5.2 Million Euro Waterfront Regeneration Transforms Urban Decay into Beautiful Park at Kopaszi Dam in Budapest

Kopaszi Dam in Budapest, Hungary, by T2.a Architects and Garten Stúdió Ltd.  Imagine a piece of land surrounded by water, near delicious restaurants and cool places to hang around, and offering the perfect touch of nature everywhere: How cool would that be? And if the reality is that this land was once abandoned, that fact definitely adds some special value. In 2004, the owner of Kopaszi Dam in Budapest, Hungary, and the XI district municipality called for an open, national architectural competition to complement a large-scale real estate development in the area. As the winner, T2.a Architects led the design and construction, while Garten Studio Ltd. did the landscape design. The designers of Kopaszi Dam didn’t just “design” it and make it beautiful, they actually injected life into ...Read More

A review of 1000x Landscape Architecture by Braun Publishing AG (COR). Enclosed within this book are 1,000 pages playing host to 1,000 examples of contemporary landscape architectural work, the majority of which were created in the last decade or two. The first edition of the book was published in 2009 and this, the second edition, in 2010; bear this in mind if you are an enthusiast looking for the discipline’s most recent projects worldwide, as anything designed or built post-2010 isn’t included. Structure and Content of 1000x Landscape Architecture Upon receiving the book, the first thing that struck me was its colossal size – 1,000 pages of content at roughly 10″ x 13″ in size really adds up. The first body of text to greet the reader is a two-page preface complemented...Read More

Quezon Daycare Center, by Yuusuke Karasawa Architects, Quezon, Republic of the Philippines. Besides being the largest and most populous city in the Republic of the Philippines, Quezon is known for its many cultural and historical sights and landmarks. Included in the territory of Quezon are 272 city government-owned daycare centers. For one of them, architect Yuusuke Karasawa made a modern, multifunctional project that will completely improve the quality of people’s life. Construction of the Karasawa project in the city northeast of Manila is planned for 2015. In terms of daycare centers what makes this so special? Besides the multi functionality and design, the Quezon daycare center is special because the architect has created a unique network that will connect people in their daily...Read More

A look at alternative career options for landscape architects exploring the diversity of disciplines that overlap into landscape architecture. Landscape architects have the wonderful opportunity to choose from a variety of professions. Different people have different skills. Therefore, it is really important for every specialist to find his perfect place in the field of landscaping. If you sincerely love what you do, you will become the most passionate, dedicated and satisfied expert of all. And if you become a great professional, you are most likely to become an admirable person, an absolute inspiration to the world. Finding your best career path is not an easy task. The clue to the riddle is the knowledge of all the chances and prospects that lie before you. Here are 10 great career opti...Read More

A deeper look at some truly awesome ways to use plants. Looking at examples from around the world. What are the most awesome, unique, awe inspiring, cool planting schemes and use of plants in the landscape and beyond?  Green roofs, living walls, green facades, phytoremediation, moss art, green graffiti, and mass plantings; there is too much to choose from . Whether it’s ecological, functional, sensory or just simply visually stunning, here’s 9 of my favourites.  What’s yours? Awesome Ways to Use Plants 9. Muscari River, Keukenhof Gardens, Holland Consisting of Muscari armeniacum, also known as Grape Hyacinths, the Muscari or “Blue River” winds through 32 hectares of the gardens and woodland, at Keukenhof Gardens in Holland.  Without a doubt one of the most spectacular sights and most photo...Read More

A review of Landscape and Urban Design for Health and Well-Being: using healing, sensory and therapeutic gardens, by Gayle Souter-Brown. With the development of modern technology, accessible personal electronics, cars for every household, good education, and abundant career opportunities come new and difficult problems. Never before have our communities seemed so broken, the elderly so isolated, and the children so sorely lacking in social skills. We observe a dramatic rise in children’s obesity rates and in lifestyle diseases among adults stressed out by the speed of modern urban life. The children are kept indoors due to the growing fears of their parents and the pressure of expectations laid upon them by their schools. The adults spend most of their time working in bleak office en...Read More

PRESS RELEASE: Building Trust international, Wildlife Conservation Society and the Royal Government of Cambodia announce details of an interpretation centre which will act as a hub for eco-tourism activities in the northern plains of Cambodia and stand as a memorial to the past. Building Trust international have unveiled their latest collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) with a proposed interpretation centre at Ang Trapeang Thmor in Cambodia. Due to be constructed next year the building will serve to remember the great price Cambodia paid during the Khmer Rouge period, while looking forward to the diverse and spectacular wildlife the country has to offer both local and foreign tourists alike. The centre will be a new type of museum created to educate and raise awarenes...Read More

Pavilion at the Ljubljanica Embankment, BB Arhitekti, Ljubljana, Slovenia For hundreds of years, European cities relied on the rivers they were built around for transportation and for sending and receiving goods. In the modern world, these rivers have become novelties or tourist attractions, and locals have become out of touch with the grand bodies of water that helped form their cities. Such was the case for the Ljubljanica River in Slovenia until the city dreamed up a way to reconnect the people to the river. Urban Waterfront Regeneration to Fulfill  Jože Plečnik’s Dream The riverbank had not been touched since the 1930s, when the architect Jože Plečnik defined the river with his monumental buildings, open squares, canals, embankments, and riverside parks. Plečnik envisioned the ri...Read More

We look at some of the most exciting and essential plugins for SketchUp. Ever since Sketchup (formerly Google Sketchup) debuted in 2000, it has been holding its position as one of the world’s favorite and most used 3d-modeling software systems available. Sketchup, designed by Last Software, is used by both students and professionals in various design fields, including architecture, landscape architecture, animation, and video game development. It has a wide range of tools and scripts to develop various three-dimensional forms that are helpful for modeling and sculpting 3D models. However, there are several design functions that cannot be performed by Sketchup alone. Such operations involve much more complexity. So here are some software plug-ins that are available to download that ca...Read More

We ask the question “What is Landscape Architecture?” My first experience with landscape architecture came in 2006, when I was admitted into university to study it. This turned out to be a very important time of my life, as it served as a guide to my future. Back then, the future was full of surprises – first I had to redraw ancient park compositions with a technical pen and devise 44 ways to draw a tree silhouette. What I found most amusing was telling my friends what I was studying. The response was almost inevitably the question “And what is that?” Sometimes, instead of the question, I might receive an encouraging “Ooo, architecture is a great and profitable profession, very good choice, bravo”. But it was really me who was about to discover what landscape architecture is an...Read More

MEDIA RELEASE: Two artist-designed artworks installed on Beaufort Street in Perth by DrainPave based on a decorative paving system are among the first on the surface of a major road in Western Australia. The vibrant contemporary designs by artist Roly Skender indicate ‘slow points’ at the entrance and exit points of the busy Beaufort Street pedestrian area in the City of Vincent. Decorative Paving System Each colourful artwork covers 800sqm and was installed by DrainPave using StreetPrint, which is considered the most innovative decorative paving system on the market. DrainPave Manager Peter Borg said the project was something different for WA. “Not only are these among the first road surface artworks to be designed by an artist, but they are also the first ‘permanent’ artwork of their kin...Read More

Facts about the famous High Line project to share and impress your friends with.  The High Line in New York City is one of the most well known and amazing redesign landscape projects in recent years. While inspired by the French Promenade Planteé, the beloved park has kept its own character and written its name in capital letters on New York City. Transforming the High Line from an elevated rail line serving the city’s industrial district to the 1.45-mile-long public space we enjoy today meant bringing together a lot of different fields, ideas, and people. Yes, a lot has been said about the High Line, but here we dig a little deeper to reveal some interesting tidbits that may not be so well known. 7 Facts About The High Line 1. Changing the Rules of the Urban Ecosystem The bright High Line...Read More