Beautiful Landscape Reflects a Dark Past and Promises a Bright Future

Article by Erin Tharp Storehouse City Münster, by scape Landschaftsarchitekten GmbH, in Münster, Germany Historical sites are often the hardest to work with, due to the cultural or societal significance they hold. So when scape Landschaftsarchitekten was asked to redesign the 3.9-hectare area outside of the Storehouse City in Münster, a former German army pension office, they knew they had a delicate task at hand. The renovation they came up with is both thoughtful and reminiscent of what the site once looked like, but is not an exact replica. They wished to bring the site into the modern era to make it a more viable space for both the people who now work there and for the public that visits. Storehouse City Münster Located to the north of Münster, the site is considered a conservation are...Read More

Article by Elisa A.M. Varetti Ika Meditation Spot, by Batlab Architects and Studio Nomad, in Csernaton, Transylvania, Romania. Everybody knows how human beings affect the environment with all of their activities, as LAN writer Harkyo Hutri Baskoro reminds us in his article 10 Fascinating Climate Change Facts You Should Know. We all need to start changing our lifestyles to save the planet. But what you might not know is that there are other ways in which human beings are destroying the natural world; for example, by neglecting natural places. We need to start treating Mother Nature better if we want to avoid unpleasant results. That doesn’t only mean that we have to reduce pollution; we also need to start protecting our natural resources. Landscape architects are once more called upon to ma...Read More

Article by Valentina Ferrari A review of art piece entitled “Generation – Circulation of Life” by Toshihiko Shibuya, a Japanese artist from Muroran. Are you a prisoner of the daily grind, neglecting or forgetting everything that transcends your work or routine? Embracing art could help you restore balance in your daily life and aid you in focusing outside your boundaries, allowing you to see new horizons. All you need is to be open minded, have listening and sensibility skills, sincerely watch, and then accept that the message will not always be immediately understood. Be patient. The meaning of an artwork — which at your very first could be charming or mysterious or even funny — is hidden within the artist’s mind. Once you understand the artist’s thought proc...Read More

Kic Park, by 3GATTI, in Shanghai, China. The spaces between urban buildings and interstitial spaces are often difficult ones to deal with in terms of design. Many turn into surface parking lots, small buildings, or paved spaces devoid of any character, sense of place, and any natural elements. It is these very spaces that can become very important as a unifying element of an area, such as a city, where development and redevelopment create fragments that are unrelated to each other, and where ‘nature’ in its basic sense is, often, forgotten. So, how did one small urban park in Shanghai, China, achieve a functional yet attractive space that entices visitors to gather and be influenced by nature? Kic Park Kic Park, designed by Francesco Gatti of 3GATTI Architects has proven that these interst...Read More

Bonn Square, by Graeme Massie Architects, in Oxford City, United Kingdom. The city of Oxford is a unique place with a strong historic university identity. Like many cities built around universities, its public activity is focused on the spaces surrounding the campus buildings. Students and lecturers spend most of their time in these spaces, with the result that very little public space is developed outside of university property. Bonn Square is, therefore, one of the few public spaces in Oxford, and its transformation from a derelict, forgotten place into a contemporary yet historic square is worth exploring. Bonn Square A Catalyst for Urban Regeneration Bonn Square falls within the boundary of the Oxford Central Conservation Area, which includes the old city and the university. It was for...Read More

Developing the World’s Most-Used Cross-Platform CAD and BIM Software: An Interview with Vectorworks expert Eric Gilbey. With many options in computer-aided design (CAD) software, how do you know you’re using the right one? To find out, we turned to a software expert in the architecture, landscape architecture, planning, and urban design field. With more than a half-million designers across upwards of 85 countries using its products, Vectorworks is on a mission to develop the world’s best cross-platform CAD and BIM software. During its 30 years in business, it has been one of the first to promote BIM capabilities. Landscape Architects Network (LAN) had the opportunity to interview Eric Gilbey, PLA ASLA, landscape architect specialist from Vectorworks, at the ASLA Annual Meeting & EXPO 2...Read More

We take a closer look at 5 of best plants for phytoremediation. One of our most basic natural resource, soil, is threatened. The soil has been neglected and contaminated for decades now. Although, the global map of contamination is difficult to define, the European Environment Agency has identified heavy metals and mineral oil as the main soil pollutants. Knowing that just in Europe the number of polluted sites is expected to increase by 50% in the next 10 years, it seems clear that one of our biggest environmental challenges is under our feet. As landscape architects, should we not be aware of all our potential to play a role on the solutions side? What is Phytoremediation? Clean techniques to remediation are getting more popular, and most likely, you are already familiar to phytoremediat...Read More

If you want to implement bicycle infrastucture after Dutch and Danish model you have to understand the culture around it. Do they wear a helmet while cycling, and should you? Cities around the world have started to focus their traffic policies to encourage biking in order to cope with issues such as congestion and pollution. Creating bicycle paths seems a popular promise to make by policy makers and easy to implement. But do their actions back up the words? Do they know what it implies? Is it really that easy? What makes a good bicycle path? And what role we do have as landscape architects? Make sure you watch the video “How the Dutch Bicycle Infrastructure Came About” in this article, it’s a must see.     The Numbers It might be stating the obvious that the Net...Read More

VAS (VinaAmSteel) / Layerscape, by Kiến Trúc O architects, in Đà Nẵng, Vietnam. The VAS (VinaAmSteel) project, designed by Kiến Trúc O architects, is developed based on a series of interesting concepts that are used for both architectural and landscape design. The “layerscape” concept is the most important of all of them and establishes the idea of understanding program spaces and landscape as individual elements which function as a group of elements with the same goal. Located in Vietnam, the project has been developed by studying traditional design methodology, the climate conditions, and the architectural program in order to reach a satisfactory outcome. Shredding the Layerscape Concept According to Kiến Trúc O architects, “the core principle of this project is to provide multiple trans...Read More