Facing Environmental Problems at Thalie Park and Solving it with Landscape Design

Thalie Park, by Urbicus, in Chalon-sur-Saône, France. Have you ever wondered how a landscape architecture project can be successful in a flood plain with polluted soil? Chalon-sur-Saône is located in the heart of Burgundy, France, and is well known for being the birthplace of photography inventor Nicéphore Niépce. It is a cultural capital town of art history and home to many tourist attractions. The city is also known for its Carnival festivities (one of the most famous in France, according to Chalon-Sur-Saône), for the wine trade, and especially for its cultural event, “Chalon dans la Rue”. Bike paths and green spaces have been implemented to make the city more green and enjoyable, and Chalon-sur-Saône has begun to stand out in the environmental field, as well. In 2013, the Association of...Read More

West Harlem Pier Park, by W-Architecture and Landscape Architecture, LLC, in West Harlem, New York City. What is a public space? Are we prisoners of the cities in which we live? Are we powerless against events and bigger forces? What is the value of our desires? This is the story of a place built amongst the abandoned manufacturing and industrial areas of New York City’s West Harlem neighborhood, a place that was once a bustling harbor, but faded into decay after the construction of the George Washington Bridge and the Henry Hudson Parkway. The area that is now West Harlem Piers Park had lost its strategic value, remaining a marginal area cut away from the city by vehicular and subway viaducts, left to the destiny decided by its owners’ succession. The narrow area situated in the northern ...Read More

After covering United States and Europe, we look at 10 Great Places to Study Landscape architecture in Asia. In Indonesia, “pekarangan,” also known as home gardeners, are instrumental in developing and maintaining public open space. Just as in many other Asian countries, the reason there are grand gardens, palaces, plazas, and public parks is because of these dedicated home gardeners who have a connection to the land and a strong understanding of their climate, culture, and city. Throughout Asia, there are many universities that offer landscape architecture undergraduate and graduate degrees. All of them provide students with an opportunity to study local landscape history and culture. This list of 10 great places to study landscape architecture in Asia is comprised of universities that st...Read More

Aberdeen City Gardens, by Mecanoo Arcitecten, in Aberdeen, Union Terrace Gardens, Scotland. Each city has its unique qualities that make it stand out. Each has its own characteristics, but all have one thing in common: They all tell a story. There are cities that take you back in time with their ancient buildings and civilizations. Some describe a rich history through the mix of local and foreign architecture. Others seem to bring you to a different world through their skyscrapers and science fiction-inspired buildings. But what about a sophisticated city, one that displays a beauty with class and elegance? Our idea of sophistication when it comes to architecture may be within the façade and interiors of a building itself. But what if I tell you that sophistication can be both indoors and ...Read More

Plaza de la Luna, by Brut Deluxe, Ben Busche Architects, Madrid, Spain. Drug traffic, degradation of housing, and prostitution were all problems emanating from the cohesive and anti-functional construction of Plaza de la Luna in Madrid, Spain. The square had no coherent space because a street divided the place into two separate zones. Uneven mixed levels, walls, ramps, staircases, ventilation towers, and vents from an underground car-park also divided the place visually. Plaza de la Luna needed to be reorganized and unified to create a new attractive and vandalism free square. Plaza de la Luna The central idea of designer Ben Busche and his team was to give the space a new topography. The former one hindered pedestrians from comfortably crossing the square and tended to focus on the worst ...Read More

Red Carpet by 100 Architects, East Nanjing Road, Shanghai, China. How do you transform a busy walking street into a flourishing and interesting attraction for a whole neighborhood? That was the question the designers at 100 Architects asked themselves when the Shanghai government asked them to create a new feature for the East Nanjing Road’s century square. The East Nanjing Road is a famous pedestrian street in the center of Shanghai, China. Historically, this road was the link between the port in the east and the old city in the west. It has become the main economic axis of the city, supporting a variety of cultural and social activities. The street has maintained its importance as the number one commercial street in Shanghai, with thousands of pedestrians traversing it every day. What wa...Read More

We reviewed Youtube video Five Crazy Bridges for Animals by Minute Earth, looking at the innovative solution of animal bridges. “Why did the chicken cross the road? We may never know since she probably never got to the other side“. This is how Minute Earth’s educational video (Five Crazy Bridges for Animals) puts forth a plethora of questions for discussion. What are the consequences of wildlife roadkill? Can wildlife and highways coexist safely? What exactly are wildlife crossings? How effective are animal bridges? Or is it all about our own attitude or the absence of one? If you feel skeptical about the effectiveness of wildlife crossings, there’s nothing wrong with that. This video doesn’t seek to convince anyone of something they don’t want to believe. On the contrary, its ...Read More

Delft University of Technology, by Mecanoo Architecten, in Delft, Netherlands. Known as TU Delft, Delft University of Technology is the largest and oldest technical university in Holland. The university needed to update its campus atmosphere, so what better way to do this than by coming up with a design for one of the buildings that makes up the heart of a campus: the library. We can all call up the image of a library with endless rows of books in cases reaching the ceiling. But modern libraries combine books with computers and a sense of community. Inspired by such radical change, the design for the outside atmosphere of the TU Delft library brings the university into the new century, giving rise to an iconic library set within a fascinating site design. WATCH: Library Delft University of...Read More

Garden Bridge, by Heatherwick Studio, London, UK. A new approach to designing bridges and traffic routes leads to one of the most controversial projects in London: a garden bridge over The Thames. A project that will increase the global attractiveness of the city as a tourist destination, say officials. The blueprint of this project has been approved by Boris Johnson who has served as Mayor of London since 2008 and is championed by British national treasure Joanna Lumley. The London Garden Bridge project has been designed by Heatherwick Studio, and is intended to be a new pedestrian bridge that links the Temple Underground Station with the South Bank over Thames. This idea follows Transport for London’s trend for projects that improve pedestrian links across the river. London is already on...Read More

The Baltic Sea Art Park, Pärnu, Estonia, by Kilometrezero. Waterfronts are naturally enticing places. In the urban setting, they provide residents with a nearby place to escape the pressures of the city and commune with nature. As cities grow, so do these waterfront leisure spaces – and the need for someone to design them. Over the last few decades, waterfronts have become the frequent subject of design competitions. A design for the Baltic Sea Art Park in Pärnu, Estonia, was born from a 2013 competition for a site on the banks of the Pärnu River. Designers were asked to create a park encompassing a ground program and floating buildings. Kilometrezero, a Paris and Barcelona-based architecture studio founded by Jan Kundlicka and Alvaro García Mendive, was up to the challenge, creating dynam...Read More

A book review of Landscape Site Grading Principles: Grading With Design In Mind by Bruce G. Sharky. Traditionally, the use of grading textbooks by landscape architecture students has been limited to those produced by engineers, who tend to approach the subject, not in visual terms, but in terms of mathematics and problem-solving. These teaching mechanisms prove problematic, often neglecting or omitting the inherent design implications associated with grading — essential constituencies given that landscape architects learn and think visually and spatially. The impetus of “Landscape Site Grading Principles” is to provide landscape architecture students with a visual, practical approach to site grading concepts that advocates and illustrates the interconnectedness of grading and design,...Read More