Riva Split Waterfront Injects Life into Old City

Riva Split Waterfront by 3LHD Architects, in Split, Croatia. Split lies on the Dalmatia coast and its former name used to be Aspalathos after the plant Calicotome villosa. It is the second largest city in Croatia; an important characteristic of Split is that a central part of the city used to be Diocletian’s Palace, which was gradually integrated into the urban tissue. The city water front is called Riva. The zone along the sea and especially the part before the Palace façade towards the sea has always played an important role in the city life. Riva is the place for meeting, walking, hosting public events and enjoy the city and the sea. Riva Split Waterfront Winning the Competition Given this entire heavy historical and social context, the competition held in 2005 for redesigning the Riva ...Read More

Holalokka, by Dreiseitl, in Oslo, Norway. Water has always served as inspiration for some of the greatest renovation projects, as is the case with Holalokka, bearing the signature trademark of Dreiseitl. This project was commissioned by the City of Oslo, Norway and had 13.3 Multiconsult as faithful partner. Covering an area of 2 ha (5 acres), it was completed in 2007 and it demonstrated once more how amazing the blend between urban hydrology and landscape architecture actually is. Holalokka was part of a larger scale restoration project of the Norwegian River Alna. In choosing the design elements, the talented team working on the project considered the importance of storm water management, using water as a central element of the new urban park and adding plenty of informal recreation areas...Read More

We take a closer look at the enchanting Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. The Japanese culture has a long tradition of living in harmony with their surrounding landscape. To them, nature is seen from a wider philosophical understanding and is treated with admiration and respect. Although the country is highly developed and industrial, the perception of the role of the environment has allowed for nature to become part of the city fabric. Furthermore, their connection with the land involves an understanding of natural resources and the potential benefits they can provide for the country. Arashiyama Bamboo Forest Arashiyama Bamboo Forest (also known as Sagano Bamboo Forest) is a perfect example of this harmonic relationship. Bamboo has a long history of Japanese myths and legends and the forest is th...Read More

LAN writer Michelle Biggs interviews GeoDesign expert Nadia Amoroso. Nadia Amoroso is an adjunct professor in practice at the University of Guelph, as well as the principal of Nadia Amoroso Studio in Toronto, a firm focusing on urban design and landscape architecture representations and creative cartography. She has also published several books and articles on the topics of design and data visualization, and speaks internationally on the subject. She has her PhD from the Bartlett School of Architecture, and Urban Design and Landscape Architecture degrees from the University of Toronto. Nadia’s work is focused on digital media for data visualization and design illustration. In her role as professor, Nadia works with students to help them in harnessing digital tools to become more effective ...Read More

23̊ Estate, by Shma CO, in Khao Yai, Nakornratchsima, Thailand. It goes without saying that erosion is a great problem for a landscape with both a valley and a steeply sloped area. Erosion has the potential to cause flooding and landslides. But the Shma landscape architecture firm decided to embrace erosion in designing the 23̊ Estate in Khao Yai. They successfully turned this area of potential high erosion into a simply stunning sustainable landscape. 23̊ Estate in Khao Yai is a residential complex developed by Sansiri that consists of condominiums, villas, and a hotel designed to allow people to commune with nature, surrounded by a terrain rich in foliage and lush vegetation that offers a relaxing atmosphere for leisure time. The complex is located two hours’ drive from Bangkok, making i...Read More

Westergasfabriek Park, Gustafson Porter, Amsterdam Netherlands. In 1997 landscape architect Kathryn Gustafson, together with Francine Houben of Mecanoo Architects, won the competition for the master plan of Westergasfabriek, a former gas facility in Amsterdam. The council in consultation with the local community had a dream of transforming the heavily polluted site into a new recreational facility, subject to a major clean-up. Through a process of regular consultations with the stakeholders, the architects and landscape architects were able to help make that dream a reality. In the mid-2000s, the buildings were restored and a park with innovative features came into existence. Westergasfabriek Park A Brief History The Park occupies a strip of land between the Haarlem Canal and the main rail...Read More

A useful AutoCAD tutorial from our resident AutoCAD expert UrbanLISP to help you with drawing paving patterns on curving paths. You can hatch objects in AutoCAD with default paving patterns. Considering the amount of paving materials available, it’s fair to say these hatches are a bit limited for landscape architects. It’s possible to create custom hatch patterns, but one problem will remain; hatch patterns are continuous patterns. That’s fine when you’re drawing, for instance, a herringbone pattern, a pattern that doesn’t change when it’s on a curving path. Stretcher bond and running bond can both follow gentle curving paths. In this case, the pattern is build up out of one size element that alternates every strip with half a stone. If you want to have a more playful look you can use a wi...Read More

Gardens by the Bay, by Grant Associates in Marina Bay, Singapore. With the goal of creating a park that can function as an educational and recreational experience while showing the best of horticulture and garden artistry, Grant Associates designed the Gardens by the Bay park in Singapore. In doing so, the designers faced a lot of big challenges, the most complicated of which was the climate. Nevertheless, Gardens by the Bay is now one of the most beautiful tropical gardens in the word. What distinguishes this park from other landscape projects is its conceptualization. Because of its area (54 hectares on its first phase), Grant Associates had to rethink some landscape concepts — such as circulation and pathways — while promoting new concepts, such as aerial walkways and the or...Read More

Pirrama Park, by ASPECT Studios, in Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont, Sydney, Australia. Very often, when people come across the word combination of “residential development” they unavoidably associate it with something invasive, unnatural, or even disrespectful. Although in many cases such responses are reasonable, the truth is that every coin has two sides. Or, in other words, we live in a century where sleeping under the stars can be romantic for a night, but it can’t be a constant way of living. Yes, people need residential buildings and neighborhoods in which to live. Pirrama Park But let’s refer that matter to one of the most densely populated suburbs in Australia. An inner-city suburb with a density of 11,618 square kilometers would certainly prefer a public park instead of another new residenti...Read More

8 Apps for Landscape Architects and designers to make your life easier.  Smartphone apps have changed our lives, making it easy to find inspiration, share information, and make calculations on the fly. Here’s a collection of apps that are especially useful to landscape architects and designers. Download them and leave behind that pile of calculators, notebooks, colored pencils, and sketchpads. Apps for Landscape Architects and designers: iScape and iScape Light iScape is an app that lets you share your vision with others. Take a photo of a property and add new landscaping elements right over the photo. It’s a perfect tool for communicating with clients and workers. This one app alone could help your new iPhone earn its keep. The full app sells for $9.99, and for professional us...Read More

Bishan Park- Kallang River Restoration Poject by Atelier Dreiseitl, in Singapore. Bishan Park, with more than 3 million visitors annually, has a local significance in Singapore similar to that of Central Park in New York City. At the heart of the park is a dynamic natural ecosystem of an important river that flows at a length of 3.2km through the park that once fell victim to the country’s rigid flood control infrastructure system of the sixties. For Singapore, engineering of the past left a legacy of concrete along with physical barriers that divided local communities, created a lack of biodiversity and deprived the citizens of a recreational space with fresh water. The new life brought about by the project brings residents of Singapore closer to water and encourage the busy city go-gette...Read More

Lucky Coin by 100architects, in Hong Kong, China.  Is it possible on a limited urban site to create a multifunctional space, which provides not only various activities, but also represents a symbol of local culture? Lucky Coin, designed by 100Architects -studio, which focuses on street architecture and urban interventions, gives some intriguing answers. Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. A massive increase in population and a limited urban territory require the land use to be planned especially carefully. The Lucky Coin is located on the south coast of Kowloon, from which the dramatic sky line of Hong Kong Island can be appreciated. The site is situated close to the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, the Hong Kong Space Museum and the Hong Kong Museum of Arts. Lucky...Read More