Israels Square: $18.7 Million Regeneration Wows in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Israels Square, by COBE, Copenhagen, Denmark In 2008, the Danish architectural firm COBE won a competition for the redesign of Israels Plads (or Israels Square) in central Copenhagen and the project was completed in 2014. The square is located between the City Centre and Ørsted Park and within a couple of blocks of Nørreport metro station and the Botanic Gardens. The square consists of two urban plazas, one containing a busy covered market. The other plaza includes the newly rebuilt section, which is the subject of this article. The square’s easy accessibility to the city center and residential neighborhoods lends itself to a variety of uses. Over the years, the square has undergone a series of transformations, in accordance with the requirements of each era. Although transformed, elements...Read More

Sjövikstorget Square, by Andersson Thorbjörn with Sweco architects, Stockholm, Sweden Just as we sometimes feel the need to retreat, we also occasionally feel the need for expansive freedom. With dwellings and neighborhoods becoming more and more constricted, such spaciousness is becoming a rarity. But we can learn from centuries of Japanese gardening masters that space can be “borrowed”. Concept of the Sjövikstorget Square The idea of borrowing a backdrop from surrounding scenery is known in Japanese as “shakkei”. Shakkei refers to the exploitation of scenery external to a garden’s physical boundaries, either immediately outside or at a distance, for the purposes of visually enlarging the garden’s scale and enhancing its aesthetic appeal. Based upon this concept, Sjövikstorget...Read More

Trollstigen National Tourist Route, by Reiulf Ramstad Architects, Rauma, Møre og Romsdal, Norway Trollstigen is one of the most beautiful mountain roads in the world, located in Rauma, Møre of Romsdal County, Norway. The serpentine road is part of the National Tourist Routes and is visited by an impressive number of people each summer. A landscape architecture project undertaken by Reiulf Ramstad Architects has managed to bring out the beauty of the Norwegian fjords. The project was commissioned by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration in 2004. The new Trollstigen National Tourist Route was completed in 2012, covering a surface area of 150,000 square meters (1,200 square meters for the buildings). Unique location brings challenges to Trollstigen National Tourist Route The team of lands...Read More

Poppy Plaza by Marc Boutin Architectural Collaborative and Stantec Consulting, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Like many landscapes, Poppy Plaza in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is situated in an area that provides many opportunities we need to identify and take advantage of as designers. The inherent value in natural systems, existing development, and human use create a set of parameters that distinguishes one site from another. The way we use this information to create a thorough design that serves the needs of potential users can lead to compelling projects that make a statement. One important aspect of our communities is the connections they create. Poppy Plaza uses design to bridge old connections and create new ones. We will explore the connections Poppy Plaza makes in relation to the Landscape...Read More

Spring Street Park, by Lehrer Architects, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A The historic Old Bank District of Los Angeles is beautiful and has a lot of potential for renovation. In 2013, Spring Street Park opened, occupying a 0.7-acre space in the form of an L-shaped lot. The project was the result of a fruitful collaboration between the Bureau of Engineering (Department of Public Works, City of Los Angeles) and Lehrer Architects. The new urban park serves a need for an outdoor public space in the area. Revival of an old district made possible through urban development of Spring Street Park The architects recognized the potential of the Old Bank District. They have taken into consideration the creation of an urban park, preferring bold designs in order to make their statement. The area needed...Read More

Biophilia is considered to be the missing link in sustainable design. Biophilia aims to provide space for respectful and enriching relationships between human society and the natural world. Anyone looking for the key to a future of prosperity that respects the Earth and improves everybody’s life should know about biophilia. Community gardens, healing gardens, and even gardens for prisoners – all of these types of landscapes are designed with biophilia in mind. Biophilia is the last missing piece in the puzzle of sustainable and healthy cities. The Definition and Meaning of Biophilia Originating from the ancient Greek (bios “life” and philia “love”), the term biophilia literally describes the love for life and expresses the ethos of maintaining and developing the life of mankind in all dime...Read More

16-March-15 In this week’s Latest News in Landscape Architecture we share an interesting interview with Martha Schwartz, highlight an amazing residential apartment complex modeled after a treehouse, and announce Rome’s plans to design an elevated park of their own. Did you know that when you Google “elevated park” you’re presented with about 102,000,000 results! (Click the headline for the full story) Design Professionals Should Be Leaders, Not Followers: Sourceable As the headline says, design professionals should strive to be leaders. However, what does this mean for landscape architects? In a bold op-ed, Daniel Bennett, Vice President of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, makes the claim that in order “to achieve a more integrated approach, designers, including landscape ...Read More

Aqua Magica Park by Agence Ter Landscape Architects, Between Bad Oeynhausen and Löhn, Germany. There is a distinct style of expression in the art of landscape architecture that refers to our sensory perception. These are the so-called ephemeral means. Despite their transient character, the presence of ephemeral means in parks and gardens is essential for the successful formation of realistic natural surroundings. Light, shadow, sound, scent, and fauna in the park are among the many vehicles used to achieve the most significant purpose of our art – the establishment of a connection between humans and nature. An excellent example displaying the expedient use of such means of expression is the Aqua Magica project, designed by Agence Ter Landscape Architects. The project won an international c...Read More

TUMO Park by  Bernard Khoury/DW5, Yerevan, Armenia TUMO Park, designed by  Bernard Khoury/DW5, is an outdoor extension of the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies in Yerevan, Armenia. The park creates a “geometrical three-dimensional abstraction of the existing topography by connecting the abstracted vertices, forming inclined triangular solid planes.” (Bernard Khoury, 2011) It consists of a series of pedestrian paths and variations of oblique surfaces that connect the TUMO building with an existing public municipal park. Because of its scale — a 6,000-square-meter open area — TUMO Park becomes an urban park that is so big and complicated in its form and program that it faces a lot of landscape challenges. One of the most wonderful design solutions this park gives us is its ab...Read More