Race Street Pier Becomes a Vivid and Exciting Place

Race Street Pier, by James Corner Field Operations, in Philadelphia, Pa., USA. “Pier” (as per Merriam-Webster Dictionary) means “A structure (as a breakwater) extending into navigable water for use as a landing place or promenade or to protect or form a harbor”. Well, it appears that thanks to Field Operations’ design, “pier” also means an exciting and vivid public space! Race Street Pier is part of an ambitious plan regarding the Central Delaware River in Philadelphia, Pa. The organization responsible for the development of the area is Delaware River Waterfront (DRWC). Race Street Pier The original Race Street Pier began construction in 1896, with a large two-level building. The building’s lower level was used for shipping and the upper level for recreation. This double function continues...Read More

Vache Noire (Black Cow), by Agence TER Landscape Architects, in Arcueil, France. Agence Ter has made a huge change in the city of Arcueil, France, by creating a contemporary public park out of a non-place once used only by cars. Indeed, the locality of the Vache Noire (Black Cow) was originally an urban wasteland alongside a crossroads deemed dangerous for pedestrians. But thanks to the recent construction of a new neighborhood composed of a shopping center, housing, and offices, the hub of the Vache Noire is expected to become a gateway to the city and an important place for all new users of the site. Vache Noire The overall project covers three hectares; 50,000 square meters of the site includes eight housing units, offices, an urban park, and a shopping center. The latter is built on tw...Read More

Scharnhauser Park, by Janson + Wolfrum Architektur + Stadtplanung and Atelier Dreiseitl, Ostfildern, Germany. In the early 1990s, the Planning Department of Ostfildern owned about 70 percent of the site and had a clear aim: to create Scharnhauser Park as part of a first-class, energy-efficient neighborhood that addressed the area’s housing shortage. Alban Janson and Sophie Wolfrum were in charge of designing an ambitious master plan, with a well-integrated rainwater management design by Atelier Dreiseitl also worth our specific attention. Scharnhauser Park From the air, Scharnhauser Park looks like a long tongue of low-density buildings surrounded by a patchwork pattern of farmland. The district grows on a slope along the train rail, the main road, and between two tributaries of the Neckar...Read More

A strong, powerful and dynamic portfolio can be the difference between you getting a job and looking for a job. Here are 8 tips to make a knockout landscape portfolio.  Your portfolio is a showcase of your best work, a creative expression of you, and a way to demonstrate the breadth of your talent. It provides a brief snapshot of what you can do and gives you the chance to create a fluent first impression. Therefore, you need to spend the time and the energy to get it right, whether you are a landscape architecture student or a graduate. For this article, I have searched for some of the most creative landscape portfolio designs and pulled together a selection of great tips and advice to make sure that your portfolio becomes the very best it can be. Read on to discover how to create a knock...Read More

Baan Sukhumvit 16, by Landscape Architect 49 Limited in Sukhumvit, Bangkok, Thailand. Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok is one of the main commercial streets in the capital city of Thailand. This street is very busy, surrounded by soaring skyscrapers, making this area a crowded concrete jungle in the middle of Bangkok. Landscape Architecture 49 Limited has done a terrific thing, turning a small part of this busy urban space into a miniature tropical rainforest filled with serenity and relaxing ambiance. Baan Sukhumvit 16 offers comfy residences in the middle of the city, with a feel of a tropical rainforest sanctuary that makes you forget about the business of urban life for awhile. Baan Sukhumvit 16 consists of four houses and a shared clubhouse facility, separated by lush, green soft-scape that ...Read More

PS 234 Independence School Play Yard, by KaN Landscape, in TriBeCa, New York City, USA. A classroom only creates an illusion of enlightenment. A learning atmosphere is where kids can express themselves in their own way, explore their surroundings, and think freely. Children need a space where they can create their own world, free of fear and judgment, and at the same time learn through observing their surrounding environment. When designed thoughtfully, schoolyards can offer such an atmosphere. In the fall of 2014, KaN Landscape designed a new schoolyard for PS 234 Independence School, the first public school located in historic TriBeCa in lower Manhattan. The school was in need of a play yard with diversified sports opportunities and a play experience for children ranging in age from kind...Read More

Atelier COLE designs an innovative fundraising merchandise store for Free the Bears in Laos with the help of our most excellent partners Building Trust. Following the construction of several built projects in South East Asia using natural materials and seeing the growing interest and response in sustainable design and natural materials such as bamboo. Building Trust organised a Design + Build workshop to be held at Kuang Si Falls on the outskirts of Luang Prabang with Free the Bears. Working alongside Atelier COLE, a new merchandise store was designed and built which educates both workshop participants and the high volume of annual tourist visitors to the Tat Kuang Si Park on building with bamboo. Free the Bears work tirelessly to combat the illegal trade in live bears and provide a safe s...Read More

Zorlu Center, by Carve & WATG Landscape Architects, Beşiktaş, Istanbul, Turkey. Designing a place where children can explore, grow and develop is not an easy thing to accomplish, as there are so many things to take into consideration, including the safety of the elements used. Zorlu Center is one of the prime examples that could be offered, being a playground where even imagination comes to play. This project was undertaken by the talented team of landscape architects from Carve (Amsterdam), in partnership with WATG Landscape Architects, the London branch. It was completed in 2014, as one of the largest playground developments in Istanbul, covering an area of 1600 m2. Carve is a renowned Dutch design and engineering studio, being especially known for the design of spaces for children a...Read More

Butterfly Bridge by Dietmar Feichtinger Architects, in Christianshavn Canal and Trangraven, Copenhagen, Denmark. The capital and most populated city of Denmark is Copenhagen, one of the oldest capitals in Europe and part of the most dynamic region too. In the 10th century, Copenhagen used to be a Viking fishing village surrounded by rivers. Its name in Danish reflects, in fact, its origin as a harbor and place of commerce. Copenhagen is located on the eastern edge of the island of Zealand and partly situated on the island of Amager, (these two are connected by five bridges) and on a number of natural and artificial islets between them. It is also part of the Øresund, commonly known as “The Sound” in English, which is the strait that separates Denmark from Sweden, specifically the Danish is...Read More

David H. Koch Plaza at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, by OLIN in New York City, New York, USA. Before I share the intricacies of the project with you, I would like to first share this quote by Jane Jacobs, as cited by Dennis McGlade, partner at OLIN, when commenting on his thoughts about the project: “The ballet of the good city sidewalk never repeats itself from place to place, and in any one place it is always replete with new improvisations.” This is a project that revolves around transformation and this quote is a gentle reminder that tells us of the inconsistent patterns between people and spaces. Why is it so relevant to this project? Well, the project is grandly sitting in Manhattan, New York- one of the most famous, busiest metropolitan cities of the world, in front of one of the ...Read More

With sustainable cities being one of the key terms in the 21st century, we take a closer look at the role that the landscape architect has to play in it all.  When we think of sustainability we think of living in a remote natural area with solar panels, on-site sewage treatment, a large vegetable garden and maybe even some livestock. Pretty sustainable hey? Maybe not. In fact, one of the leading causes of climate change is due to people seeking escaping the city in search of nature. By living on the outskirts of the city, we increase our carbon footprint through commuting and encroach further and further into the natural environment. Thus, in order to think sustainably we need to realise that our dense inner cities are not the problem, but, in fact, the solution! With this in mind, one wou...Read More