How to Create an Urban Oasis Inside This Big, Noisy City

Article by Elisa A.M. Varetti Adria, by ONG&ONG, in Singapore, Republic of Singapore, Asia. When it comes to Singapore, we often think of a huge metropolis filled with tall buildings, without any space left for parks and gardens. But over the last few years, Singapore has started to change its urban image, thanks to a series of landscape interventions that clearly look out for the health and comfort of both its citizens and our planet. Let’s think about the creation of green areas such as Bishan Park, of which you can read more in our writer Win Phyo’s article, “How Bishan Park Became ‘The Central Park’ of Singapore” or another intervention such as the one that former LAN writer Tom De Blaser refers to in his article, “How Capitol Singapore is Bringing Luxury Design to the Public”. Sin...Read More

Article by Erisa Nesimi Reflecting Courtyard, By Modaam Architects, in Tehran, Iran. Located in the same area as the settlements of Ancient Persia, Tehran is not the same city it used to be. The tradition of wonderful gardens which once made the Persian Empire famous through the ages has been lost in the attempts at progress towards a modernized world. In this article we are looking at a project which aims to bring back forgotten concepts that used to make these cities great. Modaam Architects frame their project as: “A hopeful attempt to recall these yards which are lost among the municipal codes, parking ramps and the gray mass of buildings” and “In search of lost yard”. Reflecting Courtyard by Modaam Architects Related also to its name, this is a project of reflection on the past. Their...Read More

Article by Tahío Avila The Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Landscape Design by Claude Cormier + Associés, in Toronto (Ontario), Canada. Claude Cormier is an internationally acclaimed landscape architect and urban designer based in Montreal, Canada, whose projects can be seen around the world. His work is very multidisciplinary, and some people describe it as graphic and playful (we are about to see that in this article). I would call him an audacious and authentic conceptual designer who stands behind his beliefs. The Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Located on Bay Street in Toronto’s Yorkville neighborhood, the project consists of the hotel, a public library, and a fire hall. The designers created an urban carpet, a rose-shaped garden, and a public park to bring it all together. The de...Read More

Article by Nick Shannon Pop-up Park in Metcalfe Park, by ASPECT Studios, in Sydney, Australia. Landscape architecture is a profession that brings uncertainty. When designing a site, it is necessary to research and analyze existing conditions in the beginning, but after a project is implemented, natural and human processes usually change the landscape in unexpected ways. We can never fully predict how people will use a space, or what they would want, but research and analysis can help to create an informed design. Testing ideas is another way to ensure functionality and the thriving movement of temporary landscapes does just that. They act as a space to test site elements that encourage people to use public space, whether it be a pop-up-park, park(ing) day or an art installation. Temporary ...Read More

Article by Carlos Cortés Kyushu Sangyo University Landscape Design, by DESIGN NETWORK +ASSOCIATES, Fukuoka, Japan. For Principal Designer Shunsuke Furuie of DESIGN NETWORK +ASSOCIATES, “The word ’landscape‘ suggests the presence or activities of human beings.” He also states that; “landscape architects should create environments that affirm the presence of people.” As student or professor, there is one thing that can make a great difference in how you develop your activities at the university. We are talking about our relation with the place where we spend lots of hours as we study or work. In this article we take a look on how DESIGN NETWORK +ASSOCIATES managed to design a park-like campus that revitalizes and brings cohesion through the flow of people between spots placed over a renovate...Read More

Article by Brooklyn Williams We take a look at eco friendly cities around the world that are leading the way with their environmental initiatives.  Certainly landscape architecture is important for your home base, but what about city-wide? Isn’t it important that the entire city feature cohesive architecture and landscaping? These efforts don’t have to cost a fortune; nor, do these efforts have to increase a city’s carbon footprint. The following are cities that have the right idea in terms of going green and looking good all the while. Before you read about how the following cities are reducing their carbon footprints, consider that you can be a catalyst for change in your own city. Of course, your the landscape is beautiful and that shouldn’t change, but consider reducing the amount of w...Read More

Article by Joanna Łaska Hasomrim Park, by Bo Landscape Architecture, in Kiryat Tivon, Israel. Are the majority of today’s playgrounds really anything else but standardized? Colorful, but at the same time dull and monotonous. When you think about it, they all seem the same. Hasomrim Park by Bo Landscape Architecture is here to prove that designing with children in mind is totally a must if you want to succeed as a landscape architect. But what’s more, if we use not-so-obvious materials for a playground, we can turn this child-centered area into a broadly used park for everybody. But First, Think of the Children Designing for children is crucial in making urban spaces enjoyable for all. In fact, designs aimed strictly at children are often more effective in the final outcome than those desig...Read More

The Landscape Architecture Foundation’s Landscape Performance Series received the 2015 Award of Excellence in Communications as part of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Professional Awards. While the initiative has been around for a few years, the new LandscapePerformance.org website was launched only about a year ago. Here, we review this new website, which is a total revamp of the Landscape Performance Series, with the resources repackaged in a clean, elegant design. The website focuses entirely on landscape performance, which LAF defines as “a measure of the effectiveness with which landscape solutions fulfill their intended purpose and contribute to sustainability.” Landscape performance includes environmental, social, and economic impacts like flood protection, carb...Read More

Article by Paula Uzarek. Atlantic Wharf Park, by Halvorson Design Partnership, Boston, Massachusetts. Designing a space in a district with historic roots can give a landscape architect a series of sleepless nights. How does one create a fresh, new space while protecting and preserving the past? Should the designer take the risk and move beyond scheme, or just create a safe project? Can these two ways of thinking be combined? Atlantic Wharf in Boston, designed by Halvorson Design Partnership, takes a fresh look at a historic site and presents a solution that both preserves and improves the space. Atlantic Wharf Park Connection is Vital Located in a lively Boston district, Atlantic Wharf faces the Fort Point Channel, named after a fort that dates back to America’s colonial epoch. The channel...Read More

Article by Erin Tharp. Ecodistricts by ZGF ARCHITECTS LLP, in Southwest Washington, DC, United States of America. It could easily be argued that the word “sustainability” was the most talked about buzzword in the design world in 2015, and with good reason. Across the world there is an ongoing movement to create communities that are more eco-friendly, pedestrian friendly, and less reliant on non-renewable resources; or sustainable. But there may be a new buzzword on the horizon for 2016 and ZGF Architects can take credit for creating it. That word would be Ecodistrict. Ecodistricts According to ZGF, an Ecodistrict “is a place that relies on a strong design idea supported with enduring community stewardship at multiple scales. It requires the concerted action of government and grassroots eff...Read More

Article by Farah Afza. Rail Corridor, by Tierra Design and Japanese firm Nikken Sekkei, in Singapore. Designers create space to create different moods  for the users. It is the users’ experience which ultimately describes a space. The adjectives intriguing, dull, vibrant, serene, etc. are added only to describe a space based on the experiences of its users. A space however, well designed as it may be, will be functional and successful only when it can accommodate different sorts of activities. Therefore, accommodating various activities in a site is one of the toughest challenges faced by designers during design decisions and it should be of major concern when the design is for the urban environment. The introduction of well-thought-out activity nodes can definitely revive the urban connec...Read More