Promenade Samuel-De Champlain Presents the Perfect Gift

Promenade Samuel-De Champlain by Consortium Daoust Lestage inc. + Williams Asselin Ackaoui + Option aménagement, in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Quebec City government thought long and hard about the perfect gift to give to the city’s citizens to mark its 400th anniversary. After much debate, the majority of those involved decided a new park would make the perfect gift. This new park, The Promenade Samuel-De Champlain, became the first step in the city’s mandate to restore the St. Lawrence River by 2008. It was built along one of the sector’s degraded riverbanks, as an example of the city’s involvement in their mandate. Located in the borough of Sainte-Foy-Sillery-Cap-Rouge, between the dock and the coast of Cageux Sillery, the promenade is about 2.5 kilometers long, with 200,000 squar...Read More

We take a look at 6 famous green architects that have left a green mark on our built enviornment.  The principles of sustainable architecture have been around forever. The Roman aqueducts were innovative in distributing renewable water throughout the city and ancient Greeks positioned their structures to capture the sun’s rays for heat. Frank Lloyd Wright is the most widely recognized sustainable architect, shaping the way architects design green today. He designed structures to blend in with their surroundings in organic ways. Famous Green Architects Here are six famous green architects from our time that are following in his footsteps. 1. Jean Nouvel This French architect has won several major awards for architectural design, such as the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2008 and the ...Read More

Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, Germany, by Atelier Dreiseitl.  It sometimes seems that our contemporary planning is an unholy game of piling as much structure as possible in one spot. The urban spaces about which we brag are often merely the densest piles of bricks, stones or mortar with raised planting beds and seating being converted to mere showpieces. But, where in these heaps and stacks of masonry are the slightest considerations to restore ecological balance? Are the people for whom these are designed refreshed, inspired, and stimulated by their urban environment? Hardly, too often will be the answer for our times. Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, Germany designed by Atelier Dreiseitl is an award winning waterscape project where it combine sustainable water consumption and recreational areas in su...Read More

Terrazas Reforma 412, by dlc Architects, Mexico City, Mexico. The largest metropolitan area in the western hemisphere – in short: Mexico City – has grown many skyscrapers during past years. However, one special building called Tower Reforma Diana needs to be mentioned particularly. It was completed in 2013 and comes up with multiple, surprisingly stunning rooftop gardens that feature a marvellous use of composite wood and surfaces covered with greenery. Due to very specific requirements and three different height restrictions this avant-garde complex is formed out of three different cuboid bodies that appear to be moved from their original place. Within the conceptual each of those elements provides minimum one garden-terrace on top, which are: “created to be human” and designed to “live a...Read More

“It is an intense, focused experience that you are really after. That is where the growth is, that is where the fun is, and that is where the reward is. The sketch then becomes a record of that in-depth experience.” Richard Scott is a passionate champion of the sketch. He believes in the philosophy behind sketching, the process and the practice, the experience, and the resulting confidence gained by honing one’s sketching skills. In his book, Sketching from Square One… to Trafalgar Square, published by Sierra Madre Press, Scott provides a step-by-step process by which anyone, at any skill level can begin, improve, and refine his or her own sketching skills. I recommend reading Sketching from Square One… to Trafalgar Square the first time through as if you were reading a novel. ...Read More

Hyllie Plaza, by Thorbjörn Andersson with Sweco architects, Malmo, Sweden Hyllie is situated on the outskirts of Sweden’s third-largest city, Malmö. Because of the new bridge linking it with Copenhagen, some say Malmo is also the second-largest town in Denmark. In recent years, Malmö has taken advantage of the new connection with Denmark’s capital and has started to develop the infrastructure even further. Hyllie Plaza, a city square developed along the new expanded infrastructure, is designed as a minimalist urban beech forest. But how can this emblematic tree thrive in a concrete plaza? No fewer than 28 trees have been planted in 12 slits cut into granite and concrete. Hyllie Plaza First of all, what the designer aimed to create through this project was identity. In Skåne ...Read More

Umeå Campus Park, by Thorbjörn Andersson with Sweco architects, Umeå, Sweden. Umeå Campus is the focal center of Umeå University in Sweden. The majority of the university’s courses and programs are held in the buildings and facilities of this 23,000-square-meter campus near the coast, approximately 300 kilometers south of the Polar Circle. Umeå University was founded in 1965 and is Sweden’s fifth-oldest university. The campus has about 35,000 international and multicultural students, teachers, and researchers from all over the world. The Design Team  The architects of this project were Thorbjörn Andersson and Sweco Architects (design team: Staffan Sundström, Emma Pettersson, and Mikael Johansson). The design is oriented toward a sustainable society where the people can interact, work...Read More

Baan Krung Thep Kritha, by Landscape Architects 49 Limited, in Bangkok, Thailand. It takes an amazing talent and a generous amount of tenacity to take a flooded area and transform it into a beautiful landscape. The project in this case is Baan Krung Thep Kritha, and it is a clear demonstration of how talented the team from Landscape Architects 49 Limited actually is. Completed in 2006 and covering an area of 15 rai (24,000 square meters), this project transformed from a flooded area in Bang Kapi (Bangok, Thailand) to a space that is defined by elegance and perspective. Baan Krung Thep Kritha From Concept to Reality One of the most exciting parts of a landscape architecture project such as this one is taking the ideas one has on paper and transporting them into reality. The team at Landscap...Read More

Effective ways to deal with a potential slope disaster.  Do you ever think about how difficult it is for a landscape architect to plan and design a really contoured site or landscape? Imagine the worst thing that can happen when a high number of steep slopes remain bare and unprotected: High-intensity erosion caused by rain or wind and the unbearable load of the structure above can cause a landslide at any time, destroying everything in its path. Preventing a landslide can be a bit of a challenge. Protecting the slopes would be the first idea for dealing with a situation like this. So, what can we do to protect a slope? Here are some slope protection hacks for you to use if you are facing a possible erosion problem. 1. Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) Chrysopogon zizanioides, well k...Read More

Uptown Normal, by Hoerr Schaudt in Normal, United States. Located halfway between the two major US cities of Chicago and St. Louis, Normal, IL is a mid-size city of around 52,000 people with a relatively small Central Business District and a modest governmental budget. At least it was in 2002. However, since the redevelopment project of Uptown Normal, the Central Business District, the town has seen a resurgence of new life and energy that has literally transformed a once “normal” city into a vibrantly sustainable destination. The master plan for the revitalized district required future buildings be built in masses and would be required to adopt high-performance green practices, a revolutionary idea in 2002. But it was the concept for the street that made the design stand out as unique. Up...Read More

Pedreira do Campo by M-Arquitectos, in Vila do Porto, Ilha de Santa Maria. Do you know that one can find thirteen protected areas in Santa Maria, Portugal? Azores, or Açores in Portuguese, is a transcontinental archipelago composed by nine islands that constitute the basic management unit of the Regional Network of Protected Areas of the Azores, as reported by the Government of Azores. Azores is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal, and it was divided in three geographical groups: the West Group composed by Corvo and Flores (Flowers) Islands, the Central Group that integrates Terceira, Graciosa, São Jorge and Pico and Faial Islands, and the Eastern Group, composed by São Miguel and Santa Maria. An Island With Only 550 People According to Azores Commune, Santa Maria is located in t...Read More