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Have you ever wondered about the health benefits of landscape architecture? And not just in a general sense but in specific ways, that can truly enhance the lives of individuals.  People enjoy being in nature for multiple reasons: to work out, to escape from the stress of everyday life, or to simply breathe fresh air. Others head to the mountains or the woods to find a cure for what ails them and to reap the health benefits of spending time in the great outdoors. Whatever your goal, it is evident that spending time in nature is beneficial to both your mental and physical health. While some of these benefits are well known — such as interacting with nature to reduce obesity and stress — other benefits are still hidden from public knowledge and are being studied by the scientific...Read More

Are you taking lawns for granted? Do you just implement them from an esthetic point of view with no regard to the environmental aspects of it? In this article, we take a deeper look as to what designing lawns really means. Turf grass is perhaps the most prevalent plant used in Western public and residential space alike. It’s always in a designer’s back pocket as a quick way to create multi-use space. But good designers think about the long-term effects of their projects, and traditional lawns can be a bad idea. Their maintenance sucks resources, helps decimate ecosystems, and wastes money. Here are some reasons to stop designing lawns: 1. Turfgrass is the most irrigated crop in the United States According to a 2005 NASA Study, irrigated turf grass accounts for three times more ...Read More

Have you ever wondered about technology for landscape architects? In this article, we take a closer look at some of the advances in technology that landscape architects can look forward to. As technological development continues to progress at an unprecedented rate, it is becoming more and more exciting to witness what new developments are next to emerge. In the world of landscape architecture, technology is always developing for the convenience of the designer and, more importantly, for the benefit of the user. We are now seeing more modern and sophisticated tools that only seemed feasible in science fiction 40 years ago. We must pay attention to the likes of 3D printers, as they provide accuracy and productivity that cannot be matched by older methods. These printers are now creating hou...Read More

5 Easy Steps to Mess Up Your AutoCAD Drawing … and Make it Look Better from our resident AutoCAD expert UrbanLISP to make your work in AutoCAD more efficient. With landscape architecture, we try to shape and organize spaces with trees, plants, water. In other words, we work with nature. When developing a plan in AutoCAD, we work with a computer — just about the opposite of nature. How do we make something look like nature with something that is the opposite? Well, we can randomize! In a previous article, you can read how to do this in sections. In each of the following steps, we use a tool to approach a natural look with trees by randomizing in plan view. WATCH: 5 Easy Steps to Mess Up Your AutoCAD Drawing … and Make it Look Better We start with a drawing with tree blocks. There are ...Read More

Race Street Pier, by James Corner Field Operations, in Philadelphia, Pa., USA. “Pier” (as per Merriam-Webster Dictionary) means “A structure (as a breakwater) extending into navigable water for use as a landing place or promenade or to protect or form a harbor”. Well, it appears that thanks to Field Operations’ design, “pier” also means an exciting and vivid public space! Race Street Pier is part of an ambitious plan regarding the Central Delaware River in Philadelphia, Pa. The organization responsible for the development of the area is Delaware River Waterfront (DRWC). Race Street Pier The original Race Street Pier began construction in 1896, with a large two-level building. The building’s lower level was used for shipping and the upper level for recreation. This double function continues...Read More

Vache Noire (Black Cow), by Agence TER Landscape Architects, in Arcueil, France. Agence Ter has made a huge change in the city of Arcueil, France, by creating a contemporary public park out of a non-place once used only by cars. Indeed, the locality of the Vache Noire (Black Cow) was originally an urban wasteland alongside a crossroads deemed dangerous for pedestrians. But thanks to the recent construction of a new neighborhood composed of a shopping center, housing, and offices, the hub of the Vache Noire is expected to become a gateway to the city and an important place for all new users of the site. Vache Noire The overall project covers three hectares; 50,000 square meters of the site includes eight housing units, offices, an urban park, and a shopping center. The latter is built on tw...Read More

Scharnhauser Park, by Janson + Wolfrum Architektur + Stadtplanung and Atelier Dreiseitl, Ostfildern, Germany. In the early 1990s, the Planning Department of Ostfildern owned about 70 percent of the site and had a clear aim: to create Scharnhauser Park as part of a first-class, energy-efficient neighborhood that addressed the area’s housing shortage. Alban Janson and Sophie Wolfrum were in charge of designing an ambitious master plan, with a well-integrated rainwater management design by Atelier Dreiseitl also worth our specific attention. Scharnhauser Park From the air, Scharnhauser Park looks like a long tongue of low-density buildings surrounded by a patchwork pattern of farmland. The district grows on a slope along the train rail, the main road, and between two tributaries of the Neckar...Read More

A strong, powerful and dynamic portfolio can be the difference between you getting a job and looking for a job. Here are 8 tips to make a knockout landscape portfolio.  Your portfolio is a showcase of your best work, a creative expression of you, and a way to demonstrate the breadth of your talent. It provides a brief snapshot of what you can do and gives you the chance to create a fluent first impression. Therefore, you need to spend the time and the energy to get it right, whether you are a landscape architecture student or a graduate. For this article, I have searched for some of the most creative landscape portfolio designs and pulled together a selection of great tips and advice to make sure that your portfolio becomes the very best it can be. Read on to discover how to create a knock...Read More

Baan Sukhumvit 16, by Landscape Architect 49 Limited in Sukhumvit, Bangkok, Thailand. Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok is one of the main commercial streets in the capital city of Thailand. This street is very busy, surrounded by soaring skyscrapers, making this area a crowded concrete jungle in the middle of Bangkok. Landscape Architecture 49 Limited has done a terrific thing, turning a small part of this busy urban space into a miniature tropical rainforest filled with serenity and relaxing ambiance. Baan Sukhumvit 16 offers comfy residences in the middle of the city, with a feel of a tropical rainforest sanctuary that makes you forget about the business of urban life for awhile. Baan Sukhumvit 16 consists of four houses and a shared clubhouse facility, separated by lush, green soft-scape that ...Read More

PS 234 Independence School Play Yard, by KaN Landscape, in TriBeCa, New York City, USA. A classroom only creates an illusion of enlightenment. A learning atmosphere is where kids can express themselves in their own way, explore their surroundings, and think freely. Children need a space where they can create their own world, free of fear and judgment, and at the same time learn through observing their surrounding environment. When designed thoughtfully, schoolyards can offer such an atmosphere. In the fall of 2014, KaN Landscape designed a new schoolyard for PS 234 Independence School, the first public school located in historic TriBeCa in lower Manhattan. The school was in need of a play yard with diversified sports opportunities and a play experience for children ranging in age from kind...Read More

Atelier COLE designs an innovative fundraising merchandise store for Free the Bears in Laos with the help of our most excellent partners Building Trust. Following the construction of several built projects in South East Asia using natural materials and seeing the growing interest and response in sustainable design and natural materials such as bamboo. Building Trust organised a Design + Build workshop to be held at Kuang Si Falls on the outskirts of Luang Prabang with Free the Bears. Working alongside Atelier COLE, a new merchandise store was designed and built which educates both workshop participants and the high volume of annual tourist visitors to the Tat Kuang Si Park on building with bamboo. Free the Bears work tirelessly to combat the illegal trade in live bears and provide a safe s...Read More