How to Suck at Hand Drawings and Still be a Good Landscape Architect

So you suck at hand drawings? Your trees look like lollipops and your people seem as though they have stepped from the canvas of a van Gogh painting. Things could be worse though right? You thought so until you saw the look of confusion on your client’s face when you pulled out your life time master piece (which most likely took all night to produce). For centuries, hand drawing with a pen, pencil, or marker has served as the prized and idealized method for communicating by the design community. These works are not simply beautiful images which adorn the walls of many public and private collectors. They serve as a way to communicate form, function, scale, social issues, and more. University students around the world are entrenched deep within the debate of if designers must have excellent ...Read More

Designer Amir Schlezinger Creates an exquisite  Japanese Garden This 3,000-square-foot private garden is nestled on the Eastern boundary of a 1.5-acre site in the middle of the Essex countryside, just an hour’s drive north of London. The owner, a software developer, was inspired by a visit to Japan. He wanted to recreate the peace he felt at temple gardens — the plants and rocks, the disciplined raking of gravel, and the sound of water. He had taken his family to Japan during the school holidays, and he wanted his own garden to not only represent the family unit, but to blend with his contemporary ideas and with the soulful tradition of ancient Japanese gardens. The Site The client had acquired the site a few years earlier and had restored an old barn and its outbuildings, using oak ...Read More

After spending the past 4 years studying to be a Landscape Architect, LAN writer Joe Clancy divulges on what he picked up during his time studying, with some funny moments and lots a practical notes these 100 lessons learned form studying Landscape Architecture is a list not to be missed. Enjoy!   #100 Drink coffee. #99 Avoid negative people and those who hang around the watercooler. #98 Help those who need help. #97 Don’t waste your time with people who don’t want to work. #96 Always be reading at least 3 books, on different subjects, which are related to landscape architecture. #95 Plan for the “What can go wrong, will go wrong” scenario. #94 Never leave printing to the last minute. #93Question your lecturers. #92 Take breaks. #91 Travel as much as possible. #90 Never use “erm”, “kinda”,...Read More

Landgrab City – Urban farm challenging the reality of our cities. From the outset, this temporary urban farm, installed in the middle of the Shenzhen/Hong Kong Biennale of Architecture/Urbanism congress is a unique piece of landscape. Not only because it represents an urban farm, but also because it represents one of the most important values of landscape architecture: challenging the reality of our cities. The conception and construction of this project creates an iconic precedent in our search as landscape architects, to motive people to think about solutions for a future that, day by day, seems to be darker. Is this a solution for ALL big cities? This installation, created by the architects Joseph Grima, Jeffrey Johnson and Jose Esparza, is a clear example of what could be done to...Read More

We wrap up the second week of National Landscape Architecture Month with “Why Become a Landscape Architect?,” a film that showcases the many voices of the field. Created as part of the ASLA Diversity Summit, landscape architects and designers of different backgrounds explain what they love about their careers. Bonus points if you recognize any of the professionals in the film! From the description: “Landscape architects and designers explain why landscape architecture might be the perfect profession for you.” Why Become a Landscape Architect? from ASLA on Vimeo. Missed last week’s Filmtastic Friday? No worries, you can check out our full archive of featured films here.

How to grow a School Garden. A Complete Guide for Parents and Teachers by Arden Bucklin – Sporer and Rachel Kathleen Pringle The children brought up in the big cities are often sadly separated from nature. They often do not even realise where their food comes from, have never seen a vegetable patch, let alone a farm or a field – all they know are the sterile, clean vegetables packed neatly on the supermarket shelves. A school garden can literally change their lives. The children’s contact with living plants, the experience of growing food with their own hands cannot be overestimated. “How to grow a School Garden. A Complete Guide for Parents and Teachers” by Arden Bucklin – Sporer and Rachel Kathleen Pringle is a great tool for all those interested in ch...Read More

Landscape architects kicked off National (and World) Landscape Architecture Month last week. Here at Land8, we’re recapping some of the events and activities taking place on social media and beyond to boost public awareness. The first day of #NLAM kicked off with quite the buzz on Twitter. Check it out on Storify. ASLA also rolled out a new annual NLAM tradition: 30 challenges in 30 days to raise awareness of landscape architecture. Follow their social media accounts to see the daily challenge.  Did you know that April’s Landscape Architecture Magazine is free this month? ASLA NY just held their Design Awards Presentation last Thursday. We’ve got the details on winners here. The ASLA Indiana Chapter has brought Mayor Ballard on board–April is officially “Lands...Read More

With the increased prevalence of BIM in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, there has been ongoing debate within the profession of landscape architecture regarding the need to adopt BIM workflows. Debate on the suitability of BIM-enabling programs aside, it’s impossible to ignore the growing push towards adopting BIM technologies. The UK Government, for instance, has even instated the compulsory adoption of BIM technologies and processes to increase collaboration at all stages of the project. (BIM Open Project, 2014) What is BIM? Depending on who you ask, the definition of BIM tends to differ. For example, in ASLA’s LATIS 2008 paper Integrating BIM Technology into Landscape Architecture (Sipes, 2008), BIM is discussed as a form of 3D modelling with intellig...Read More

Linescapes is a project focused on exploring drawing techniques for recording and analyzing landscapes. It also tries to promote hand-drawing in landscape architecture. This video focuses on the first step – choosing your tools. While it does not really matter what you draw with, there are some types of pens and sketchbooks I prefer for drawing landscapes. I hope the video below inspires you to get your hand drawing tools and start drawing! Get the recommended hand drawings tools by following the links below: Tate Landscape Sketchbook VBall Pen Rotring ArtPen Watercolor Pencils Niji Waterbrush Schminke Watercolors You can also follow Linescapes on Youtube, Twitter, and Facebook! 

On January 2014, two Rotterdam-based design firms won a competition for the redevelopment of Vogabyggd in Reyjavik, Iceland. The task is part of a municipal long-term master plan for the area and intends to re-invest in the currently neglected potential to link the city to its surrounding Icelandic landscape. The Winning Team Through an invited two-stage competition, teams Felixx and Jvantspijker collaborated their efforts to produce the design that became the first prize winner. Jvantspijker, a planning and architectural firm is mainly intrigued by the diversity in public spaces and integrated sustainable solutions. Felixx, a landscape architecture firm with the motto ‘realizing happy environments’ focuses on new environmental challenges. As the municipality’s all-encompassing plan commit...Read More

We return this Saturday with our favourite selection of your best sketchy works! We’ve had a while to consider this Top 10, so expect only the best. Meanwhile, you can browse through all of our readers submitted works here. No. 10 by Yi dae-young, Studio L, Landscape Design & Garden Construction ‘This sketch was an impression of a proposed public garden in South Korea’s suburban area. It was designed in a way which should not disobey the existing nature, but be at harmony with its surroundings. The sketch shows the open lawn that sits between the magnificent trees. It is drawn in color pencil on 75g white paper.’ No. 9 by Miguel Lievano ‘This sketch represents a streetscape test drawing. The location is nowhere in particular, but can be applied to a small English town, architectu...Read More

Why are some cities happier than others? Is it because some host public art that is beyond imagination and can reach the heart of the audience. Take Bristol, for example, and the 90-meter-long slide along the steepest street in the city. As a part of car-free initiative of the municipality it will be open to the public for a single day in May. The project Park and Slide is a creation of the British artist Luke Jerram. With more than 17 years of experience, he has behind his back numerous sculptures, installations, live arts projects and gifts, many of them extraordinary and recognizable around the globe. One that is an absolute hit on international scale is “Play me, I’m yours” which is composed of pianos put in public spaces, on piazzas, in front of train stations or any place that ...Read More