RMIT University Student Wins the HASSELL Travelling Scholarship

Article by Erin Tharp HASSELL has recently announced John Williams from RMIT University’s Master of Landscape Architecture program as the winner of this year’s HASSELL Travelling Scholarship. HASSELL is an international design firm with studios in Australia, China, South East Asia, and the United Kingdom that believes in using their designs to help clients not only meet their needs but to also bring a sense of belonging to the people who experience them. With this in mind, the firm developed the HASSELL Travelling Scholarship – Robin Edmond Award, which is an annual award that aims to celebrate outstanding graduate research by emerging landscape architects who show potential for future contributions to the profession. According to HASSELL, the award provides the winner with the opportunity...Read More

Article by Carlos Cortés It’s time for the Netherlands in our world series. We have selected 10 fabulous and well-thought-out projects from the Netherlands that will delight you. The term landscape is an Anglicization of the Dutch landschap, this term was, in the beginning, only applied to paintings, then to poetry, and later to real views. The Netherlands’ relationship with landscape and art has always been strong. Historical narratives and the care of heritage sites, cycling paths and connecting bridges, and water and pollution problems solved with innovation are some of the key elements that make the Netherlands’ landscape architecture one to be experienced and studied. Artistic vistas and functional designs are perfectly executed in each project. There is a sense of balance between aes...Read More

Article by Yang Su Lianjiang Butterfly Bay, by NEXT Architects, in Lianjiang, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China China’s rapid urbanization has meant that high-rise buildings with unique Chinese character have been sprouting up in large numbers in the country’s cities. There has also been an uptick in constructed green space to make up for the deterioration of the natural environment. In this way, China is becoming a leader in environmental design. The traditional value of Chinese aesthetics places an emphasis on “integrated sense” — the integration of heaven and human being, or “harmony is the beauty”. Lianjiang Butterfly Bay, designed by NEXT Architects, is a high-density residential development sitting on the banks of a tributary of the Min River, in the northern part of Fuzhou in Fuj...Read More

Article by Farah Afza Jurekh Spark Your City, by Kipling, in Sutton Walk, London Imagine you are walking past the same old, boring tunnel to start your day, stressing about how angry your boss’ mood might be or how your presentation to the multibillion-dollar company will turn out. Suddenly, you notice a huge difference around you. The usually dull, gray tunnel does not look the same as you see every day. It is completely adorned, lively and colorful. And even though this bright, new change won’t necessarily turn your presentation into the perfect one or bring a smile to your boss’ face, this colorful tunnel will definitely lift your mood and relieve your stress, preparing you to give your day your best shot. The spaces around us can act like mood lifters. A vibrant, colorful space can bri...Read More

Article by Irmak Bilir Campa de los Ingleses Park, by Balmori Associates, Bilbao, Spain Very likely, everyone who is related to or interested in architecture knows the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum, or has at least seen photos of it. The “Lung for the City” sits next to the museum in the northern part of Spain. The lung is actually a park, designed by Balmori Associates. It is the result of an international design competition in 2007; construction was completed in 2012. It is not surprising that the project, with its outstanding topographical waves, won the competition. It unifies the Abandoibarra area of Bilbao and the Nervión River, and the area is like a landscape bridge between the river and the city center. The park integrates the Mazarredo, Deusto Bridge, and the Plaza Euskadi...Read More

We take a closer look at five impressive resort gardens from around the globe Just like holidays, landscape gardens take on many shapes and are designed to elicit certain moods or emotions. For some, the garden is there to relax in and enjoy, others the plants take center stage, whereas for many the landscaping complements and softens the buildings it surrounds. The perfect garden is subjective to the wanderer who visits it – just like the perfect holiday. Many travelers go on holiday to relax, unwind and re-charge their batteries, and what better way to do that than in a beautiful garden? Those are certainly things to take into consideration when designing a resort garden, along with logistics, client requests and so much more. Let’s take a look at a few resorts from all over the wo...Read More

Article by Diana Ispas Estrella Hall at Estrella Mountain Community College by Colwell Shelor Landscape Architecture, Avondale, Arizona, US A successful landscape design takes into consideration client requirements, site specifications, creativity, added value, budget, deadlines … the list goes on and on. But when you aim to create a meaningful and engaging learning environment for students through a sustainable project that expresses the historical and cultural values of the surrounding communities — in a hot desert climate — things start to get even more complicated. Estrella Hall at Estrella Mountain Community College Campus Expansion Estrella Mountain Community College completed construction of the new Estrella Hall library and conference center in 2013. The whole project f...Read More

This week’s Sketchy Saturday Top 10. Sketchy Saturday is back for another week of awesome Sketchy Saturday talent, highlighting the best sketches of the growing LAN community (Currently 1,315,058 fans on Facebook) up 130,040 fans since our last Sketchy Saturday edition. What wonderful growth. Choosing the sketches to be featured in Sketchy Saturday is always the fun part, the hard part is putting them in order. Rarely do we have a clear cut top number one and this week is no different. Putting so many different styles up together is always asking for trouble, one has to find the commonalities and judge as fairly as possible. Take a look at this week’s highlights and let us know who you think deserved the number one spot. Enjoy this week’s Sketchy Saturday Top 10 10. by Rory L Canham, Maste...Read More

Article by Win Phyo. We take a look at 10 tutorials for drawing trees that will bring life to your sketches and help you communicate your design schemes with more confidence. Trees are awesome! Feel free to disagree with me but who doesn’t love trees? They provide us with shade during the summer months, make us feel peaceful in a park, provides homes for birds and as a landscape architecture student, they are one of the key things I can use to create functional and beautiful designs. They are also the most frequent features we will end up drawing throughout our academic and professional lives. Therefore, whether you are a beginner or a pro, here are 10 YouTube tutorials that can help you capture the most simplistic to the most intricate details of our majestic arboreal friends. I realize t...Read More

Article by Radenka Kolarov Undulating Bridge Hoofddorp project by LODEWIJK BALJON landscape architects, Hoofddorp, The Netherlands. In 2015 this project was awarded the Lamp Lighting Solutions Award because of a strong and unique synergy between interior design, landscaping, lighting and architecture. The landscape architects of Lodewijk Baljon have designed the bridge as a connection between the rail and bus station and the sustainable office park Beukenhorst in Hoofddorp. Another interesting fact is that this bridge has been built with a nod to the historical background of the city; later in this article you will get to know exactly how. Besides that, it provides a safe commuter experience and it offers the most pleasurable view for everyone. For sure, this Undulating Bridge is a very in...Read More

Article by Zean Mair-Macfarlane Regents Park Block 20, by Scott Torrance Landscape Architects in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Now, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen a rooftop garden in the middle of a city. So what makes this project different from the rest? Well, for a start, this project isn’t just a rooftop garden. It elegantly stretches over four different levels of an 11-story building. Regents Park Block 20 in Toronto, by Scott Torrance Landscape Architects, is Canada’s largest and oldest social housing project. It previously suffered from both social and criminal setbacks in the community. In theory, the project isn’t just a restoration of design, but an attempt to reunite the community and reconnect the area to its local parks. Regents Park Block 20 Gr...Read More

Article by Sophie Thiel We take a closer look at landscape architecture in Australia that also makes for great tourist destinations.  Geographically, Australia is not only the smallest but also the most isolated inhabited continent on our planet. That isolation has conferred an enormous advantage on the region: the development of globally unique fauna and flora. Today, Australia is not only home to a wide variety of fascinating landscapes, but also to groundbreaking landscape architecture projects that are overshadowing the rest of the world. Some of these projects were already featured in Paul McAtomney’s article 10 Great Projects Showing why Australia are Leaders in Landscape Architecture. Since the mainland of Australia is a country where landscape architecture has been booming for year...Read More