6 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting A Landscape Architecture Firm

LAN writer Caitlin Lockhart, met with several professional landscape architects who have started their own practices to find out what mistakes people should avoid when following the same path. Starting a firm is a goal for many landscape architects and designers. Some start working for themselves right out of school, while others wait, learning from more experienced professionals before setting off on their own. No one will tell you that it’s easy to start your own business. Mistakes will be made and lessons learned, but it is entirely possible. We interviewed several entrepreneurial landscape architects and designers on the do’s and don’ts of starting your own firm. Here is their best advice of what to avoid when starting a business: Starting A Landscape Architecture Firm 1. Not Hav...Read More

National Fitness Campaign Fitness Court, by NewDealDesign, in Marina Green, San Francisco. Do you have a gym membership? If so, how often are you able to motivate yourself to arrive at the doorsteps of your gym for a hardcore workout session? Here comes the big question: Have you actually achieved your fitness goal? Gyms have become so standardized these days that they have become more of a marketing tool for consumerism. With so many of us having the odd rarely used gym membership, being too busy, and feeling more guilty than fit, we have actually become blind to other solutions. But there are ways to get exercise and a better sense of well-being without dealing with pricey membership fees, travel costs, and mind-boggling use of gym equipment. National Fitness Campaign Fitness Court Let u...Read More

We take a look at the importance of drawing and the influence it has on the world of design. Drawing is one of those things that is with us from the earliest stages of our lives. It has always been the best way to entertain kids and it has always been the ultimate time killer in a boring class. It’s been there with us in our everyday lives, from scribbles at the margins of our notebooks to the creation of a realistic rendering. As landscape architects, we sometimes have to draw a little. OK, not “a little”. A LOT. From perspectives to panoramas to planting beds, we’ve drawn them all at some point (and if not, it will happen soon enough, trust me). It doesn’t really matter if you’re working on a new design for your client, drawing for an assignment in your college, or creating something sim...Read More

Paulay Courtyard Garden, by Ujirany/New Directions in Budapest, Hungary. What is your first thought when you see a landscape project for the first time? The answer is straightforward: Do you like it or not? Could you explain why? To answer this question, let’s do an exercise, taking as an example a 430-square-meter project located in the capital of Hungary. According to World Atlas, Budapest is the most populated city in Hungary. Budapest’s climate is humid continental, which basically translates into a huge temperature difference across seasons, meaning that summers can be extremely hot and winters extremely cold. Consequently, species that live in this type of climate must be able to withstand extreme seasonal and temperature changes. Back to our example: Paulay Garden was designed by Uj...Read More

Liljeholmstorget, by Nivå Landskapsarkitektur in Liljeholmen/Stockholm, Sweden. The famous Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman once said that Stockholm “is not a city at all. It is ridiculous of it to think of itself as a city. It is simply (a) rather larger village, set in the middle of some forests and some lakes.” – *Ingmar Bergman: An Artist’s Journey, by Roger W. Oliver The interview was given many years ago, but Bergman’s point of view still resonates in modern Sweden. Undoubtedly, the relationship between a vibrant city and nature is strong. One example is Liljeholmen, which is known for being the first suburb outside the Stockholm city limits. Liljeholmen was eventually incorporated into the capital city in 1913. Many offices, apartments, and industries are situated th...Read More

If a space is suitable for children, it’s suitable for everyone. We take a look at 10 of the best playgrounds we could find and look at what makes them so special.  If we look at areas designed for children, we see that they are all different, even though they fulfill the same purposes: fun, stimulation of children’s imagination and creativity, and socialization. They must also be safe and secure. Some of the best playgrounds are small, some are spacious, some are thematic or mysterious, some contain a variety of equipment, and some are very simple. Whether they are modern and urban or made from recycled materials, each of these playgrounds is unique in its own way. There are a large number of really awesome playgrounds, but here is our list of the top 10 best playgrounds of th...Read More

With a growing interest in sustainable travel and ecotourism, landscape architects are playing a bigger role in the tourism industry than ever before. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, we here at Landscape Architects Network want to showcase some of the coolest landscape projects in tourism today. Highlighting the diversity of what landscape architects are contributing to the realm of tourism, these projects were selected for their uniqueness, their contribution to tourism, and their respect for local and environmental context. Tourism Projects in Landscape Architecture 1. The National Tourist Routes of Norway Stunning landscapes come together with stunning design along Norway’s National Tourist Routes. In fact, here at LAN we love this project so much that we have previously f...Read More

Gubei Gold Street, by SWA, Shanghai, China. Shanghai is recognized as one of the most important Chinese cities, being considered as China’s gateway into the world. At the same time, it is often presented as the biggest urban construction site, with more than 640 skyscrapers. As the skyline of Shanghai reaches new heights, the need for pedestrian areas becomes imperative. Gubei Gold Street appears as a rare hidden gem; the pedestrian promenade is not something you can often come across in bustling Shanghai. In conceptualizing the project for the pedestrian mall, the talented landscape architects at SWA wanted to come up with a truly unique design. Shanghai becomes more and more crowded with each day that passes. For this reason, finding a place to develop a pedestrian promenade proved to be...Read More

We take a closer look at the surge of interest in the revitalization of industrial landscapes bringing about some of the world’s best landscape architecture.  Parks created on former industrial sites are becoming a recurring theme. Dumping grounds, abandoned factories, industrial ports, and mines are being turned into vibrant public places that celebrate these sites’ industrial past. Traditionally, industrialized spaces have been considered polluted and unappealing zones that must be hidden and tucked away from peoples’ everyday lives. So what changed? In this article, we explore four reasons why industrial sites are becoming a favorite to work with for landscape architects. The Revitalization of Industrial Landscapes 1. They Represent a Large Number of Vast and Unused Spaces The ind...Read More

Australian Institute of Landscape Architects Calls on Federal Government to Lead the World in Green Infrastructure for a Healthier Nation. The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects is on a mission to help change the landscape of an entire continent in order to improve the health of its citizens. To do this, they are urging the federal government to come forward and acknowledge that the urban landscape of Australia is in need of improvement. They hope these improvements will come in the form of green infrastructure. To start their mission, AILA developed a National Green Infrastructure Strategy with four key recommendations and has submitted it to Australia’s 15-Year Infrastructure Plan for Australia. What is it, though, that has led AILA to push this plan? Surprisingly, it is adult ...Read More

NEO Bankside, by Gillespies, in London, United Kingdom. Lush native plantings, an orchard of fruit trees, and a thriving beehive are all things one might expect to find around a country home, but how about in a former industrial area in a bustling city? Well, that’s exactly what one will find when visiting the luxury residential development NEO Bankside, located adjacent to London’s Tate Modern, a modern and contemporary art gallery. More than 200 residential apartments housed in a set of contemporary, hexagonal buildings that border the River Thames surround these lush and sustainable gardens designed by London-based landscape architects Gillespies. The buildings, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, are unique in their external bracing system, which distinguishes them from other ...Read More