rambling along a trellis and a bed of groundcover resembling dwarf Schefflera offer a clue. T. Residence, designed by LOKOH=Co Landscape Architects, was nominated for the 2015 Thailand Landscape Architects (TALA) award for best private residence project. Criteria for winning projects include innovation, outstanding planting design, beauty, functionality, and representation of Thai landscape. An article of this length can only cover some of the features of this complex garden. T. Residence Creative Divisions Add Functionality ...Read More