Every designer is searching for more ecological, natural and humanistic design method to complete their dreams. The globalization brings them much meditation because every successful project is a book that could teach us a lot.
World Landscape Contemporary Selected Projects
The book classifies the projects in 10 categories to demonstrate a panorama of landscape architecture, including technology, material, conception, method, by which deeply relation between environment and ecology, culture, human is revealed. Elements in each works are introduced with beautiful pictures and thorough words description, illustrating the harmony of nature and environment that it should be.
WORLD LANDSCAPE CONTEMPORARY SELECTED PROJECTS
Erica Shi & Rita Lin
The book records the development of landscape architecture design,and it could be regarded as a reference book for designers.
ISBN 978-988-15547-8-9
Residece and Garden Commercial and Office Space Waterfront and Ecology Campus Planning Planning Design Park and Green Place Leisure and Entertainment Plaza and Open Space Tourism and Resort Traffic and Transportation
WORLD LANDSCAPE
CONTEMPORARY SELECTED PROJECTS
Erica Shi & Rita Lin
Preface
WORLD LANDSCAPE SELECTED PROJECTS 10×100
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Copyright © 2011 by Ifengspace Culture & Media Co.Ltd. Published by Phoenix Publishing Limited Room 510-511D2, Nam Fung Tower, 173 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong, China E-mail: info@ phoenix-book.com http://www.phoenix-book.com
Distributed by Phoenix Publishing Limited. E-mail: sales@ phoenix-book.com
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission.
ISBN: 978-988-15547-8-9 Printed in China
Regarding to city, it reminded us of only tall buildings in our past memories. The city dwellers are tied of the steel and concrete structures systematically moved forward and backward within the city. As the time develops, the city is now becoming more dynamic and diversified. Different styles of plaza, residence and courtyard, all kinds of leisure and entertainment landscape are the perfect reflection of the colorful city. Especially its green elements make us so moved and touched.
urban life and improve people’s living quality. Our pursuit of landscape meets our need and longing to nature. No matter from the lush plants, blooming flowers, dynamic fountains, or the unique pavement materials; no matter you are in park green land, or have a rest in plaza; we can sense the relaxation and quietness of our mind. Landscape architecture is at every place in our life in different forms, it makes our urban life more diversified and colorful. Landscape architecture is sailing to its promising future with firm step.
Landscape architect can not be simplified as gardening or planting, nor limited by green mountains and fresh waters, it is more likely to be a symbol, which bears the deep cultural deposits and represents our time’s new tendency. It can be traced by the history and walked to us temperately; it combines with the modern design language rather than just bound by the history, it conquers the public by its unique design concept and features. We can’t help being moved and admired. Compared with architecture, landscape architecture is still young; but it catches the public’s attention and arouses their interest and further exploration with its own charm.
World Landscape Contemporary Selected Projects 10X100 is composed of about 200 award-winning and reputable projects from the international firstclass landscape architecture firms. It is classified in 10 categories, including residence and garden, c o m m e r c i a l a n d o ff i c e s p a c e , w a t e r f ro n t a n d ecology, campus planning, planning design, park and green place, plaza and open space, leisure and entertainment, tourism and resort, traffic and transportation. Numerous drawings truly record the whole design process of the landscape architects, indicate their wonderful design ideas and mature design techniques, suitable description words deeply analyze their design concept and ideas. It also shortens the distance between landscape professionals, students and the best landscape architects, becomes a precious book for knowing the development of landscape architects in recent years, it is an important media to inspire your design life.
Globalization and diversification are the theme of our time, landscape is no exception. No matter f ro m t h e c h o i c e o f s u s t a i n a b l e a n d r e c y c l e d materials, the changes in size and space, or the protection of the natural resource and its exploration, we can be aware of bio-diversified, sustainable development, ecological environment concept around every corner of our life. Not only the residence, also the transportation meets our functional demand, at the same time, provides us esthetic feeling and brand new experience. There is no need arguing about time makes hero or hero makes the time. Landscape architecture has actually made great progress in our changeable time. No matter from the angle of traditional Fengshui or modern esthetic, landscape architecture wins a large number of people’s favorite and recognition. As a characteristic element, landscape architecture makes great contribution to diversify people’s
CONTENTS Rieder’s Residence
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San Francisco Residence
044
Speckman House
050
The Caledonia
052
028
The Designers Residence
060
Pacific Cannery Lofts
030
The French Residence
064
Padaro Lane
034
The Glazer Residence
070
Passage to the Lake
040
The LeKander Residence
076
Claiborne Parish Residence
Magnolia Courtyard
Meditative Spiritual Garden House
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022
024
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The Pool House
082
Connection of Interior and Exterior Space
102
The Power House
086
Corporate Headquarters
104
Typical Linear Residential Garden
090
Dresden Medical – Theoretical Centre
106
Ward Residence
092
Frog Work / Play Terrace
108
Granpark Tamachi
112
Hospital Rechts der lsar
116
Westminster Presbyterian Church
094
Commercial and Office Space
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Aroma Square
098
Queens Square
120
Cockermouth Market Place
100
Redesign Eberswalde Market Square
122
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Tate
124
Southeast False Creek Waterfront Park – Phase 1
148
Sungei Buloh Master Plan
152
Trinity River Corridor
156
Valdebebas Urban Park: Arroyuelo Park
160
Vancouver Convention Centre Expansion
162
Waterfront and Ecology
Atwater Place and The Ardea in the South Waterfront District
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Visitor Center
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128 130
Isla Palenque
134
Lily Lake Residence
138
Randall’s Island Sports Fields
142
Shelby Farms Park
144
Campus Planning
Celebrating the Cultural Landscape Heritage of Mills College
166
C o u r t y a r d a n d O u t d o o r C l a s s ro o m f o r Natural Sciences
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Hamline Blue Garden
Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research
Portland State University District Framework
Stock-Pile
The Academic Court
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Planning Design
Brooklyn Bridge Park
200
Central Delaware
204
Geos Net Zero Energy Neighborhood
208
Orange County Great Park
212
Park 20/20
218
Reconstructing the Fez River
222
Seattle Green Factor
226
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The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University
194
The Brochstein Pavilion at Rice University
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Stabiae Archaeological Park
230
Green Park
260
Viet Village Urban Farm
234
Hotarumibashi Park
262
Water and Landscape at PARK MERCED
236
La Esperanza Park
266
Lartelare
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Otteson Entry Garden
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Park and Green Place
Ballast Point Park
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242
Copalita Eco-Archaeological Park
248
Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center
Dockside Green
252
The Dublin Veterans Park: Grounds of Remembrance
278
Green Hills TSUYAMA
256
The Park at Lakeshore East
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“The Yards” at Southeast Federal Center
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286
ULAP-Square Berlin
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288
Urban Garden in Nørresundby
308
Victoria Square
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Plaza and Open Space
Barrel Warehouse Park & Father David Bauer Streetscape
Boston Children’s Museum Plaza
Braithwaite House
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Landscape of Parkview Eclat
294 Leisure and Entertainment
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Nymphenburg – Palace Quarter
298
Syracuse Streetscape and Urban Design
300
The Square in Front of Hühnerposten
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A 15-year History of the Joel Schnaper Memorial Garden
316
Chemnitz Zoo – Recreational Area Pelzmühle
318
Getty Center Lower Central Garden
320
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Georgica Roof Terrace
322
Irving Veterans Memorial Park
324
Yerba Buena Gardens Children’s Center
340
Tourism and Resort Light Forest
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328
Amanali Country Club and Nautica
344
Symphony’s Benaroya Hall Garden
330
Classic Golf Course and Resort
348
Target Center Green Roof
332
Edward’s Ranch
350
The Albany Courtyard “Garden of Light”
334
Nature in Waldkirchen
354
The Sanctuary at Tidbinbilla
336
"Nest" – Venice Beach Villa
356
Virginia Avenue Park
338
Pamet Valley
364
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San Juan Court Venice
368
Sullivan Residence
374
The Belvedere Garden on Beverly Hills
376
Vermont Pool & Pool House
384
Wallace K. Harrison Estate
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Phoenix Arts Commission
408
Transpotomac Canal Center Savage Fogarty
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Urban Corridor Planning — City of Houston
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Traffic and Transportation
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Alabama Railroad Park
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Hollywood & Vine Metro Portal and Plaza
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Residence and Garden In the modern, busy cities, many people are eager to flee from the complex secular life, to a place that can relieve the mental and physical pressure. In fact, a place is ignored by people that even a balcony, roof garden, staircases could be created a holiday-like feeling. A small space with little changes can be produced different effects of spaces and show a home or store’s new look because people have a complementary relationship with the living environment, landscape and architecture. Garden is more an enclosure of the outdoor space than a space surrounded by walls when walk into a door. It could be quiet, elegant or refined, or natural unrestrained, as the preferences of the owners. In addition, this small place can be extended indoor landscape, optimizing the whole residence. Roof garden is more an energy-saving landscape than a beautiful setting in the sky for it helps to reduce the green island effect. Imagining people sitting in the roof garden, experience the feeling brought by the plants, sunset, getting rid of all pressures, it isn’t what people chasing? The area of many gardens is very small. To achieve the functional mentioned above with natural landscape, more concern will be put on design. Goode design can make full use of space to accommodate the facilities that is necessary for life, and extend the space visually as well. The garden design is to make people comfortable through an integrated and easy environment that deal with different position and combination of plants, facilities. After careful design, meticulous conservation, the family compact exquisite small garden is full of vigor, showing the owner’s passion for life, and pursuit of the beauty.
Claiborne Parish Residence
Project Location: Homer, Louisiana, USA
This project began as a simple hourly consultation. The client constructed this home and pool garden about nine years ago, and was growing increasingly unhappy with what was done without the assistance of any design professionals. His sentiments were that there may be little he could do to the residence, but asked for our help in improving the existing pool and garden space at the rear of the residence. We believe this project is award worthy for many reasons: primarily for successfully integrating the client’s desires into a plan that is an artful statement that connects the family’s history in agriculture and ranching to the design. The abstraction of cattle troughs and cultivated farm rows resulted in a design unique to this family and the site. This residence occupies an approximately seven-acre parcel just outside of Homer, Louisiana, in Claiborne Parish, near the Arkansas-Louisiana border. The rural landscape in this north Louisiana region is characterized by rolling hills, pine trees, pastures, and agricultural fields. It was the regions rural landscape character which was the inspiration for the completed design. The client, a physician, was raised in the area and his family is involved in farming and ranching nearby. The client regretted not having an Architect or a Landscape Architect in the initial planning and asked our firm for advice on remedying many of the design deficiencies in the original installation. The existing pool had an erratic shape with palms surrounding it. The pool leaked, had very shallow (and unsafe) coves and therefore, became too warm to swim in over the summer months. The client initially asked us for proposals to improve or renovate the existing pool. We quickly realized there was little we could do to address his concerns with the existing pool, especially in light of the client’s unfavorable opinion of its overall appearance. After discussing the limited options we had to improve the existing pool, the client agreed to retain our firm to prepare a rear garden masterplan that would include a new pool, spa, and covered outdoor living area. The site also contained an existing pond near the rear property line. The pond was completely invisible from the rear of the residence and needed some aesthetic adjustments to make it appear as natural as possible. We insisted that the masterplan include recommendations for improving the pond’s visibility and overall appearance. Our proposed plan was intended to be minimal, functional, and artful. We were inspired by the beauty of the regions pastures and rolling hills, and this client’s connection to the land with his family’s farm and ranch. The rear area garden was completely regraded to create an elevated lawn terrace with berms placed on the periphery to highlight and accentuate existing topography. Stone plinths were used as decking for the pool and placed in a way to emulate crop rows. The water feature is an abstraction of a cattle trough which recirculates pool water and flows over the sides into a rill which could be interpreted as an irrigated crop row. The completed plan required minimal drainage, as all paving is drained to lawn strips or lawn areas. The landscape design is composed of mostly native species including coastal muhly grass and red maples.
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Magnolia Courtyard
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Project Location: Brooklyn, New York, USA Project Type: Single-Family House Courtyard and Green Roof
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This design for a single-family house in Brooklyn Heights creates a holistic landscape for the urban environment, situating the small scale residential landscape within local histories and the larger regional ecosystem. The design formulates a contemporary response to a site with a rich history. Two 150 year old Magnolia x soulangeana trees on the site, named Significant Trees by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, prompted an overall strategy that merges the contemporary with the historical while protecting and enhancing the centennial trees. The courtyard is a common space and urban refuge between the main residence and a carriage house, which serves as an apartment for the extended family. The courtyard program includes an outdoor dining space, daybed / reading lounge, and children’s velodrome. Other components include a sunny perennial bed beneath a native vine covered brick wall, a bluestone terrace that is graded to collect storm water runoff in a central planter, and a shade garden beneath the historic magnolias. Terrain worked closely with the client to determine program for the space – entertaining, dining and active and passive recreation geared to adults and children. There are custom benches on the site to fit the proportions of the children as well as the adults. Native spring ephemerals planted under the magnolias are at the eye-level of the children, creating an imaginative play space. The historic magnolias on site prompted Terrain to collaborate with a native plants expert to design a plant palette in keeping with when the trees were planted in the mid-19th century. The consultant created a list of native plants that are historically accurate to the time of the first settlers to Brooklyn Heights, including the Franklinia alatamaha trees in the central courtyard planter. Terrain also worked closely with the architects making an interior renovation of both the main house and the carriage house. Terrain lowered the grade of the courtyard floor, unifying the two structures across the courtyard. The bluestone paving in the courtyard extends into the lower level of both residences, reinforcing the connections between inside and outside. The architects provided key assistance with the stair into the courtyard and provided structural reinforcement for the greenroofs. The Magnolia Courtyard systematically employs sustainable techniques which contribute to a rigorously designed landscape. The residence interfaces with the larger watershed and the east coast migratory bird feeding grounds through the implementation of a vegetated roof, water collection and a native plants scheme. The two greenroofs on the main residence and carriage house are planted with native plants. The native plant palette allows evapotranspiration during the day, cooling the structures. Additionally, the native plants provides habitat and a food source for birds and insects, in ways that the typical green roof plantings of sedums does not allow. The residence sits firmly within a larger ecosystem and local historical narratives, contributing on a small scale to the health of the whole.
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Meditative Spiritual Garden House
Project Location: Michigan , USA Landscape Architect: AguaFina Gardens International Photographer: George Dzahristos
The primary challenge of this garden was to combine the client’s unique philosophies with spiritual elements and naturalistic themes. The client desired to create a personal space for meditation and spiritual growth. To accomplish this, multiple gateways and individual meditative gardens were created within the overall garden and specific artifacts and stone were especially selected for this garden. The first gateway or garden is the winding “Meditative Pathways”. Found throughout the garden, they adhere to traditional garden designs used through the centuries in various cultures and provide a guide for visual meditation. The riverbeds, reflecting pool and grotto represent the ever-present continuous change in life, and reflection on one’s self. The “Meditation Mound” is representative of ancient sacred and ritualistic burial mounds. An antique stone well head from Bali (circa early 1900’s) sets as a central landing, while the steps leading to it are native Michigan fieldstone. A labyrinth garden was developed from reclaimed moss laden sandstone from the prior gardens. Within the labyrinth portion of this garden, there is an underlining medicine wheel and the walkway represents the circle and journey of life with key spiritual markers corresponding to the cardinals and sub-cardinals (north, south, east and west). Dry hand-stacked granite walking walls envelop the garden and are topped with centuries old antique pavers. These pavers have been reclaimed and salvaged from villages of China which were soon to be flooded over as a result of a large damn project. Finely crushed granite chip stone comprises the pathways that wind through this spiritual garden, and is accented by the occasional stepping stone out of highly polished Nine Dragon Stone/Marble. Unseen to the eye, but placed beneath the garden area, are stones and crystals set in spiritually significant locations under the direction of the homeowner, to complete the balance of the space. Other artifacts include “The Grandmother”/ Sentinel Stone, originating from India, reclaimed antique granite pavers from China, petrified wood from Indonesia, a granite Japanese water basin and Nine-Dragon Stone stools from China.A sizable challenge of this project was to build this garden given the site’s very limited accessibility. All materials used needed to be brought in by hand through a small path then down a 25’ high, 30 degree slope utilizing a specially designed ramp, cart and pulley system.
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Pacific Cannery Lofts
Project Location: Oakland, California, USA Project Type: Multi-Family Project Design: Miller Company Landscape Architects
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“A multifamily development and social setting with a unique solution. The adaptive reuse of the facility, the artful water design, the nightscape all on a tight urban form gave it a lot of positive points.” —2010 ASLA Professional Awards Jury
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Pacific Cannery Lofts is a slice of West Oakland’s storied history reborn as an assemblage of urban dwellings, gardens, and industrial relics. Long a vacant shell set in a mixed residential/industrial neighborhood, the early 20th century cannery was adapted to provide transit-oriented housing, serving both Oakland and San Francisco. The Green Point Rated project features enlivened public streetscapes, four courtyard “social” gardens highlighting recycled materials, historic relics, and rainwater catchment systems. Project Location, Scope, and Size Pacific Cannery Lofts brings 163 loft and townhouse units to a 2.7 acre site in Oakland’s westernmost neighborhood. The location, a half-mile from Oakland’s downtown, walking distance to the West Oakland BART station, immediately adjacent to major freeways, and minutes from the Bay Bridge, is a critically valuable site for increasing the stock of transit-oriented housing in the San Francisco Bay Area. Landscape plans include an entry plaza and streetscape along the public frontage, three social courtyard gardens designed within the preserved frame of the old cannery, and a fourth garden court grove of edible plants sited between the cannery building and a newly constructed row of townhouses. The landscape architect provided both landscape design, landscape contracting, and custom fabrication services for the project, allowing for an ability to maintain design intent while responding to developing ideas and field conditions. The landscape architect identified, refurbished and sited historic relics as sculptural elements throughout the project, reflecting the local labor past. Site and Context Since it’s heyday as a working neighborhood of Victorian bungalows built to house the dockworkers, Pullman Porters, and warehouse workers of the early 20th century, the West Oakland neighborhood had lost vitality as these industries moved on. The abandoned hulks of warehouses and the crumbling Beaux Arts style Central Train Station cast a neglected atmosphere on the community for decades. A maze of raised freeways, frontage roads, and rail lines to the west of the site create a noisy din. Pacific Cannery Lofts is part of a vision to develop nearly 30 acres of brownfield land into the new “Central Station” neighborhood. The larger neighborhood project brings together a number of developers to build over a thousand new housing units, parks, improved streets, commercial spaces, and an urban farm around the renovated Central Train Station, to be restored for use as a public amenity. Neighborhood residents were invited to a series of community meetings early in the process to offer input regarding the direction of the larger plan. The landscape architect has played a leading role in this process, providing landscape plans that span several residential projects, connected via pedestrian routes, designing pocket parks, and creating a unifying streetscape to characterize the “Central Station” project. Design Program and Intent The landscape design of Pacific Cannery Lofts arose from three primary objectives: contributing aesthetically and socially valuable spaces to the community, creating an oasis for the residents from the intensely urban surroundings, and evoking a sense of the cultural and socio-political history of West Oakland. Two major design strategies in the project reflect the intention to relate spatially and socially to the existing neighborhood. The first was to visually extend the two streets that terminate into the project in order to give a sense of the urban grid moving through the project, avoiding a cloistered, private effect. The streets become pedestrian lanes on site, maintaining long views to the city and shipyard beyond. The second strategy was in the handling of the streetscape; at grade, unit entries line every public face of the project, relating to the streets
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as the existing neighborhood houses do. Unit entries are marked with tough, drought tolerant plantings, suited to the exposed location. A large street-side plaza marks the project entry with tall palms set on a mound of grasses. More grasses fan out along the streetscape, punctuated by street trees, characterizing the project with a clean rhythm and waving in the winds that sweep over the flat site. Creating a sense of retreat and privacy for residents was approached with thoughtful organization of space, and rich detail in three lushly planted courtyards and a linear grove court featuring edible trees and plants. Central walkways focus circulation to the middle of the spaces, leaving room adjacent to the buildings for individual entry garden zones and privacy plantings designed to screen private unit patio areas. Incorporating edible plants and highlighting natural wind and stormwater events in the gardens tempers the heavily built atmosphere of the site. Distinct program and materials characterize the courtyards and provide a variety of experiences: The “Dining Room Courtyard” features a custom concrete table and wood benches under a steel arbor for enjoying a communal outdoor meal. A line of palm trees reaches to the upper floor units and echo those on the entry mound, visible through the glass entry gate. Flagstone paths lead to individual unit entries, furnished with a dual-purpose bench and aqueduct. Rainwater from the roof, deposited to the pebble filled aqueduct, spills into the two recycled tumbled glass infiltration “rivers” adjacent to the main walkway and recharges the local aquifer. Under-lighting at night illuminates the glass channel and marks the path. The “Living Room Courtyard” focuses on a pair of brightly hued custom concrete banquettes and low tables flanking the central walkway. The tandem u-shaped seating design invites conversation and provides respite. Fragrant Angel’s Trumpet shrubs, tree ferns and palms create a lushly tropical effect with low-water use understory plants. The “Lew Hing Garden Court”, named after the cannery’s original owner, features a raised boardwalk floating above a stylized “nature” of shade tolerant grasses and flowering plants. Vertical limestone monoliths punctuate boardwalk spurs to unit entries. The “Grove Garden” flanks a pathway of permeable golden decomposed granite. Planted with bananas, citrus trees, huckleberry and a layered understory of shrubs and groundcovers, the Grove is a delightfully abundant, textured landscape. Galvanized stock tanks filled with bamboo create a living screen between private patios on the old loading dock. Materials and Installation The landscape architect mined elements from the cannery structure including abandoned machinery for repurposing in the context of the new gardens. The relics are distinct to West Oakland’s century old labor history and include cast iron machine wheels, engines, gears, switchboards, and industrial scales which are mounted throughout the development. The recycled tumbled glass riverbed in the Dining Room Court, and stone columns in the Lew Hing Garden add to the historic character. Hand crafted site furnishings made from FSC certified wood, concrete, steel, and glass were designed by the landscape architect and crafted by our in-house installation team. Environmental Impact Salient sustainable features of the Pacific Cannery Lofts project include: artfully integrated stormwater management, microclimate adapted plant materials serviced by a reclaimed water drip irrigation system, the project’s transit-oriented, brownfield location and the re-use of a substantial part of the cannery building. The showcasing of abandoned equipment and recycled materials into the project, rather than sending them to the landfill, addresses larger community issues of waste management while exhibiting a rich layer of local labor history. Collaboration From the initial stages of the design, the landscape architect collaborated with the building architect and the developer to incorporate community input and sustainable principles in the remaking of the abandoned industrial site into a new residential development. The landscape architect, along with the consultant team, provided design documents for the project entitlement and building permits. Working closely with the general contractor, the landscape architect provided an in-house contractor team of fabricators, craftspeople, and landscape technicians to carry out the installation of the landscape.
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1. Entry Plaza with a view through the Dining Room Courtyard to the shipyards beyond. 2. The Grove Garden seen from the north toward the entry plaza. Edible Bananas and Grape vines are mixed with ornamental Papyrus, Reeds, Rubus, and flowering Abutilon. Permeable golden decomposed granite creates a warm, tactile pathway. 3. Bamboo in galvanized stock tanks visually separates unit entries in the Grove. 4. Living Room Courtyard Central “commons” Area with concrete banquettes. 5. Lew Hing Garden board-walk with limestone monoliths marking unit entries. Abutilon, Heuchera, Mondo Grass and Japanese Maples give an Asian sensibility to this garden named for the cannery’s original owner. 6. Lew Hing Courtyard seen from upper arcade walkway. 7. Living Room Courtyard seen from above with step stones to individual units off of main path. Shade tolerant ferns, Angels trumpet, Japanese Anemone, and Baby’s Tears thrive here. 8. Site Plan 9. Abandoned cannery relics are re-purposed throughout the project as industrial sculpture. These ten foot diameter steel wheels were originally part of the ice-making equipment. They are displayed in the west entry gallery. 10. Slate control switch-panels with chalk markings still evident from cannery production days are mounted on building walls, recalling the local labor history. 11. Nightlighting of the Dining Room Courtyard with the stormwater infiltration “river” of recycled glass. 12. Dining Room Courtyard with an aqueduct bench in the foreground and stormwater infiltration “river” filled with recycled glass adjacent to the walkway. The communal dining area with arbor is seen toward the center.
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Padaro Lane
Project Design: Keith LeBlanc Landscape Architecture Project Location: Carpinteria, California, USA Project Type: Single Family Residential
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“It works well with the existing architecture, reusing materials that were there. The amount of impervious space was reduced tremendously. A real achievement.” —2010 Professional Awards Jury The modern aesthetic of this striking home was embraced by the landscape architect during the renovation of this coastal garden. The design of this renovated landscape unifies the site by embracing the distinctive architecture and existing plant palette while incorporating contemporary standards of environmental stewardship. The resultant garden is a contemporary landscape informed by the site’s modernist past. Existing Conditions This 1.7 acre property is set within a series of narrow residential sites that line the Pacific coast. The existing landscape exhibited little relation to the modernist architecture and little cohesion in its own right. The planting design was dominated by a collection of haphazardly-placed tropical plants accumulated by the previous owner over several decades. The collection had been poorly maintained and had become overgrown through the years. Like the planting, large expanses of degraded hardscape materials in the courtyard and driveway contributed to an air of neglect throughout the property. Design The landscape architect harnessed the strong planar forms of the architecture to create equally bold exterior spaces. At the parking court, offset panels of permeable paving extend the language of the rooftop planes to the ground. In the central courtyard, similar panels of recycled concrete pavers are set at right angles creating a staggered garden path that leads visitors towards the main house. Redwood, stone, and glass, a palette established by the architecture, was introduced into the landscape in variety of unexpected ways. At the pool, these materials were layered to create a striking counterpoint to the house. A wooden deck creates a horizontal platform which is punctured by a pool framed with a monolithic stone coping. Fading from dark to light, recycled glass tiles reverse the expected gradient as they descend into the pool heightening the shadow line created by the overhanging stone coping. The materials of the architecture were further incorporated into the garden through the careful insertion of salvaged redwood and translucent glass panels throughout the site. These panels bridge landscape and architecture by defining outdoor spaces, providing privacy, channeling views and creating simple planes that become dynamically activated through their interaction with the patterns of light and shadow cast from adjacent plant material. The modernist aesthetic also informs the specifics of the planting design. Palms, flax, and papyrus planted beside the redwood and glass panels were selected for their ability to create crisp, bold shadow patterns. Both along the redwood panels and the ocean terrace, massings of a single color create textural volumes that allow the landscape to achieve the same bold impact as the architecture. These massings contrast with the patchwork of varied sedums which frame the private roof deck above the master suite. Environmental Stewardship Embracing preservation was the first step in developing an environmentally-sensible site design. By working with the existing home and plant stock the landscape architect was able to reduce the overall levels of waste material by incorporating salvaged materials throughout the landscape design. The original concrete pavers were one of several materials that were salvaged and reused throughout the site. Re-laid, these pavers form the staggered garden path which crosses the central courtyard. Similarly, the redwood and glass panels were constructed from salvaged planking saved during the concurrent architectural renovation. In addition, existing trees and shrubs were tagged, cataloged, and reused in order to significantly reduce the amount of new plant material introduced into the new planting design. Reducing the levels of impermeable surfacing was also a major goal of the landscape plan. This task was accomplished in a number of ways. An existing asphalt driveway and parking court were removed in favor of a reinforced grass drive and a parking court set with permeable paving. Reinforced grass was again used at the south access drive, allowing infiltration to occur where previously a compacted dirt driveway had channeled runoff directly towards the ocean. Onsite infiltration was also increased by the removal of concrete paving around the pool and reduction of the amount of concrete pavers in the central courtyard. Finally, the green roof also contributes to a reduction in runoff in this area. 1. The wood deck and monolithic coping introduce the language of architectural materials to the pool area. 2. Recycled glass tile was designed to fade from dark to light as it descends into the pool. 3. Site Plan 4. Offset panels of permeable paving extend the horizontal language of the roof to the ground plane defining the parking court. A reinforced grass driveway seemlessly blends into the lawn allowing access from the entry gate. 5. Concrete pavers were recycled and reused to create this meandering pathway through a now lush central courtyard. 6. The reinforced lawn driveway provides a connection from the street to the parking court. 7. Looking back towards the entry gate, the reinforced lawn driveway blends into the large landscape 8. A green roof and deck provide a dramatic vantage point to view the Pacific Ocean beyond. 9. These design development studies illustrate how panels of recycled redwood and translucent glass are activated by the patterns of light and shadow cast from the bold tropical plantings. 10. A linear massing of sea statice and flax ‘Dark Delight’ achieves the same bold impact as the redwood roofline. 11. Glass doors now open from the studio, transformed from an existing garage, into the viewing garden. This garden provides a contemplative private addtion to the studio while blurring the line between interior and exterior space. 12. The salvaged redwood and glass landscape panels interact with a massing of flax ‘Dark Delight’ to define one corner of the parking court. 2
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13. Existing vegetation provides a linear buffer between the designed landscape and beachfront.
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Passage to the Lake
Project Location: Maine, USA Project Design: Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.
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“Simply stunning. The pathway to the water is intensely beautiful. The landscape architect has a real genius for balancing bold materials that relate to the home and providing good contrast with beautiful plants and nature.” — 2008 Professional Awards Jury Comments Project Statement J.B. Jackson observes that the essence of a garden “satisfies the aspirations of everyday existence” with “work that has quality and measure, capable of humanizing a small fragment of nature.” This garden’s emotive qualities are shaped by a belief held both by the client and landscape architect that the stewardship of a landscape is an art form, one that balances the studied appreciation of its life-content and the development of its ritual occupation – in this case through the crafting of a passage through a small wooded site to a lake. Within the practice of landscape architecture, this project demonstrates the difficult-to-achieve balance between the imposition of design and the invitation of a site’s dynamic capacities for successional growth. Project Context The Maine landscape is classically identified by the proliferation of kettle pond lakes and dense tracts of native woodlots. Located at one end of a horse shoe-shaped lake in a small community in Stoneham, Maine, this small site accommodates the client’s passion for kayaking by affording access to the lake. The design of the house and the landscape both foster the illusion that the occupation of the site necessitated minimal intervention, while in reality the woodland ground plane required an extensive amount of reconstruction. The damage to the site from the first phase of construction, which included building the house, set in motion an iterative process of field observation and the design of site improvements. Project Tectonic The long concrete site wall edging the vehicular court initiates the tectonic narrative with a rhetorical threshold to the woodland beyond. After crossing this threshold, and passing by the front door to the house, an informal walking path negotiates a steep wooded slope to a boat dock on the lake – the design of which extends the idea of introducing discrete architectural elements as a means for fostering an awareness of the subtle changes in the character of the woodland floor (hydrology, light regime, ground plane planting, existing tree species). The design employs a limited palette for the pathway architecture, consisting of boulders retrieved from the initial site work, native rounded river-stone, cast-in-place concrete and steel – the combination of which constantly changes with the shifts in the site topography and the ground plane plant community that is encountered. Passage The construction of the path and woodland ground plane was phased in four iterative planning steps, and each arrived at by on-site discussions and field investigations with the client. A broad range of design methodologies were employed within the various phases of the project: drawing traditional contract documents, exploring low impact construction methods, researching mail-order components, engaging a metal fabricator to make a specialized bracket, selectively editing volunteer plans, and transplanting plants from other parts of the site. In total, the project work on site spanned eight years, with each progressive step becoming increasingly less invasive and more focused on the qualities of the forest floor – the process of design and the finished project both amount to a kind of meditative passage, one that constantly invites new observations of the qualities of this small woodland site.
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1. A single granite step invites one to cross the threshold wall from the vehicular court into a steep wooded slope-three sugar maples planted close together and a bank of sumac recreate a woodland fringe immediately adjacent to the house. 2. Site Map. 3. The house porch hovers amidst the existing woodland tree canopy with views of the path and lake below. 4. The side of the house that features the entry and a cantilevered screened-in porch draws sightlines deep into the woodland to the lake below. 5. A view back uphill reveals the theatrical juxtaposition of the pathway elements and the house porch hovering above the woodland floor. 6.Looking back towards the vehicular court after descending site stairs that transition from steel to concrete to stone boulders. 7.Concrete risers punctuate a loose rounded-river stone path carefully set into the existing grade so as to minimize disturbance to the existing tree root zones. 8. As the pathway transitions into a stand of pine trees, structural metal grates, supported on low impact pin-foundations, level the pathway and highlight the soft qualities of the pine duff and mossy ground plane. 2
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Rieder’s Residence
Project Location: San Francisco Project Type: Single Family Residence Project Design: Surface Design
A couple with two young children had lived in their house for some five years before engaging the designers to transform their steeply sloping - and seldom used – back yard into a functional outdoor space that offers three distinct – and distinctive – experiences of the garden. The designers approach offers a poetic solution to a problem endemic to many residential gardens in San Francisco: namely, how to create usable space on a steep, underutilized site – exploiting rather than compromising its unique, intrinsic character. The hill embarks fifteen feet from the house, which feeds into the garden on two levels. Entering through the garage from the street, the first view is of a retaining wall, which was in dire need of replacement. On the main living level, the master bedroom opens onto the primary expanse of usable flat space. The challenge – and opportunity – was to create a cohesive plan for the vertical space, creating an experience of the garden below, providing a hospitable gathering space adjacent to the house, and providing access the top of the site, with its postcard views of the ocean. On the lower level, replacing the crumbling retaining wall offered an opportunity to incorporate the water feature requested by the homeowners. A fountain is embedded into two tiered walls; as water passes through bronze weirs it cascades down into pools, creating a pleasant aural backdrop throughout the garden. Visually integrated into the natural environment, the board-form concrete used for the walls has a wood-grain pattern that lends textural integrity, providing erosion control without the weight and monotony of a monolithic slab. At its base, the wall is massive enough to plant in, replacing a once desolate space with a kind of tranquil green grotto and contemplative place to pause. Steps lead up to the main level, an expansive, semi-sheltered outdoor room ideal for dining and a safe play area for the children. Here the goal was to retain an existing oak tree and create harmonious plantings reflective of a natural Northern California plant palette, with native grasses and other drought-tolerant plants surrounding the oak with a sea of muted greens and dusky plums that harmonize against the backdrop of stained black cedar decking and walls. From here, the designers continue the circuit that embarked in the grotto space below, with stairs gracefully leading up to a viewing platform. Previously inaccessible due to the steep grading, this panoramic aerie offers sweeping views of sunsets over the Pacific Ocean and landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge, providing a sense of place within the neighborhood, the city, and beyond. Planting themes in the garden vary by location. The quiet lower grotto is composed of geometric concrete paving, metal planters, and lush, shade-loving plants, such as Woodwardia radicans, Helleborus orientalis, and Persicaria 'Red Dragon'. The sunny hillside is covered with a crimson sea of Tradescantia pallida accented with a mix of agaves (Agave attenuate, Agave parryi, and Agave 'Blue Glow'); Aeoniums and Sedums. The edges of the dramatic hillside and board-formed walls are softened with wispy plumes of Pennisetum alopecuroides. A small path of square concrete pavers leading to the top deck appear to float above a soft bed of naïve fescues and are bordered by a mix of Deer Grass (Muhlenbergia rigens) and Kangaroo Paw (Angiozanthus flavidus).
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San Francisco Residence
Project Location: San Francisco, California, USA Project Type: Single Family Residential Project Design: Lutsko Associates
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“So clear and modern. The detailing and use of materials are innovative and don’t look applied. Beautifully orchestrated, elegant, and small. ” —2010 Professional Awards Jury An urban residential garden in San Francisco, conceived as outdoor architecture for every-day living, maximizes the impact and experience of a small space. Given its small scale, the garden was conceived as architecture without roofs; a space to both appreciate from the upper levels of the house, as well as an intimate set of restful courtyards to be enjoyed from within. The design pays careful attention to the sensory experience of materials and planting, which contribute to the richness and beauty of the garden. This urban garden in the Pacific Heights district of San Francisco surrounds a single family home. The house was designed in 1990 by the noted Bay Area architectural firm EHDD under the tutelage of the late Joe Esherick. When viewed from the home’s two balconies overlooking the site, the garden is a graphic composition of space, materials and planting. From this perspective the distant San Francisco Bay and Alcatraz Island slip into the view of the city spread out below the property. The garden is designed to carry the sense of the city’s urban fabric into the site. From within, the garden is intimately experienced as a sequence of outdoor rooms, their spaces and design features sequentially concealed and revealed as one passes through each threshold in the composition. The garden is divided into a series of three enclosed garden rooms, each rigorously defined by architectural and/or planted edges. The variety of edge treatments - translucent glass, hand-troweled plaster, a curved bronze wall, and planting - explore the relationship between viewer and the adjacent off-site conditions. The walls between rooms are composed of clipped Prunus caroliniana hedges, fit within the structure of steel frames. Thresholds between the spaces create a sense of mystery and discovery as one moves through the garden. Each room is distinct in form and quality. The first room, in need of light and privacy, is defined by translucent glass that emits light and reveals subtle forms from beyond the garden’s edge. This edge is reinforced with billowing Pelargonium tomentosum and Salvia cacaliifolia to bring a sense of nature and fragrance into the otherwise constructed space. The sculptural forms of multi-branched Osmanthus fragrans against a clean plaster wall terminate the view end of this space. The second room is dominated by the most dramatic element of the garden, a large curving wall made of bronze. From a slot in the wall, water cascades into a basin cut into the paving beneath. Placed against an adjacent building wall, the water feature creates a sensual edge to the quiet, introspective space. In the third room, the visitor gets a surprise vista of the city, the Bay, and the Trans-America Building through an open window-like panel in a translucent wall. The wall’s reeded glass panels layered over the neighbor’s Beaux-Arts balustrade acknowledges the pastiche of the city, and is a reference to changing styles of architecture over time. A lemon tree, espaliered against a plaster wall, aligns with the garden’s axial view. The garden employs large swaths of contrasting materials to create a bold graphic composition: light limestone paving which glows in the San Francisco fog is punctuated with bands of wooly thyme; dark granite stone is etched with pallid spirals to evoke a mosaic. The planting palette is restrained; shades of green and grey with white flowers give precedence to form over color. Bold textured foliage contrasts dramatically with the materiality of the space. The combination of material selection and structural composition respond to the simple, distilled forms of the house. The garden becomes a literal extension of the house for everyday living while still relating to its adjacent urban form.
1. The intimate urban garden is tucked in between a series of historic and modern homes, garden courtyards, and a sunken carriage house, with views of the San Francisco Bay and Alcatraz in the distance. 2. The small space is divided into three distinct garden rooms connected by a series of thresholds and by a consistent material palette of limestone, metal and glass. 3. Site Plan 4. Reeded glass panels are used to create a separation between spaces while creating a layered composition of bold foliage forms. 5. Thresholds into the garden and between garden spaces are defined by gates, walls, arbors, and planting. 6. Each garden space is defined by and responds to a different set of pre-existing site adjacencies. Edge treatments balance the needs for both light and privacy, a sense of enclosure as well as a sense for what lies beyond the garden walls. 7. The garden pairs traditional forms of axial views and clipped hedges with a modern sensibility of material and structure that complements the architecture of the residence. 8. Careful attention was paid to the textures and detailing of materials and planting as in this composition of etched granite inlaid with limestone and the soft leaves of Pelargonium tomentosum. 9. Largely experienced from the home’s terrace above, the garden is expressed both as a graphic composition as well as a series of restful courtyards from within. 10. The garden slowly unfolds as one moves through the three garden rooms. While small in space, each design element is constantly reframed creating an endless number of visual compositions and spatial experiences. 11. The landscape architect collaborated with a local metal artist to create the curved bronze wall and fountain. The wall creates a sensual edge to an otherwise rectilinear space. 12. The translucent reeded glass wall pays homage to the neighbor's Beaux-Arts balustrade and frames a view of San Francisco's Trans-America Building in the distance. The design creates a sense of privacy while embracing the site's unique urban setting. 13. Each transition between garden spaces was carefully designed to create both a sense of mystery and a sense of discovery as the garden is concealed and revealed to the viewer.
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Speckman House
Project Location: Minnesota, USA Project Type: Single Family Residential Project Design: Coen+Partners
“Fearless through all seasons. The landscape architect has selected very impressive plant materials, putting particular thought into coloration. Simple and elegant.” — 2009 Professional Awards Jury This landscape is a comprehensive site redesign for an existing modernist house, designed in 1956 by a University of Minnesota architecture professor. The residence has had few modifications, and is largely faithful to the original architectural vision. The landscape intent is to create a series of linked site interventions respecting the architecture and embracing the modernist ethos in a manner that is functional and responsive to 21st century needs and environmental sensibilities. Project Location The Speckman House is an existing 1950’s modernist single family home in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota. The neighborhood is a middle class enclave of postwar homes with distant bluff views to the Minnesota River Valley. It is the permanent residence for a professional couple and their young son. The site is generous for an urban property with considerable topographic change from north to south, and an existing mature oak forest in the southern half. Scope and Size This project is a complete redesign of the entire 1.3 acre property to frame the 1950’ s architecture, provide dynamic useable, exterior space, integrate a pool, and mitigate erosion stemming from a poor cut/fill balance when the home was originally constructed. The landscape architect, in collaboration with the client, concepted, designed, and detailed everything within the landscape. With the exception of the beautiful oak forest, not a piece of the property was left untouched. Site and Context Investigation Prior to the landscape architect’s involvement, the property was in decline. The client had begun to restore the home’s interior, but quickly realized the landscape required immediate attention due to negligence by prior owners. The site was wildly overgrown, with invasive plant material threatening longevity of the oak forest in the rear yard and erosion of the slope threatening significant soil loss. In the front yard, a circular drive dominated the initial view and exposed the home’s living space to the street and approaching vehicles. Despite these realities, the site and home had amazing potential. The oak forest in the rear yard is incredibly beautiful with at least thirty mature White Oaks visible from the home’s first floor. The home’s orientation, with the long axis running east/west, allows for great southern exposure and large views towards the Mississippi River Valley. In addition the house was placed further back in the lot than the neighboring homes, allowing for great privacy in the rear yard, and a the opportunity to rework a better approach in the front yard. Design Program and Intent The landscape intent is to create a series of linked site interventions respecting the architecture and embracing the modernist ethos in a manner that is responsive to 21st century needs and environmental sensibilities. It also was imperative to create a functional statement piece with the landscape. The client owns a very successful restaurant business and entertains large groups of people on a weekly basis during warm months. The design program for this residential landscape is substantial. It includes the integration of a salt water swimming pool, a salt water spa for use in Minnesota winters, significant and multiple areas for dining and lounging, a new entry experience for vehicles and guests, privacy concerns, mitigation of the slope in the rear yard to create useable space, integration of plant material which the owner can tend and trim, and foremost the development of a contemporary landscape which complements the modernist architecture. Materials and Installation Methods With materiality and installation, the intent is to showcase innate properties of the selected materials. Given the era of the home, and its materiality, the landscape architect and client worked together to develop materials and installation methods discouraging cladding or masking of materials, and encouraging the exposure of each material element. The site is grounded by a circulation system of 12” x 24” white concrete pavers with recycled glass and high fly-ash content. All paving is dry laid in a stacked bond on a substantial aggregate base. Other surfacing materials include poured concrete (driveway), crushed aggregate (east garden), and plantation grown ipe wood decks with hidden fasteners. A series of walls mark this project. The concrete walls, two in the front yard and two in the
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back yard, were poured in place using a locally sourced concrete mix resulting in a lighter grey color than standard pours. The walls are board-formed with sanded fir plywood and custom cone ties. As these walls are critically important to the project, multiple on-site mockups using different types of plywood, top edge radii, and cone ties, were reviewed. The landscape architect selected the sanded fir plywood and round cone ties as both the texture of the fir and the roundness of the cone ties, lends softness to the walls echoing the relaxed yet clear materiality found throughout the house. The last wall, a 105-foot long Cor-Ten steel wall, runs along the east edge of the site. The top elevation of the wall is held constant for the length of the wall, allowing the terraces to step down in elevation to the south. The wall is constructed of 4’ x 8’ sheets of Cor-Ten with the top edge rolled to create a soft transition from façade to top of wall. The Cor-Ten sheets are fastened to a Cor-Ten structure attached to a concrete wall. A two-inch offset where the steel overlaps the concrete wall on the front façade reveals the clarity of construction method within the occupied landscape. Environmental Impact and Concerns The redesign of this residential landscape ensures the longevity of this 1950’s home and the site. A home of this style, in Minnesota, requires a particular type of owner, and given the small square footage of the home, without significant long-term investment, the house could easily been lost to major remodeling or to tear-down. In addition, the landscape architect paid close attention to using materials with a high percentage of recycled material, employing local craftspeople for all metalworking on the project, implementing a design which eliminated erosion on site, took great advantage of solar aspect, and was judicious in the implementation of a planting plan favoring existing mature species, eliminating invasive, employing native material that now regularly attracts wild turkeys, fox, and other fauna to the property’s re-vegetated southern slope. Collaboration with Client and Other Designers This project could not have been possible without close collaboration with the client. The client regularly challenged design ideas and questioned everything from material selection and cost, to the spacing of plant material and cone ties for the concrete walls. Weekly meetings through construction documentation and twice-weekly meetings during CA were imperative to the result. Other important collaborations were with the general contractor, the metal workers, concrete team, arborist for integrating the large white oak in the upper terrace, and prairie consultant for the rear yard.
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The Caledonia
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Project Location: New York, New York, USA Project Design: HM White Site Architects
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Manhattan’s first luxury condominium tower on the highly anticipated High Line features three highly developed roof gardens designed by HM White Site Architects. Inspired by its expansive Hudson River waterfront setting, the designs aspire to bring the outside in and the inside out. Blurring the intersection of building and landscape, a “green roof” system is employed for each roof. Gathering and recreational amenity spaces are engulfed within a lush vegetated context that also absorbs the majority of the building's storm water run-off. The primary central courtyard garden serves as a place of repose to invite quiet contemplative activities. The garden’s spatial structure is created by a dense European Hornbeam hedgerow and opposing meandering Red Maple woodland. Sitting rooms have been carved out of a cultivated grassland meadow that contrasts against the woodland’s foliage textures and hues. The upper roof gardens flow from complimentary internal public amenity spaces. A collection of gathering stone terraces and IPE decks float within undulating wildflower and grassland meadows creating a sense of spatial infinity. These elevated garden designs evoke a distant exotic coastal landscape that merge with the sky and Chelsea’s visually complex skyline - erasing any suggestion of being confined within a rooftop structure.
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The Designers Residence
Project Period: started in July 2004 and still under construction. Project Location: Syracuse, New York, USA Photographer: Charles Wright Project Design: A J Miller & Associates
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The property is situated in the City of Syracuse. The location is on a City lot within a neighborhood of exclusive homes established from 1900 to the present day. The garden we designed had to be both for us and our family to enjoy as well as a demonstration garden for our clients to visit and acquaint themselves with our company philosophy. The garden is a showroom for our work as well as an experimental area so that we could plant various plants not commonly used in our area and monitor there survival. We use this information in our business so that we can be confident that certain plants are hardy enough, diseases & Pest resistant, and require no irrigation or special handling in the winter months. If the plants flourish for 5 years we then specify them for use in our projects. The garden also is a place that potential clients can come to discuss the type of plants they are aware of and like, and the maintenance requirement and growing conditions that they need. Our clients come away with a stronger sense that we are committed to the sustainability of their gardens and that we truly know the plant requirements for their area. The concept of this project was to create a garden that resembles that engages the style and era of the home (Arts and Crafts period). The original garden consisted of asphalt pathways, overgrown trees and shrubs and lawn. The front lawn and trees and shrubs were removed except for large trees on the bank at the sides. The property sits high above James Street and appears to those in the garden of being up in the tree canopy. It is completely private and not overlooked. This aspect helped with the design concept of creating a garden for viewing from the raised porches of which there are three. One porch is for seating and dining, the other two for seating and viewing the garden. This concept would lead to the creation of parterres in an Arts & Crafts pattern. 900 Boxwood shrubs were laid out and planted to create a precise Boxwood Parterre. The Parterre consists of six main squares. The back two squares have Holly Cubes planted in them, while the four squares have Henry Hudson Roses that are pale pink when in bud turning to white as flowers. This is a heavily scented Rose and free from disease or pests, and very cold weather hardy. The soil was improved greatly and a large well dug for a 5ft deep catch basin. This is the water supply for a recirculating fountain made of limestone. The water flows gently over the edges of the bowl onto an area of loose pebbles. This water features acts not only as a sound buffer from the noises of road traffic but as a bird bath. Along the side of the garden and house to the west a Rose Garland constructed of galvanized posts supports a large diameter nautical rope. Many types of Roses, Clematis, Golden Hops and Dutchmans Pipe are planted with Oriental Poppies, Salvia and Lady’s Mantle, along and below the garland. The design necessitated extensive tree and shrub removal. The lawn and garden areas were leveled and gravel paths and gardens were laid. Nine hundred Boxwood shrubs were planted and then trimmed to form neat hedges. Roses and Holly are planted within the parterre. We sell fiberglass planters and having various styles displayed throughout the garden to enable clients to view them in a garden context. We plant the planters regularly to create dramatic seasonal plant displays. The rear garden is under construction after the removal of a large diseased Oak tree. The design here is North facing so a completely different plant palette will be used. A large Pennsylvania bluestone terrace will be laid for outdoor cooking facilities and dining. A Grass Roof will be planted on the garage that overlooks this space. We will densely plant this area to enclose and to give a sense of solitude & privacy. Construction materials include Pennsylvania Blue stone pavers, gravel pathways, galvanized steel post and rope for the Rose garland. Limestone planting bowl converted into a water feature.
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1. Front garden limestone fountain water feature 2. Under the rose garland facing the front porch 3. Front garden 4. View across axis facing the seating area 5. Seating area in front of the house 6. Side view across parterre 7. Birds eye view of parterre from the roof garden 8. View of side shade garden facing the side porch 9. Shade garden with steel sculpture - Homage to ‘Sodus Point’ by Frank Brogna 10. Steel sculpture- Homage to ‘Sodus Point’ by Frank Brogna 11. Site & House Plan 12. Shade garden
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The French Residence
Project Period: July 2007 - June 2009 Project Location: Syracuse, New York, USA Photographer: Charles Wright Project Design: A J Miller & Associates
The property is situated in a residential community just outside the City of Syracuse. The location is set high in the hills overlooking the City of Syracuse. The property has a uninterrupted 250 % view of City landmarks, woods and lakes. The concept of this project was to create a landscape for entertaining and enjoyment for the family and their two teenage children and friends. The design converted a steeply graded slope in the woods into terraces to allow for level outdoor entertainment facilities ensuring a gracious garden environment conducive to enjoyment and play. Perched high on a hill, the site had magnificent views across the city and to wonderful sunsets. The designs needed large retaining walls to create two level terraces. The top terrace is comprised of a free form swimming pool with a vanishing edge that hovers in the landscape. The vanishing edge drops 9ft to create a water wall falling over natural stone and into a small pool on the lower lawn terrace. The top terrace is surrounded by gardens that surround the pool and a large stone fireplace that acts as the center this outdoor living room. We encouraged the client to rebuild their existing wooden deck and introduce a spiral metal staircase that freed up room on the terrace and improved circulation between the indoors and outdoors. Stone steps and gardens lead visitors from the top terrace to the front of the house at level 10 ft. higher up. The lower terrace comprises a grass lawn and steps to a woodland walk. This area is for sports and play as well as setting up a tent for outdoor functions. The design process included cutting into the hill and removing many tons of soil from the site. Very little fill was used to create the levels. We imported top soil for all the planting areas. We then hired stone masons to construct the stone veneer walls and the stone fireplace. Another contractor was responsible for the dry laid stone walls and steps as well as the travertine pavers. The landscape contractors were responsible for the irrigations systems and installing the trees, shrubs, perennials and lawns. We elected to plant some large specimen trees and shrubs for an instant effect. Other than these exceptions native plant materials were used to allow for existing site conditions and ease of maintenance. A J Miller & Associates were the lighting designers for this project. Electricians installed many linear feet of cable for a comprehensive landscape lighting throughout. Brass cast light fixtures were chosen for their durability and water resistant qualities. Indirect lighting principals were used so that the light fixtures were concealed and blended into the hardscape and plantings. As designers we were also instrumental in advising our client to repaint the existing home from white and grey to a warm beige with green trim highlights, a new brown roof and copper gutters. This anchored the house to the site and complemented the hard landscape materials, reducing glare, helping with the scale of the project and creating a warmer more inviting atmosphere. We also provided the six large fibre glass plant containers for the project and undertook to regularly create dramatic seasonal plant displays. Construction materials include Travertine natural pavers in a warm beige color. The paving pattern is French Bond that comprises three paver sizes. The retaining walls are comprised of natural stone taken from a quarry in the Thousand Island region of Upstate New York. The swimming pool surface is 980 sq. ft. and constructed of air implaced Gunite concrete construction. The design is a free form design of interlocking radii. The pool has a 20 Infinity edge that drops over a stone water wall of 9 ft. high. The pool has a sun shelf which is approx. 70 sq. ft. for chairs and shallow seating. The pool is 12 ft. deep with steps and benches. The pool finish is in 3M Color Quartz Black and the pool’s upper edge and steps has a Solistone natural pebble border in shades of brown and black. The pool has a salt generator to balance the saline water filtration system. The pool equipment is concealed in an 7 ft. high underground room to reduce the sound of the pumps running the vanishing edge. The whole site including the 4 acres woodland designed for landscape lighting that includes up lights for large trees, well lights for the stone veneer walls, and path and landscape lighting in the plant beds.
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The Glazer Residence
Project Period: July 2006 - June 2007 Project Location: Rochester, New York, USA Photographer: Charles Wright Project Design: A J Miller & Associates
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The property is situated in a residential community just outside the City of Rochester. The location is on a large City lot within a neighborhood of exclusive homes established from 1900 to the present day. The design was created as a garden reminiscent of the house’s style. The existing garden was overgrown for many years, and no plant beds remained only lawn. The client wanted a garden in a style similar to that they had seen in Europe. They requested a garden for entertaining and enjoyment for the family, especially their four young children and their friends. The design required that many overgrown trees be removed; this new light and open space allowed for the creation of outdoor garden rooms in a more formal style. We created a large brick terrace for outdoor dining and seating, this area was edged with large limestone troughs and planted out every season with lavish, dramatic, colorful displays. Pathways lead from here to the Great Lawn or under an archway planted out with many climbers and under planted with scented perennials. A vista begins from the terrace through to the formal Parterre enclosed in low Boxwood hedging. At the end of this vista there is a large limestone planter on a plinth with bench seating. Along the side of the parterre is a herb garden used extensively by the client in her cooking. A second formal garden was created to the side of the house next to a raised terrace of the Living room. Here we designed a Rose & Peony Garden edged in Boxwood hedging and framed from the street with a row of mature columnar horn beams. The Great Lawn was created by removing some large overgrown trees. With this tree canopy gone we levelled the lawn and relaid new sod. Surrounding the lawn on one side we created a Woodland Border of trees and shrubs and shade perennials, some specimen trees and shrubs were used for distinction and color. At the front of the house we designed a drive for visitor drop off and allowed space for some visitors to park in the half circle created with a rolled curb (drivable curb). Formal planting using clipped Boxwoods with pyramid shaped Boxwoods at the corners encloses colorful flower displays using perennials and annuals. A row of Columnar Hornbeams run across the front entrance with an entrance to the garages and to the gardens. The design process included extensive tree and shrubs removal. The lawn and garden areas were leveled and new top soil and sod was laid. The front driveway was laid in brick with a rolled curb in sections and granite curbing. Brick pathways with a granite accent strips were laid and gravel pathways into the gardens. Many hundred of Boxwood shrubs were planted and then trimmed to form neat hedges and ten mature Columnar Hornbeams were planted along the front of the property. The landscape contractors were responsible for the irrigations systems and installing the trees, shrubs, perennials and lawns. We elected to plant some large specimen trees and shrubs for an instant effect. This site is well protected by the elements and due to its location, we could plant a greater selection of plants for color, scent and variety. As designers we were also involved in the procurement and planting of the limestone troughs and urns and undertook to regularly create dramatic seasonal plant displays. Construction materials include paths of clay brick pavers to match the house. The paths are outlined with 8 wide flame finish custom granite accent strips. The paving pattern is a combination of Running Bond with center panels in Basket Weave Bond. The driveway was laid in a Herringbone bone clay brick paver, with the pathway to the front door in Basket weave with the granite accent strips. A wrought iron metal archway leads from the parking garage through the herb garden. The gravel paths are laid for all the secondary garden pathways. 2
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1. Formal gardens 2. Formal rose garden 3. Patio plan 4. Patio with trough planters and archway path leading to garages 6. Patio/dining area 7. Planted troughs surround patio 8. Steel arches from entrance gates leading to the great lawn. 9. From patio- axis to formal garden and vista of urn. 10. Curb detail 11. Close-up of steel arches 12. Formal garden with views across ‘great lawn’ 13. Vista from patio to urn 14. Formal garden
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The LeKander Residence
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Project Period: March 2006 - July 2008 Project Location: Wellesely Island, New York, USA Photographer: Mariane Wheatley-Miller Project Design: A J Miller & Associates
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The property is situated in a small community on Wellesley Island, one of over one thousand small islands in the St. Lawrence River named The Thousand Islands, near Clayton, New York. The site is set high above the St. Lawrence River overlooking the Thousand Islands. The property has water access to the St. Lawrence River and is walking distance to the private community of the Thousand Island Trust Park. The project included seven terraces in all, moving from the driveway and parking area down to the St. Lawrence Seaway. Three hard paved stone terraces with walls and steps leading down to the River are in the middle of teh pedestrian path. Planting beds were on all three terraces as well as the final terrace comprising lawns and plant beds. The middle terrace is comprised of a seating area, outdoor cooking facilities and a vine covered dining area under a timber pergola. The gardens that surround the seating areas are colorful year round and also include a cutting garden filled with perennials providing a colorful summer display as well as a source for flowers placed inside the home. The timber deck at the river’s edge has seating areas and access to the boathouse and docks. The existing house was completely renovated by Grater Architects - new porches were added and the existing building foot print increased. The priority of the project was to safely walk through seven level changes, but also to maximize the usage of these small areas and encourage outdoor living environments. Outdoor spaces are conducive to the frequent entertainment for friends & clientele of the owners. The design was created with a full understanding of the environmental extremes the building and site are subject to. The Existing house is on a small site of only 108 ft wide by 93 ft. It is close to both neighboring houses where the community encourages public access across properties yet the design manages to provide a necessary sense of privacy for the client. The design process included a collaboration with the architects, builders, local planning committee and neighbors. It was a sensitive project due to the close proximity of the neighbors’ homes and the planning regulations for this prestigious area. Access was also difficult and as a favor neighbors allowed all necessary machinery access to the site. Access to the site for larger pieces of machinery and materials had to come on a tug boat via the St Lawrence River. In the winter months access was cut off to the island and the only access was provided by trucks driving across the river ice. The design demanded terracing the hill to create level areas. The locality has naturally occurring granite bedrock that at times was both an advantage and disadvantage. The construction of the walls and stairs worked around this bedrock. Local stone masons worked through the winter to construct the stone veneer walls and stairs. Another contractor was responsible for the dry laid stone walls and stone pavers. The landscape contractors were responsible for the irrigation systems and installing the trees, shrubs, perennials and lawns. Hardy native plant materials were chosen because of the severity of the sites location and site conditions that led to cold winds and cold temperatures for many months. A J Miller & Associates were the lighting designers for this project. Brass cast light fixtures were chosen for their durability and water resistant qualities. Indirect lighting principals were used so that the light fixtures were concealed and blended into the hardscape and plantings. Construction materials include Pennsylvania Bluestone natural pavers in shades of blue and violet on three terraces, and dry laid walls and veneer walls comprised of natural sandstone from local Thousand Island quarries in shades of gold, browns a greys. The wall caps and stone treads were also made of Pennsylvania Bluestone. In one area of the site we installed a pre-cast concrete retaining wall system with pre-cast concrete 4 ft. wide steps leading from the center terrace up to the Road. In the driveway a poured concrete slab was installed and granite pebbles in shades of gold, brown and grey were added to the surface then sealed. Natural granite stone out crops were integrated into newly constructed concrete walls and veneered in natural stone. Timber decks and stairways were installed and stained in shades of green, brown and red to match the newly renovated house. A timber pergola and a veneer stone hearth was built to house large fiberglass trough planters. The pergola and hearth were constructed on the center terrace to screen the dining area from neighboring properties.
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The Pool House
Project Location: Dallas, Texas, USA Project Type: Residence Project Design: Hocker Design Group
“Very unique and playful. The detailing is exquisite. The informality of it all just works. The glass wall when lit up is lovely. Very elegant plants blue recycled glass slag. This element is lit from within, and emits a smoldering glow at night. collection. The proportions are spot on.” Seamless transition between the inside and out was extremely important. The Pool House sits on a concrete plinth. The interior concrete —2010 Professional Awards Jury floor seamlessly extends out surrounding the swimming pool. The pool hovers 1” above the concrete deck with an infinity edge around the perimeter. The water hugs the glass tiled edge, and disappears below a stainless steel grate. A sunning deck extends out over the pool The Pool House serves as an urban retreat for an artist and car enthusiast who live next door. The Pool House functions as the center for family into the garden beyond. The ipe wood decking compliments the skin of the Pool House, and creates a very strong visual connection from and social gatherings, successfully accommodating varying sized crowds. This two story box was tucked discreetly towards the rear of the site, the pool deck to the garden. A small water feature cast into the concrete deck provides subtle noise to eliminate any distractions from creating a series of transitional garden spaces. beyond the garden walls. Large stone slabs become “connectors” throughout the site, and provide transition from space to space. These The project was an intense collaboration of architect, client, and landscape architect. A great amount of thought and design was incorporated organic, sinuous pathways culminate, and encircle a fire pit. A minimal plant palette creates mass plantings used for large textural impact into every detail throughout the entire process. The client’s affinity for the color blue was incorporated into several of the dominating elements and screening for privacy. within the garden and the house. The central spine of the site is a 6’ ht. privacy wall. This sculptural element is a stainless steel cage filled with
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The Power House
Project Location: Dallas, Texas, USA Project Type: Urban Residence Project Design: Hocker Design Group
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“This is art! Compelling and monumental. Its layers of industrial use that define the site are remnants the design pulls together. It celebrates its past use.” —2010 Professional Awards Jury This neighborhood electrical substation was built in 1923 by Dallas Power and Light Company in a mixed residential and commercial area of town. The substation was constructed of red brick, with a high surrounding brick wall, and Neo-Classical details. Left vacant for 20 years, the three storey substation was transformed into a single family residence. This urban garden has sprung to life with in the walls of a former industrial compound. The garden occupies a good portion of the nearly ½ acre site. The compound is organized into spaces that directly relate back to its original industrial predecessor. The exterior is an urban experience for the many pedestrians that frequently travel by on their way to a well used hike and bike trail. A carpet of buffalo grass softens the ground plane, minimizing water consumption and maintenance. Groves of Eve’ s Necklace trees punctuate the buffalo grass, and provide seasonal interest. Along the western flank, a massive basalt boulder plinth rises up and provides a very urban connection to the streetscape. High rise live oaks penetrate the plinth, and become shading elements for the three storey high windows. Upon entering the motor court, a windswept native live oak becomes a living sculpture. The tree rises up out of a fitted basalt boulder mound. This “island” provides shade and relief from the intense sun, as its shadows move across the ground below. The motor court is enclosed with a living green screen that provides privacy and a sense of enclosure. The inner courtyard is surrounded by a high brick wall. This former industrial yard housed many of the large transformers and equipment at the north end a large steel pivot gate opens up to reveal a tilted plinth of buffalo grass. The steel sided plinth erupts into the courtyard creating the sense of upheaval. The beautiful rusting steel sides resemble the soil horizon. The buffalo grass becomes animated with the slightest breeze. A lone mesquite tree is a living sculpture surrounded by basalt gravel, its shadows gracing the ground.
1.View of main inner-walled courtyard looking north 2.View of main inner-walled courtyard looking north 3.View of main inner-walled courtyard looking south 4.Bird’s-eye view close-up of raised steel planter, buffalo grass, and crushed basalt aggregate 5.View of basalt boulder wall and high-rise live oak allée 6.Bird’s-eye view of inner courtyard 8.Detail view of raised steel plinth, buffalo grass, and lone mesquite tree beyond 9.View of main inner-walled courtyard looking south through the pivot gate up the "tilted" plinth of buffalo grass 10.Site Plan 11.View of original power station fencing given a living green screen treatment for privacy 13.View of motor court specimen "windswept" live oak tree in a raised basalt boulder mound 14.Bird’s-eye view of motor court live oak in basalt boulder mound 10
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15.Detail view of basalt boulder wall and oak allée
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Typical Linear Residential Garden
Project Location: Alexandria, Louisiana, USA
This residence occupies a seventeen acre parcel just outside of Alexandria, Louisiana along Bayou Rapides. This area has been and continues to be a largely rural area surrounded by agricultural fields of cotton and corn. Our firm was retained by the clients to prepare on overall landscape masterplan for the property. A primary component of the plan was a pool and pavilion to be placed in the rear garden area of the existing residence. The existing residence was designed by an architect and was well done. Our plan was to repeat the materials used in the residence’s construction for continuity. Our plan for the pavilion and pool was also intended to address all of the client’s program requirements and functional concerns, yet create a design that responded to the residences rural location and character, with dramatic new open space views to a tree line and the bayou beyond. All of the forms and materials were derived from that which was indigenous. Old Rapides Brick (a turn of the century brick company in Rapides Parish), salvaged lumber, as well as native plant materials help create a space that resonates with its rural setting. The broom sedge was harvested from adjacent pastures. The long linear form of the pool, the water feature, steps, etc… were all inspired by crop rows, agricultural irrigation and native vegetation surrounding the site. We believe this design is worthy for its simple design solution that addressed the clients request in a way that relates to this residence’s environment.
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Ward Residence
Project Location: California: USA Architect: David Baker: Partners
The project met the client’s goals by respecting and extending the modernist character of the home into the landscape, while simultaneously introducing other elements into the landscape that stand in contrast to and create a tension with the formal modernism of the house. Three small “snow globe” windows frame views of the three chemical states of water.
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Westminster Presbyterian Church
Project Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Project Type: General Design / Private Institution Project Design: Coen+Partners
“The landscape architect took an incredibly tight space and made something fantastic with it. It is a really challenging design problem to create something so spiritual and intimate on a busy street. It transforms it into a sacred space. There isn’t a move to add or take away.” — 2009 Professional Awards Jury The Memorial Columbarium and Fellowship Courtyard are spaces of quiet beauty which embrace the urban context and encourage a greater shift in public thought as it relates to death and burial ritual in American society. The key design element is a perforated metal fence that abstracts the iconography of the church while acting as a permeable membrane between the private memorial spaces and the public realm. Project Location The Westminster Presbyterian Church site is located immediately south of the Central Business District in downtown Minneapolis. The site is bordered by South 12th Street to the north and Nicollet Mall to the west. The courtyard and columbarium spaces are immediately adjacent to the city sidewalk along South 12th Street, a major vehicular thoroughfare. Peavey Plaza, designed by M. Paul Friedberg, lies directly across South 12th Street. Scope and Size The Memorial Columbarium and Fellowship Courtyard occupy a 7,200 square foot area at the north edge of the Church site. Each space is immediately adjacent to the city sidewalk along bustling South 12th Street. Previously, the exterior site consisted of an overgrown lawn retained from the city sidewalk by a 36’’ high limestone wall and bisected by an entrance to the church. This incision for the entrance determined the dimensions for the two raised areas: the western space is 25 feet at its widest, and the eastern space a more generous 48 feet wide. The Memorial Columbarium is the smaller of the two spaces, and the celebratory Fellowship Courtyard is within the larger, eastern space. Site and Context The context investigation included a study of adjacent transportation and circulation patterns and involved the integration and participation of Westminster Presbyterian Church officials including the minister, an architecture team supervising interior renovations, and the City of Minneapolis. The design team looked to the program established by the Church and the geometry and materiality of the existing historical architecture to specifically influence the site design. Research into the process of grieving, the history of cremation, and precedent review of 20th century European and Asian burial spaces were critically important to the outcome of this project. Design Program In 2005, Minneapolis’ Westminster Presbyterian Church unveiled an ambitious campaign of capital projects, new programming, and outreach three years in advance of its sesquicentennial celebration. Part of the congregation’s plan was to reclaim the northern grounds of the centuryold church and transform it into two exceptional outdoor spaces for its congregation: a celebratory fellowship courtyard, and a memorial urban columbarium. The critical design challenge faced in the process was the need to create sanctuary for private, congregational uses in the outdoor spaces, without shutting out the urban environment that constitutes much of the congregational character. The Church also imagined the project giving back to the citizens of Minneapolis an iconic statement reflecting the importance of urban fellowship and the need for beauty in our everyday lives. Design Intent Working within the established program goals and constraints of the site, the landscape architect collaborated with the Church to completely revision the two spaces considering congregational use, access and interface with the city environment. Both spaces are simple, quiet, and thoughtful in their spatial arrangements and material palette. The key design element is a perforated copper fence that abstracts the iconography of the Church while acting as a permeable membrane between the private memorial spaces and the public realm. The Church’s initial vision for the exposed edge of the site was a dry-stacked
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limestone wall and a metal picket fence to meet the code requirement for a public guard rail; the vision deferred to the traditional relationship between historical church and city. However, after repeated contemplative site visits, sketch studies, and mock-ups, the landscape architect proposed what is now the public edifice of the northern site: a continuous veil of perforated copper. For Westminster, the new copper fence pays homage to the institution’s historical architecture and is a reflection of a strong commitment to arts and design and progressiveness within the Presbyterian Church and the City. At the public sidewalk edge, an eight foot tall metal scrim abstracts a prominent image found repeated throughout many of Westminster’s stained glass windows. This ephemeral pattern runs along the entire length of both sites with a break in the center for the existing entrance. The fence is composed of two panels of perforated copper, separated by an eight inch metal frame. The patterned panel faces out towards the public realm, and was created by filling in the perforations to create the abstracted pattern; the final pattern is the result of months and months of constant study, trial, and critique. A straight perforated panel faces inward, to the private realm, offering related, but different visual experiences for the courtyard occupant and street passerby. The scrim reflects not only the Church’s architecture but sculptural elements of M. Paul Friedberg’s adjacent Peavey Plaza. The pattern and the varying degrees of porosity create a moiré effect, offering constant illusions of movement depending upon the angle or speed of viewing. The overall effect is mystical, recalling the deep spiritual mission of the Church. As the scrim conceals the grade change from sidewalk to memorial space, the Memorial Columbarium space is accessed via sloped walk. A custom ipe-wood and stainless steel bench parallels the columbarium wall, which is the focal point of the space. The design of the custom limestone columbarium recalls the character of the historic stone church but is detailed and executed in a contemporary manner. The Fellowship Courtyard is accessed by stairs and consists of clay brick paving, linear gardens of honey locust trees and creeping thyme, and a series of custom ipe-wood and stainless steel benches. The landscape architect designed a narrow, stainless steel water rill that parallels the street and extends the linear form of the columbarium wall into the Fellowship Courtyard. The gently fl owing water element mirrors the sky within the courtyard and provides a soothing auditory experience for the space, muting noise from the adjacent street. The project has been incredibly successful since the unveiling in the spring of 2008. Over fifty inurnment niches have been reserved, with three ceremonies taking place within the first two months. The City of Minneapolis has also embraced the columbarium, promoting Westminster’s courtyards as the first non-cemetery based columbarium within the City limits. The ability of these designed spaces to accommodate customized death rituals that are meaningful to the participants while adhering to the principles of Presbyterianism, is a testament to the congregation and the broad-minded, collaborative design. Environmental Concerns This urban columbarium is an environmentally and economically sustainable inurnment space for the congregation of Westminster Presbyterian Church. Inurnment space requirements are significantly less than those of traditional interment and reduce encroachment on already stressed rural lands. To inurn and memorialize in a columbarium niche is significantly less expensive than a traditional interment, making it more accessible to those of less means. The simple courts are paved with clay brick pavers, a sustainable and low maintenance material. Proper base and sub-base installation assures that the pavers will have a lifeexpectancy of 30-plus years, exceeding the life expectancy of asphalt or concrete. Additionally, pavers that become stained or damaged are easily replaced without disturbing remaining intact paved areas. The ipe wood of the custom benches was selectively harvested through sustainable yield forestry management. The increasingly popular material is initially more expensive than native hardwoods, but ultimately reduces costs and waste due to its dense cell structure: it is naturally resistant to insects, decay, rot, and molds. Additionally, the landscape architect sourced all limestone to within 350 miles of the site, thus reducing traveling costs and environmental impacts.
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Commercial and Office Space Commercial landscape scale is not the large, but it is utilized the most for the huge flow of people, and the location of central business district. Today, business centre is not only the commodities trading place, but a more integrated space for people to meet each other, entertain. In the modern business centre design, the experience of space gains more concern, for which, people could enjoy the shopping and the new experience brought by this modern commercial space. At the same time, modern commercial real estate developers and designers also aware of commercial architecture and landscape design should bear the responsibility as urban public space, so as to attract more consumers to consume. Modern commercial space is design for business environment has put forward higher requirements to provide consumers with different levels space, which is particularly necessary and important. The significance of commercial environment is not only to provide consumers with superior shopping environment for consumers, but also has great impact on lifestyle with forward-looking. A good office environment could achieve the physical and emotional adjustment to enhance the work efficiency. Small-scale landscape of office space is likely to convey a concept or corporate culture, to create a comfort and relaxed atmosphere. Large-scale office space pays more attention to the exchange of indoor and outdoor space, the coordination between works, communication and entertainments, and also the relationship between human and nature. Both environment landscapes apply to “eco-priority� principle, improving the thermal environment, light, sound, and wind environment for architecture through optimizing the venue planning, and plants, eco design.
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Aroma Square
Location: Tokyo, Japan Project Design: M. PAUL FRIEDBERG AND PARTNERS (MPFP)
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At this impressive office building and cultural center by the design division of Shimizu Corporation, the garden, which wraps around all faces of the architecure, is meant to provide a counterbalance to the large scale of the structure. At one end, where the building houses offices for a perfume company (hence the name of the plaza) the landscape is more intimate and gardenesque. The main entrance passages are made ceremonial by the inclusion of sculptural pylons. The flanks of these spaces direct views into a romantic copse of undulating clipped azalea and shade trees. Where the design opens up into a plaza close to the building MPFP designed a dry stream with striated marble. It echoes the form of a stream that was previously located on site. As a concession to develop the site, the far end of the landscape is more public. The main feature is an open plaza centered on a mistemitting conical steel sculpture designed by the firm. The materials connote richness and an attention to detail. On the side of the building, where the cooling units and transformer boxes inevitably had to be placed, MPFP designed a secluded garden, a seemingly paradoxical gesture that nonetheless takes advantage of a view of the lobby.
1.An Aerial of the corporate entranceway illustrates how movement is directed diagonally, while visual connections are made across a transverse axis 2.Abstract sculptural components create a visual language to signify the corporate entranceway. 3.Above the symbolic stream, a conical sculpture designed by Friedberg emits mist 4.Plan view of Aroma Square 5.Views from within the building helped to shape the form of the exterior landscape. Here the back garden conceals to infrastructure. 6.Abstract sculptural components create a visual language to signify the corporate entranceway.
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Cockermouth Market Place
Project Location: England Project Area: 7,000m2 Project Design: BCA Landscape Architecture
Cockermouth Market Place, in The Lake District of Northern England, sits in a conservation area surrounded by well-preserved, colorful Georgian facades. For many years local groups had lobbied for improvements to the expanse of tarmac, but finding a consensus for change was difficult. The design team set about uncovering cultural elements of the site; and from records of 18th century court sessions and 19th century maps, came colorful characters and patterns. The paving is set out according to the regionally distinctive burgage plots on a tithe map; each bollard and manhole cover tells an anecdote. Burgage is a medieval land term used in England and Scotland, well established by the 13th century. A burgage was a town (“borough”) rental property, owned by a king or lord. The burgage tenement usually, and distinctly, consisted of a house on a long and narrow plot of land, with the narrow end facing the street. As populations grew, “burgage plots” could be split into smaller additional units. The scheme is unique in the way it uses subtle artworks, strong colors and modern materials. Together these elements create a strong and vibrant forward looking place that also enhance the listed buildings that are a symbol of its past. Utilitarian, functional elements such as manhole covers, bollards, seats and even paving laying patterns have been reinterpreted as opportunities for artworks which express the area’s dynamic and interesting past, present and future.
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Connection of Interior and Exterior Space
Project Location: Munich, Germany Project Design: Rainer Schmidt Landscape Architects
The outdoor space of the skyscraper ensemble will be distinguished by circular forms, which will appear in planted hills, planters and paved areas of concentric circles using white and back granite slabs. In the area of the main entrance between the two elevator towers, the largest circle will bind the interior and exterior space together at the same time it connects the two towers.
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Corporate Headquarters
Project Location: California, USA Project Design: OLIN
"A beautiful tapestry of color and texture. The trick was to make it about the view. It's visually exciting with a subtle richness."
— 2009 Professional Awards Jury
Modern, fresh and clean, the gardens of this corporate headquarters are inspired by the abstract works of the De Stijl movement. Comprised of two distinct spaces, both over structure, the design incorporates fine materiality into bold, modern gestures that reflect the corporation’s identity as well as its key location on the thriving waterfront of San Francisco. Over a former industrial site, the gardens create new social space and assist in managing stormwater and mitigating the urban heat island effect. Project Location, Scope and Size This corporate headquarters, located along the Embarcadero opposite Rincon Park in San Francisco, California, provides two unique outdoor social spaces: a half acre public park and streetscape at grade and an acre employee roof garden on the seventh floor. With spectacular views up and down San Francisco Bay, including the Bay Bridge and Rincon Park, these landscapes, both over structure, provide an exciting modern atmosphere and unique retreat. Site and Context Investigation The site occupies the former industrial waterfront of the Bay and thus is a premier property adjacent to a now thriving publically used waterfront. Contextually, it was important to connect the park to the city and to the waterfront, both physically and metaphorically. Because the park and the garden are over structure, intense collaboration with the architect and engineering team was required to determine and inform the structural load of the rooftops and determine soil depth and types of soil to sustain healthy and thriving vegetation. Additionally, the plantings needed to tolerate San Francisco’s moist, cool climate and the variety of microclimates
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created by the building and the periodically harsh winds off of the Bay. Design Program, Design Intent Modern, fresh and clean, the park and garden of the corporate headquarters are inspired primarily by the abstract works of the DeStijl movement. The client’s passion for modern art and the company’s iconic gestures of bold blocks of color and pattern inspired the landscape architect to develop a landscape resembling a Mondrian painting. The park and the garden are defined through crisp blocks of materials, colors and textures that reflect a shifting geometry. The design is sympathetic with the building’s expression of simple geometric relationships, and with the client’s aesthetic. The design program of the landscape at street level was to provide a publically accessible park adjacent to the Embarcadero which also could serve as two mid-block links, one connecting the Embarcadero to Spear Street and the other connecting Howard Street to the park and the corporate headquarters. People can be seen relaxing in the park throughout the day, punctuated by a very active dining crowd at lunch. The program of the seventh floor garden was to serve as an extension of the employee dining room by providing a refreshing outdoor space to dine outdoors while enjoying the temperate weather, waterfront and views. The tower’s layout provided the opportunity for the garden to extend 360 degrees around the tower, enabling several entry points into the garden and the opportunity to take a stroll through the gardens around the tower. Within the rectilinear surface pattern of the garden, the rooftop was further conceived of as five distinct microclimates representative of the geographic regions of the United States: northeast, southeast, southwest, northwest and west. The plant palette embraces this concept, and each microclimate represents a sense of region. Plants were selected to ensure a continuous bloom cycle from spring through autumn, and for their texture and form, offering year-round beauty and interest. The design allows an individual to become a part of the landscape composition, whether walking on a path, sitting at a table, or relaxing on the lawn. The garden is beloved by employees and visitors and enjoyed daily throughout the year. Materials and Installation Methods Within the park, granite walls and granite and precast pavement reinforced by planters and hedges were set in a field of decomposed granite, supporting the bold moves of the design. Gingko trees act as a layer seemingly randomly scattered throughout the park, but carefully coordinated to provide alternating shade and sun and to work with the structure of the parking garage below. Within the seventh floor garden, an interlocking pattern of granite, bronze grating and precast pavement demarcate the walking area, with the granite and bronze seemingly floating in a surface field of precast. Paving was set on a foam pedestal system to minimize the weight load and make the sound of walking on the pavement solid. Elevated grass plains and planters filled with bold masses of perennials and shrubs integrate the geometric forms and weave the garden together. Custom designed skylights, multi-layered glass windscreens — which serve as a foil for mechanical equipment — and dining tables were detailed to further reinforce the De Stijl inspired garden and serve to enhance the composition both visually and experientially. Environmental Impact and Concerns Creating green spaces on rooftops that typically would have been made up of impermeable surfacing enhances the building’s stormwater management and mitigates the urban heat island effect, critical concerns in a dense urban environment such as San Francisco. The park’s plantings and decomposed granite pavement and the garden’s lawns and plantings reduce the significant stormwater runoff commonplace with buildings of this size. The result is environmentally beneficial. These spaces provide employees, and in the case of the park, the public at large, with a restorative space in the urban work environment benefitting human health. The particular attention to microclimate and color further recognizes the significance of physiological and psychological needs.
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Dresden Medical – Theoretical Centre
Area: 0.5 ha. Budget: 0.55 million EUR Project Design: Rehwaldt Landschaftsarchitekten
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Adjacent to a new Dresden Technical University research building and lecture hall, two public squares have been developed. The squares are linking the main axis of the building to the close-by streetscape. Sparingly arranged, but visually prominent site furnishing is creating a sense of place and high-quality usability. Site furniture, bike racks and tree grates have been especially designed for this site. The design is referring to the architecture and is communicating the scientific purpose of the building. Contrary to the forecourt the squarish inner court yard was designed as a calm, introverted space. A large wooden deck along the southward side allows various uses which can be expand into the adjacent lawn. The dark green of the opposite pine trees is a colour reference to the facade, while the detailed needles contrast the glazed and glossy glass front. The slope to the basement was planted with silver-coloured grasses for intensifying the lighting of this zone. Partly mobile seating cubes set colour accents on the wooden deck and the lawn.
1. Forecourt detail - Tree planting and seating area 2. Site plan 3. Forecourt bench detail 4. Court yard pine tree and facade 5. Court yard wooden deck
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Frog Work / Play Terrace
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Project Type: Commercial / Office Project Design: Terrain-NYC
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Frog Work / Play Terrace creates a large flexible use outdoor space for an established global innovation firm. This terrace includes a vegetable garden, native plant collections, meeting spaces and an open area for their weekly open mike office event. The new terrace creates a direct connection from the design studio to the roof-scape of the Tribeca neighborhood. The terrace also adds over 2,000sf to the useable area of the office, while providing a verdant counterpoint to the interior space. Terrain developed a terrace layout that includes small intimate work areas, family sized picnic tables, vegetable and herb gardens for staff lunches and viewing platforms overlooking the Hudson River. A large linear deck forms the overall framework for the terrace connecting gardens of native plants, ferns and thickets of birch trees. The design also responds to the interior uses and organization of the offices. The groves of birch create privacy for an interior conference room, while other areas of the terrace landscape provide long views of native grasses and perennials from the design studio. Terrain developed a unique construction technique to build these layers of decking and gardens without penetrating the existing waterproofing membrane and worked with the Gaia Institute, developers of an ultra-lightweight soil which reduced weight while maintaining a diversity of drought tolerant plant material.
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Granpark Tamachi
Project Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan Project Type: Urban Park Project Design: TBG Partners
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This project minimizes environmental impacts because it efficiently reconfigures an existing site in a dense urban environment, utilizing and improving existing infrastructure as opposed to developing an undeveloped piece of land better suited for agricultural or recreational purposes. The design is in effect one large green roof incorporating significantly more vegetative cover than existed previously helping to reduce the heat island effect, as well as intercepting rainfall and controlling the rate of stormwater runoff by detaining rain events in the planting areas. This plant material also contributes to a desirable microclimate providing shade in the summer and allowing sunlight to penetrate the space in the winter, providing for year round use. Special engineered soils were designed to decrease the dead load on the structure while providing maximum moisture retention capabilities with minimal input from irrigation sources. Collaboration with Client and other Designers Our office collaborated with an American Landscape Architecture firm with extensive urban design and “pocket park” design experience during the Conceptual and Schematic Design phases of the project. This collaboration was instrumental in producing a vision that integrated both traditional and contemporary Japanese design philosophies with contemporary American design aesthetics and urban park design resulting in a unique park space for both the client and neighborhood previously underserved by public open green space. The landscape architect lead the design team through project review to ensure that the owners objectives and requirements were met at the same time that the design met the needs and desires of the neighborhood that would also utilize the park. Careful cost analysis was performed to ensure that the owner received a maximum return on a minimal budget.
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Granpark Tamachi is an urban park located in the dense Tamachi District of Tokyo, Japan. This project creates a distinct sense of place for a difficult site linking the developments’ office tower, apartment tower, and mid-rise commercial building to the existing neighborhood, providing an amenity and social gathering space that was severely lacking previously. Project Location, Size, and Scope The 1.1ha (2.7ac) site is located in the high density mixed use district of Tamachi, on the west side of Tokyo. Our firm was engaged to perform Conceptual Design, Schematic Design, Design Development, and to produce Construction Documents. We are also responsible for Construction Administration and coordination of the site design, with the final phase of construction scheduled to be completed this year. Site and Context Investigation Tamachi, like many areas of Tokyo, has experienced a recent period of reinvestment and redevelopment in an effort to maintain its status as a desirable residential and commercial district. The Granpark Tamachi project, undertaken by NTT Urban Development Corporation, sought to renovate its 35 story office tower, 28 story apartment building, and 5 story commercial building to bring new life to the development and the area surrounding it. In an agreement with the city that provided for additional floor area allowances in the redevelopment, NTT agreed to fund the design and construction of a public park and plaza space that would link the project to the neighborhood and provide seriously needed public open green space. This park and plaza space was intended to serve specific purposes both in terms of the site and in its relationship to the surrounding neighborhood. The site is bound to the north by multiple railway lines and to the west by a significant regional roadway. A primary objective of the project was to buffer and mitigate the impacts of these transportation systems on the site and its users, and the neighborhood to the south and east. The previous design focused inwardly and lacked good connectivity to the adjacent neighborhood making the reestablishment of clear connections at multiple locations throughout the site a priority. Structural considerations played a significant role in the design of the park & plaza due to the fact that the entire area is constructed atop a structure housing a large grocery store, restaurants, and parking facility. Design Program The design program focused on providing clear pathways that connect the various structures on site to each other, providing a framework by which the project connects to the existing neighborhood, creating nodes for gathering and social activity, and establishing clearly defined gateways into the site. Some form of visual and audio buffering was required to the north and west to mitigate the impacts of the railway and roadway on the site and neighborhood. Park and plaza space needed to accommodate office workers and shoppers, providing areas to eat lunch outdoors and relax while getting some sunlight and fresh air, yet also needed to provide residents of the apartment building and surrounding area opportunities for recreation and social gathering. A restaurant or café was suggested for inclusion in the park taking advantage of the opportunity for natural lighting and outdoor dining, and as a mechanism to activate the space. Security throughout the site played an important role in the design, as did providing good visibility to building entrances from primary gateways into the site. Zoning agreements required that open space equal 60% of the total site area in exchange for additional floor area in the renovated buildings. Design Intent The intent was to create a space with a well defined “sense of place” that bound the three buildings to each other within a cohesive landscape which provided various points of connection to the existing neighborhood inviting people into the site. We believe that “place” consists of location, human function, and time. This project is located in the Tamachi District of Tokyo, and functions as a neighborhood park, plaza, and open space. By designing the space to appeal to a variety of users and inviting the neighborhood into the space a special bond is formed which over time generates a history between the site, users, and the neighborhood creating its distinct “sense of place.” Based on the need for the project to appeal to, and meet the needs of, a diverse user group it was determined that providing multiple areas of varying character, or “vest pocket parks,” within the larger context of the site would allow for a diversity of uses providing spaces that appeal to each individual user based on their needs at that moment. A glass enclosed restaurant with an outdoor dining terrace provides a stage from which to enjoy the theatre of urban life. The terrace overlooks a fountain designed to screen the sounds of traffic from the nearby roadways. Moving and falling water is a common theme in the park, especially along the northern and western edges, and functions to mitigate the impact of noise created by the adjacent transportation systems. Material & Installation Methods This project utilized standard construction materials (granite, concrete, glass, and steel) found in the urban area surrounding the site to maintain the vocabulary of built works and ensure that this project was successfully integrated into the existing character of the district. However, these common materials were utilized in innovative methods and patterns, many of which are contemporary interpretations of traditional Japanese techniques of design and construction, adding interest to the site. These hardened construction materials are softened through the use of plant material which defines the various spaces, provides “ceilings” helping to scale the space, and buffers the site from the adjacent railway and roadways. Different plant palettes are used to mark the different “rooms” of the design, setting the mood and tone for each space. Environmental impact & concern
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Plant Palette The planting design of the plaza is composed of groves of tall trees and flowering shrubs which provide seasonal color (Malus seiboldii, Prunus edoensis, Styrax japonica, Cornus kousa, Magnolia denudata, Magnolia liliflora, Zelkova serrata, Camellia japonica, Ilex integra and Quercus myrsinaefolia etc). A massing of evergreen trees and shrubs screens traffic and buffers noise from the roadway and bridge to the west.
1. Granpark plaza provides public open space for the entire Tamachi neighborhood. The rooftop park sits atop a large supermarket, restaurants, and a parking facility located on the B1 level. 13
2. Azalea (Rhododendron spp.), Japanese Pagoda Tree (Sophora japonica) and sculpture by Botero. 3. Residents, office workers, and shoppers enjoy casual conversation under the wild pear trees (Malus seiboldii) on the outdoor terrace adjacent to the restaurant. 4. Granpark Plaza planting at its lushest in mid-summer. The park has become a community asset providing outdoor social spaces in a dense urban neighborhood. 5. Site Plan 6. The wild pear (Malus seiboldii) in full bloom, signaling the changing of the seasons and bringing new life to the park. Children love playing in the “snow” produced when the wind blows the petals from the trees. urban life. Lighting design for the glass waterfalls and site lighting by Keikan Sekkei. 7. People enjoy the shade provided by this grove of Japanese Pagoda trees in summer. A Botero sculpture serves as the focal point of this “vest pocket park.” The pathway expresses a traditional Japanese design aesthetic interpreted in a contemporary manner. 8. The sequence of the grove, stepping stone walk, and sculpture by Botero. This composition is a contemporary interpretation of traditional Japanese garden design. 9. Azalea (Rhododendron spp.) blossoms are enjoyed from late spring into summer in the plaza. People enjoy the opportunity to relax and enjoy the sun and fresh air in the various spaces provided within the park. 10. Wild pear (Malus seiboldii) is planted in front of the restaurant providing filtered light. People enjoy the vantage point provided by the terrace to view activity on the street below, and in the adjacent plaza. 11. A contrasting of color and texture between the Japanese Pagoda trees (Sophora japonica), ivy groundcover (Hedera spp.), flowering azalea (Rhododendron spp.) and paving (granite stepping stones and aggregate resin paving system). 12. Dense planting combined with granite and glass waterfalls help to mitigate both the visual and auditory impact of the roadway along the western edge of the site. 13. The waterfalls are designed to mitigate the impact of noise created by adjacent transportation systems and are made of granite and glass to express contemporary 14. A businessman enjoys a moment of leisure to read the days news.
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15. Two neighborhood boys enjoy playing in the waterfall at dusk.
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Hospital Rechts der Isar
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Project Location: Munich, Germany Project Design: Rainer Schmidt Landscape Architects
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The university hospital rechts der Isar on the right hand side of the river Isar serves Munich and the world with a highly skilled team of dedicated doctors, nurses, research scientists, and technical assistants. It’s a university hospital of the Munich Technical University. With a workforce of over 3,700 personnel, the university hospital is a renowned center for the care of the sick, for medical research, and for the teaching of medicine. The rechts der Isar is composed of more than 31 separate clinics and departments treating some 40,000 in-house patients and 170,000 out-patients yearly. This 1,100-bed hospital covers the entire spectrum of modern medicine with state-of-the-art efficiency. Through the close cooperation between health care and research, the latest advances in medical techniques can be quickly integrated into patient treatment procedures. The hospital rechts der Isar places great emphasis on its ability to give comprehensive care to the individual patient. To achieve this, the clinic has established six interdisciplinary centers. The Klinik is located directly close to the river isar and to the english garden. The belief that plants and gardens are beneficial for patients in healthcare environments is more than one thousand years old, and appears prominently in Asian and Western cultures (Ulrich and Parsons, 1992). During the Middle Ages in Europe, for example, monasteries created elaborate gardens to bring pleasant, soothing distraction to the ill (Gierlach-Spriggs et al., 1998). European and American hospitals in the 1800s commonly contained gardens and plants as prominent features (Nightingale, 1860). Gardens became less prevalent in hospitals during the early decades of the 1900s, however, as major advances in medical science caused hospital administrators and architects to concentrate on creating healthcare buildings that would reduce infection risk and serve as functionally efficient settings for new medical technology. The strong emphasis on infection reduction, together with the priority given to functional efficiency, shaped the design of hundreds of major hospitals internationally - that are now considered starkly institutional, unacceptably stressful, and unsuited to the emotional needs of patients, their families, and even healthcare staff (Ulrich, 1991; Horsburgh, 1995). Despite the intense stress often caused by illness, pain, and traumatic hospital experiences, little attention was given to creating environments that would calm patients or otherwise address emotional needs (Ulrich, 2001). A growing awareness has developed in recent years in the healthcare community of the need to create functionally efficient and hygienic environments that also have pleasant, stress reducing characteristics. An important impetus for this awareness has been the major progress achieved in mind-body medical science. A substantial body of research has now demonstrated that stress and psychosocial factors can significantly affect patient health outcomes. This knowledge strongly implies that the psychological or emotional needs of patients be given high priority along with traditional concerns, including infection risk exposure and functional efficiency, in governing the design of hospitals (Ulrich, 2001). It also follows that conditions or experiences shown by medical researchers to be stress reducing and healthful, such as pleasant soothing distractions and social support, must become important considerations in creating new healthcare facilities. The fact that there is limited but growing scientific evidence that viewing gardens can measurably reduce patient stress and improve health outcomes has been a key factor in the major resurgence in interest internationally in providing gardens in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Findings from several studies have converged in indicating that simply viewing certain types of nature and garden scenes significantly ameliorates stress within only five minutes or less. Further, a limited amount of research has found that viewing nature for longer periods not only helps to calm patients, but can also foster improvement in clinical outcomes such as reducing pain medication intake and shortening hospital stays. The landscape design of the hospital rechts der Isar uses an interpretation of the River Isar for the whole garden designs. The roof gardens remain a wavy character to respond to the river. Raised planters modulate those areas. The rest of the open space is characterized by scattered trees and flowering plants. This free layout corresponds to the tree population along the river and invites visitors for a walk and recreational use.
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Queens Square
Location: Yokohama, Japan Project Design: M. PAUL FRIEDBERG AND PARTNERS (MPFP)
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This shopping center and office complex in Japan presented MPFP with one of the most common and frustrating problems in landscape architecture: How to design a space, or series of spaces, around architecture that fragments space? In this case, working in collaboration with architect Tadao Kamei of Nikken Sekkei, MPFP linked together a sequence of fragmented landscapes. The largest area, a twolevel plaza and garden, prompted the firm to think about the design in terms of verticality. To this end they established a system of treillage derived from traditional Japanese architecture. Banks of steel are alternated with ilex to create a sharp white-and-green striping, similar to the banding found on the houses of noblemen in traditional Japanese architecture. The rest of the landscape occurs in episodes, with elements like the undulating boxwood that interpret the form of the banded ilex without providing the sort of repetition that would make the place read as a whole. By intentionally parsing the landscape into discrete elements, MPFP resisted the temptation to fight the existing architecture in order to make a single space read as a whole. Instead the plaza and its various entrances and exits all read individually as part of a larger idea that, like music, comes into being and then fades away.
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1. A jagged bridge refers to Japanese garden-making. 2. A plaza gives way to a network of pools and fountains. 3. Plan of Queens Square 4. Examples of the striped vocabulary are used throughout the project 5. Waves of clipped azalea repeat this gesture 6. Waves of clipped azalea repeat this gesture 7. The thematic element of banding was derived from similar stripes found on the houses of the rich in traditional Japanese architecture.
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Redesign Eberswalde Market Square
Area: 0.45 ha. Design Competition: 2004, 1st Prize Project Design: Rehwaldt Landschaftsarchitekten
The City of Eberswalde’s market square was rediscovered as the town's functional centre and focal point. It is a place of the past and future, a place for every day life. The design reflects the square’s topography as well as its historic context. Due to a slight slope the space is oriented towards the “Finowkanal” (Finow channel) and at the same time is functionally embedded between city hall and “Kreishaus”. Here landscape, urban history and modern every day life merge like nowhere else in town.
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Landscape Architect: HM White Site Architects
The Tate Courtyard As landscape architectural consultants to The Related Companies and collaborating with The Rockwell Group, HM White has developed a central common courtyard design for this mid-rise residential building. Situated on the second floor, this roof garden's landscape elements were designed to comply with the structural roof system and its limitations. Contiguous lightweight growing medium zones, at varying depths, were established to accommodate the arrangement of diverse horticultural specimens, and assure their long-term vitality. The planting design for the garden evokes an Eastern quality that is highlighted by a variety of visually dynamic Bamboo cultivars. Responding to the micro-climatic conditions between the two residential towers, the unique textural and structural qualities of foliage were selected to highlight the flux of light, shadow, and the movement of wind. A serpentine Bamboo hedge creates a dense privacy screen between the private terraces and the public garden space, while sculptural landforms punctuate and anchor the openings at each end of the courtyard. The Tate Roofdeck As landscape architectural consultants to The Related Companies and collaborating with Rockwell Group, HM White has developed a roof garden for resident's entertaining and passive recreation. The garden rooms were conceived from existing roof top utility locations and limitations on areas to develop. The developers had specific usage programmatic and budgetary goals. A series of design alternatives were developed, each with an estimated cost, for a preferred plan and strategy to be determined. Each alternative was based on HMW/SA's design principles, which reflected our conclusions of the roof garden's opportunities and constraints. Distinct garden rooms were created offering different uses and reinforcing the different views and light conditions. A family of cedar planters and screens were designed to shape these rooms and to provide extensive perimeter plantings. As a warm weather garden, coastal flowering shrubs, grasses and perennials abound. Bamboo hedges were also introduced to effectively screen and provide an immediate mature scale. All the plantings are hardy and great performers in tough, windy and dry conditions.
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Waterfront and Ecology With the development of human material civilization, natural resources exhaustion is increasing, so the protection and conservation of natural capital is essential. Natural evolution is obscured by urban construction and development, but there is a natural emotional tie between man and nature. Therefore, eco-green space design and construction is a process that must be renewed to aware people of the symbiotic. Eco-design is of ethic, reminding that human and nature are in harmony; and demonstrates how to use native species and local materials to create a pleasant and practical ecological green space, while minimize adverse effect to environment. The so-called waterfront landscape design refers to the waters (Lake, River, etc.) coastal region design that creates a beautiful, lively, urban foreshore space. The urban development always have close link with water, for which fertilized much cities. At very first, waterfront design was limited to water conservancy and flood control management. Later, with the development of the city and the in-depth study on urban planning, it is gradually realized that urban waterfront is an important part of city, for it provides water, green land, improved environment, and a place with functions ofentertainment, transportation, culture, education, ecology as well. Waterfront plays important roles in the urbandevelopment of economy and social life. Waterfront has gained more and more concern for its unique characteristics in the thinking of ecological protection and sustainability. What’s more, a series of waterfront ecological restoration methods are carried out to repair plant area, to remodel food chain system, to reconstruct buffer zone and green land, to protect eco-bank and plant species.
Atwater Place and The Ardea in the South Waterfront District
Project Location: Portland, Oregon, USA Conceptual and Detailed Site Design Plans for Atwater Place and The Ardea: Landscape architects at Mayer/Reed Design Architects for Atwater Place: THA Architecture Inc. Design Architects for The Ardea: GBD Architects
The South Waterfront District is a 40-acre post-industrial redevelopment site located on the Willamette River. Once the site was for timber mills and World War II ship manufacturing, an impressive new urban community is transforming vacant land into a mixed-use work place and residential neighborhood. The new development integrates alternative transportation, parks and trails, green building practices and healthy living with distinctive gardens, art and design. Multiple blocks of dense 25-30 story residential towers feature spectacular views to Mt. Hood, downtown Portland, the Willamette River and Ross Island. The district is particularly notable for its careful planning and sustainability goals from the master plan level to implementation of each project. The block development and street relationships have been specially considered and designed. In most buildings, the ground floors have commercial uses such as restaurants, bookstores, hair salons and other services. These commercial uses help populate the public streets with shoppers, colorful storefronts and product displays. Townhomes with front decks and gardens colonize private streets that have a distinctive pedestrian character and scale, although limited vehicular use is allowed. In addition to the streets, the open space network is an important planning aspect of the district, giving workers and residents many different places to gather, recreate and enjoy. The South Waterfront District is adjacent to the Willamette River Greenway (currently undeveloped), a 100-ft. wide open space with walking and bicycle trails. These trails extend the length of the district and connect into downtown Portland. Ross Island, a wildlife sanctuary host to eagles and great blue heron, is directly across the river from the district. A 2-acre neighborhood park is currently being developed with gardens and flexible use space for events, weekend markets and festivals. Many corner plazas and passthrough spaces between buildings welcome the public with seating, lighting and water features. Many building sites in the district utilize and artistically display one of Portland’s most abundant features: water. Incorporating green design principles, stormwater and ground water swales biologically treat water to improve its quality. These visible waterways become lush gardens complete with lighting, plantings and decorative stone throughout the district. Invisible underground piping is minimized. As an example of new development, Atwater Place is a mixed-used retail and 23-story condominium tower located in the heart of the South Waterfront District. The building has an elevated courtyard that is a comfortable outdoor living room where residents gather around gardens, a reflecting pool, waterfall, steel pergola and bocce ball court. From this vantage point, residents overlook the riverfront, the quiet pedestrian street and stormwater gardens terraced with stone weirs. From the upper level living units, residents enjoy distant views over expansive green roofs. The green roofs are planted with native and native-adapted vegetation that thrives in a shallow soil profile. One block from Atwater Place, The Ardea fronts onto Portland’s newest streetcar line. This block of development consists of five stories of townhomes and a 30-story apartment tower with ground floor retail space along a plaza over a parking structure. A vegetated stormwater swale extends as a water feature in front of the townhomes located on the pedestrian street. Between the tower and townhomes, building residents and visitors can relax, socialize and enjoy a lighted fountain and water garden fed by a groundwater treatment swale. Green roofs cover various levels of the townhome building, forming a series of vegetated surfaces that treat and absorb rainwater.
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Brooklyn Botanic Garden Visitor Center
Project Location: Brooklyn, New York, USA Project Scale: approx 12,141m2 Project Design: HM White Site Architects
The 52-acre Brooklyn Botanic Garden is principally organized by a sinuous body of water extending from the Japanese Garden Pond. Between the northern head of the pond and the Brooklyn Museum, a 25-foot high berm defines the Garden’s edge and functions as a verdant backdrop to its interior. A remnant of the original, uncompleted Olmsted Brothers design for the Brooklyn Museum, the berm has evolved to form an important threshold between the City and the Garden. The ridge of the berm hosts a mature allée of Ginkgo trees and path serving as a grand balcony overlooking the Garden collections. Site Design The relationship between the berm and the pond summarizes the 3-acre site design for the new Visitors Center: the convex and the concave; the movement and collection of water. This yin/yang approach further informs the development of a unique and sustainable architectural gateway integrated into its landscape context. The anticipated LEED Gold project design is principally organized around a system of storm water management components incorporating an extensive green roof, storm water channels, riparian plants and bioinfiltration basins. Collectively, these features eliminate need for costly subsurface water detention facilities and establish a self-sustaining landscape context that integrates existing botanic exhibitions with a network of new landscape typologies and establishes a new pedagogical exhibit for the Garden. Like the landscape design, the 17,000 square-foot building is cinematically revealed in an unfolding procession never fully visible at once. The serpentine form of the building is generated by existing pathways and emerges as an undulating, inhabitable extension of the berm. The landscape design manipulates grade transitions to highlight the berm’s topographic dominance which allows the design to extend the pathways above, around and through the building while introducing a series of water collecting features to direct, collect, filter and infiltrate storm water runoff. Stormwater Management A comprehensive network of storm water management elements defines a critical component of the site design. The 9,400 square-foot green roof meadow is anticipated to capture approximately 190,000 gallons of storm water per year while storm water channels and planted depressions gather runoff from the berm as ephemeral water features. All of these function to collect storm water and mitigate its flow to bioinfiltration basins. The bioinfiltration basins are situated at the base of the berm within the entrance and event plaza spaces. Water is delivered via a diffuser system and spreads the water over a distribution rill into the basins which retain onsite storm water, and encourage infiltration and ground water recharge. The bioinfiltration basins are linked with the adjacent Japanese Garden pond. In heavy storm events, rather than discharging overflow of harvested storm water to the municipal sewer, the basins function to retain and filter sediment before releasing excess water to the pond. The pond is fed by treated city water and the harvested storm water resource will augment a more sustainable quality of water to the pond than currently in place. Salvaged Materials Extending from the existing Ginkgo Allée, a series of terraces emerge from the berm, transition down the slope and connect with a garden path that slips through the back of the building. Topographic modifications require that some of existing Ginkgo trees be removed. The oldest and largest Gingko tree is to be transplanted on-site, while others are to be harvested, milled and integrated into building interior finishes. Likewise, salvaged native black locust lumber is utilized for wooden decking and bench seating at the garden terraces and entrance plaza. Planting Soils Distinct soil profiles were designed to support each type of planting conditions ranging from upland planting and horticultural subsoils to lowland bioinfiltration and structural soils. The bioinfiltration basins and street tree pits are surrounded by structural soils under plaza and sidewalk areas to improve adjacent trees root volume expansion. The loose deep soils of the bioinfiltration basins were designed to absorb water and filter pollutants. Water quality is improved through filtration, sedimentation, and biological processes. The structural soils expand the volume of potential storm water capture and allow for contiguous soil volumes supportive of tree root growth under paved areas. Planting Design The overall planting design integrates contextual landscape systems to knit with existing landscape infrastructure. Informed by native plant communities, the planting palette distinguishes a gradation of typologies, from upland to lowland, to establish an armature for unique botanical collections highlighting trees, shrubs and meadows that withstand and thrive through periods of drought and inundation. This riparian plant community creates a legible and functional garden framework. The selection of this “water wise” plant typology significantly reduces need for an extensive irrigation systems and demands minimal water provisions for establishment and periods of extended drought. Comprised mostly of native plants in bold swaths while some non-native, yet regionally appropriate species, are integrated for botanic interest and visual impact year-round, the planting palette showcases unique, yet complementary plant combinations that feather into the existing landscape and establishes a resilient design structure for future expansion. Research on the adaptation of multiple grasses, perennials and succulents have been mocked-up onsite to test each plant’s performance which is to be used in the roof’s final plant selections. Collectively, the planting design establishes an iconic botanic exhibit that demonstrates how plants have a distinct role in how a landscape functions and performs. This planting will be the first for the Garden where plants’ contribution to a high performance landscape design will be showcased as a pedagogical tool. Embracing site engineering technology with sustainable horticultural practices the design coordinates a series of complementary plant communities to create a legible and uniquely beautiful working landscape that demonstrates a new paradigm for urban development.
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Isla Palenque
Project Scale: 176 ha. Project Type: Ecological Planning
“The concept is effective and comprehensive. It combines the sustainable resort and eco-tourism. As part of the ecotourism concept, it seems that they spoke to the people who live there and the solutions were developed from their culture, which is very important.” —2010 Professional Awards Jury Isla Palenque, a 434-acre Panamanian island, serves as a model for geo-responsible design practices throughout Central America, drawing upon natural, human-made and cultural patterns. The project preserves 85 percent of the island into a nature sanctuary, examines bioclimatic strategies for site-planning decisions, explores methods of agrotourism to decrease imports, and develops water and energy management plans that reduce dependency on nonrenewable resources. The project challenges existing governmental regulations, redefining regional development and conservation standards. Islands hold a special place in our collective unconscious—places of mystery, discovery, isolation, adventure and, occasionally, danger. The mainland is where ordinary life occurs, but islands are special. Perhaps it was these inherent qualities that spurred the client to take a big step toward a dream he first hatched in college. Isla Palenque serves as the client's first geotourism project, whose vision was to develop a model for sustainable island planning that expressed the place's true spirit, or genius loci. With loose development regulations throughout Central America, the vulnerability of many pristine sites has fallen to deforestation, out-of-scale development and traditional man-made recreational act ivities, all causing environmental repercussions. The landscape architect was instrumental in helping the client achieve his vision by synthesizing aspects of sustainability, ecotourism, conservation and education. The project goes beyond the aspects of ecotourism. The National Geographic Society defines geotourism as "tourism that sustains, or enhances, the geographical character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents." Like ecotourism, geotourism promotes a virtuous circle whereby tourism revenues provide a local incentive to protect what tourists are coming to see, but extends the principle beyond nature and ecology to incorporate all characteristics that contribute to sense of place, such as historic structures, living and traditi onal culture, landscapes, cuisine, arts and artisans, as well as local flora and fauna. Context Isla Palenque is an ecological "jewel" nestled amidst an archipelago of national marine parks. Adjacent to the Parque Nacional Marino Golfo de Chiriquí, the region has coaxed trailblazing nature lovers to the area for years. However, tourism-friendly laws and tax incentives have opened the floodgates for investment in Panama. Since 2004, tourism arrivals have more than doubled, while tourism-based revenue has more than tripled. Isla Palenque is home to a handful of distinct environmental systems, including endangered species of flora and fauna. Primary forests shelter once-active volcanic hills; mangroves and marshes reside in
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lowlands; and grasslands, deforested by historic livestock production, are scattered along the perimeter where exotic zebrastriped beaches lie. Process Developed in GIS, an ecozoning plan analyzes layers of environmental, social and economic conditions. However, it was multiple site visits with local environmental experts that provided the opportunity to investigate the island's spiritual quality. Each visit explored new parts of the island, offering the design team a fresh aspect. Interaction with the region's Ngobe-Bugle Indian tribe offered the team insight to cultural traditions, including patterns from their arts and crafts that influenced the project's architectural design. The design team drew upon these observations in order to develop a series of master plan conclusions related to coastal access, transportation, development, energy, open space and conservation. The coastal assessment identified two access points to the island. The deeper, north cove allows for a service marina, while the picturesque, east cove, welcomes guest arrival. Ridgelines are preserved and structures are nestled into the landscape to reduce visual impact. Development is concentrated on previously cleared areas along coastlines and facilitates passive ventilation. A centrally located service area, located on a flat area where the forest floor is relatively bare, is adequately screened. The island's fragile forests, lagoons and mangroves— approximately 95 percent of the island—are preserved as a nature sanctuary for the public. Isla Palenque also represents the first known project to gain approval for roadway-width reduction by Panama's Ministry of Housing. The island's intimate scale and varying topographic conditions supported the design team's vision for alternative transportation. In lieu of traditional vehicles—which would result in extensive grading—a fleet of smaller, electric cars would serve as the island's primary mode of transportation. Typical roadway widths are reduced by 50percent, decreasing site disturbance, emissions, construction cost and infrastructure needs. Bioclimatic Design Strategies Collaboration between the landscape architect and design team resulted in bioclimatic strategies that utilize the island's tropical climate to reduce energy needs. Strategies revolve around air movement, insulation, solar gain rejection and evaporative cooling. Building orientations are balanced perpendicular to the prevailing winds of dry and wet seasons. Landscape enhancements channel breezes into buildings elevated off the ground, allowing cross ventilation. In tropical environments, the east and west aspects receive the strongest sun at the lowest angle. Therefore, the design team orientated the short sides of buildings in these directions, positioning landscape to further shade. Exterior planted terraces replace paving to reduce ground temperatures. Bodies of water are placed immediately outside openings to pre-cool air entering the house. Rainwater harvesting techniques, including collection cisterns and towers, are celebrated and incorporated into the architecture and later reused in the landscape. The architectural heritage of Panama is highlighted through the site planning of residential casitas, designed as a cluster of
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small buildings, imitating the form of nearby villages. Casitas, consisting of modular kit of parts, have the ability to be rearranged to preserve notable trees. The villagelike design enables the architecture to follow grade, with all rooms opening onto courtyards. Steep slopes and high canopy forests required the development of an alternative residential product design. Elevated canopy homes, connected by a series of raised boardwalks, preserve existing grade and vegetation. Ocean views project from the top floor, as the building approaches the canopy. Inverted roofs collect and divert water to cisterns. Agrotourism and Education The team recognized the constraint and expenses of importing food and building materials to the island and developed an agrotourism program that proposes three mitigating actions: an organic production orchard, an edible forest garden and the scattered plantings of fruit trees. The program was adapted to the local environment under the guidance of local farmers. Residents will grow
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much of their own produce in community gardens. Deforested lands are utilized for the growth of building materials, including palm leaves for thatch and bamboo for furnishings. Orchid and bromeliad specialty gardens offer public interest, planned in appropriate microclimates. Along the southern hammerhead where historic livestock activities once occurred, fruit trees will be planted and allowed to mature in order to screen future residential casitas. Until then, tree roots help stabilize the deforested land and provide produce for residents. Socially conscious, the master plan fosters educational development to three user groups; local citizens,island guests and international academic institutions. First, education and quality of life will be improved for nearby ChiriquĂ citizens through professional development programs, housing and employment. Local artisan studios are integrated into the village. Interpretive trails and local guides help to educate visitors to the island's sustainable practices, flora and fauna, history, and local customs of the nearby Ngobe Bugle tribe. Finally, the island's agricultural focus presents opportunities for international exchange programs with university horticulture curricula. Students would be introduced to the practice of permaculture by restoring deforested areas, ultimately learning how agricultural systems relate to natural ecologies. Environmental Sensitivity and Sustainability Isla Palenque will serve as a model for ecoresponsible design and practices by taking a holistic approach to sustainability. Upon complete build out, less than 15 percent of the 434 acres will be built upon, including all buildings, roads and trails. Panamanian law requires 15 percent of all zoned land to be designated for park and open space purposes. The proposed plan exceeds this requirement by over 2300 percent, preserving 368 acres for the enjoyment of its visitors. A greenway circumnavigates the island, buffering views. Over six miles of nature trails extend into the island's interior, where bird-watching towers, interpretative trails and play areas created from natural materials found on the island replace any notion of traditional urban play structures. The synthesis of the island's environmental features creates an unparalleled recreational program. 95 percent of the planned development's energy needs is generated by on-site solar and wind power. Utilities, laid under roadways, further reduce the need to remove vegetation. Water collection systems reduce dependency for extracted water by collecting rainwater during the wet, summer season. Roadways consist of crushed volcanic rock, extracted from already deforested areas. Native plants will reduce dependency on irrigation during the wet season, while on-site wastewater treatment and cisterns provide irrigation during the dry season. Food waste is converted into compost, used later at the farm. Sustainability efforts are planned to culminate with the anticipation of third-party ecotourism programs and USGBC LEEDÂŽ Platinum certifications for all public and residential buildings. Future The landscape architect facilitated a phased and flexible implementation over a 10-year period, looking holistically at development, circulation, energy, conservation and amenities. By introducing new prototypes to the market, the plan accommodates for market demand flexibility, ensuring an economically sustainable future. As the first ecotourism island destination in Panama's ChiriquĂ region, phase one of Isla Palenque is nearing the implementation stage, slated to open in 2012.
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Lily Lake Residence
Project Location: Pennsylvania, USA Project Area: approx 356,117m2 Project Design: Michael Vergason Landscape Architects, Ltd.
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stone retaining walls to expand and frame the views from the interior by exposing the lower level of the new house on the western end. In addition, the Landscape Architect worked closely with the Architect on the choice of materials to support the connections from the interior to the exterior. This is shown in how the building floor of locally quarried bluestone continues seamlessly from the interior, to the porch, and on to the courtyard with fieldstone paving excavated from site. Plantings The predominately native plant palette builds on the materials of the area with restraint and simplicity. The Landscape Architect sought to save existing trees on the site, recognizing that much of the site character depended upon preserving these large specimens. Rich beds of deciduous and evergreen ferns distill the dominance found in the understory of the site’s woodland. More complexity is found in the rich edges of the design around the pond and expansive fingers of woodland along the stone walls. The new trees at the existing wall along the pond tie back to the existing woodlots. Aspens were chosen for their fall color, fast growth and scale as a pioneer tree in the early successional forest. Walls The Landscape Architect improved the arrival sequence and better articulated views to and from the house using the vocabulary of the site’s dry-laid stone walls. By subtracting a section of an existing wall, and building a parallel section, walls frame the arrival court and driveway. The new section of wall creates a blind: shielding the view of the cars from the house and breaking up the geometry of the courtyard. New walls are quietly inserted throughout the design in ways that make them hard to distinguish from the existing walls on the site. All the stone for the walls, fieldstone paving, and stepping stones was excavated from the disturbed portions of the site. Throughout the design process, the Landscape Architect worked closely with the Client and Architect to develop details and construction strategies derived from the local craftsmen and building traditions of the area. The result is a project that has a beautiful restraint, a distilled quality to the design choices that brings new life to old traditions. This project amplifies the agrarian setting in a way that beautifully highlights the carefully articulated and refined details of the house construction in a fully integrated, fresh result.
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“Exceptional. The system of dry-laid walls looks so elegant. The way the landscape and ponds come in is simple and won’t need a lot of maintenance. The wall looks a bit like a ruin. The old and new walls are well-integrated. There’s good collaboration between landscape architect and architect. The detailing is incredible.” —2010 ASLA Professional Awards Jury Set within the geologic folds of the ridge and valley landscape of northeastern Pennsylvania, the Lily Lake Residence enhances the rural landscape with a series of deliberate yet restrained landscape interventions. Building upon the existing linear framework of dry-laid walls, the project integrates old and new with a potent result. Water and plantings weave through the creases of the woodlot terrain improving the site’s drainage and redefining the life of the site. Existing Site The agrarian character of the existing 88-acre site is seen in the rolling hills, meadows, woodlots, and hedgerows metered by a series of dry-laid stone walls. When the client purchased the property, there were two houses on the property: a modest stone house built in the 1800s in the lowland and on the hilltop, a 1970s colonial which was out of character with the agrarian language of the site. Water and erosion issues permeated the site illustrated most clearly by a saturated agricultural field adjacent to the stone house. The House The client wished to create a family retreat that captured the beauty and solace of their agrarian setting. The client originally imagined a home sited on the hilltop with views beyond. Upon site evaluation, the Architect and Landscape Architect recognized significant assets in locating the house in the lowland inserted between the historic stone house and an existing stone wall. The assets of this lowland site offset the more predictable hilltop location and offered a series of design opportunities within the shade of the site’s existing mature trees. The new portion of the house, a linear wood structure, contains the primary living quarters of the residence and is tied back to the stone house with a delicate glass passage. Rather than have the new house pressed close to a damp field, the Landscape Architect saw an opportunity to transform the field into a pond, creating a poignant and environmentally active setting for the new house. The 1970s house on the hill was cleared for a memorial grove at the highest point on the property. Water In the site analysis, the Landscape Architect identified a wooded wetland across the wall and speculated that the saturated field had at one time been a wetland. During the construction of the new pond, the contractor discovered evidence that the area had been filled and drained using drainage tiles. The design of the pond enabled the Landscape Architect to restore grades and recall some of the natural conditions of the site by expanding plant diversity and wildlife habitat. Creating a pond from a groundwater seep was a perfect answer to the water flow issues on the site and also gave the family a new frontage for the south side of the house. Throughout the seasons, the water expands the views and draws in the warm reflected light, particularly in the cooler months when light is so precious. It registers the variability of the site’s temporal conditions of the wind and sun in ways that bring new life to the entire property. The Landscape Architect improved site erosion and water flow issues with a series of stone step pools. The step pools, made with stone dug on site, control the overflow from the pond and move it through a field next to the house. Placed within the existing drainage flow line in the field, these walls help to reduce water velocity and continual site erosion and at the same time protect the larger watershed. In an effort to maximize the project’s stormwater infiltration, rainwater is directed from the gutterless roofs of the new addition to a gravel rain strip surrounding the house. This gravel strip filters the water feeding the pond on the south side and the planting beds on the north side. The soft planting edge is dominated by a mix of ferns, designed to weave in and out of view from inside and outside the house. The planting creeps between the open joints of the local fieldstone paving, allowing the maximum amount of infiltration. Inside/Outside The new addition with its timber milled structure and glass walls tieing inside and outside sits in direct contrast to solidity of the stone house. The design develops a strong connection with the long views of the property, drawing the reflected light from the new pond and surrounding fields. The Landscape Architect designed new
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1.Controlled-release weir of pond adjacent to cantilevered wooden dock. 2.House presses close to pond at existing stone wall. 3.View up entry lane with restored dry-laid walls. 4.Plan view and section cut through existing stone house traversing through new structure to pond. 5.Courtyard view shows bluestone porch floor transition to gravel drip edge to flagstone pavers. Simple fern beds aid infiltration and connect landscape through glass link. Guest parking area in foreground. 10.Reflected light of pond brings new life to the site. 11.Site Plan. 12.Sketchbook studies for stone step pools. 13.Nighttime view of house from entry drive.
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Randall’s Island Sports Fields
Project Area: 194 ha. Project Location: NY, USA Project Type: Sports Field Project Design: MPFP
The 480-acre Randall’s Island Park, located along the East River between Northern Manhattan and Queens, has served the increasing demand of New Yorkers for active sports and recreation facilities since the 1930s. Currently, Randall’s Island Sports Foundation, Parks, and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (“EDC”), are working to implement major developments supporting the recreational needs of the children and families of New York City. RISF and Parks maintain and support the park activities on the Island, including 27 ball fields, 11 tennis courts, 7 soccer/football fields, batting cage, driving range, 2 miniature golf courses, and 2 picnic areas. In response to the increasing demand for high-quality sports, recreation and outdoor entertainment facilities within the City, RISF commissioned a master plan to transform Randall’s and Wards Islands into an accessible, well-organized and selfsustaining sports and recreation center with high-quality facilities and community-linked programs. As part of this plan, RISF is proceeding with the “Fields Project” consisting of 65 turf and synthetic fields, some overlapping, roadways, parking areas, pedestrian pathways, picnic areas, utilities and comfort stations within the +- 200 acre Fields Project Area.
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Shelby Farms Park
Project Location: Memphis, Tennessee, USA Project Type: Park Master Plan Project Design: Tom Leader Studio
Original Farming and Planning Shelby Farms gained its first identity as a model prison farm beginning in the 1920’s. It is geographically divided into an alluvial zone shallowly tilted toward the Wolf River and an upland zone with grassy knolls and forest. The Army Corps of Engineers undertook a major dredging of the adjacent Wolf River in the 1930’s to lower the riverbed as well as building perpendicular levees to prevent flooding impacts. When the area was consolidated into a county prison facility, the alluvial land was cultivated with a wide variety of food crops and the upland was used to catch and hold water in reservoirs for farm use. In the 1960’s the prison farm was discontinued due to changes in the culture and the inmate population. Following this, the County created the “Agricenter”, located on the alluvial land and dedicated to agricultural research and assistance to farmers. As suburbs began to surround the land, pressure mounted to cut through the huge parcel with an arterial road connecting growing outer suburbs to downtown. In the mid 1970’s, Garrett Eckbo was hired to plan the park and make recommendations for the road in question. His work recommended several clusters of related uses within the entire 4500 acres and looped the arterial road entirely to the north, missing the park altogether. Unfortunately, little of the Eckbo plan was executed except a headquarters building for Agricenter. A four lane road was run straight through the middle, dividing forever the bulk of the alluvial farmland from the upland. Over time, the two areas became very separate domains. The Agricenter became an extension of large scale agriculture, providing testing plots and services for fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and bioengineered crops. Agricenter had trouble supporting itself and its farming staff on this income and began to lease land for any income-producing venture to help with the bottom line. The upland became the focus of local park advocates, eventually resulting in the more nature-oriented Shelby Farms Park Conservancy which operates a low key recreational park there on a minimal budget. Cooperation between the two groups is also minimal due to conflicting agendas. The mission of the project is to create one park with one identity out of all the publicly owned land. The hope is to create a 21st century civic amenity and ecological resource that would help to attract young professionals to the area and stimulate the service industry. Like many southern cities, white families tend to live in the suburbs and African Americans live downtown. Another goal is to make this a park for the entire metro area and draw downtown residents as well as suburban users. A final goal is to make the park able to support itself in terms of operating costs. The Leaves The four lane surface road, laden with bumper to bumper commute traffic, presents the most physical obstacle to structurally unifying the park. Another issue is the massive size of the place. It is difficult for visitors to maintain orientation while moving through such a vast park. The solution was to identify a series of major view and circulation lines that traverse the site from the river to the top of the uplands. These lines were suggested by the pattern of levees already crossing the alluvial land. By extending these long lines of sight and movement, a pattern of major “vertebrae” were established, using the river as a spine. Another analogy would be a series of “leaves” attached to the river. Where the “midrib vein” crosses the four lane road, major land bridges are proposed, carrying pedestrians, bicycles, and electric vehicles above traffic, each with a unique architectural character. The most distinct crossing is the Hall of Flowers Bridge, a conservatory to span over the traffic. Each “mid-rib” is energized with a segmented side rail, internally lit in different colors and providing services such as water, phones, toilets, interactive maps, bicycle and Segway rentals, and electric vehicle shuttles every ten minutes. From the “mid-rib vein”, “lateral and tertiary veins” extend across the site linking uses and creating a massive fine grained trail systems for fitness training – walking, running, cycling. A larger circulation leaf extends across the entire metro area with an interlinked system of three double-decker bus loops connecting to on-site shuttles as well as bike and Segway rentals at intervals along the “mid-ribs”. New Farming In terms of program and management, the park is structured as a new farming operation, albeit with a different inventory of crops. The idea of cultivation is something both the Agricenter and the Conservancy can share as an operational model, partly due to history and practice on the site and partly because growing programs with skilled management over time is the only reasonable approach now in terms of capital cost. Food Memphis is the “heaviest” city in the US, meaning that obesity and it accompanying problems are rampant due to poor diet. Compared to other neighboring cities, Memphis is also a completely undeveloped market for locally grown food and community supported agriculture. So this is one vital crop proposed for the park. Drawing on the stated mission of the Agricenter, a major organic farm would be established in the center of the park, purposely straddling the 4 lane road so it is the joint responsibility of Agricenter and the Conservancy. This would spawn a new industry and market in Memphis. Both parties would also benefit from a net income stream estimated at $18,000 annually per acre. Growing in 50 acre increments to a final size of 225 acres, this would be the most profitable component of the park overall and would motivate cooperation between the parties. Related facilities clustered together with necessary barns and greenhouses would include a farm-supplied Market, Farm Center restaurant with cooking classes and Education Center. The restaurant would recruit a charismatic and progressive local chef to help invent an authentic new cuisine combining Memphis traditions including barbecue with locally grown produce and livestock. The hope is to attract visitors on the basis of mouth-watering enticement rather than food morality. The program would include exporting Shelby Farm products off-site as a CSA and could eventually expand to packaged meals for delivery as well in an effort to fight the convenience of fast food. Jobs Working on either the farm or in the restaurant will be an important source of jobs for the community along with numerous other management tasks. A key goal of the park is to provide employment and green job-training; the park will need a lot of “farmers” – about 500 in the first ten years – versus the unsustainable route of contracting most work out. These “farmers” will receive skills useful in emerging green Memphis industries – organic farming and horticulture, forest and wetland management, solar energy generation, biomass research and production. In this way the park is an incubator, steering job seekers to new ventures locally as the nation shifts its position on climate change and energy production. Fun The farm will require a gravity fed reservoir that will be achieved by remodeling an existing adjacent lake. The new circular 40 acre reservoir, just above the farm will also serve as the park’s active recreation core with a large sandy beach; tree shaded festival esplanade, and seasonal concessions. The reservoir serves as a hub for recreational loops extending through the upland to play cities, petting zoos, a summer camp retreat with cabins, and a lodge. Cultivating Nature One of the most urgent and labor intensive tasks is to set a degraded nature on the path to regeneration. Reorganizing water is key. Both the Army Corps dredging of the Wolf River and the massive storm drains along the arterial road have served to sever numerous streams, draining the site of needed water. Resulting dehydration of the soil and incessant mowing have both radically reduced species and created conditions for exotic invasions such as privet. The first task then is to carve under the arterial with bio-tunnels to restore continuous stream flows and alter grades within lowland areas to retain this water on site. Biodiversity can then be renewed with historic bald cypress swamps and rich riparian corridors re-emerging and serving as a conduit for species to move uphill and assist in restoring health of the soil. Approximately 1200 lowland areas currently farmed but subject to annual flooding will be restored to wetland grasses. This will create a massive ‘wetland bank’ to generate 10 years of income as well as a full complement of the harvested raw material for biomass research on-site. Restoring the bulk of the site to its primeval condition will take significant time, effort, and training. Renewing and managing a complex system will require skills and education, helping to build a bank of knowledge and experienced ecological corps in the Memphis area. Motion Given the vastness, this is a place that requires motion in order to appreciate. Without preaching the virtues of exercise, the endless and varied loops for walking, running, cycling, horse-riding, canoeing, sailing, offer basic locomotion as a means of getting in shape. The Reservoir will serve as the hub for fitness related hub for annual events such as the Shelby Farms Criterium bicycle race. Native Music Memphis is the celebrated birthplace much of the nation’s music and best artists – BB King, Elvis, Aretha Franklin, even Justin Timberlake call Memphis home. But the scene for music diversity has suffered from the commercialization of Beale Street and arena-scale music venues that suffocate local emerging talent. Fronting on the Reservoir and Esplanade is an outdoor fabric-roofed amphitheater dedicated solely to Memphis music – both its historic figures and its future. Generous incubator space will develop for studio practice and outdoor jam sessions fronting on the beach scene and social life of the Esplanade. This is a place where a young musician and their fans can come and always find a way to be on stage. Generating Art The biggest problem with public art is public alienation. Untrained people don’t understand where it came from and why and therefore don’t care. This park will become a factory for on-site installations created by artists who come to engage with the site and the community for six months. They will live in a secluded residence with a studio and gallery. During this time they will conceive their work and simultaneously give lectures, talks, and exhibition concerning their work, eventually leading to publicly sharing ideas about the new installation and involving the community in the construction. The collection of works will be navigated on foot using head sets, Janet Cardiff-style. The resulting “constellation” in the shape of a raccoon, The Raccoon Constellation, will be visible from an observation tower allowing views over the entire site and to downtown Memphis in the distance.
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Southeast False Creek Waterfront Park – Phase 1
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Project Location: Vancouver, Canada Project Type: Open Park Project Design: PWL Partnership Landscape Architects Inc.
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The Southeast False Creek (SEFC) Neighbourhood is one of Canada’s leading sustainable communities and Vancouver’s first comprehensive sustainable neighbourhood development. At approximately 32 hectares it will provide a mix of land uses, be home to 10,000 - 12,000 people in market and non-market housing, and demonstrate exemplary practices in energy and water conservation, innovative infrastructure practices and transit oriented development. At the turn of the 20th century, False Creek was lined with rail yards, sawmills, and wharves appropriate to Vancouver’s beginnings as a thriving timber processing and distribution centre. This was the first industrial area in Vancouver and soon became choked with log booms, sewage and industrial waste, sawmills, and temporary housing. By the 1950s, False Creek was considered to be a blemish on the downtown Vancouver landscape. The City purchased the land surrounding the Creek and began revitalizing the area by instituting plans to clean up industrial pollutants, encouraging residential development, and creating community amenities. Southeast False Creek is one of the final portions of this area to be redeveloped. The idea of creating a model sustainable community on the site emerged in the early 1990s but did not achieve full momentum until it was proposed as the site for the 2010 Winter Olympics athlete’s village. Following the Olympics, the site has become a permanent complete community with public spaces to be enjoyed by Vancouver residents and visitors alike. Waterfront Park - Phase 1 represents the first phase of SEFC’s primary park and open space system and a 650-meter extension of Vancouver’s iconic seawall. Through walkways, bicycle paths, diverse seating and gathering areas the park provides a variety of vital green spaces that will reconnect people with the heritagerich waterfront and offer unique and memorable experiences unlike any other in Vancouver. A team of landscape architects, planners, engineers, biologists, and historical consultants collaborated to create the Waterfront Park - Phase 1 design which addresses numerous planning and design challenges. After a century of industrial and residential development, much of False Creek had been infilled, leaving virtually no natural shoreline. Clean fill was used to create a new habitat island, which helped fulfill governmental habitat compensation requirements. The island is accessible at low tides and includes intertidal habitat terraces, snags (standing dead trees), a beach, and tidal marshes that provide habitat for a variety of fish and bird species. Hydrology was an important influencing factor on the design of the waterfront. A formerly buried creek was daylighted and will extend through the neighbourhood, and a new network of biofiltration swales and ponds allow stormwater to be cleansed before making its way to the ocean. To further promote the visibility of these functions, decorative iron trench drains cross the walkways and terminate at rock pits for infiltration. Structural
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soil cells have been used extensively in the park to improve water infiltration and subsurface growing conditions in order to enhance the urban forest. Social opportunities and cultural heritage were carefully integrated with the project’s ecological design features. The site’s past life as a shipyard, rail yard, and industrial centre are reflected in the design narrative, material selection, and construction detailing. People have been reintroduced to False Creek through a series of stone terraces and a tidal amphitheatre that lead to the water; all were constructed with locally-sourced granite. Indigenous Douglas fir wood was used for the extensive pier that recalls similar docks and piers that once occupied the shoreline, while handrails and benches were made from sustainably harvested ipe wood, a material that warms with the sun and provides texture and character to the park. Naturally, an important part of this public space’s ecology is its ability to engage people and impart a sense of discovery and fun. Distinctive lounge chairs inspired by the wings of a seagull are enjoyed by people of all ages and have become one of the most recognizable features of the new Waterfront Park. Metal swivel chairs allow 360º views of the neighbourhood, downtown peninsula, and mountains. To complement the industrial materials in the park, native plantings punctuated by strips of ornamental grasses provide movement and texture to the landscape while reintroducing long-absent living materials to the site. The waterfront design aesthetic reflects the intersection between the site’s industrial legacy and the desire for a sustainable, contemporary urban park. An array of imaginative, universally accessible social spaces combine with various design elements to honour the site’s shipbuilding heritage, including a “canoe-shaped” pedestrian bridge crossing a small inlet. The bridge was designed to have a degree of transparency that both minimizes the shadows cast on the marine habitat below and allows pedestrians to see through to the water. While the inlet was designed to be a lively and animated space for festivals, recreation, and pedestrian and cyclist commuters, it is every bit as environmentally sensitive as the rest of the waterfront. Along with the stormwater management and plantings seen throughout the park, the inlet features sentinel lights that line the inlet and are fitted with special panels to prevent light pollution, and custom litter receptacles have solar-powered compacters to reduce the number of vehicle trips required to service them. Waterfront Park - Phase 1 completes the existing waterfront promenade and bike lanes found throughout the False Creek and Downtown Vancouver areas. This innovative project demonstrates that environmentally sensitive design is completely at home in a dense residential and commercial neighbourhood and shines even brighter when layered with historical references, social spaces, and recreational opportunities.
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Sungei Buloh Master Plan
Project Location: Singapore Project Type: Ecological Planning
"A great plan with bold graphic presentation that envisions a wetland reserve as economic and cultural amenity- its an exciting vision that has a believable solution. We hope projects like this can be built!" —2010 Professional Awards Jury Under the Master Plan, conservation of the wetland's rich biodiversity will be strengthened, while its outdoor learning and education facilities will be enhanced. In time to come, visitors can look forward to new facilities, programmes and activities to cater to all groups, from students, families, nature lovers to researchers. A public exhibition showcasing the future plans for Sungei Buloh was launched on 19 June 2010 by Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education. The Draft Master Plan for Sungei Buloh was first announced by Senior Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong at Sungei Buloh's 15th anniversary in December 2008. Since then, a working group, comprising representatives from Nature Society Singapore (NSS), the Singapore Environment Council (SEC), National University of Singapore (NUS), National Institute of Education (NIE), National Technological University (NTU), PUB, Ministry of Education (MOE) and volunteers, had worked on the detailed plan for Sungei Buloh. Enhancing Sungei Buloh's Role as an Outdoor Learning Classroom An extension of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, currently known as Kranji Nature Trail, will be redeveloped as a buffer to the wetland reserve, with a focus on nature learning and recreation. Renamed as Sungei Buloh Wetland Park, this 38 hectare park aims to diversify the visitor experience, and also take on the additional visitorship to the wetland reserve. New facilities in the pipeline for students and family groups include observation hides, coastal boardwalks as well as educational play facilities to support the programmes and activities which will be implemented. Wireless learning trails will also enhance the learning experience. Educational trails with themes such as 'Life in Mangroves' and 'Conserving Mangroves' will be developed so that visitors can gain a deeper understanding about this rich ecosystem. This helps to promote family bonding out in the field and allows them to get closer to the natural mangrove environment. Students can also look forward to an additional Visitor Centre at Sungei Buloh Wetland Park. It serves as a second gateway to Sungei Buloh, with experiential trails leading out into the park. This Visitor Centre will have interactive exhibits and interpretative displays to educate the public on mangroves and conservation. Strengthening Conservation of Sungei Buloh As a site along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway for migratory shorebirds and an ASEAN Heritage Park, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is a unique asset for conservation, education and recreation in a land-scarce city state like Singapore. It is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, including over 220 species of birds. To enhance Sungei Buloh's biodiversity, a new Mangrove Arboretum , the first in the
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region, will be set up. It will be a national collection of all 67 species of mangrove plants and trees found in Singapore, featuring common types of mangroves such as the Nipah Palm as well as the critically threatened Api-api jambu (Avicennia marina). This is about 80% of the world's total mangrove flora. When established, this arboretum enables students and researchers on mangroves to view all species easily at one location. Measures will also be taken to regularly maintain the mudflats as shorebirds use these non-vegetated plots to roost and feed. A series of improvement works will also be implemented to further protect Sungei Buloh's biodiversity and habitats, such as erecting a new breakwater to mitigate the impact of waves. Nature areas within the wetland reserve will also be linked up through tree planting to form corridors of complementary habitats. In addition, a new freshwater pond will be created, which helps in enhancing the population of dragonflies. Existing Visitor Centre to Become a Research Hub Over at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, the existing Visitor Centre will be upgraded to become a research and education hub, with amenities such as multi-purpose rooms and workshops to facilitate research into the biodiversity of mangroves. Facilities for meetings and corporate events are also envisioned which can cater to local and regional workshops on biodiversity conservation and corporate retreats. Development works will commence by the end of this year, and are targeted to be completed by mid 2013.
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Trinity River Corridor
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Project Name: Trinity River Corridor Design Guidelines, Dallas, TX Project Location: Dallas, TX Project Type: River Corridor Design
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"Beautiful forms and light handed. It held our attention. The diagrams convey the various layers of intervention and passive ecological prairie grasses, wetlands, riparian buffers, bottomland woodland and recreational lakes. The number and location of canopy trees — more processes. We really hope this is implemented." than 12,000 — directly support hydrologic control of downstream flood velocities. The remaining 20 percent of the park — about 480 acres — 2009 Professional Awards Jury — are devoted to more intensively used trails and promenades, amphitheaters, play areas and athletic fields. Most of these features are proposed above the 2-year flood elevation to reduce maintenance and operation requirements. The combination of proposed landform, Project Statement vegetation and built elements — including the Trinity Parkway — have been calibrated to safely convey a Standard Project Flood, which is The Trinity River Corridor Design Guidelines will establish the character and measure of sustainability for the largest green infrastructure equivalent to the 800-year flood event. initiative in the United States — a 9-mile urban park, floodway and transportation improvement project that will anchor the transformation of In arriving at this approach, the design team availed itself with the expertise of recognized park maintenance, operations and security central Dallas into a quilt of mixed-use and transit-oriented neighborhoods. The scope, scale and design challenges posed by this project consultants. Ongoing collaborations with a public artist, lighting designer, fountain consultant, civil engineers, biologists, as well as experts in bio-filtration, water quality, fluvial morphology, transportation and wayfinding also took place on a consistent and coordinated basis. are unique; they also serve to underscore the role of green infrastructure in re-casting cities as sustainable environments. Periodic and detailed reviews of the design proposals were undertaken by City officials, especially-formed public review bodies, not-forProject Goals and Objectives “To create a didactic landscape unlike any other: where art and sustainability will be coexist throughout the built form, advancing the profit project supporters, and key stakeholders such as adjoining land owners and recreation advocates. The Design Guidelines were city’s most progressive goals and values, where infrastructure will be rendered green infrastructure, where vastness will be sensed and approved in August of 2008. Key Design Proposals understood alongside the minute, and where Dallas will rediscover and redefine itself.” The context of this design goal is a river channel coursing down the middle of a 2,300-acre mostly inaccessible, barren floodway separated The River: Practically the entirety of the Trinity River from the confluence of the Elm Fork and West Fork to the entrance to the Trinity Forest from the city by 35-foot earthen levees—a barrier between Downtown Dallas to the east and residential communities to the west. In — a 9-mile course adjacent to the city’s Downtown — is proposed to be relocated to make room for the Trinity Parkway and recreational envisioning the transformation of the corridor, key design objectives were advanced before the City and stakeholders: lakes. River channel meanders, an oxbow lake, emergent wetlands and multi-level riparian terraces are proposed to improve water quality • A landscape that is at once ecologically viable, educational, offering diverse opportunities for recreation and exercise, and functioning as and to establish the new river alignment as a viable end-to-end wildlife corridor. a connective tissue between adjoining communities. Eco-Types: About 90 percent of the park’s 2,300 acres will become a newly made landscape including mowed turf (13%), meadow (32%), • A landscape that provides a high degree of ecological service, from carbon sequestration, water recycling and bio-filtration, to the bottomland woodland (10%), riparian river terraces (3%), wetlands (13%), river (10%), lakes (12%) and urban parkland (7%). All proposed plant communities and species are native or naturalized, designed to evoke the full gamut of the Texas Blackland Prairie landscape. production of energy from renewable resources. • A landscape that restores access and beauty to the Trinity River, and enhances the floodplain as an expression of the Texas Blackland Trails: More than 30-miles of trails are proposed within the floodway, facilitating jogging and walking as well as equestrians and commuter Prairie. cyclists. A 20-foot wide primary trail meanders across the river, providing equal access to the park from both Downtown and West Dallas. • A landscape that integrates infrastructure — power transmission, transportation, flood protection and conveyance — within the context of Limited trailhead parking is provided; rather, public transit facilities are under consideration in support of the park and system of trails. Public Art: The guidelines propose a three-part art program: site-specific temporary works scattered throughout (bi-annual events); one ecology and recreation. • A landscape that embraces art, from the conception of landforms and its material quality to the provision of venues for major works — single major permanent work, strategically located on the Central Island; and 12 or so “Council Circles” — placed “off the beaten path” for contemplation and education, each designed by a different artist. permanent and temporary. Parkway: The Trinity Parkway portion of the guidelines call for a variety of green design measures, including wind turbines (to take Design Approach The Design Guidelines were commissioned by the City to “fix” the physical identity of the Trinity River Corridor in furtherance of the 2003 advantage of its perched elevation), solar panels for visual attenuation, harvested rain water for irrigation, bio-filtration wetlands for storm Balanced Vision Plan, a plan that secured public consensus for the project’s main features: recreational lakes supplied with reclaimed runoff control, and vegetated vertical walls (GSky system) to dampen sound, control glare and absorb carbon emissions. A combination waste water, the relocation of the Trinity River channel to include meanders and riparian habitat, and the location of the Trinity Parkway, a of median and shoulder plantings intend to blur the line between the park and the parkway, eliciting the perception that the vehicles are 6-mile by-pass toll road within the floodway. “visitors” in what is otherwise a public recreation and habitat resource. Three critical conditions are addressed: Eco-restorers: Working in conjunction with a national bio-filtration expert, about 3.5-acres worth of floating wetlands are proposed in the • The entire park will be subject to periodic flooding, potentially submerging all recreational features under more than 23 feet of water at the 60-acre “Natural Lake” to help naturally polish the lake waters and provide habitat for fish and freshwater invertebrates. Consisting of dispersed 80-foot diameter rings filled with aquatic plants, the restorers will offer didactic evidence of the park’s function as green 100 year flood elevation. infrastructure. • All improvements will be subject to US Army Corps of Engineers flood protection reviews and approvals. • Long-term maintenance and operations cannot impose upon the City Parks and Recreation Department an extraordinary financial burden. Promenade: A mile-long promenade is proposed along the Downtown side of the “Urban Lake” for casual strolling. A combination of In response, about 80 percent of the park area is reserved for low-maintenance landscapes that can naturally withstand flood events: water walls and perched cypress wetland ponds are proposed as a backdrop, part of a lake aeration and bio-filtration strategy. Over 80
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percent of the promenade will be shaded for micro-climate attenuation purposes. Isthmus: Stepped, stone terraces with carved channels for canoeing and kayaking are proposed between the Natural and Urban Lakes. This Isthmus will also provide a fording place across the lakes reminiscent of the chalky limestone shoals that exist as the geologic substrate and which enticed early Europeans to settle the area. Central Island: A narrow, 2-mile long strip of parkland is proposed between the Natural and Urban Lakes and the relocated Trinity River channel. As the only unprogramed turf area of the park, this “island” will function as a locus for civic gatherings and celebrations. Flowerlike shade structures will dot the island, covered with PV fabric that will power nighttime illumination. White Water Run: Perched 17 feet above the river’s normal flow elevation, the Urban and Natural Lakes will drain into the river through a 2,000-foot outlet channel. The Urban Lake water elevation will be periodically raised two feet to increase the flow through the Outlet Channel, providing stone-lined white water conditions along 2/3 of its length. West Dallas Lake: The guidelines call for the creation of a 120-acre, 18-foot deep lake adjacent to several West Dallas communities, helping to satisfy the need for Parkway fill. The lake geometry affords an Olympic-sized rowing course, with water lilies supported by suspended
underwater mats separating every two lanes. The water lilies, as well as “solar bees” (floating, solar-powered aerators) will help to sustain water quality. Implementation The Trinity Parkway will be constructed as a for-profit venture by a state tollway authority. Through an agreement with the City of Dallas, the tollway authority will also build the lakes and provide funds for five key park access points. The Landscape Architect defined the access points and helped secured approval of the design guidelines with the tollway authority as a prerequisite for detailed documentation of the roadway by third parties, which is currently underway. Funds for the park are forthcoming from City, State and Federal sources, as well as private donations. The design team has been instrumental in promoting and explaining the significance of the park as a vital green infrastructure, helping to draw funding support from civic organizations, private donors and the development community. With the approved design guidelines in hand, the design team is currently working on the detailed documentation for a $300 million first phase of park development to be completed in 2014.
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Valdebebas Urban Park: Arroyuelo Park
Project Location: Madrid, Spain Project Type: Urban Park
Changing Values Let’s be practical. The creation of water-consuming landscapes in the vicinity surrounding Parque de Valdebebas is unsustainable. Golf courses, extensive ornamental lakes, lush lawns and landscaping, large fountains - all the typical accessories to marketing successful developments - are found abundantly in the surrounding areas. This happens in an arid climate with low rainfall where water supplies dwindle yearly, urban expansion continues, and climate change will increase droughts. But consumers are changing. And we imagine the new residents here to be among the most progressive of them. More and more, their lifestyle choices are driven by environmental values, about wanting to be “part of the solution, not part of the problem”. That’s what this park can be about. And when we say park, we mean not only the current competition site but also the Forest Park and open spaces of the adjacent housing areas. The challenge for this open space complex is to provide memorable experiences while living within the supply of annual rainfall and a modest ration of recycled water. Along with a range of related sustainable practices, this is progressive, practical, and marketable. And what should be done with this water? Cultivate the land - carefully and respectfully - not only for recreational open space and nature re-generation, but for food. Create a large scale organic farm as one of the key components of the park. Revive a social and ecological cycle lost from our lives where land and water connect with local food production. This in turn connects with reviving culinary traditions derived from the land and the seasons and an expanded social network based on participation in this - getting people together to cook and eat well. People are quietly crying out to re-connect their lives with the land in a fundamental way. Let’s look to the native cultivation and stewardship practices being steadily erased from our memory. Working together, the Arroyuelo Park and the Forest Park can bring this back to life. Gathering Water The Arroyuelo Park derives its basic form from a molded topography that will collect and store the largest amount of water available. The existing ridges and swales are re-shaped to collect water and deliver it to a central irrigation reservoir that is also a recreational and social center. The ridges are made taller and the valleys made deeper to create a more pronounced moisture gradient. As water is collected in the seasonal streams, shade-creating vegetation can emerge naturally. Terraces are created next to the streams for farming. Recycled water is introduced at the head of each valley and flows through them in the summer, irrigating the riparian vegetation and purifying the water as it passes. Water for farm irrigation can be diverted from the streams as it descends or it can be pumped from the reservoir. This collection plan also diverts runoff from the adjacent urban areas to the reservoir as well as the entire valley between the Arroyuelo Park and the Forest Park. Based on this enlarged watershed, hydrologic calculations show how this system and reservoir can work based only on rainfall and modest inputs from the recycled water supply. Growing Food The new organic farm will supply fresh greens and produce of all types. Orchards, including relocated olives, will grow on the ridge tops. There is also a pasture area along the historic droving road behind the park’s ridge line where a limited number of chickens, goats, and sheep graze within natural grass meadows on a carefully managed rotational basis to preserve the landscape. All of this will be available at the Farmer’s Market. Residents can participate by volunteering at the farm and joining the distribution co-operative (Community Supported Agriculture) as well as by eating at the restaurant and cafe in the marketplace which bases its menu on what is seasonally available from the farm and pasture. The restaurant, run by a local charismatic chef will also offer cooking classes helping us remember a life free of packaged, processed food prepared by someone we don’t know. Farmer’s Market The Farmer’s Market is a collection of pavilions and terraces perched on a deck over the reservoir and generously shaded by a large fabric roof that collects rain water. It structures the market, restaurant / café, club, day care center, and farm / ecology education center. It collects pedestrians coming from different sectors of the residential area just as the reservoir collects water from various watersheds. It serves as a distribution point for park visitors. An electric shuttle will cross the Reservoir Bridge every 15 minutes headed for destinations with Arroyuelo Park as well as Forest Park.
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Vancouver Convention Centre Expansion
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Project Location: Vancouver, Canada Project Design: PWL Partnership Landscape Architects Inc.
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In the spring of 2009, a fascinating transformation took place in downtown Vancouver. Flushes of grasses and wildflowers began to appear 12 storeys above Coal Harbour and were soon visited by insects, songbirds, and butterflies. This new habitat, absent from the downtown area for over 150 years, is a self-maintaining, self-regenerating living roof; along with the 5,800 m2 plaza and seawall promenade extension, the living roof demonstrates the diverse contributions made by PWL Partnership Landscape Architects to the Vancouver Convention Centre Expansion Project. The 2.4 hectare extensive living roof is a key component to the overall project’s achievement of LEED Gold certification. The roof moderates heat gain and loss in the building, improves urban air quality, cleanses and reduces rainwater runoff, and creates valuable habitat. It includes a roof deck, fluid-applied rubber reinforced build-up with root barrier and leak detection grid, and the living roof overlay. The overlay is comprised of a filter cloth layer, 15cm of growing medium, drainage runnels, and a drip irrigation system. The thriving plantings, first tested in a three-year test plot program, include sedges, perennial herbs, and grasses, modeled after British Columbia coastal grasslands for their ability to thrive in climatic extremes and restricted growing depth. The landscape architects contributed solutions to two major design challenges in the overall project. First, for a structure entirely on marine deck and 40% over water, conventional planting approaches were not possible. The plaza, designed to hold up to 8,000 people, did not offer the depth or structural support for tree plantings. Instead, smaller peripheral spaces defined by planters moderate the scale of the plaza and create intimate, comfortable, and flexible areas. The landscape architects also worked with the structural engineers to modify the viaduct truss structure to facilitate tree planting. With these
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modifications, the trusses now contain enough growing medium to provide continuous trenches for street trees along the south edge of the project. The second design challenge was to mediate disparate architectural forms. The original Convention Centre and the new expansion feature strikingly different architecture and a 12 meter grade change at the west end. PWL Partnership used paving patterns and furnishings as wayfinding devices and unifying elements. Working with the architects, the landscape architects created a grand staircase, completed with fully accessible ramps, between the existing Harbour Green Park and the plaza 12 meters above. The vocabulary of regional and sustainable materials includes locally sourced growing medium, plants, railings, concrete and basalt pavers, and permeable pavers. Rainwater runnels run throughout the plaza and articulate the district markers at the street ends, celebrating this defining West Coast characteristic. Treated blackwater from the building irrigates both the living roof and the plaza plantings. PWL’s landscape design for the Vancouver Convention Centre Expansion Project features the largest non-industrial living roof in North America and Vancouver’s first large plaza for public gatherings and events. The simplicity of the design is an amazing contrast to the complex building and engineering systems, and a model for compatible, progressive, and sustainable urban design.
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Campus Planning Campus environment is different from cultural space and commercial sites that are outstanding for its images, selfconspicuous, fashion; that focus on working and leisure life, that pay attention to the visual impact at the first time to people. However, the campus carries forward the tradition of human history, being a place that student gain knowledge with essential characteristics: simple, solemn, natural. Different design approach is applied to different functions of the regional environment to interpret the spirit of campus. Pluralism, freedom, inclusion and history are recorded as the campus develops. Campus design is different from the general urban planning, for it only need to meet the teaching, accommodation and other relating functional requirements, not involving complex social, political and economic factors. It focuses more on integration of internal and external space, stressing the exchange between spaces since campus does not only fulfill the knowledge imparting function, bust also cultivate living environment for all-around development. Nowadays, college campus is no longer isolated as an ivory tower. Its environment is gradually moving towards the community, becoming a more open, penetrative, integrative space. Continuousness, wholeness and accordance with endusers of campus is of special significance because that university campus is a place for young people to learn, live, grow up. The campus is not only functional in using, but also play an important role on the spiritual level of students by material stuff. Through the landscape of the campus, a pleasant sensory is presented, a space for teachers and students to reduce pressure, entertain and communicate.
Celebrating the Cultural Landscape Heritage of Mills College
Location: Oakland, CA, USA Clients: Mills College
"With the help of archival research, the Heritage Plan identifies iconic historic resources that can resolve conflicts between the demands of 21st century educational and the historic cultural values of Mills. Through public lectures and an extensively illustrated book that examines the rich campus history, the landscape architect developed support for the replanting of a double row of eucalyptus trees, but with a different species." — 2009 Professional Awards Jury How do campus planners identify which historic resources are valuable for guiding campus improvements and use the resources in sustainable new designs? Since 1868, Mills College founders, and those who followed, shaped the campus with Picturesque-era exotic and native plantings and distinguished architecture. In 2006, Mills College sought guidance on how to best preserve, enhance, and further develop this unique campus setting. Funded by the Getty Foundation and Mills College, this landscape heritage study distills the values of the college founders and how these were expressed by nationally recognized landscape architects and architects over 140 years. The project singles out iconic resources and recommends how to balance future development with historic preservation. The project included historical research, analysis, and planning, and it culminated in design solutions for two key campus precincts to address current and future needs. The study demonstrates that the use of historic resources is integral to sustainable planning and design. The public lecture series, integration of the study into college courses, and publication of a book increased awareness and excitement about this study's findings and recommendations. The result is a campus environment that expresses the unique identity of the institution. Sense of place ·This cultural landscape heritage study defines the essence of the campus identity as manifested in its physical and cultural characteristics. ·Research identified distinctive features of the cultural landscape created by distinguished professionals in architecture, landscape architecture, and botany, including Bernard Maybeck, Julia Morgan, Walter Ratcliff, Jr., Howard Gilkey, and Howard McMinn. ·The study guides development within and beyond the historic core of the campus. Sustainability ·Building on the contributions of past planners and designers is fundamentally sustainable in approach and outcomes. This plan advocates taking cues from and making use of historic campus resources. Often, colleges and universities sweep aside historic resources, wasting the potential physical and cultural contributions they offer. Resolution of Conflicts ·This study sets out to resolve conflicts between the demands of a 21stcentury education and the cultural historic values of the institution. ·As a case in point, the college recently removed more than 100 blue gum (120 years old, 120 feet high). The double row of Eucalyptus was a historic iconic edge to the original campus. Because of the college's depth in horticultural and biological sciences, college faculty advocated the use of native plants to replace the Eucalyptus. This clashed with the cultural history of the college. Recommendations of the landscape heritage plan balanced and resolved the issues and convinced the college to replant the Eucalyptus but with a different species. Just as the founders did more than 100 years ago, the college is currently growing the trees from seed for planting in Fall 2009. Research, Community Outreach, and Education ·The college conducted a series of four well-attended public lectures. The presenters placed Mills in the national context of the development and evolution of women's college campuses and discussed research on the development of the Mills campus over 140 years. ·The college integrated this study into two undergraduate courses to
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further appreciation of campus history and its biological setting. ·For the board of trustees, the study offered insight into the power of the campus to instill a sense of place and fueled enthusiasm to pursue improvements identified in the project's design studies. ·Recognizing the wealth of historic research and its usefulness in informing future campus planning and design, the college published and distributed a well-illustrated book (rather than a planning document) to educate the campus community and to support fund raising for capital projects and landscape improvements. ·The book documents the planning and design steps undertaken, providing a process that can be easily transferred to other institutions. Implementation ·Mills College is taking its first step in implementing this study, demonstrating that the past can inspire the future. Mills recognized that support for historic resources is often tested when action needs to be taken. Therefore, the college chose a study area that had immediate needs and presented conflicting values. The college used this study to resolve the issues and will replant the double row of Eucalyptus trees in Fall 2009. ·The study demonstrates that high-quality campus design can be achieved through restraint. The simple, yet bold, replacement of the double row of Eucalyptus, the extension of native plantings to create an aesthetic campus context to the buildings, and the use of finer textured materials in areas of high pedestrian use all contribute to success of the guidelines. Exemplary architectural achievements from campus history inspired the study's simple materials palette, ranging from scored, poured-in-place concrete for pedestrian areas to the shuttle stop's metal work, which is inspired by the shape of the blue gum Eucalyptus leaf.
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Courtyard and Outdoor Classroom for Natural Sciences
Landscape Architect: Dirtworks, PC Project Location: New Hampshire, USA
The expansion of the science center was an opportunity to design a courtyard linked to the school's curriculum and provide a pleasant setting for casual gatherings. The design captures the essential character of the New Hampshire landscape, and distills it into an idealized snapshot of the state to help students learn about local botanical life and geological formations. The Natural Science faculty worked with Dirtworks to develop elements for use in teaching. The paving patterns and materials represent strata and native stone types. Large boulders, representing rock outcrops, provide opportunities to study natural rock formations. We considered the building as a giant sundial that casts shadows on the courtyard's main walkway. The shadows now align with bronze markers indicating important astronomical dates, such as solstices and equinoxes. The plant palette was carefully selected to represent native New Hampshire flora as well as plants significant in botanical evolution.
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Hamline Blue Garden
Project Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
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1.The Blue Garden as seen from above. 2.Illustrative sketch of the Blue Garden 3.Water rushes over the softly lit wall in the evening 4.Soft masses of plantings, all chosen for their blue or purple blooms, surround the bluestone wall. 5.Students enjoy a moment of respite in the garden. 6.A long view of garden, looking west near sunset.
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The garden was designed to celebrate the life of Tammy Osnes, but it should also be a place of reflection for the losses of all students and act as a helpful place of healing for those parents who have lost their children. It contains a variety of elements that will help to provide an air of contemplative calm and introspection for members of the immediate family, the Hamline community, and anyone who has lost a family member. Location The location for the Memorial Garden was decided upon due to its unique secluded and quiet nature, despite being in the center of campus. The nature of campus pedestrian circulation in this particular area also assures that the Memorial will be forever catching the eyes of passersby. This location allows the space to be equally effective for use by individuals or groups. Paths The paths are designed to represent the many avenues/choices that can be taken in life by the visitors or that might have been taken by Tammy as she made her way through the world. Indiana limestone was chosen as the material for the paths because of Tammy’s relationship with the State of Indiana. Stacked Bluestone Wall & Waterfall The wall is a literal representation of the imposition or barrier one must work to cross after having lost a child. The water moving through the wall represents the idea that this imposition can be overcome, but not forgotten. The water provides a hushed, calming rush of sound against which to contemplate, meditate or seek relief. Benches
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The benches will act as places of respite for individuals as well as small, family sized groups to sit and reflect. Circular Perennial Garden & Oak Tree A pure circle planted with perennial flowers that will bloom every year near graduation—representing an everlasting memory. The Oak represents the trial we all go through in life while changing and becoming whom we are meant to be, we must also consider the greater good and moral responsibilities. It represents the soul, which in Celtic terms is the “eye of god” Change, sacrifice, and understanding. From Hamline U Development Brochure “Reflection deepens life as it deepens understanding. Our Hamline community is committed to the care of the soul as well as the development of knowledge. The Blue Garden provides a serene and striking intersection of learning, life, and reflection. Tucked into the green space between the School of Law, Old Main, and Bush Library, the Blue Garden will be a private and secluded space for reflection, introspection, and peace. The garden’s perfect-circle shape, planted with perennial flowers in shades of blue, evokes the continuing circle of life and growth, crossed with paths to symbolize choices made or roads yet to be taken. The bluestone wall represents an interruption to that circle—by conflict, by loss, or by choices made. Reflection is deepened by loss, which may be tempered by time, but is never forgotten. The rushing water symbolizes moving through loss, but never moving past it. A lone, majestic oak tree represents the growth of the soul through our learning, loss, and reflection. It symbolizes Hamline’s commitment that we become who we are meant to be, and learn what we are meant to learn. The Blue Garden is for everyone in our community to reflect, contemplate, heal, learn, and grow.” 6
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Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research
Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research (KUSTAR) is an independent, non-profit co-educational institution. Its mission is the advancement of learning through teaching and research and to the discovery and application of knowledge. It pursues international recognition as a world class interdisciplinary research university. The Vision The Master Plan for KUSTAR represents a fully integrated, forward looking vision to establish a sustainable and dynamic campus setting. It is located within the wider Capital City District development, a key development project within Plan Abu Dhabi 2030 – a visionary document prepared by the Urban Planning Council of Abu Dhabi. The 188 acre KUSTAR site accommodates a comprehensive program for 6,000 students providing academic/research, residential, cultural and recreational facilities. The KUSTAR campus plan promotes synergies and interdisciplinary connections between academic and research activities while offering a range of residential accommodations to provide a desirable living/learning environment. A highly integrated academic core is developed as part of a site wide sustainable strategy that encourages walking and transit. The Framework KUSTAR is a highly visible and engaging component of the new Capital District. The most civic and ceremonial entrance to the University is located opposite a public space planned in the adjacent district. An entry landscape (“Innovation Plaza”) is framed by a grand arcade that defines its edges and provides a welcoming place of arrival into the heart of the campus. The sequence leads to “University Square” the crossroads of the academic core. This space takes inspiration from Kufic texts and Arab inventions in science and technology. Fronting University Square is the Library/Student Hub building. This dramatic structure houses the main library, student centre, dining, auditorium and other social and learning components of the University. It is a landmark visible from the urban boulevard, surrounding neighborhoods and highway to the north. The academic core of KUSTAR is structured upon a slightly raised podium that conceals a ground level of parking and service access. All academic and research buildings have circulation cores that extend down to this ground level, facilitating direct universal access into the campus core. Design guidelines propose a campus that is both modern and culturally relevant. As a new campus, it is imperative that the KUSTAR Campus Master Plan create a timeless identity that will become the heritage of the university. The plan does this sensitively by creating a desirable framework of narrow pedestrian routes and courtyards which are familiar to the region, integrating local materials and vegetation, and
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Project Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Client: Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research Project Design: Sasaki Associates, Inc.
thoughtful connectivity to future development. A “Campus Town” is envisioned around the City Park across from the main entry to the University in the Capital District. Nearby restaurants, bookshops and other commercial uses are clustered along key areas of the campus setting, especially at areas served by transit. Graduate and faculty housing that is not accommodated on the campus site will be located in strategic areas adjacent to the campus. Sustainability Sustainability has been pursued through an integrated design approach. Workshops have served to coordinate multiple efforts across consultants and disciplines in accommodating the principles of the Estidama program (this is the advanced sustainability rating system developed for Abu Dhabi.) The approach is exemplified by design strategies related to storm-water and landscape principles (eco-corridors), utilization of engineering analyses to inform architectural design (solar, wind analysis), and the coordination of all aspects of urban design. Analyses include livable systems/livable city (circulation, walkability, habitat, urban heat island mitigation, thermal comfort), climate analysis, energy demands and energy use mitigation (active and passive, renewables), water demands and water use mitigation (water recycling), materials and solid waste disposal. A series of individual landscape zones define the overall landscape, as well as the unique spatial quality of the site. The design responds to the saline desert environment by creating a variety of ecological habitats allowing for a wide range of landscape experiences and preservation the ecological heritage of the site. Ecological corridors connect the site in a North-South direction. The corridors carry the prevailing cooling winds and provide storm water retention. The existing desert landscape is enhanced and it is supported by with arid planting strategy. Infrastructure strategies for KUSTAR have been developed for water, wastewater, storm-water, power, cooling, gas, telecommunications and solid waste systems. The consultant team has reviewed local and international practices with respect to sustainable infrastructure design and has integrated best practice throughout. Sustainable design strategies include TSE recycling, cooling make-up water demands, dedicated campus district cooling, high efficiency irrigation and planting systems and solar PV, for hot water. Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research will be a forward looking university with pride in Arabic and Islamic science, technology and innovation that will inspire and motivate students. The Master Plan provides a unique campus framework that successfully integrates regional culture and a modern world-class university. It will serve as a model for future development in the UAE and beyond.
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Portland State University District Framework
Location: Portland, Oregon, USA Client: Portland State University Project Design: Sasaki Associates, Inc.
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Community Engagement and Entrepreneurial Impact Rooted in Sustainability Located in the heart of Downtown Portland Portland State University (PSU) is a large and dynamic urban research institution with over 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The City of Portland is recognized nationally for its culture of civic engagement, its stunning natural setting within the Willamette River Valley, and its commitment to sustainability. These shared characteristics are the most valuable assets and have, together with sophisticated urban planning and design and an exhaustive transit network, resulted in a vibrant and highly desirable place to live and work. Portland State has developed a strategy that leverages these assets to guide its future. The University District Framework Plan, completed in 2010, provides a physical framework for future growth that builds upon the University’s innovative academic environment and partnership opportunities, a commitment to sustainable neighborhood development, and world-class transit to realize its vision as a sustainable, urban research University. Portland State University has the potential to become the urban catalyst for sustainability-based economic growth in the Portland metropolitan district, by laying the groundwork for: A model learning and research environment; A model economic environment; A model sustainable community; Multiple partnerships between city, University, and private enterprise; and An urban design that captures and enhances Portland’s unique characteristics. The Rationale Universities increasingly are catalysts for economic growth. Metropolitan areas surrounding educational hubs are often magnets for entrepreneurial vitality. Universities have aspired to leadership positions in technology, engineering and bioscience. Today, many urban areas in the United States aspire to dominance in sustainability entrepreneurship. Portland is very strongly positioned to be a dominant player with Portland State University as its epicenter. Unique Opportunities As Oregon’s only urban University, PSU is fully embedded in the City. With rapid growth in enrollment and research activity, it has already formed strong partnerships with the City. Together, PSU and the City have made a commitment to the concept of urban EcoDistricts – urban development districts committed to sponsoring and monitoring comprehensive approaches to sustainability. Ingredients of Success To stimulate the economic impact of the University, PSU needs soft organizational boundaries and close physical proximity between University research and private R&D. Investment incentives for sustainable development and partnerships between the University and private enterprise are also required. These goals necessitate an approved framework plan that ensures an integrated approach to sustainable development and provides clear guidelines and incentives to investors. A New Model of Campus/City Development The University District Framework Plan proposes a new model of urban development that is neither City nor Campus, but a unique fusion of the two. Boundaries between public and private are blurred; uses are not only mixed, but shared; and a transparency permeates the environment, making the academic and social life of the University visible to all. Integral to the district environment is the manifestation of Portland’s EcoDistricts Initiative, where urban infrastructure, social programs, and systems-based design are used as teaching tools, reinforcing the identity of the District as a learning laboratory. The Framework Within the District, the blending of city and campus creates a vibrant urban environment. A network of corridors, parks, and plazas creates a web of active open spaces connecting 2
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people across and beyond the District. Development is concentrated in integrated centers at transit hubs. And at the building level, vertically layered uses blend public and private development and provide collaborative spaces and other opportunities for interaction. Active uses and transparency on the street level connect buildings to the city, integrating indoor and outdoor spaces. Three New Centers for Early Redevelopment Early redevelopment in the framework plan radiates from three major focal points in the University District, and complements existing hubs of activity. Each has a dominant theme, supporting the complex needs of the University in achieving its goals and are representative of the eventual vision for the district as a whole. All three focal points optimize land use & accommodate growth, ensure institutional distinctiveness & campus/city integration, maximize connectivity, and capitalize on the Portland experience support partnerships. All three also blend of public and private uses; provide transparency on the street level; integrate indoor and outdoor spaces; and demonstrate exemplary sustainable development.
1.Portland State University District Framework Plan at full build out 2.Arial of site 3.A network of “Green Streets� and public parks tie the existing park blocks to the river and structure the development of three centers of development. 4.EcoDistrict Energy Loops 5.EcoDistrict Energy and Transportation 6.EcoDistrct Water Recovery 7.EcoDistrict Storm Water Management 8.At SW Montgomery Street and SW 5th Avenue, City Gateway Center is a gateway and center for sustainable development, bridging University and city. A key location in the Portland State EcoDistrict pilot, the Montgomery Green Street, the proposed Oregon Sustainability Center, and other facilities and open spaces showcase the benefits of sustainable design. New academic facilities and private sector office and research space provide opportunities for sustainable businesses to collocate, promoting future collaboration. Active ground-level uses and public spaces enliven the street. The intersection of transit lines creates an important transit hub, connecting the district to the larger metropolitan region while supporting sustainability goals. Anchored by Urban Center Plaza, the City Gateway Center includes incubator spaces for business development, and by R&D space developed commercially, in conjunction with spaces occupied by the University. 9.The Park Blocks Center leverages the capacity for significant additional development to reinvent the academic hub for the campus. A mix of instructional, office 10
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and research space promotes interdisciplinary collaboration, showcasing the innovative endeavors of PSU. Transparent and inviting ground floor spaces engage
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the community and reinforce its role as a learning laboratory for the city. Pedestrian connections along SW Montgomery Street create a new cross-campus corridor, the Montgomery
12.Portland State University campus in gray
Green Street. The Green Street provides public space and demonstrates the environmental and social benefits of green infrastructure. A new quadrangle at the intersection of SW 11th Avenue and SW Montgomery Street ties into this corridor, expanding the system of open space.
13.The University District Framework Plan proposes a new model of urban development that is neither City nor Campus, but a unique fusion of the two. Boundaries between public and private are blurred; uses are not only mixed, but shared; and a transparency permeates the environment, making the academic and social life of the University visible to all.
10.EcoDistrict Storm Water Management 14.Montgomery “Green Street” anchored by a mix of University and Urban uses provides a new campus spine that weaves its way through the city fabric. 11.A new Living/Learning node, at SW College Street and SW 5th Avenue, creates an important center for student life. Diverse uses including housing, retail, and other student
15.Renovating the existing building’s Student Center along the park blocks will create a strong connection between student activities inside and outside
support spaces, both public and private, anchor the SW 5th and SW 6th Avenue transit corridor. A new park provides a focal point, offsetting the dense urban fabric and strengthening the east-west open-space connection from the Park Blocks along SW College Street to Lovejoy Park and the existing necklace of open spaces. The first development
16.A new park at College and 5th streets anchors a vibrant mixed use “Student Village” center.
is a joint project between the University and a private developer, which adds 600-1,000 additional beds. Future expansion of MAX service on SW Lincoln Street will connect to other institutions including OHSU, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, and Portland Community College. 14
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Stock-Pile
The project is a storage pile or heap of material; a reserve supply of something essential; a gradually accumulated reserve of something, esp. something vital or indispensable. The essential elements of landscape construction - stone, aggregate, sand, soil - diverse and rich in color, shape, and texture - are arranged in simple piles on a north-south grid. Two are planted with ancient ferns. All start stacked impossibly steep, poised to subside - each of its own accord, in keeping with its inherent physical and structural characteristics.
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Project Type: Art Installation Project Location: The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study Project Design: Stoss Landscape Urbanism
It is designed by Stoss Landscape Urbanism. Chris Reed is the Principal of Stoss and Design Critic in Landscape Architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. It is installed for 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. *from Webster’s Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged
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The Academic Court
Project Location: California, USA Project Type: Campus Open Space Project Design: SPURLOCK POIRIER Landscape Architects
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Envisioned as a TOOL to support the collaborative research of the advanced engineering school – the Academic Court exemplifies the 21st century Quad. With wireless technology designed by the very scientists using the space – students and staff can connect and navigate the virtual world while enjoying the real one. Growing from an inspired strategy proposed by the landscape architect the Court has become one of the most a cherished places on campus. The Idea As our landscape architecture firm began work for a new Bioengineering building, we were struck by the lack of definition and programming for the outdoor spaces surrounding the building. Propelled by a unanimous, positive response to our assessment from campus administrators and the design review board, we began a simultaneous effort to prepare a master plan for the surrounding precinct and a site design for the building. This work would result in the space now known as the Academic Court. Innovation in Exterior Space Planning The landscape architect produced a first-ever campus outdoor building program allocating spaces as semi-private, semi-public, and public to fulfill a range of academic and social needs. The study reinforced the Campus Master Plan in calling for the perimeter edges to merge into the rustic landscape with an internal “social” courtyard. The success of the Master Plan resulted in our firm being hired as the landscape architect for all of the building projects and the design of the Court itself – a spirited collaboration with three of the nation’s leading architectural firms. The Design Each of the three buildings would serve students and researchers who would regularly need to visit each other – formally and informally – planned and spontaneously. People wanted to study outside as well as use the space as a retreat from their black boxes and computer screens. One building – the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Cal IT2) – committed to using the space for advanced research on wireless infrastructure, allowing the Court to be “connected” for any manner of communication and computing. The resulting design is a oneand-one-half-acre space that fulfills a multitude of needs dominated by a public zone of informal gathering and circulation along direct desire lines between every building access point. Conservation and Environmental Sensitivity Water is the precious resource of the San Diego coastal desert. Winter dormant turf grass and drought tolerant native plant species predominate the Court to ground the place in the San Diego landscape. Careful, rigorous grading and drainage design creates a nearly dead level central lawn – allowing the scarce rain water to collect and sustain the native California Sycamore trees in a landscape floor that truly functions as an outdoor room. Functionality and Ownership of Space Once the program of uses and spatial allocations were determined, the space was parceled out in a paradigm of ownership – public, semi-public, and semi-private, with building interiors playing the role of private. The public open lawn dotted with native California Sycamores provides a place for both individual relaxation and formal seating for over 1,000 people during graduation, speeches and award ceremonies. The lawn is framed by a semi-public edge of seat-walls arrayed to maximize opportunities to stop for an impromptu conversation. This edge also defines the semi-private area designed for the particular needs of the three adjacent buildings reinforcing the personality of each user group in function and character. The Cal IT2 building contains the shared public auditorium for the three buildings and features a large paved plaza as an extension of the auditorium lobby. The plaza can be configured for table dining service for 250. Attention to detail in the design of service infrastructure allowed us to disguise vehicle paths and fire access lanes as integral parts of pedestrian walks. Heart and Soul Amidst the techno-modern assemblage of buildings and site, the sculpture “Bear”, is a remarkable piece of wit and appropriately complex engineering towering 23 feet above the lawn. We worked with the artist to jointly to adjust paths and locate the piece. From conception to active daily use, the Academic Court exemplifies the best of landscape architecture – a success of deliberate programming of exterior space to create an environment that excels in function and aesthetics in direct response to the setting.
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1.Academic Court in the Evening
9.The Bioengineering “break-out” space uses a series of walls to shape outdoor study carrels for white board and pin-up discussions. Palm trees give the space its unique personality and tolerate the shade orientation.
3.The Academic Court is the main outdoor gathering space for the Jacob’s School of Engineering on the University of California San Diego campus. 10.Trellis covered entrance to the thru-building tunnel connecting to student housing. 4.The bird’s-eye view reveals the careful packageing of uses woven into the circulation geometry. 11.Shade Trellis at Pedestrian Tunnel through Cal IT2 5.The space is regularly configured for large award ceremonies and conference speeches – with capacity for nearly 1,000 at this particular California “winter” season event. 12.Multiple paths follow desired lines to building entries and to the tunnel carved through the Cal IT2 building in the left background. 6.The Court is a space for circulation and gathering. Paths link the three engineering research buildings and provide spaces for outdoor learning, relaxing, and formal large group
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assembly set in an emerging forest of California Sycamores.
13.A 25’ wide zone next to each building serves as semi-private “break-out” space – in this case the Computer Science users asked for outdoor small conference areas and study space.
7.Plant material was chosen to heighten the subtle southern California seasons.
14.“Bear” arrests your attention entering the Academic Court from the Warren Mall. The walkway doubles as a fire access lane.
8.Native Sycamore trees ground the Court in the southern California environment and unify the public lawn.
15.The Court offers multiple opportunities for individuals to escape outdoors and find a place of their own.
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The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University
Project Location: Tempe, Arizona, USA Project Type: Campus Project Design: Ten Eyck Landscape Architects, Inc.
The Biodesign Institute project unites the site of a new research facility and creates a green gateway experienced by vehicle passengers of a major arterial to ASU where parking lots and a sterile retention basin once existed. Plazas are nestled into a desert riparian garden that harvests storm water and condensate from the architecture while creating urban habitat for student gathering and study. The setting provides an opportunity to promote sustainable practices in a busy public space. Program The Biodesign Institute strives to prevent and cure disease, to overcome pain and limitations of injury, to renew and sustain our environment and to secure a safer world. These goals inspired our design intent to create an environment that is about healing and sustaining life: tearing out existing asphalt to create permeable, vibrant, shade-giving regional gardens with plants used for healing purposes; connecting people in an urban setting through judicious use of hardscape integrated with the natural beauty of our long ago altered Sonoran Desert; and celebrating and incorporating water produced by the building and its systems to feed the native garden. The design program included major multi-modal circulation along Terrace Road, entry plazas to the new buildings and outdoor gathering places – particularly in relation to the location of a future conference center. During master planning we were also asked to conceptualize a future pedestrian mall at Tyler Street located north of the site including the integration of a future light rail station platform and a major City of Tempe bus transit facility. We were inspired by the opportunity to use this project to showcase ASU President Michael Crow’s vision of a new American University that has sustainable impact at both local and global levels. Design Intent We saw the existing retention basin next to the parking garage as a huge opportunity – even though it technically was not part of the project. Most of the Phoenix area is required to hold storm water on each individual project site because there is limited storm water infrastructure in most municipalities. Typically these are graveled basins void of any plant life. We saw an opportunity to create a unified new entry into the campus on both the north and south sides of busy Terrace Road by encompassing and renovating this existing retention basin and by adding retention to the north side. In addition, the Architects elevated the buildings on a 5’ plinth above the street. Knowing that researchers from all over the world would be visiting this facility we saw this grade change as an opportunity to showcase two biomes of the desert – the bajada and the desert riparian arroyo. The plinth landscape represents the bajada with the retention areas being desert riparian arroyo zones which together create a new gateway into campus. Terrace Road was repaved and we designed the bike lane using material to contrast with the asphalt street. Our intent was to visually narrow the street and slow down traffic on this heavily utilized entry to campus. New detached walkways along Terrace Road handle the high pedestrian traffic from dormitories across Rural Road. Entry plazas were designed to the new buildings gaining 5’ in grade with under a 4% slope for accessible entry to the building without railings. As one approaches the Institute, one senses a rhythmic stepped pattern of cast-inplace angular concrete retaining walls planted with masses of desert succulents with healing properties. Once on the plinth, triangulated drought tolerant palo verdes create shade. Seatwalls are integrated in the south entry and the east plaza that connects to the second phase building. The angular plinth steps down to a retention/riparian garden that embraces a new accessible amphitheater located next to the site of the future phase 3 conference center. Environmental Impact Through extensive coordination with the architect and engineers, roof storm water was directed into the retention garden shaped by the spiraling bioswale and angular concrete site walls. The rhythmic concrete site walls and seatwalls step down nearly 5’ below natural grade into a permeable stabilized granite plaza which is shaded by a riparian mesquite bosque. The seatwalls terminate with a sculptural irrigation seep – which when dry expresses the memory of water and when in operation, provides the vital connection with water that we long for in the arid southwest. It is a functional, low maintenance, ephemeral irrigation ‘fountain’. The biosponge/bioswale at its lowest point connects via a pipe to the larger and renovated retention garden south of Terrace Road which serves as a study area for various University programs such as Biology. At the onset of Phase 2 and after many hours of collaboration with the engineers, architects and the irrigation consultant the landscape architect successfully implemented a system that harvests all of the condensate water created by the building’s HVAC system. At its peak flow, this one building generates nearly 5,000 gallons of condensate water per day. Typically this water is expelled into the sanitary sewer system. Phase 2 building routes this water to a 5,000 gallon fiberglass storage tank buried beneath the landscape adjacent to the building. This water is stored and used on an as needed basis for irrigating the landscape. These significant and innovative sustainable strategies helped achieve the first LEED Platinum certified project in the state of Arizona. Design Value This project is a case in which the gardens and architecture do more than just exist together; they each make it possible for the other to thrive. The buildings supply the desert gardens with collected rainwater and condensate and the landscape provides comfortable outdoor gathering spaces that can help bring the work of the Biodesign Institute outdoors. The building is complemented by the sunken garden which showcases both the elevated architecture and the riparian garden below. Biology students study the wildlife habitat attracted to the native drought tolerant urban landscape. Multi-modal needs are met for pedestrians, cyclists, autos and future bus and light rail users. Left-over, underused space such as retention basins and parking lots are removed or renovated to create nature in the city. Hardscape is used sparingly and it is permeable where possible. We believe this is a model desert urban infill project exemplifying judicious hardscape, water conservation, creation of a gateway where one did not previously exist, urban biomass creation where none existed, multi-modal access, connection of thousands of people to a regional landscape and the realization of our client’s goals of sustainability and impact.
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The Brochstein Pavilion at Rice University
Location: Houston, TX, USA Completion: 2008 Client: Rice University Project Design: The Office of James Burnett
Developed as a key element of the “Vision for the Second Century” strategic plan, the Brochstein Pavilion has transformed the Central Quadrangle into the social center of the Rice University campus. The 6,000 SF pavilion offers light refreshments and features a 10,000 SF covered outdoor terrace. Set in a field of decomposed granite, a grove of 48 Allee Lacebark Elms respond to the grid of the building and organize the space between the Pavilion and the adjacent Fondren Library. Two low concrete fountains define the space under the canopy and movable seating accommodates impromptu gatherings of students and faculty. Additional plantings of Live Oaks and improved pedestrian paths reinforce the existing framework of the Quadrangle. Founded in 1912, the Rice University campus is noted for its neo-Byzantine architecture, mature southern Live Oaks and a classical campus plan that emphasizes long, formal axes. In 2005 the Board of Trustees approved “A Vision for the Second Century”, a strategic plan that recognizes the importance of placemaking in campus culture. The Vision acknowledges the need to “provide the spaces and facilities that will cultivate greater dynamism and vibrancy on the campus and foster [a] sense of community.” The Vision identified the need for a new social hub at the Central Quadrangle and following a generous donation from a Houston philanthropist, the University engaged a design team to implement this goal. The University challenged the team to develop a scheme that responded to the constraints of the Central Quadrangle. Originally the primary east-west axis of the campus, the quadrangle was disrupted by the addition of the Fondren Library in 1940. Waiving the stringent architectural guidelines that typically apply to new construction on campus, the designers were charged with the creation of an iconic campus landmark that would offer flexible, non-programmed space that would become the intellectual crossroads of the campus. Meticulously detailed and unpretentious, the transparency of the 6,000 square foot glass, steel and aluminum pavilion offers a sublime contrast to the adjacent buildings. To complement the modesty of the building, the landscape architect surrounded the structure with a 10,000 SF concrete plaza scored and sandblasted in a simple geometric pattern that references the plan of the building. Linear bands of horsetail reed define the edge of the outdoor dining and separate the adjacent pedestrian paths. Interventions to the area of the Central Quadrangle to the west were limited to those that reinforced the existing framework of the space but the newly created interstitial space between the library and the pavilion required a more complex approach. Responding to the grid of the building, a bosque of 48 specimen Allee Lacebark Elms rise from a plane of decomposed granite and provide an organizational framework that humanizes the scale of the space. A generous concrete walk connecting the library and the pavilion bisects the grove into garden rooms defined by plantings of African Iris. Long black concrete fountains filled with beach stone occupy the center of each space, filling the garden with the murmur of running water and reflecting the filtered light through the canopy. Movable furniture and subtle site lighting allow impromptu gatherings of visitors to enjoy the oasis created by the dense shade and running water. Respecting the lightness of the building, the landscape architect made minimal interventions elsewhere. New concrete walks and a row of specimen Live Oaks reinforce the existing spatial framework of the quadrangle. Although the floodplain requirements necessitated a finish floor elevation considerably higher than existing grade, the architects favored a solution that would not isolate the building on a dramatic plinth. Carefully considering the existing trees, the landscape architect subtly manipulated the grading of the approach walks so that building feathers into the landscape and overcomes the flatness of the campus. Working closely with the architect, the landscape architect developed a scheme that gracefully harmonizes the building with the landscape, knitting together many disparate elements on a challenging site and strengthening the existing framework of the campus. By creating a garden that promotes human interaction and offers respite day or night, the landscape architect has redefined the way that generations of students will view public space.
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Planning Design During the urban development, an increasingly important strand of the urban regeneration picture is supplied by the urban design and landscape architect whose vision for green space and the introduction of colour into what otherwise might be a dreary urban landscape, can not only lift a new office or housing development to a higher, more profitable level, but also the hearts and minds of those who live or work there. From this perspective, human and city are dependent with each other. A city always is composed of plane structure, skyline of buildings, street furniture, regional landmarks, open space, and plant landscape, which are material patterns that are formed by choice behaviour in daily life, and which contains natural law, social context, human emotions and history. We could call this civilization of human. Meanwhile, the development of urban is accompanied by various issues, such as: environmental pollution and ecological imbalance caused by industrial production, destruction of natural layout of city caused by urbanism, impact on the relationship between human and nature caused by the neglect of eco-efficiency and the pursuit of economic benefits. Human must ponder over the direction of urban development, and then make use of a wide range of knowledge and wealth of imagination and creativity to perfect the urban planning, construction and management, to enhance the quality of urban ecological environment, to promote the rational distribution of cities, to reunify the economic and ecological benefits.
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Brooklyn Bridge Park
"Inventive, amazingly clear, and concise. This project is quite significant to the public realm, natural resources, and environmental planning. It uses a wide range of tools to solve urban problems and does a great job of communicating the ecological and social components to the public. " — 2009 Professional Awards Jury How Do You Build Brooklyn Bridge Park? The 2005 Master Plan for Brooklyn Bridge Park is a landscape-architect led effort that sets forth an integrated design methodology for transforming a derelict industrial waterfront into a socially and ecologically active urban park. Firmly grounded in an understanding of the metrics of the site's challenges (contamination, structural limitations, isolation, extreme noise pollution, harsh winds, and blistering sun), the Master Plan lays the groundwork to create a new civic space in one of New York City's most astoundingly beautiful locations: an 85-acre site which occupies 1.3 miles of Brooklyn waterfront, passes underneath two major bridges, and includes a series of mammoth industrial piers, each 5 acres in area. The Master Plan was the first phase in the design team's commission to plan, design, detail, and build Brooklyn Bridge Park. The goal of the community interest groups, state and city officials, and designers involved in the development of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Master Plan was ambitious but fairly straightforward: to allow the site's emotional power and intensity to resonate in a new ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable park setting. The authors of the Master Plan recognized that the park's greatest experiential asset was its location at a highly dynamic edge where three different but co-dependent ecosystems – river, harbor, and city – merge. The existing site was largely flat and paved but it was also located within the context of some of the city's most powerful historic and natural landmarks, including sweeping
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Project Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Client: Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation
views to lower Manhattan, just across the East River. The various microclimatic challenges identified through extensive environmental analysis included uncomfortably high decibel noise pollution generated from the elevated highway, strong winter winds from the harbor, and extreme sun exposure due to the lack of shade; fundamental environmental transformations would be necessary before this location could provide the physical conditions that would support enough human comfort to ensure a successful park program. Social Accessibility Site analysis demonstrated that the biggest social challenge was the task of bringing a diverse range of people into the park – the long, narrow site had historically been isolated by virtue of its industrial use and due to the presence of a multi-level elevated highway that bounds much of the site to the east and severs the closest adjacent neighborhood from any park access. Street-level entry from the adjacent neighborhoods of Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, DUMBO, and Brooklyn Heights was possible in just three locations: at Atlantic Avenue, Fulton Ferry Landing, and John Street. To combat this isolation, strategic programming was proposed to establish a strong city-park relationship at each entrance and to implement a group of ideas that were described under the title "urban junctions." The entries would be important moments of interchange where the city would usher people into the park. Urban promenades, dog runs, neighborhood scale playgrounds and generous public spaces were proposed at these park entries, while organized sports, a private marina for small boats, and event-scale spaces for the city at large were located further into the depth of the park where pedestrian access was less immediate. A broad selection of water-oriented programs, including fishing piers, water taxi access, the marina, a boat launch, a calm-water zone for kayaking, and a beach were proposed as a means of emphasizing the unique location of the park. Economic Self-Sufficiency
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The planning and design team also had an unusual opportunity to shape the city side of the urban junction. Rather than operate within city or state park maintenance budgets, the economic engine for funding park operations, maintenance, and repairs was to be developed as part of the park. The original legislation creating the park stipulated that up to 20% of the 85-acre project site could be designated as development areas rather than public open space. The design team was dedicated to the idea that the development would be as small as possible while still producing adequate revenues, and that its program, form, and location would serve the interests of the park, rather than the other way around. Extensive research and analysis were undertaken by the planning team to predict the annual maintenance costs of the proposed park as well as the income stream from the proposed park edge development. A heuristic design process in which the type, size, and location of the development, the massing of the buildings, the interface with the park, the design of the park with respect to the need for ongoing maintenance, and the relationship with adjacent neighborhoods became the variables that could be adjusted in search of a bottom line that would match park revenue with projected maintenance and operations budget needs, allowing a more precise economic model that limited the commercial development to just 9% of the project site, less than half of what it might have been. Environmental Performance An essential first step in planning for sustainable construction was to identify opportunities for "structural economy," a term that was applied to numerous site-planning strategies. To start with, the Master Plan recommends preserving and reusing as much of the existing marine structure as possible. Different areas of the park were better suited to particular kinds of use; for instance, the upland areas and Pier 1 (which is more of a peninsula than a pier) could support deeper soils and hence more tree cover. The big cargo-shipping piers had less structural capacity and could support lighter, shallower program without extensive reinforcing. This principle of resourcefulness also inspired the reuse of portions of the large pier sheds as well as the extensive reuse of materials that were salvaged from demolished buildings and structures, some onsite, others from elsewhere in New York City. Ecological Restoration With respect to site ecology, the park planners explored a number of initiatives grouped under the term of "post-industrial nature" that were
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aimed at re-establishing a series of functioning ecosystems on the currently lifeless site. The combined planting and stormwater treatment strategy for Brooklyn Bridge Park is founded on four guiding principles: to create many different natural areas that serve individually as gardens but work together to establish a new site ecology; to treat as much stormwater as possible onsite; to maximize area of shade and cover from the wind, and to preserve open space. Natural habitats being reintroduced to the site include coastal shrublands, freshwater wetlands, coastal forest, a wildflower meadow, a marsh, and shallow water habitats. Microclimate and Human Comfort Natural plantings also have the potential to make the site more hospitable as human habitat. The dispersal of planting that is suggested throughout the site will be coordinated with solar orientation and wind protection to maximize human comfort. Depending on the season, or the particular site-related issue, different needs are accommodated through different park elements: a nearly continuous meander and hedgerow of trees running north-south will provide shade and relief from the intense summer afternoon sun that reflects off the water; the topography and buildings provide protected sun exposure in the winter and shelter from the wind in different ways and from different directions; and tall hills absorb the tremendous noise generated by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, making the park quieter and more pleasant while also providing new elevated views to the harbor. The 2005 Brooklyn Bridge Park Master Plan synthesizes the many variables of the park existing conditions and future aspirations and gives them all a voice. A landscape-based understanding of the powerful experience of the vast openness of the harbor and views to the Manhattan skyline are combined with a resourceful approach to the pragmatics of construction, ecology, and economics to establish a profound experiential framework for the new park. Unique by virtue of the complexity of the site and the extraordinary urban design tools put at the disposal of the landscape architect, the Master Plan offers a model for integrated design and transformative change inspired by the found qualities of the site.
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Central Delaware
Project Location: Philadelphia, PA, USA
“Very believable and effective. Lots of small solutions presented in a very direct way – it’s full of possibilities. Truly confident and convincing.” consultants, NGO’s, and public sector agencies. To ensure ownership in the plan at all levels and the greatest likelihood for implementation, the —Professional Awards Jury project team engaged government and civic groups at all stages. Those groups included transportation and transit agencies, the City’s Office of Watersheds, district stakeholders, community leaders in design and development, and the general public. All were engaged in a robust Built from a truly collective process, this plan advances a powerful civic vision and clearly outlines implementation strategies for the central series of technical and design workshops and monthly advisory group meetings. Delaware River, in which: The planning process began with in-depth analysis of the historical, cultural, ecological, and economic contexts. Using data - from PA ·Underserved, isolated neighborhoods and frayed ecological networks are inter-connected and reconnected to the river; Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, historic development and insurance maps ·The river’s potential in supporting sustainable regional growth is realized by balancing development and a world class park system; and hydrology maps - the team created a series of synthetic maps identifying areas of environmental importance, cultural significance and ·And, in which, public will is given voice to change a city’s future. economic opportunity. Background Major engagement events included a 3-day charrette that drew an audience of 500 and involved relevant state and local agencies, civic Focusing on seven miles of the Delaware River along Philadelphia the vision advances excellence in urban design, policy, regulations and associations, community stakeholders, the development community and national and international design experts. The process established development. Authorized by a 2006 mayoral executive order and funded by the Environment and Communities Program of the William Penn among the charrette participants resulted in development of a flexible framework for growth, based on three networks: Foundation, the Civic Vision was unveiled in November 2007, with the original document supplemented by the Action Plan for the Central ·Movement Systems: streets, public transit and trails Delaware: 2008-2018 June 2007. The client and consultant team developed a planning process intended to cut through decades of incremental ·Parks and Open Space: parks and ecological systems property deals and ill considered infrastructure. Plan goals and principles were derived - and plan developments vetted - from the aspirations ·Land Development: mix of uses and income levels of more than four thousand citizens, through a year-long, large scale, open and transparent process led by the University of Pennsylvania’s The Civic Vision for the Central Delaware emphasizes the interconnectedness of our ecological and urban networks. This interconnectedness Project for Civic Engagement. The hallmark of the project was the public discussion, with a series of riverfront walks and community forums to is revealed through the development of the three networks comprising the plan framework. The plan seeks to ensure environmental function elicit goals and the following five civic principles: and public access through the creation of: 11 new parks and a riverfront greenway of over 300 acres; ecological restoration of the riverbank ·Reconnect the city to the river’s edge where habitat creation is viable; a multi-use trail; and an extensive, pedestrian-friendly network of streets that includes transit and a grand civic ·Honor the river boulevard. These improvements provide a development framework for over 500 acres for which design and implementation guidelines are ·Design with nature provided to extend the urban fabric to the river. ·Strike the right balance Context ·Take the long view Historic Context: Philadelphia has a long history of integrating parks and civic landscapes into the development of the city. This plan is ·Protect the public good conceived within the city’s historical context as well as the physical context of William Penn and Thomas Holme’s plan of 1683 - an egalitarian ·Make it real, Philadelphia grid of streets, squares and access to the rivers. The Central Delaware Vision Plan responds to the benefits of such a grid and integrates best Process and Proposals practices for green streets, stormwater management, continuous riverfront access, and riverfront parks. Pedestrian access from residential The plan’s carefully designed planning process was rooted in best practices and the expertise of a multi-disciplinary team of academics, neighborhoods is stressed, providing connections approximately every 2,000 feet. In this plan the city’s historical “broad” east-west streets
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become green streets connecting to the river and terminating as parks. Contemporary Context: Notably, the Delaware waterfront is severed from miles of flanking neighborhoods by I-95 and other circulation infrastructure. At some points, more than five hundred feet of asphalt and speeding cars intervene. In the central part of the city the plan explores options for burying I-95 and extending the city grid over it. Concepts for linear parks under a rebuilt I-95 and innovative stormwater management areas and green sound walls were also explored. Many of the river ward neighborhoods suffer from environmental injustices: they are among the most underserved in the city in terms of recreation; I-95 is a known disease vector (due to the air pollution it brings); frequent flooding and combined sewer back-ups compromise housing and quality of life. The park and open space network recommendations of the plan address these issues, as described below. Adaptive Re-use and Interpretation: With most of the industrial context already erased, the plan retains the few remaining artifacts and integrates them into public landscapes, such as at Penn Treaty and Pulaski Parks. At Penn Treaty Park the Power Plant becomes a cultural center at a restored river’s edge; at Pulaski Park the historic gantries, pier structures, and water inlets become part of a tidal wetland park. Environmental Sensitivity and Sustainability Histories of Philadelphia’s riverfront are often focused on industrial might, but Philadelphia also has a rich history of environmental foresight. With the development of the “Green Country Town” plan by Penn and Holme in 1683, the creation of Fairmount Park in 1855 to protect the City’s water supply and the establishment of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia has, in moments, been at the forefront of environmental transformation. This generation’s moment is the revitalization of the central Delaware River. The plan seeks to advance sustainability at the local level, through creating mutually supporting roles for ecological and urban networks, and at the regional level by shifting market demand to more sustainable growth. Positioning the area for development of mixed-use residential neighborhoods, the plan seeks to focus regional growth back into the city. The consultant team worked closely with the City’s Department of Watersheds and the State, identifying locations for inter-tidal wetlands, other riparian habitats and parkland, creating an extensive parks and open space network. This network ensures public access to the riverfront through the integration of access in zoning, establishment of conservation easements, acquisition of land for parks, restoration of the river’s edge, and the creation of intertidal wetlands, other riparian habitats and a continuous riverfront trail. This environmental network is planned for integration with economic and social change, bringing housing on some of the piers, and mixeduse development within 150 feet of the river’s edge. The proposed 300 additional acres of parkland will add value to the neighborhoods that currently adjoin the river and will be an asset for future generations. The proposed parkland will support active and passive recreation, stormwater management, wildlife habitat, and other critical ecological functions. Successful Implementation Challenges: The Civic Vision was unveiled at end of one mayor’s administration and required the support of an incoming administration to work towards a successful implementation. To ensure the vision would be adopted under a new mayor, implementation relies upon on multi-level stakeholder involvement, public momentum, and an Action Plan document that focused on the vision’s short-and mid-term actions. The biggest challenges to implementation of the vision are the politics of the management agency and that significant changes to public policy are required to deploy regulatory tools that would provide for connected greenways and parkland. Sustained Momentum: Indications of the sustained momentum around the plan are interest from the public and local media, three major
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Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC) initiatives: GreenPlan Philadelphia, a comprehensive plan for sustainable open space; Imagine Philadelphia, the public participation process for the city’s comprehensive plan; and the Zoning Code Commission, charged with reform of the City’s antiquated zoning code, and the endorsement of the vision and action plan by Mayor Nutter. In June 2008, Mayor Nutter and the newlyappointed Deputy Mayor of Planning and Economic Development, Andy Altman, made the Civic Vision the focus of series of policy speeches on planning and design in the city. "For more than a generation, the Delaware waterfront has been the target of big ideas that went nowhere," Nutter said. Focusing on the fact that the plan came out of a broad civic engagement process, he declared, "I share your vision for our waterfront," and continued by saying, "Tonight, we talk about a Declaration on the Delaware." Setting the Stage for Success: As identified in the Action Plan's first of ten steps designed to implement the vision for the Delaware River over the next ten years, a new waterfront agency, the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation was Nutter's first policy action for the waterfront. The new agency was announced before an audience of over 500 at the waterfront’s Seaport Museum in summer of 2008. In January, 2009, Mayor Nutter convened the new formed organization with a representative board of directors that continues the plan’s and administration’s commitment to transparency. Ongoing Efforts For citizens and development community, the implementation of this plan is just beginning. Dialogue with the development community has continued, as the city prepares an overlay zoning district for the waterfront and work on a waterfront access plan is scheduled for 2009. Redesign for one of the existing parks is underway; the local port authority that runs commuter trains into the city has recently announced study of transit development on the riverfront boulevard, and GreenPlan Philadelphia is set for adoption in Spring 2009, identifying the waterfront as a priority. Value to the Client, the Public, and Professionals For the Client: The plan hones the civic engagement findings into a powerful, compelling vision - bringing together plan supporters and implementers. It does so in part by reaching common ground among positions in the community without compromising the core public principles. It also delivers a plan of action at a critical time in the City’s reform movement. The plan sets forth the “how to’s” and therefore the client and the public are looking instead for the “when?” To date, the Civic Vision has been recognized internationally with two awards (The CNU Charter Award and the Waterfront Center Honor Award) and regionally with a Planning Excellence Award in the Best Practice category from Pennsylvania's chapter of APA. It also received two honors for urban design from the Philadelphia chapter of AIA and is one of 12 finalists for the Pennsylvania Environmental Council’s 2009 Philadelphia Sustainability Awards. For the Public: The plan represents the first time in nearly two generations that the City and its citizens have engaged in a public discussion about the future of a major part of the city. Its raises hopes, expectations and capacity for developing the civic realm. Addressing water quality and provision of recreation where it is most needed for existing and future neighborhoods, the plan stresses public health. For Professionals: The plan process demonstrates the effectiveness of fusing the media planning process and physical planning process - to elicit and sustain long-term, multi-tiered engagement and to move political agendas. The plan illustrates the balance between development and parkland, and between the demarcation of core principles and the provision of flexibility in implementation.
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Geos Net Zero Energy Neighborhood
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Total Acreage: 10 ha. Number of Residential Units: 282 Net Density: 23.2 Dwelling Units/Acre
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"The first project that looks at solar in such a strong way and works with water collection. Great collaboration between the landscape architect Civic Stormwater Planning and other designers. A model for planning and public presentation." Stormwater is both precious and dangerous in Colorado’s arid climate. Conventional Colorado developments typically detain flash flood and — 2009 Professional Awards Jury monsoon runoff in large unusable detention basins, fenced off from the public realm. The key to integrating stormwater with public experience is to mimic predevelopment conditions by distributing runoff throughout the site. Decentralized detention allows for the design of a tributary Geos will be the largest net-zero energy, urban mixed-use neighborhood in the United States. Earth and sun power will completely sustain system of site specific, multiple use environments. the community’s energy needs, and replace all fossil fuels. The neighborhood is intertwined with natural systems, stormwater fed landscapes, During the design process many models of stormwater management were analyzed for the ability to detain the 100 year flood on site, and and civic places. Rain and snow melt feed street tree rain gardens, percolation parks, plazas, and community gardens. Geos received final slowly release it in 24 hours. With assistance from the Denver Regional Urban Drainage & Flood Control District, and the Jefferson County development approval from the City of Arvada and will begin construction in Summer, 2009. Stormwater Quality Coordinator, each layout was evaluated for its capability to combine both stormwater and civic functions. The morphology of water quality, detention volumes, and reduced time of concentration would form the armature for the community’s pedestrian, park, and plaza Introduction network. The Geos Neighborhood incorporates symbiotic relationships in site planning and architecture, at all scales. Urban density is optimized with Key Strategies passive solar access. Stormwater is integrated and omnipresent within the neighborhood layout. Energy is generated from ground source heat ·Conceive of stormwater management holistically and at all scales. networks and photovoltaics on every rooftop. The architecture utilizes high performance building envelopes and super efficient mechanical ·Permeable paving for water infiltration is used for all pedestrian ways and plazas. systems. The overall town plan aims to foster bio-civic relationships with natural processes, neighborhood ecology, and environmental ·Street Tree Rain Gardens receive, detain, and filter surface runoff from streets, alleys, and the surrounding environment, while irrigating stewardship. streetscape plantings. They minimize directly connected impervious areas, reduce time of runoff concentration, while utilizing infiltration, evaporation, and evapotranspiration. Net – Zero Energy Site Planning ·Percolation Parks are stormwater detention basins designed as mixed-use parks and plazas. By mimicking predevelopment stormwater Net – Zero refers to energy production equal to the amount consumed. The key to creating a dense net-zero energy neighborhood in Colorado’s dispersal patterns they reduce the size and extent of the storm sewer system. Percolation Parks feature neighborhood amenities, urban climate is to maximize passive solar access to all buildings and dwellings. This begins with the layout of streets, alleys, blocks, and parcels, agriculture, and wildlife habitat. They are placed prominently in the neighborhood and provide ease of access, human scale, and a diversity of followed by buildings and trees. uses. During the planning process many different street-block-parcel-building layouts were analyzed comparatively for their ability to both harvest and ·Localized Rain Gardens are integrated on every parcel throughout the neighborhood, from mixed-use courtyards to residential yards. They conserve energy. Each layout was evaluated using 3-D modeling of seasonal sun and shade patterns to discern the most efficient patterns. receive runoff from paving and rooftops, providing an intimate experience of stormwater management. Energy modeling (with assistance from the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, Colorado) of each building and landscape design ·Level Outlet Spreaders slowly release outflows to the floodway, mimicking predevelopment sheet flow, and eliminating the need for riprap provided data on unit loads and production. erosion control. Key Strategies ·Macro Layout – Parcels and buildings are stretched east-west for maximum solar access within an urban street grid with north-south alleys and Planning for Urban Stewardship: Empowering Residents to “Be the Resource” greens. The aims of Net-Zero Energy and Civic Stormwater serve a larger goal – to foster stewardship in the neighborhood, and enable residents to take ·Checkerboard Layout – Buildings are spaced and staggered for solar access. active roles in managing their resources and environment. This can fold into participation in the social life and governance of the community. ·Geothermal Loop Fields integrated within open space and utility networks. Planning for Goes involves many socially oriented features. A dense layout of varied housing options provides for diversity and affordability. ·Photovoltaics on every rooftop; Solar Thermal supplements Geothermal. A prolific pedestrian network of pathways, parks, and civic spaces is anchored by mail box kiosks, play areas, and gathering spaces for all ·Deciduous tree species, heights, and placement selected to assure both solar access to photovoltaics, and passive microclimate cooling. occasions, large and small. All paths lead to the Ralston Creek Regional Greenway that connects to schools, recreation centers, and urban ·High performance passive solar buildings with air tight envelopes and heat recovery ventilation systems. Apertures to north are minimized, east centers. and west apertures are controlled and shaded. Processes of nature and agriculture are interwoven with civic and community life. Common greens are surrounded by fruit tree terraces, to be maintained and harvested by the adjacent homeowners. Community gardens and composting areas are dispersed throughout the site. All
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private yards receive great sunlight and are semi-enclosed like courtyards. Gutters and downspouts form tributaries to raingardens in each resident’s landscape. Key Strategies ·Integrate natural systems and processes within the fabric of everyday life. Mix stormwater management, food production, and biotic habitat with public pathways, parks, and civic spaces. Create complex mutually beneficial networks of unique ecosystems, each adapted for specific conditions. ·Give residents opportunities to play active roles in managing their resources, and caring for their environments. ·Provide agricultural opportunities throughout the neighborhood, and at a diversity of scales; from pocket community gardens and orchards in each sub area, to larger Community Supported Agriculture. ·Fruit Tree Terraces, Property Line Planting Strips, and Landscape Foyers unite the pedestrian realm while enfranchising residents to personalize their environment. ·An Energy Systems Guide and Xeriscape Plant and Landscape Maintenance Manuals provide residents with detailed information on indoor and outdoor stewardship. ·Working with the local municipality and surrounding neighborhoods to identify and provide eco-amenities that serve the larger community.
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Orange County Great Park
Project Location: Irvine, California, USA
"Marvelous, An innovative and sustainable approach to ecology, people, and history on an amazing scale. The landscape architect’s graphics are very believable and demonstrate many new ideas. The formal strategies are bold and the designers are using this as a chance to experiment." ——Professional Awards Jury Comments
stream (now buried underground) will also be accomplished. These landform changes will essentially change the now mostly flat, featureless land into a new landscape complete with microclimates and capable of sustaining a wide variety of plant and animal life. (5) Culture: A variety of park programs, from educational opportunities to public festivals, celebrate the diverse populations that make up present-day Orange County. And park features, such as the walkable Timeline, the agricultural fields, the contemplative memorial, and the Cultural Terrace and its museums will make culture vibrant and tangible and help link the park to communities far beyond the park’s boundaries. The Comprehensive Master Plan for the Orange County Great Park represents a new park typology. Promoting health at all scales is a driving (6) Ecology: Our goal for the Great Park is to transform the sterile expanse of the El Toro airbase into a living landscape—that is fundamental to force of the Great Park. The health of the individual becomes a means of understanding the importance of social and ecological health in the the vision of the Great Park. Ecologically complex restored native habitats will be found in three major sections of the park—the Wildlife Corridor, region. The Great Park will also become a showplace of sustainability, demonstrating new ideas, structures, systems and technologies toward a Agua Chinon, and the Canyon. Native plants communities are found in other areas as well, including the Botanic Garden. These habitats will be goal of creating a healthy balance between meeting human needs and promoting environmental health. constructed by following ecological principles and restoration protocols, and will require only modest management as time passes. Located in Irvine, California on the site of the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station—which closed in 1999—the park is a project of immense scale. At 1,347 acres, the Great Park will be larger than San Diego’s Balboa Park. The design for the Great Park features a constructed two-and- Tracking Sustainability a-half mile canyon, a daylighted existing stream, a large lake, a cultural terrace, a great lawn, an aviation museum, a conservatory/botanical The Master Plan includes tangible, proven ecological techniques that will help ensure the Great Park can sustain itself and produce real garden, a promenade, and a sports park. And while these may seem like typical park amenities, the vision for each park feature is anything but. environmental benefits. These efforts will be measured in five major categories: The Conservatory, for example, is a bridge structure that will span the central lake and “breathe” through a porous skin while providing shade Energy: Conservation of energy and on-site energy generation include a one-acre photovoltaic array that will cover an outdoor pavilion near the for the collections. great lawn and will be the largest of many renewable energy installations in the Great Park. In addition, over 40 acres of switch grass or other Another park innovation, the Great Park Balloon (currently in operation), takes visitors 400 feet into the sky, allowing people to witness the “growing biomass crops will be grown in the production zone for energy generation on site. of the park” during construction. Museums, agricultural plantings, and educational programs honor the people who have lived and worked on Water: Sustainable water measures include water conservation, water recycling in natural treatment wetlands and runoff capturing. An open Orange County’s land in the past. The El Toro military airbase is commemorated with historic museum exhibits, a contemplative memorial, and swale and storm drain network will minimize flood flows exiting the site and maximize re-capture to the groundwater aquifers. In addition, the stories of the men and women who once served here. And a variety of park programs, from nature trails to public festivals, celebrate the the Park will have an array of natural treatment systems implemented in a three-stage treatment process. Stage one includes use of porous area’s rich diversity of communities and cultures. pavement and infiltration devices. Stage two features bioswales and infiltration/exfiltration media integrated into landscape zones. Stage three The Great Park will actually be three park experiences in one. The Canyon is a beautiful oasis—a place to wander and daydream—a place for involves capturing water downstream in treatment wetlands. families to picnic and for children to explore. The Habitat Park is an ecological backbone that provides species diversity, native communities Materials: The materials used to create the Great Park will be salvaged, recycled, ecologically engineered, and waste neutral. Portions of the and wildlife. Finally, the Fields and Memorial Park commemorates the history of the site as both a productive agricultural landscape and, more demolished runway will be used on site, and redwood planks from existing on-site buildings will be used as bridge planks. In all, more than 3.5 recently, a military base. million tons of concrete and steel will be recycled. All green waste from demolition and earthworks on the site will be brought to a permanent The public has played a major role in creating the Great Park. During the master plan phase, intensive sessions were held with stakeholders composting facility which will provide rich organic supplements, high in nutrients, for soil amendment. groups, including veterans, environmental groups, and artists. As a result, the Great Park truly is a park for everyone, reflecting the interests, Nature: Natural processes will be enhanced in the Great Park by restoring native habitats, enhancing biodiversity and creating ecological values, and backgrounds of all people of Orange County. More importantly, the Great Park will set new standards for sustainability, ecological connections within and outside the Park. The Wildlife Corridor, off limits to the general public, will be reserved for animal movement, providing responsibility and public space in Southern California, providing a unique place to visit, relax, recreate and meet people. an essential ecological backbone for the Park and a critical biotic link between existing natural areas in coastal and central Orange County; this wildlife connection will allow animals to migrate across the Saddleback Valley for the first time in nearly 150 years. The Agua Chinon, a Analysis and Strategies natural waterway buried in a concrete channel for 60 years, will be daylighted and reestablished as a functioning southern California riparian (1) Open Space: Over time, Orange County is undergoing a profound change. What was once a landscape of open fields, orchards and vistas ecosystem. Within the Canyon, a perennial stream and ponds, reflective of southern California’s foothill and lowland aquatic habitats, will is being transformed into suburban development. The Master Plan includes an open space corridor in place of one of the existing colossal support a wide variety of native plants and animals. The Canyon will also showcase unusual habitats, including vernal pools, rock outcrops, north-south runways of the airbase, thus preserving in the park a sense of the expansiveness that was once predominant in Orange County. and fern grottoes. Overall, the Great Park Master Plan includes 75 percent native and “California friendly” non-native plants; these plants have Visitors will be treated to vistas at each end; the north of this axis delivers the Santa Ana Mountains, while the Southern end looks toward the modest water needs and do not appear on any of the state’s invasive plant lists. coast, framing the San Joaquin Hills. People: The goal of the Great Park is to create a place where sustainability becomes a tangible experience for visitors. Orange bikes will offer (2) History: The Master Plan celebrates the history and regional character of Orange County in several important ways. The county’s agricultural visitors a fun, non-polluting and healthy way to explore all elements of the Park. Fresh organic food grown at the Botanic Garden and, perhaps, past will be reflected in the Great Park’s citrus, nut and avocado orchards, agricultural fields and community gardens. The historic importance in the Production Fields, will be available in park cafes and at the Farmer’s Market. In addition, new ideas and opportunities for environmental of citrus, for instance, will “come to life” in the park’s Orchard Parking area. The master plan also honors the decades of service to the nation by sustainability will be investigated, tested and built through the Living Park, a research and outreach center for collaboration between artists, the Marine Corps. For example, a timeline bisecting the site commemorates major moments in the airbase’s history. scientists and visitors. Here, visitors can participate with experts in finding solutions to problems of our time. (3) Connections: Overall, the master plan focuses on several opportunities to develop connections. Ecologically, the park is a vital link in the chain of land reserves stretching from the mountains to the sea. The park will also create social connections to the communities throughout the Implementation county by knitting together riding, hiking, and multiuse trails from all parts of the region, linking all neighborhoods to the park and communities The realization of the Orange County Great Park is already under way. The Comprehensive Master Plan for the Orange County Great Park was beyond. Culturally, the park connects and celebrates the sense of history here—what came before us. The fields, the timeline, and the memorial approved by the Planning Commission of the City of Irvine in September 2007. The Great Park Balloon Ride and the adjacent Visitor’s Center all deal with connecting visitors to the site’s history. have already opened on site. Runway demolition is underway. And, hundreds of large trees—some 50 years old, that once graced the edges (4) Topography: Over the next several years, terra-forming of the Great Park site will begin; this includes digging the Great Park canyon and of the El Toro Base—are now boxed in a holding nursery for transplantation in the Park. Some of the park’s important features will actually be in lake, and creating associated landforms, such as the Cultural Terrace, and a number of outdoor areas. Daylighting of the existing Agua Chinon place within the next two years. The Great Park is more than a visionary Master Plan. The Great Park is now an emerging reality.
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Park 20/20
Project Location: Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands
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“Truly a beautifully executed study, which integrates many programmatic uses with Bold gestures of design, and responds to all aspects of · Character and land use of the adjacent community—to optimize connectivity. sustainability, sensitive site planning, and cultural integration.” · Mobility and access—to establish range of walkable distances to nearby transit stations. —2010 Professional Awards Jury · Proximity of Schiphol International Airport—for restrictions due to flight path and noise. · New models for enhanced workplace environment—for development programming. Application of Sustainability Consideration of master planning options and design process: Park 20/20 is a new model of sustainable development, conceived as the first large-scale urban development in the Netherlands to implement A collaborative effort by planners, landscape architects and architects developed conceptual planning alternatives to explore relationship of the Cradle to Cradle (C2C) design philosophy. Located within a man-made "cultural landscape" of a Dutch polder (land reclaimed from the several key planning informants: seas), the planning concepts promote regenerative design agenda of C2C philosophy at all scales, from regional ecological connectivity to · Integration of optimum solar and wind orientation (to reduce energy demand) for building within the context of the tight urban block and the enhanced landscape biodiversity, and from workplace health and well-being to neighborhood connectivity. Integrated within the urban plan are development program requirements by adjusting the building massing to ensure solar access in winter. highly effective district waste, energy and water system that eliminate wastefulness throughout the complex. · Integration of regenerative landscape strategies respectful of the "cultural landscape" and the distinct planning template of the "polder Planning goals and objectives grammatical" (narrow lots and orthogonal roads, vegetation, and canals) by: introducing a more ecologically diverse plant palette, using the Goals and objectives address each prong of sustainability: landscape standards in exterior planting and creating a more biologically robust interior gardens, connecting the interior gardens to regional · Social—respond sensitivity to the unique Dutch "cultural landscape," enhance connectivity with adjacent community, provide mixed-use ecology with landscape corridors, creating additional landscape area on roofs surfaces and parking decks. amenities to adjacent community, create a healthy workplace environment, and reduce regional traffic congestion through transit-oriented · Implementation of effective district-scaled sustainable infrastructure approaches by aligning scale and types of land uses (i.e., hotel demand development for hot water with office wastewater treatment output of biogas fuel for heating) and creating a centralized treatment facility for wastewater, · Environmental—mitigate climate change through renewably sourced and passive energy strategies, create cradle to cradle cycles that energy and stormwater on site. promote health and eliminate waste, and enhance biodiversity and regional ecological connectivity · Implementation of C2C agenda of waste-free design by treating wastewater on site, capturing energy and soil amendments, and eliminating · Economic—increase economic viability of area, attract and retain workforce, extend life cycle of the buildings, create marketplace distinction, sewage discharge. and promote a development of viable size and density to allow integrated district-scaled infrastructure. How interested parties were involved in the project: Key environmental data collected/analyzed and method: The master planning process involved consultation with municipality planners to ensure that Park 20/20 respected the regional and municipal · Solar path diagram—mapping path of the sun through the day and year to determine optimal solar orientation for passive energy strategies master plans. Community interests were represented in the review and approval process, including policy and technical review by appropriate and to optimize solar access across site during the winter month. Aldermen and the City Council. · Wind rose diagram—to determine the prevailing breeze for site and building ventilation strategies and winter winds for protection strategies in How the project was or would be implemented: winter. Park 20/20 master plan received unanimous approval by the City Council of Beukenhorst in June 2009. Site and architectural design of Phase · Local and regional ecological network—to optimize linkage of site landscape. I (two buildings) commenced in Fall 2009 and is utilizing C2C protocol for material specification. Construction on the first building will begin in · Polder water management—to understand site design impacts of unique Dutch canal system, flooding, water level stabilization, etc. March 2010. · Dutch environmental policy—highlighting lack of biodiversity as the most significant environmental threat followed by sea-level rise due to How project is or will be administered and or monitored: climate change. Park 20/20 is being developed by a private development company. Regional and national government entities are involved in economic Key social data were collected / analyzed and method: development aspects as it seen as a showcase of cradle to cradle design and a new benchmark for regional development. Both sustainability · Historic and cultural context of the unique Dutch polder and cultural landscape—to understand application of the "polder grammatical" (elements and cradle to cradle commitments are terms of the contract between the developer and the government. of the landscape). · Regional and local planning documents—to understand context and requirements.
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1.Park 20/20 advances a new model of sustainable urbanism by incorporating Cradle to Cradle design philosophy and integrated site systems concepts at the earliest stages of
8.Annual and Hourly Shading Studies. Optimized solar access is important in a climate with low sun-angles and short days throughout the winter. Building massing is analyzed to
planning mixed-use transit-oriented development in the Schiphol International Airport development zone. (Photo: William McDonough + Partners)
limited extent of shade cast across the interior garden space to provide sunny spaces for human comfort. (Photo: William McDonough + Partners)
2.Park 20/20 A Cradle to Cradle Inspired Master Plan. The landscape plan is respectful of the "cultural landscape" and the distinct planning template of the "polder grammatical"
9.Site Analysis Wind and Ventilation. Building orientation helps to capture prevailing breezes for site and building ventilation, a passive energy demand reduction strategy.
(narrow lots and orthogonal roads vegetation, and canals) by using the landscape standards in exterior planting and creating biosdiverse interior gardens. (Photo: rendering by DPI Landscape is used to buffer the site from strong winter winds. (Photo: William McDonough + Partners) Animation House) 10.Land Use Integrated Mixed Use. Development combines office with hotel, restaurant and conference center uses. Athletic facilities, daycare, supermarket and retail promote 3.Planning Context Beukenhorst Zuid Master Plan. Park 20/20 integrates the regional "polder grammatical" of orthogonal roads, vegetation, and canals within a larger development
workplace environment and adjacent community use. Proximity to Schiphol International Airport’s flight path and noise prevents longer occupancy residential uses. (Photo: Plan by
area than typical (narrow lot and rational parcelization) to create an economic case for district-scaled infrastructure and other sustainable design strategies. (Photo: William
William McDonough + Partners, rendering by DPI Animation House)
McDonough + Partners) 11.Integrated Systems Waste, Heat & Power. Office wastewater and restaurant green wastes are treated in a solar aquatic waste-treatment system within a centralized facility 4.Historic Context Dutch Polder Landscape. The site is located in a polder (land reclaimed from sea) with distinct grain of preindustrial era parcelization. This iconic man-made
on site. Biogas from the wastewater treatment powers the turbines for electricity. Heat generated in the process produces hot water for the hotel. (Photo: William McDonough +
environment is revered as Netherlands' "cultural landscape" yet modern-day polders are challenged by limited biodiversity and rising sea level. (Photo: historical maps, Google
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Earth) 12.Integrated Systems Stormwater and Wastewater. Wastewater is collected through a district loop for an on-site treatment in the central facility. After purification, greywater is 5.Site Analysis Ecological Integration and Connectivity. In agricultural use for centuries, the site has limited vegetation, habitat or biodiversity. The master plan reconnects the
reused for toilet flushing. Green roofs absorb rainfall. Runoff and overflow are directed to on-site storage. (Photo: William McDonough + Partners)
site—and the adjacent community—to a more ecologically robust and diverse regional network of parks, greenways, canals and remnant wetlands. (Photo: William McDonough + Partners)
13.Integrated Systems Photovoltaics and Photosynthesis. Building roofs will include photovoltaic (PV) arrays and green roofs—Sustainable strategies that are also synergistic. With a cooler surface temperature, green roofs will boost the efficiency of PVs while PVs provide shade to the landscape for increased biodiversity. (Photo: Plan by William McDonough
6.Site Analysis Mobility and Access. The site is adjacent to existing high-capacity bus and rail stops. To promote transit use, pedestrian circulation provides access to stations east
+ Partners, rendering by DPI Animation House)
and west of the site. The massing and open-space plan reinforces the connection. (Photo: William McDonough + Partners) 14.Integrated Systems Ecology and Biodiversity. The landscape plan integrates the municipality’s rational and orthogonal streetscape and front yard standards with a more diverse
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7.Site Analysis Solar Path Diagram. Diagramming the sun’s path throughout the day and year identifies the optimum building orientation (15º northeast of east) in Netherland’s
and informal plant palette in the interior canal garden. Green roofs provide additional landscape and corridors connect the site to regional ecology. (Photo: William McDonough +
northern latitude to reduce energy demands by minimizing solar gains in the summer and optimizing solar access in winter. (Photo: William McDonough + Partners)
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Reconstructing the Fez River
Project Location: Morocco Project Type: Urban Design Project Design: Bureau E.A.S.T.
This paper uses Fez, Morocco as a case study to envision a strategic plan that simultaneously restores an urban river and addresses issues endemic to aging medieval fabrics in the Middle East such as the scarcity of public open space, overcrowding, the contamination of natural resources, the destruction of places of cultural and historic significance, and a weak economy. Working with the RADEEF (City of Fez Department of Water and Power) and through a detailed analysis of the medina and its broader urban and ecological context, we choreographed a phased implementation strategy in which measures for enhancing water quality becomes both the locus and agent for addressing both the social and economic concerns of a city. The project works at two scales – the city scale and the site scale. At the city scale (including both the Ville Nouvelle and the medina), the project is a master plan with recommended measures for improving regional water quality. Depending on soil geomorphology, levels of water pollution, adjacent urban fabric and ecological systems, different rehabilitation tactics are purposefully located, such as canal restorers, constructed wetlands, bank restoration, and storm-water retention ponds. At site scale (parcels within the medina), the project is three critical interventions strategically phased to enhance water quality, remediate contaminated sites, create open spaces, and to build on existing resources for economic development. While daylighting the northern part of the river, the three interventions also take advantage of vacant sites to reestablish its connection with the city fabric. The intervention at the Rcif will link a major transportation hub with a riverbank pedestrian circulation system while filtering storm water runoff. Coupled with a constructed wetland, the intervention at the Andalous site will offer the first playground in the medina. Finally, the intervention at the soon to be defunct and highly contaminated Chouarra tanneries will provide residents and visitors with a new regional botanical garden and an institute for cultivating new designs and technologies related to an already existing but stagnant leather industry. The overall effect is a project that elevates rivers to a form of urban infrastructure that possesses the potential to stitch or blend disjuncture between the needs of a twenty-first century population and the preservation of a unique urban form. The Medina For over a millennium, the unique morphology of the medina – the walled and intricately patterned medieval quarter of the Middle East- has proven resilient to social, economic, and political upheavals. Though recently eclipsed by the extraordinary boom of Doha, Dubai, and other urban centers on the Arabian Peninsula, the medina possesses a poignant relevance today as a compelling example of an ecologically sustainable metropolis. Cohesive pedestrian networks, dense and heterogeneous urban fabric that nurtures strong micro-communities and architectural forms that maximize shade and cooling in a hot and arid region distinguish the medina as an urban typology and characterize a model from which American cities may learn. The idea of the medina as a model for contemporary American urbanism only seems ironic when one takes for granted the artificial association between progress and westernization. Medinas are constantly evolving to accommodate change. They are not thousand year old cities but rather cities a thousand years in the making. Yet the medina’s capacity to absorb change without rupturing its urban form is starting to prove finite. As geographer, Michael Bonine, stated simply at the beginning of Population, Poverty, and Politics in Middle East Cities, “Cities in the Middle East are in crisis” (Bonine, 1997). Rural to urban migration and consequent overcrowding have caused many traditional urban centers throughout the Middle East to approach or exceed infrastructural carrying capacities. The contamination of land and water, the loss of vegetative groundcover and topsoil, and the destruction of places of cultural and historic significance, to some degree, can all be traced back to overpopulation. Medinas, once bastions for the urban elite, now house rural migrants often at much higher densities than were ever intended. Too many people usually imply insufficient jobs, and economies desperate to expand make easy prey for industries looking to take advantage of regional resources. Although tourism can be a sustaining force for strained economies, it can also threaten extinction of living cultures only to create packaged simulacra made attractively “exotic” for its paying customers. The specter of museumification looms large in some medinas more than others due to their heightened international profile. Additionally, the influence of western ideology on the medina is undeniable. The introduction of planning ideas and urban typologies from Europe and North America in the expansion of historical and colonial cores into the urban periphery have prompted novel approaches to publicness – an inextricably intertwined hybrid of local and imported notions of public space. Changes to the cultural habits of populations throughout the Middle East are prompting demands for amenities foreign to the urban fabric of medinas. Landscape Urbanism Scholars of landscape urbanism argue that landscape “[has] supplanted architecture’s role as the medium most capable of ordering contemporary urbanism.” Urban theorist, Charles Waldheim asserts that while “the ‘weighty apparatus’ of traditional urban design proves costly, slow, and inflexible,” landscape’s inherent capacity to respond to changes over time makes it “uniquely suited to the open-endedness, indeterminacy, and change demanded by contemporary urban conditions” (Waldheim, 2006).
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In “Terra Fluxus,” James Corner, founder of New York based design office, Field Operations, and a professor of landscape architecture, describes the practice of landscape urbanism based on four themes: “processes over time”, “the staging of surfaces”, “the operational or working method”, and “the imaginary” (Corner, 2006). The first theme, “processes of time”, identifies landscape urbanism’s recognition that systems and processes that enact and empower urbanization such as capital accumulation, deregulation, globalization, and environmental protection have more influence in shaping cities than the incremental creation of and/or adjustments to physical urban space. Corner suggests that landscape urbanism is the development of cities as an ecological condition in which the defining “network of inter-relationships” involves not only “natural” systems such as hydrology, air-flow, and vegetational communities but also cultural, social, political, and economic systems. Architecture by nature defies change. An architect designs a building with the hope that it will remain intact in perpetuity. In the practice of landscape urbanism, the emphasis is not only on space and form but on how that space and form may change over time, the processes affecting change, and the changes that the project itself may affect on its surroundings over time. The second theme, “the staging of surfaces” highlights the understanding that surfaces as urban infrastructure can anticipate change. While the creation of architecture quickly constrains the potential of a site, surfaces remain strategic and allow for their appropriation by different groups in different configurations at different times. According to Corner, surfaces invite negotiation, allow for autonomy and individuality, and facilitate new network opportunities for processes over time. The third theme, “the operational or working method”, expresses the inadequacy of traditional working methods based on architectural conventions to represent and conceive of projects and ideas of landscape urbanism. In order to communicate vast shifts in scale and to coordinate, choreograph, and perhaps even just to make sense of the complex inter-relationships between agents, processes, and space, urbanists working with ideas based in landscape urbanism rely on representational techniques beyond plans sections, and axonometrics and solicit input from collaborators from disparate fields. The fourth theme, “the imaginary”, summarizes the significance that landscape urbanism places on visions to inspire and inform future actions. By proposing new spatial and operational ideals, designers can rally for change in places and situations in which change never seemed an option. Notwithstanding post-industrial cities of Europe and North America garnering most of the attention in the discourse, landscape urbanism is tailor made for developing countries and perhaps, the most appropriate approach for addressing the problems facing medinas of the Middle East. The unique plight of medina quarters in the Middle East disqualifies traditional urbanism as a modus operandi on the grounds that the medina’s existing built forms must be preserved and thus lacks very few properties upon which new development may take place. Coupled with the overwhelming demand for more public open space within the medina, this constraint creates an almost impossible situation. But mapping the emergence and the consequent evolution of the nascent discourse, Grahame Shane explains that “landscape urbanism’s triumphs so far have been in … marginal and ‘unbuilt’ locations”. The landscape urbanism approach is to seek opportunities in spaces within the existing urban fabric and social and cultural context rather than building anew. Projects that are emblematic of the discourse such as OMA’s winning entry for the Downsview Park competition and Field Operations’ design for Fresh Kills Park are fundamentally about developing and coordinating new surface programs on vacant lands and connecting, intensifying, and rebuilding the context in which it takes hold. Alex Wall, in “Programming the Urban Surface” calls this, “Surface Strategies”. Regarding projects that deploy these strategies, he says: “They are instruments, or agent, for unfolding new urban realities, designed not so much for appearances and aesthetics as for their instigative and structuring potential. Their strategies are targeted not only toward physical but also social and cultural transformations, functioning as social and ecological agents.” (Wall, p.244) In the case of medinas, a landscape urbanism approach would afford change without the destruction of its historic structures. Early in 2008, the Régie Autonome de Distribution de l’Eau et de l’Électricité (RADEEF), the department responsible for water and power in the City of Fez in Morocco, provided us with the opportunity to test our idea. By utilizing strategies of landscape urbanism to develop a master plan for the Fez River, we imagined a new model for conserving medinas. History Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981, the Medina of Fez, Morocco manifests one of the most consistent and comprehensive urban morphologies of its type in the Middle East. Before the twentieth century, it was the most studied city in North Africa and perceived to epitomize one of the distinctive forms of urban civilization. Perhaps owed to Morocco’s peripheral geographic location, which allowed it to escape the onslaught of invasions and destructive power struggles that befell other prominent medinas in Baghdad, Damascus, and Cairo and to its forty-four years as a French protectorate, during which the Ville Nouvelle, an adjacent new town was planned and constructed and mandates forbid construction and demolition in and around the medina, the homogeneity of its fabric and legibility of its spatial organization are still present today. Twelve centuries after its emergence, its resilience and capacity to absorb change has allowed it to remain a living city and evade the kind of museumification that transpires most places upon which historic significance is bestowed. Urban Morphology and the Fez River The medina of Fez emerged in 789 AD as two separate nuclei on either sides of a free flowing river. It grew quickly as an urban center, and due to the prominence of the Kairaouine Mosque, which housed one of the leading universities in the Middle East, Fez became an important node for Moorish art and culture. By the beginning of the 12th century, the two towns had fused into one, and the river emerged as an integral element to its urbanism. A network of over 200 fountains throughout the city (most of them ablution fountains for mosques) gave Fez the appellation “The City of a Thousand Fountains” and was associated with pockets of relief both spiritually and spatially from the dense fabric of the medina. However, over the course of centuries, the city’s dependence on the river to support an ever growing population and a flourishing leather tanning industry severely impacted water quality and fountains were either shut off or linked to another water source. When Morocco gained independence from France in 1956, upper income families were fleeing the medina for the Ville Nouvelle, leaving behind a swelling working class population. Single-family courtyard homes were subdivided to create multi-family housing and open spaces that served as orchards between the city and the ramparts were rapidly filled with more housing. With the industrialization of leather and copper crafts, toxic chemicals were introduced to the waste stream, and by the late 1950’s the river was considered a sewage channel rather than a river (aptly named Oued Boukrareb, the river of trash). Subsequently, half of the river through the medina was paved over with little opposition, ironically, allowing on top the introduction of vehicular access in a city with one of the most cohesive pedestrian networks in the world. The erasure of the river was furthered in 2004 and completed in 2007, destroying historic bridges along the way and marring the conditions by which UNESCO designation was bestowed. Stitching the Contemporary City Suggesting that rivers as a form of urban infrastructure possess the potential to stitch or blend incongruities between contemporary urbanism and a historic urban fabric, we approached the project as a case study to envision a strategic plan that addresses not only the ecology of a river but the social and economic concerns of a city. We conceived that approaching issues from a landscape perspective - combining solutions to infrastructural problems with solutions to social and economic concerns incrementally - would be a powerful method in developing countries where resources are scarce and the demands for basic needs are immediate. Working with the RADEEF and through a detailed analysis of the medina and its broader urban and ecological context, we choreographed a phased implementation strategy in which measures
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for enhancing water quality becomes both the locus and agent for a new collective memory. 水质污染的程度、邻近的城市肌理和生态系统，有针对性地制定修复计划和策略。设计师确定这样的计划涵盖了各种提升水质的技 The project works at two scales – the city scale and the scale of the Medina. At the city scale which includes both the Ville Nouvelle and the 术，同时将尽快完成这一计划。“修复”技术的运用促进了天然水向城市水道的流入和滤净。滨水植物和益菌的使用，使这一系统比 medina, the project is a master plan with recommended measures for improving regional water quality and to highlight an often forgotten idea 传统机械净水系统的价格更为低廉。这一系统也提升了渠化航道的视觉美观效果。堤岸的加固降低了侵蚀的危害，如水体浑浊、农业 that the Oued Boukhrareb - the River of Trash is not just a sewage canal but in fact an integral part of a greater river network. Depending on soil geomorphology, levels of water pollution, adjacent urban fabric and ecological systems, different rehabilitation tactics are purposefully located. 用地的减少、野生动物栖息地的破坏。河岸和湖滨的加固可以利用天然材料，如稻草砌块及其他有机纤维，对地被植物的生长进行长 I’m sure this audience is aware of technologies used to improve water quality so I will go through these quickly. “Restorer” Technology facilitates 年的支撑。“高地侵蚀防治措施”减少了表层土的流失，岸坡稳定减弱了水体的污浊程度。直接在裸露的土壤上栽种梯级地被植物可 the introduction of natural water filtration and inoculation to urban waterways. Utilizing riparian plants and beneficial bacteria, this system is 以起到防止侵蚀的作用。人工湿地复制了天然湿地的模式，起到生态系统的作用，同时还成为野生动物栖息地。“城市暴雨雨水管 cheaper than conventional mechanical water cleansing systems. The system also enhances the visual quality of channelized waterways. Bank stabilization reduces erosion that can cause turbidity of water bodies, reduce agricultural lands, and degrade the quality of wildlife补了自来 habitats. 理”通过入渗池和生态草沟的形式，利用植物吸附污染，雨水径流在进入庞大的水文系统之前就能渗透到底层。雨水集蓄填 Riverbanks and lakeshores can be stabilized utilizing natural materials such as straw bales and other organic fibers that over time support the 水的短缺，从长期的视角看，前者比水源的集中供应更为低廉和可持续。设计师建议菲斯市水电局在一定覆盖区内进行雨水集蓄的推 growth of vegetative groundcovers. Upland Erosion Control reduces the loss of topsoil and like bank stabilization reduces turbidity of water 广。“植物修复”从污染土壤提取重金属，使地下水免受毒素的侵扰。虽然此种做法意味着投入更多的时间和划拨更多的空间，但这 bodies. Grading and planting groundcover over exposed soils can prevent erosion. Constructed wetlands duplicate the ecosystem services that natural wetlands provide and can also serve as wildlife habitats. Urban Stormwater Management in the form of infiltration basins and 却是最廉价而不费精力的做法，其还可作为雨水管理最佳措施（BMP）的内容教育公众。 bioswales use plants to extract pollutants and the filtering capacity of substrates to improve the quality of storm water run-off before it enters the 旧城区规模的优势在于旧城区内的剩余空地或即将成为的空地，利用这些场地分期建造三座具有战略地位的建筑介入物，用以改善水 larger hydrological system. Rainwater harvesting can supplement water from the tap and is cheaper and more sustainable in the long-run than 质、修复受污染的场地、营造开放空间。场地1号坐落在河流区域的Rcif广场，这个广场在摩洛哥还是法国保护国的时候就铺装得很 a centralized water source. We are recommending that the RADEEF incentivize rainwater harvesting in certain overlay areas within the City of Fez. Soil Phytoremediation extracts heavy metals from contaminated soils that leach toxins into the groundwater. Although it may require more 完好了，如今是旧城区的主要综合枢纽。汽车、摩托车、驴车和巴士都穿梭在这个区域：装货、卸货、载人、下客。目前，这是个大 time and space it’s cheaper and doesn’t require much energy. It can also be used to educate the public about BMPs. 型路面铺装的场地。设计师最首要的方案在于重新铺装路面。在广场地面上划线用以标识和引导不同的流动模式向相应区域发展，由 At the scale of the medina, the project takes advantage of the few remaining vacant and soon-to-be vacant sites within the Medina to introduce 此，设计师也 得以判断出可资利用的公共空间的大小。Rcif广场在重新布局后匀出了更多的公共空间，同时其综合枢纽的作用没有发 three critical interventions strategically phased to enhance water quality, remediate contaminated sites, and create open spaces. Site 01 is at Rcif Plaza an area of the river that was paved over when Morocco was still a French protectorate and now serves as the medina’s main 生变化。广场中心的大型渗透池用以收集暴雨雨水径流，也是一处娱乐空间。安达鲁斯场地（场地2号）是处皮革厂聚集地。皮革厂 intermodal hub. Cars, motorbikes, donkeys, and buses all occupy this same area and wait to load and unload goods and people. Currently, 出来的兽皮常常在此地烘干。设计师计划在这建造人工湿地以及旧城区内的第一座儿童乐园。Chouarra皮革厂（场地3号）是菲斯市 the site is one large paved surface. What we proposed first and foremost was the reordering of the surface programs. By drawing lines on the 最大的旅游景点之一，也是旧城区内污染最严重的地块之一。为了提高旧城区居民的生活品质，也为了扭转制革工序所引发的环境恶 ground to direct different mobility modes to different areas of the plaza we were able to take stock of the amount of space available for public appropriation. As proposed, the Rcif Plaza site will retain its intermodal hub but reorganize to open up more space for use as public space. 化局面，市政府积极配合，将皮革厂都搬迁到旧城区城墙外的工业区。1999年，哈佛大学设计学院的城市发展研究中心和ADER-Fes At the center to collect stormwater run-off will be a large infiltration basin that can double as recreation space. The Andalous site is overflow （菲斯旧城区修复和重建机构）共同制定了一份递交给世界银行的报告。设计师正是基于这份报告而全面展开工作的。这份报告建议 space for the tanneries. Hides that come out of the tannery often end up here to dry. Coupled with a constructed wetland, we propose first children playground in the medina at the Andalous site. The Chouarra Tanneries is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Fez, but it is also 设计师仍然保留旧城区皮革供应链的某些方面。兽皮晾晒和制革工序的设备都融入了高科技，使加工工序更为便捷而干净，从而达到 one of the most toxic land uses within the Medina. To improve both the quality of life for Medina residents and to reverse the environmental 控制环境污染的目标，而这一做法则成为菲斯市皮革厂在全球皮革市场的一个竞争优势。菲斯市的皮革厂在发展其国际品牌方面具备 degradation associated with the tanning process within the Medina, the city is actively engaged in a process to relocate the tanneries outside 许多优势：靠近欧洲的地理位置、低廉的人工成本、现存的娴熟劳动力、菲斯市皮革厂已有的国际知名度。菲斯市的品牌效应不仅局 of the medina wall to an industrial zone. In 1999, Harvard Graduate Schools of Design’s Center for Urban Development Studies with ADER-Fes – the Agency for Reconstructing and Rehabilitating the Medina of Fez, prepared a report for the World Bank. In many ways, our work builds on 限于外国直接投资，还覆盖到当地企业家。目前的全球皮革市场以中国为主导。与直接将菲斯市与中国这样的竞争对手的宏观策略不 the recommendations of this report. What we are recommending is to maintain an aspect of the leather supply chain still within the Medina. Shift 同，菲斯市可以着眼于微观的企业策略，瞄准以可持续（既环保又具社会性）为重心的缓冲市场和当地市场。报告建议将Chouarra皮 the hide and skin recovery and tanning stages to facilities equipped with the technologies to allow for a more streamlined and cleaner process 革厂场地改造为植物园，在其内建造人工湿地、栽种滨水植物，同时装置新型公共入口设施，进而推进皮革设计和工艺的发展。 since reductions in environmental pollution from tanning operations is now recognized as a factor of competitiveness within the global leather market. There are aspects of the leather industry within Fez that give it an edge when developing a global brand: including proximity to Europe, 集体记忆转变的第一步在于改变的视觉标记。项目在旧城区外北部的一块高度可见的空地上启动。这块空地用于建造一个栽种修复类 low wages, an existing labor force skilled in working with leather, international awareness of the tanneries in Fez. The Fez brand should make 植物的苗圃。在这些植物成熟后，安达鲁斯场地（场地2号）受兽皮烘干污染的土壤被移 植到前述空地上用于天然植物修复，同时场 things attractive not only for FDI but also to local entrepreneurs. The global leather market is dominated by China. Instead of macro strategies, 地2号可以用于建造新型安达鲁斯游乐园。项目取决于两个重要的市政举措：其一，项目前端的新型市政排水设施的完工；其二，皮 that attempt to put Fez in direct competition with players like China, Fez can focus on micro entrepreneurial strategies to target niche markets that value sustainabilility (both environmentally and socially) and local markets. The Chouarra tanneries site is recommended for use as a 革厂从旧城区搬迁到遥远的工业区直至旧城区西边。在所有的皮革厂最终搬离旧城区后，设计师在场地3号（Chouarra皮革厂）开始 botanical garden and nursery for wetland and riparian plants as well as a new public access facility for advancing leather design and craft. 修复和改造工程：设计师在这块空地上建造了人工湿地并栽种了滨水植物，以用于堤岸加固和安达鲁斯游乐园的建造，同时设计师还 The first step to transforming collective memory is to offer visual markers for change. The project starts at a highly visible vacant lot just outside 装置了推进皮革技术和工艺的设备。当湿地公园形成并成熟后，部分渠道化的河流将被改造，使河水流向安达鲁斯游乐园周围的低洼 of the medina to the north. The vacant lot is used as an important staging area to establish a nursery for plants to be used in phytoremediation. When the plants begin to mature, soil contaminated from drying hides at the Andalous Site (Site 02) is transplanted to the staging area for ex区。当安达鲁斯场地的人工湿地充满水，Chouarra皮革厂改造的苗圃植物成熟后，湿地植物便可以进行移植了。当Chouarra皮革厂 situ phytoremediation and the site can be prepared for the construction of the new Andalous Playground. The project depends on two key 场地的滨水植物成熟后，运河复原措施便可沿着河流进行实施。这一措施将沿着整条河流分期实施。复原措施一旦实施，Chouarra皮 moves to be made at the municipal level. One, the completion of a new municipal sewage facility (which is ongoing) at the front end of the 革厂场地的湿地滨水植物将逐渐进行移植，与地中海和北非罕见而新奇的植物群一起栽种。当皮革厂场地转变为植物园和研究所后， project and two, the relocation of the tanning operations from the medina to a remote industrial quarter to the west of the medina. When the leather tanning operation is finally moved out of the medina in its entirety, we propose beginning the restoration and reclamation of Site 03, the Rcif广场场地将铺设新系统。在Rcif广场场地完工后，向各种交通活动开放，这一Chouarra皮革厂旧址就变身为一个无障碍公共设计 site of the Chouarra Tanneries. With the tanning pits now empty, we propose establishing a nursery for wetland and riparian plants for use in 研究所，其内设有皮革展示空间、教室和小型演讲厅。 bank stabilization and at the Andalous Playground and start the process for establishing a facility to advance design and craft of leather. With 结语 a wetland nursery in place and maturing, the selective demolition of the channelized river to inundate the lower areas around the Andalous Playground. Once there is water in what is to become constructed wetlands at the Andalous site and plants from the nursery at the Chouarra 当今的发展中国家的城市与经历过19世纪工业化的西方后工业城市，同样面临着资本积累的全球趋势，但前者所表现的管理动态与后 Tanneries are mature enough, the wetland plants can be transplanted. As riparian plants mature at the Chaouarra Tanneries, canal restorers 者截然不同。非洲、亚洲和中东的一些城市正首次经历着工业化进程，在扩张的过程中并没有缩小，而是面临着人口膨胀、贫困、开 can be implemented along the river. This will be done in phases until it is implemented along the entire river length. Once the installation of the restorers begin, wetland and riparian species at the Chouarra Tanneries site can be slowly replanted with interesting and rare Mediterranean 放空间锐减、污染控制措施短缺、历史城市肌理破坏等问题，与19世纪晚期西方城市的普遍经历类似。像菲斯市旧城区这样的地方， and north African flora. While transitioning the tannery site into a botanical garden and design institute, new work will commence on the Rcif 有着解决工业化问题极其强烈的愿望，但也有着消除一切给城市带来活力和发展的动态元素：博物馆陈列品化的倡导、陷市民于兜售 Plaza Site. By the time the Rcif Plaza site is completed and open to receive transport activity, the site of the former Chouarra Tanneries will have 廉价纪念品的商贩角色。 transformed into a public access design institute for leather with exhibition space, classes, and small lecture halls. Conclusion 过程，其中人和环境是并重的。设计师、教育家、学生有解决这些复杂问题的创 人们普遍认为：历史文化遗产的保护是个不断适应的 Affected by the same global forces of capital accumulation but situated on the receiving end of what are currently being lost in post-industrial 造力，怀着极大的热情，设计师相信景观在整合现在和未来的脱节方面有着很大的潜力。 cities of the west, the governing dynamic in cities of developing countries today is the exact opposite of that affecting post-industrial cities of the west -cities that underwent industrialization in the 19th century. In parts of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, some cities are industrializing for the first time. They are expanding, not shrinking and are faced with overcrowding, poverty, the shortage of open space, and the lack of measures to curb pollution or the destruction of historic urban fabrics - the same set of issues that were endemic of western cities in the late 1800s. In places like the Medina of Fez, there is a strong desire to not only ease problems associated with industrialization but also to eliminate completely the dynamics that make a city a living, breathing, and evolving urban form – advocating for museumification and turning its inhabitants into nothing more than vendors of cheap souvenirs. It is our strong belief that heritage conservation is an adaptive process in which people and environments possess equal priority. As designers, educators, and students, we have the ability to approach complex problems creatively and with compassion and we believe that landscape possesses the potential to stitch or blend disjuncture between the needs of many different constituents, present and future.
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Seattle Green Factor
Project Location: Seattle, US Project Type: Urban Planning
“It requires all projects to include a certain level of landscape design and has forced building owners to incorporate green walls, roofs, and permeable surfaces. It has had a positive impact on the profession in Seattle.” —2010 Professional Awards Jury Project Statement Seattle Green Factor (SGF) is an innovative development standard designed to increase the quantity and quality of urban landscaping. Informed by European precedents, planners developed a scoring system to promote attractive and ecologically functional landscapes, including elements such as green roofs and walls, permeable paving, tree preservation, and food cultivation. Adopted by City of Seattle in 2006 and expanded in 2009, SGF is inspiring municipalities across the country to develop similar standards. Project Narrative Origins and Rationale To combat sprawl and create thriving neighborhoods, Seattle's Comprehensive Plan identifies urban villages and directs growth to these areas. In 2006, the city revised standards for urban village commercial zones to strengthen business, improve walkability, and allow more residential uses. Because the changes would lead to greater density (and in some cases bigger or taller buildings), constituents wanted provisions to mitigate potential adverse effects. Planners began to explore options for a more robust landscaping requirement, which led to consideration of two European precedents. Berlin's Biotope Area Factor was the first landscape scoring system of its kind. To address groundwater recharge, habitat restoration, and urban cooling, Berlin requires increased at-grade landscaping as well as use of green roofs and walls. Malmö followed suit in 2001 with the Green Space Factor, a similar standard applied at a neighborhood scale. Code Development and Implementation Starting with Berlin's scoring system and working in collaboration with private sector landscape architects and engineers, city staff developed a draft scoresheet adapted to the environmental, social, and regulatory context of Seattle. Throughout initial code writing and subsequent revisions, the three priorities of SGF have been: 1. Livability. Use landscape amenities to create or maintain attractive, human-scale spaces in an increasingly dense urban environment. 2. Ecosystem services. Encourage landscape elements that manage stormwater, improve air quality, increase energy efficiency in buildings, and provide habitat for birds and insects. 3. Climate change adaptation. Build a more resilient city through landscapes that mitigate urban heat island effect and reduce flooding. The scoresheet quantifies and tallies a range of landscape features, then divides the total by the parcel size to calculate approximate percent landscaped area. Thus, a score of 0.5 is roughly equivalent to 50 percent of a parcel being landscaped. The scoresheet includes conventional landscaping elements as well as green roofs and walls, permeable paving, tree preservation, and water features. Elements are weighted according to relative aesthetic and functional values, as determined through best available science and professional judgment. For example, canopy area of a preserved tree is multiplied by a factor of 0.8 while a newly planted tree would be multiplied by 0.4, and green roofs have a factor of 0.7 while permeable paving (lacking the same aesthetic, energy, and habitat benefits) is multiplied by 0.4. In addition to credit weighting, SGF's structure creates two important incentives. First, it counts landscaping in the right-of-way the same as landscaping on private property, and provides a bonus credit for landscaping visible to the public. These provisions lead to greater investment in streetscape improvements. Second, designers maximize credits by layering vegetation—a tree with an understory of shrubs is worth more than a tree by itself. This leads to more lushly planted designs, which typically look better and provide greater ecological value. To fine-tune the weighting and establish a minimum score for new development, case studies applied the scoresheet to projects built under conventional standards: How do average landscapes score? What other elements could they reasonably accommodate? It was found that commercial projects typically achieved scores between 0.05 and 0.15, but that a minimum score of 0.30 would lead to better results. Based on these
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findings, City Council adopted SGF into the Seattle Municipal Code with a minimum score of 0.30 for commercial zones in December 2006. Implementation has required extensive collaboration between departments. Because SGF encourages planting in the right-of-way, it requires increased coordination between building and street use permit reviewers. Also, because it includes stormwater BMPs, it requires better alignment for the Land Use Code and the Stormwater Code, administered by different departments. This intra- and interdepartmental coordination continued over two years, and helped resolve other outstanding green infrastructure issues including unclear policies on permeable paving in rights-of-way and an outdated street tree list. Branching Out Approximately 200 projects have been permitted through SGF. Many are stalled due to the current recession, but about 30 are built or close to completion. Because SGF significantly raises the bar for landscaping in affected zones, landscape design now starts in the initial stages of site planning, allowing more collaboration between design professionals; the resulting landscapes are more attractive and better integrated into site programs and amenity areas.
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The first generation of SGF projects also shows that the standard effectively encourages better streetscapes and use of new technologies. Two telltale signs identify SGF projects on paper and in the built environment: more vegetation in and adjacent to rights-of-way, and frequent use of green roofs, green walls, and permeable paving. 75 percent of projects reviewed include green walls, 50 percent include green roofs, 50 percent include permeable paving, and every project has at least one of the three. In 2009, the city updated SGF code language and issued a new policy paper clarifying the review process. Both actions were based on feedback from the design community and improved the ease of use for applicants and planners. The update also added new credits for food cultivation and structural soils, along with increased flexibility for green roofs and permeable paving. Further, the city expanded SGF to multifamily residential zones, and is considering further expansions. City planners are now helping other municipalities develop Green Factor standards, including Portland, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. As the program expands Seattle's green infrastructure systems and builds local green industries, it is also laying a regulatory foundation that other North American cities can use.
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Stabiae Archaeological Park
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Project Location: Stabiae, Italy Project Type: Planning
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"A knockout. A brand new idea and the kind of innovation we need to see more of. Very believable, but still romantic with things growing In the case of an archaeological park, scaffolds provide a means of creating protective structures, shading, ramps, steps, visitor centers, amidst all the history. It makes a wonderful connection." theater spaces, scenic overlooks, and stabilizing precarious bluff-edge ruins, without penetrating the surface of the ground. Through the — 2009 Professional Awards Jury sheer density of members, a rigid frame is achieved relying on weight to hold it down. The dense framework allows colorful plastic mesh to be easily attached to enclose space and generate partial shading without obstructing breezes. The structures created with scaffolding Stabiae was an ancient Roman resort town perched on a seaside bluff that was destroyed in the AD 79 eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Excavating are of course extremely changeable and expandable, well suited to a situation like an excavation where the final configuration may be the ancient villas reveals a rich well of information about Roman domestic life but exposure to the elements and to tourism threatens the site. unknown. The scaffold as a medium is well suited to uncertain funding situations, allowing projects to advance inexpensively and in phases This park was conceived to organize access and provide visitor amenities while maintaining the fragile ruins in-situ for study and further without the need for large donors to finance impressive, museum-like edifices. excavation. These conflicting needs lead to an alternative means of park-making using scaffolds. The landscape architect invited one architect; known for their interest in demountable structures to join the team and help investigate the scaffold vocabulary, especially the protective structures. The client invited another architect to design a visitor center, also resting on the Ancient Origins Stabiae was a wealthy enclave for aristocratic Romans in the first century AD. The town was perched on a 30 meter high seaside bluff ground surface. A series of basic scaffold building blocks were established in a collaborative study, based on the single module of the overlooking the Bay of Naples and the island of Capri. There were fantastic views and the lucky residents could enjoy sea breezes during Italian system, but infinitely extendable. the hot summers. In AD 79 nearby Mount Vesuvius had a disastrous eruption and buried Stabiae under 3 meters of ash along with Pompeii Legions and Stoas and Herculaneum to the north. Over the succeeding centuries large amounts of ash washed off the land and over the bluff, filling in the The scaffold system has a particular resonance with ancient Roman architectural and even military organization. Many Roman structures shallow sea below to create a new coastline, leaving the original seaside bluff 800 meters inland. The current city of Castellammare di like the "Stoa" — a long room fronted by an arcade were based on the idea of an infinitely extendable and adaptable structural module. The Stabiae was established at the new water's edge and has grown into a gritty port town, far removed from the ancient luxuries. module was two columns and a room behind. Unlike ancient Greek structures that were composed to be more singular and unique to the situation, Roman "Stoa-like" structures had a sameness but could be adapted to any topography or climate. The final form in plan was less Modern Origins The volcanic ash was an efficient preservative. Intricate details of ancient life illustrated in architectural detail, mosaics, and frescoes critical than the internal workability and adaptability, reflecting the cultural differences between Romans and Greeks. survived intact for 2,000 years under the fluffy, non-corrosive medium. In the case of Pompeii, there has been a full excavation of the ruins Adaptable structures served the Romans in all spheres of endeavor as their empire spanned vastly different regions and cultures. One which lead to great fame for the city, archaeological scholarship, and accompanying hordes of tourists that boosted the local economy. example was the Roman legion which was based on a widely spaced grid similar to a checkerboard allowing troops the flexibility to operate Ancient Stabiae by contrast was unknown until 20 years ago when some local high school students reported unusual remnants at the base on adverse terrain while maintaining formation. The Greek phalanx, by contrast was an intensely focused, tightly packed unit that required of a 30-meter bluff on the edge of the modern town. flat ground to operate well. It would seem a Roman planner or legionnaire could find logic in the endlessly adaptable metal scaffold of Two of largest ancient villas have been partially excavated over the last 15 years. The city of Castellammare hopes to benefit from Stabiae's modern times. This plan proposes to overlay modern "stoas" over the existing ancient ones. archaeology by developing a tourist business as successful as that of their prosperous neighbors to the north at Pompeii. Plans to build Linkage a new local train station and retail lined plaza at the foot of the slope are in progress. Already local groups stage various tourist-oriented Reaching the park and excavation sites will require two systems of linkage. The first system connects the town below to the park 30 meters activities at the excavations including campy musical reenactments of ancient Rome complete with toga-clad dancers and singers above. The primary link in this system scales the 30 meter bluff, ascending from a new train station plaza using a funicular railway and borrowed from visiting cruise ships. Summer theater as well as other sound and light shows have become a staple at many archaeological scaffold stair. Some of the original ancient cart ramps that scaled the coastal bluff are also restored for use. The second linkage system sites, creating a party atmosphere that Italians best understand. runs parallel to the bluff. A succession of parallel pathways, beginning at the bluff edge laterally connect the villas and recreational features. At the same time, archaeological practice has changed significantly since Pompeii was fully excavated. It was later revealed that full Non-planting excavation only re-starts the natural course of deterioration of the ruins, especially the delicate frescoes, once they are exposed to the The resulting park follows a simple set of rules. The zone of the primary villa ruins along the bluff is scraped clean of existing farm structures weather and moist air. Much has been lost already and archaeologists scramble to salvage what they can. Sophisticated long-term and paraphernalia. It is then leveled, and planted with mowed meadow. This allows open space uses and avoids endangering the ruins archaeology now requires either exposing ruins for study and then re-burying them in sand or else enclosing excavated ruins in roofed below with deep roots or summer irrigation and leaves the possibility of future excavations anywhere needed. The function of trees for structures that resist the weather and ultraviolet light. providing shade and forming space is accomplished with linear scaffold structures shaded with mesh. The edge of the bluff is "pinned" in place with a light aluminum framework, providing stability and allowing visitors to access the cliff-side ruins. Villa entrances with highlighted Disconnected Digs The current excavations are not well endowed by the authorities. They have the ramshackle look of a low-budget construction site, each with "viales" of Italian cypresses, per the ancient tradition but with roots encased in protective boxes. reached separately on a dusty maze of dirt farm roads where orientation is impossible. Protective structures using wood scraps and Villa Excavations rusted corrugated metal roofs are typical. The space inside is dark and confining. There is no way to move easily from excavation one to The two current villa excavations are spanned with a flexible series of upturned scaffold "box beams", similar to old industrial spaces. These another. As the landscape architect became involved, an idea emerged to create a single linear park which could link the existing and open truss-like structures are solid roofed on the flat surfaces, with UV resistant glass on the side. This allows some light to penetrate the future excavations along the old seacoast bluff including visitor centers, trails, open space overlooking the sea, as well as venues for space below without creating a greenhouse experience below. It also allows visitors to walk on the roof and look into the ruins from above, entertainment. a viewpoint not previously possible. Along the bluff edge, walkable support structures allow visitors to examine open villa rooms along with expansive views to the sea as originally enjoyed by ancient Romans. Ash In terms of park making, there are some unusual restrictions on such a site. Ruins can exist anywhere within the 800 meters back of the The urge for mini-museums is resisted, relying instead on more provisional, informal tent sites for pursuit of the academic experience bluff edge so nothing can disturb the 3-meter protective layer of ash. This includes building foundations, tree roots, or earthworks of any of archaeology. Drawing on organizational backing and academic talent from groups like the American Academy in Rome, a series of sort. Any structures within and around the excavations must be demountable as the work expands. Each excavation must have protective archaeological summer camps can be set up at low cost. This allows fee-paying summer visitors to actually live on the site and get one's structures that are expandable as the work proceeds. Each excavation needs an interpretive facility to orient the public and to charge for hands dirty engaging in archaeological work first hand during the day but free to enjoy the evening festivities. This is a seasonal venture admission. There is also a need to stabilize portions of the villas at the bluff edge that are poised to break off and fall — some areas have with the required lightness and changeability that puts the emphasis on social and academic relationships as an identity. already done so over time. This is all a different look and a different experience than the one envisioned in tourist brochures. The nostalgic look of archaeological sites The Language of Scaffolds has been popularized by picturesque photos of Umbrella pines and broken marble columns set against the blue Mediterranean sky at The ubiquitous Italian scaffold is the alternative means of park making for this site. One must tour the various historical sites throughout Italy places such as Hadrian's Villa. By contrast this project proposes an alternative experience where nostalgia has been replaced by a more to fully appreciate the care and obsessive beauty invested in what is normally a provisional structure quickly thrown together. In Italy, the insistent but feather light matrix throughout. It is a scheme that puts the state-of-the-art archaeology at the forefront, highlighting that this is expectation is for a scaffold to be around for quite some time, given the pace at which things move. This may provide some answer to why a place continually in process. The project is heavy on the academic rigor, scientific standards, and entertainment values but light on the Italian scaffolds are works of vernacular art in themselves. bricks and mortar. Leave that part to the ancient Romans.
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Viet Village Urban Farm, New Orleans, Louisiana
Project Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Project Type: Planning
"What a terrific urban farm—we’ll be seeing many more projects like this in the future. The landscape architect has evoked the strong to aid in water cleansing. A secondary system for stormwater runoff during heavy rains must be established to prevent the farm sites from tradition of gardening within the Vietnamese community and will strengthen the cultural identify of this neighborhood." flooding and ruining the crops. The soil on the site, the locally notorious Kenner Muck, is a poorly draining soil that exists throughout this —Professional Awards Jury Comments entire area of New Orleans. The slow permeability and great depth of this soil series requires careful consideration of how the water on the site operates to prevent waterlogged soils. Project Statement In addition to site issues, the project has a complex array of funding and labor resources that it must coordinate to complete the project. Viet Village Urban Farm is an urban farming project located in New Orleans East, an area hard hit by Katrina. The design team assisted the Understanding the different sources of funding the community was pursuing and the nature of the funding agencies was a key piece of community with the design of the environmental infrastructural systems needed to support an organic urban farming operation, the design analysis in this process. The group had resources ranging from high school students that wanted to volunteer a weekend to work on the of a market area to serve as a community resource and economic catalyst for the community and the development of a flexible, strategic project to large foundations and government organizations with sophisticated applications and funding rules. The community needed to plan for seeking funding for the project and incorporating various labor resources. develop a strategic plan that could integrate these resources in a way that was complementary. Project Narrative Approach to Project Viet Village is a thriving Vietnamese-American community located in New Orleans East that was established in the mid-1970’s. One of Through a series of public meetings with the local community the project goals and relative size of the major program areas was the first activities of the early Vietnamese in New Orleans was the establishment of home-based gardens to grow the traditional fruits and established. From these overarching goals a strategy for the design of the site was established. The design strategy was based on the idea vegetables that weren’t available locally. These gardens were informal and widely scattered across the community: in vacant lots, along that the site must be developed as a series of fully functional sub-projects that could be funded incrementally, yet come together to create the edge of levees, in backyards, anywhere that had decent soil and access to water. Before the devastation of Katrina, there were over 30 a comprehensive system to deal with the programmatic and water/soil issues. acres being farmed throughout the community. There was also a well-established tradition of informal markets in the community, developed The design approach is organized around 3 principals: as an outlet to sell produce the local growers did not consume in their homes. • Create a series of sub-projects that are fully functional in terms of program Project Goals A typical requirement of the funding sources that were interested in the project was that the funding they provide not be provisional. The The Viet Village Urban Farm project represents an effort to reestablish the tradition of local farming in this community after Katrina. New success of each individual project funding cannot be dependent the acquisition of future funding. However, no single funding agency Orleans East was one of the most damaged areas of the city during the storms of 2005. In response to the devastation, the community has is likely to fund more than 20% of the entire project at once. The design team created a series of sub-projects that establish all of the organized around the idea of creating an urban farm and market as the center of the community. The farm, located on 28-acres in the heart major program elements (small-plot farms, commercial farms, market and play areas) in the first phase. The program elements are less of the community, will be a combination of small-plot gardening for family consumption, larger commercial plots focused on providing food developed, and often on different areas of the site, than they are in the final phase. The subsequent phases expand the program to other for local restaurants and grocery stores in New Orleans, and a livestock area for raising chickens and goats in the traditional Vietnamese parts of the site as future funding becomes available. Different sub-projects are linked to different levels of funding, so a funding agency way. The proposed market on the site will provide a location for the individual farmers to supplement their income as well as serve as a can provide money for almost any size project. central meeting space for the larger Vietnamese community along the Gulf Coast. Based on the history of the markets in the area before • Organize the site into a series of sub-watersheds that can be expanded as the site grows Katrina, as many as 3,000 people are expected to come to the site for a Saturday market, perhaps more on traditional festival days. The most significant environmental issue on the site is the movement of water. The site is designed as a series of sub-watersheds that Specialty vegetables and foods used in Vietnamese cuisine will be sold at the market. Local Vietnamese restaurants will have a space to can be expanded as the site grows. Water will be distributed to the farm sites for irrigation and post-irrigation water will return to a central sell prepared food during market days as well. reservoir through a series of bio-swales. Each of the discrete watersheds can supply water for irrigation independently if there is a break in Another goal of the project is to bring together the different generations with the local community through the shared endeavor of the farm the larger system through the use of a portable pumping system. The main supply power for the pumping of water throughout the site will and that the traditional skills and practices of the culture brought from Vietnam to America are passed down by the generation of elders. be a windmill / water tower system backed up by electrical pumps. Thus it is also important that the farm also acts as a community center and areas for sports and playgrounds are proposed for the site. The community sees this project as the centerpiece for the rebuilding efforts in the New Orleans East. • Divide projects into sub-projects in terms of labor resources The community also established a set of more specific goals for how the project is developed that address the environmental health of the Beyond monetary funding, there has also been a significant amount of volunteer labor donated to the project. This volunteer labor was often a source of stress to the community because there was no plan for how to use the volunteers. On the other end of the spectrum, farm and the surrounding community. • Establish a Certified Organic farming practice that includes integrated pest management, composting, crop rotation, and energetic community members were suggesting they attempt work that needed professional contractors to ensure accuracy. The design cover cropping among other organic practices team created a strategy for establishing which projects, or portions of projects, aligned with the various types of labor resources. The • Become a model for low-tech sustainable site development in the New Orleans area through the use of bio-filtration of water team divided labor resources into low-impact volunteer, high-impact volunteer, skilled volunteer and professional. Each of these volunteer resource groups can find a discrete project to focus their attention on, allowing the community to better harness this energy towards their resources and alternative energy sources such as wind, and passive and active solar power • Establish relationships with area restaurants and grocery stores to provide locally grown produce as a part of the localvore goals while identifying key elements in the project that funding is needed to complete with outside professionals, such as the construction food movement and grading of the water canals. • Create an economic and cultural resource for the community Implementation and Future of the Project • Create a cultural resource for Vietnamese-Americans along the Gulf Coast The first round of funding has been applied for and committed to in principal to complete Phase 1 of the project, which is approximately Planning and Analysis Issues 15% of the entire project. Phase 1 will establish the backbone of the larger watershed system (the central reservoir and bio-filtration canals), The site, a portion of which was donated by the City of New Orleans, has significant water and soil issues. It is located in an area with a high develop pedestrian and service circulation to this part of the site, establish the first small-plot and commercial-plot farms, and create a water table and frequent flooding during storm events. The site is essentially flat and lacks positive drainage. At the beginning of analysis central organizational boulevard for temporary markets. A well-known local chef has met with the community to discuss growing vegetables for the project, the movement of water across the site quickly became one of the key considerations for how the site is to be developed. for his New Orleans restaurants on the site. The group is continuously seeking further funding using this “discrete projects” approach Water for irrigation of the crops needs to have multiple access points, especially in the areas of small community garden plots where 40-50 and volunteer work on the site continues. The design team will continue to provide site-specific design assistance with individual projects individual access points are needed. The runoff from irrigation must be drained back to the central location through a series of bio-swales as they are funded.
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Water and Landscape at PARK MERCED
Project Type: PARK Project Location: San Francisco, CA, USA Project Design: Tom Leader Studio
Park Merced is a 1940s neighborhood-scale development located in southwest San Francisco. A long-term development program has recently been commissioned to redesign the now aging development to provide improved construction, accommodate greater density, and achieve better accessibility. This new proposal is based on a vision of neighborhood livability, environmental sustainability, and ecological revitalization. The 1940’s was a time when the United States faced a crisis precipitated by the need to accommodate an explosion of new households following World War II. This moment was accompanied by a cultural shift in which the American ideal became the suburban. This ideal was embodied in the single family house constructed in low-density developments and the manicured lawn, removed from the city. Today, much of the San Francisco Bay Area is characterized by the sprawling development pattern resulting from this cultural shift by the middle class to the suburbs. The result is a housing culture of unsustainable consumption and a landscape based on unlimited resources of water and synthetic fertilizers. As originally conceived in the 1940’s, Park Merced was typical of that viewpoint. Vision Regenerated natural systems and biodiversity at Park Merced will emerge from an interrelated series of physical changes to the site, primarily concerning water and topography. How water moves through the site, how it is consumed, stored, cleaned, recycled, and how it eventually reaches Lake Merced as well as how the ground is shaped in response to water are the basis of this landscape. Water is key to landscape. Water in contact with soil gives rise to naturally occurring ecosystems—the more water, the more complex and rich things become. Looking at the natural topography of the Bay Area, the clefts and drainage ways between the seasonally dry rolling hills typically support the most flora and fauna due to year-round soil moisture and deeper, richer alluvial soils that collect there. In its original state, Park Merced had this rolling topography with several cleft-like drainage ways—“riparian corridors”. Current Conditions When the site was initially developed as housing in the 1940’s, this rolling topography was graded into a basically flat tabletop that tilted toward Lake Merced. The original drainage ways were filled in and replaced by a typical underground storm drain system in which water was diverted into pipes and directed off-site into the city’s combined storm and sewer system. In doing this, the landscape was deprived of the benefit of nearly all of its annual rainfall. In order to support the vast areas of lawn that comprised most of the open space, typical of the landscape fashion at that time, huge amounts of potable city water were then needed to irrigate this artificial landscape. Large quantities of chemical fertilizers were necessary to maintain soil fertility in this sterile monoculture. Some of this fertilizer runs off into surrounding streams and, eventually, Lake Merced, causing algae blooms from nutrient overload. These practices can no longer be sustained. Strategy The goal is to conserve every drop of water that the site receives and put it to use regenerating a landscape naturally in balance with the climate and rainfall. The armature for this water movement would be a new “dendritic” (branchlike) network leading from rooftops all the way to Lake Merced. The water would travel from roof downspouts to bio-gutters, to larger bio-swales, to a seasonal stream with a “laddered” series of ponds and check dams, and, finally, to a terminal wetland / pond that outflows to Lake Merced. Throughout this drainage system, water would move across the surface of the ground, infiltrating as it goes, recharging soil moisture and aquifer, supporting native vegetation, and providing habitat for native wildlife in a newly created riparian corridor. The Network As the rain water enters the urban drainage network, starting at the roofs and flowing through the courtyards to bio-gutters and street bio-
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swales, a palette of native, bio-filtering plants and grasses will cleanse the water as it makes its way to Lake Merced and the aquifer. The courtyards, perched over subterranean garages, will act as the meadows and rolling hills of the displaced natural landscape, planted with species adapted to the seasonal water availability and providing broader open spaces for residents. The water will be treated through a series of landscape elements including bio-gutters, bio-swales, a new riparian corridor, wetlands and ponds. In addition, permeable paving will be installed at all the alley streets and courtyards, to allow water to infiltrate at these hardscape areas. Because water will be more efficiently distributed to the landscape and native or adapted plants will be used, irrigation water needs will be reduced by 50%. After passing through the network of swales, the water will enter the new riparian corridor. This corridor will support native vegetation typically found in local streams—Red Alders, Elderberry, Black Willow, Big Leaf Maple, etc. along with an understory layer of native shrubs, perennials and ferns. Native wildlife, a variety of birds and small animals, should find plenty of cover and habitat as the corridor develops and a trail system will allow residents to experience the canopied space as well as connect to Lake Merced. The existence of this corridor also lends assistance to integrated pest management over the entire site as a balance between pests and predators emerges. The riparian corridor will be the backbone of the habitat restoration, its resource rich environment attracting an array of native wildlife from insects to birds. In addition, the landscape will create a variety of ecological zones including wetlands, coastal woodlands, and meadows. Only native or adapted plant species will be used on site, both to minimize water consumption and to attract native wildlife. Finally, in order to protect biodiversity and public health, landscape maintenance will follow integrated pest management and organic farming methods. No chemical herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizer will be used on site. All green waste created by landscape maintenance as well as farming will be composted
on site and used in place of commercial fertilizers. Education and Kids Probably the greatest beneficiary of this seasonal creek will be the kids who have the chance to see a real frog in action. This idea extends to the entire project. With a system of rivulets, streams and ponds, it will be possible to track the movement of water all the way to Lake Merced and in the process, learn about the associated plant and animal communities that spring up in relation to varying conditions of water. Living with this experience and its attachment to the larger landscape provides both a physical and biological education that no class ever could. Water, though potentially messy, is endlessly interesting to kids of all ages and we suspect parents at Park Merced may make some allowances. In addition to the network for channeling storm water, some of the rivulets within the courtyard and parks are proposed to also flood-irrigate certain zones of water-related planting, thereby creating an interactive water feature through the required need for summer irrigation. Local Food Production A four-acre organic urban farm and orchard will be folded into this natural system, as well. Bounded by the riparian corridor, the farm will grow vegetables and fruit that are well suited to the site’s cool-season microclimate. Compost created from green waste generated on the grounds will provide organic fertilizer and reduce the amount waste trucked off the site. The produce from the farm will be used to supply a new restaurant located adjacent to the farm parcel. The farm and restaurant will provide a unique farm-to-table experience within Park Merced. In addition to the urban farm, a variety of opportunities for individual residents to cultivate plants and vegetables will be incorporated into the site, from individual garden plots to community herb gardens, and from apartment terrace planters to greenhouses within the farm and on the roofs of the buildings.
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Park and Green Place Tall and abnormity buildings are found everywhere in the urban city, “park green land� as a rare green place, plays an important role in purifying the environment, beautifying the landscape and avoiding the natural disasters. It becomes an integral part of urban construction site, urban green system and urban public facilities. It can be also used for valuating the overall urban environment level and urban inhabitant’s life quality. The play elements and service facilities has come to its maturity, green land has become a new ideal place for city dwellers, which has a great influence on the city. Generally speaking, park green land has two major functions. One is physics function, the other is spiritual function. To a certain degree, the spiritual functions have greater significance. With the rapid development of industry, the pollution problems is becoming more and more severe; the people, who are surrounded by steel and concrete, are longing to get close to nature, then green land comes into being. Green land plays an important role in reducing the pollution and improving the environment. It also meets the demand of wandering, relaxation and rest. Being in the park green land, it provides a precious chance to enjoy the beauty of nature and appreciate its unique design styles. People are quite impressed by the flexible landform, water fountains or vertical enclosure, shining lighting and dynamic fountain. The changeable culture, various play elements and elegant park are integrated together. Visitors are totally involved in the harmonious atmosphere created by the designers. It becomes an ideal spiritual land by perfect integration of nature and beauty.
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Ballast Point Park
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Project Location: Birchgrove, Sydney, Australia Project Type: City Park Project Design: McGregor Coxall
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Ballast Point Park is a stunning new harbourside destination, delivered by Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority on behalf of the NSW Government and designed by McGregor Coxall. The park is a result of community action that stopped development of the site for residential development and returned the land to people of Sydney as parkland. Ballast Point Park was opened to community acclaim in July 2009. This project involved McGregor Coxall leading a multidiscipline team in developing the design for this 2.8 ha. new public park on the former site of a Caltex oil storage and grease manufacturing plant on Sydney Harbour. The design uses world leading sustainability principles to minimize the project’s carbon footprint and ecologically rehabilitate the site. The design reconciles the layers of history with forward looking new technologies to create a regionally significant urban park. The environmental approach is further underpinned by site-wide stormwater biofiltration, recycled materials, and wind turbines designed for on-site energy production. The design challenges our perception of materials and their use. Dominant new terrace walls sit atop the sandstone cliffs but these walls are not made of precious sandstone excavated from another site, rather from the rubble of our past. What once was called rubbish is now called beautiful. It is the new ballast. But it is more than this at play: It is the total composition of these recycled rubber filled cages, off set with concrete coping panels topped with fine grain railing, that allow these walls to sit confidently at the portal to the inner harbour. 8 vertical axis wind turbines and an extract from a Les Murray poem, carved into recycled tank panels, forms a sculptural re-interpretation of the site’s former largest storage tank. The wind turbines symbolise the future, a step away from our fossil fuelled past towards more sustainable renewable energy forms. The underpinning philosophies for the site are: 1. To communicate the change that has occurred to this unique area of Sydney, i.e. from an industrial heartland to its present more gentrified evolution. The design overlays a high end fine grain detailing over a more robust constructed base. 2. To communicate the change in our cultural perception of our landscape from a resource to be used to an asset to be respected. The design explores the re-use of the rubble of the past in re-building a park of the future. This concept is further developed by exploring the use of recycled material across the site and the generation of its own energy requirements. 3. To respect and communicate the site’s historic layers. This is achieved by the site’s historic layers being finely interwoven into the design. 4. To employ sustainable design principles in managing on site stormwater and planting. All site stormwater is directed to planting areas where it is cleaned and filtered prior to entering the harbour. This design brings to life the principles established in the original master plan where a fine balance between what is removed and what is retained is proposed. The end product is a park that proudly communicates all the site’s past layers and human interventions in both, an innovative and informative manner. However, the true story line here is that ultimately the planting strategy will result in this headland being re-clothed in green. This project embraces the underlying concepts of all the landscape principles. It is a result of on-going community consultation coupled with heritage research. Its design strategy explores many innovative uses of construction techniques and materials, these range from re-enforced earth walls clad with recycled rubble in baskets, green star rated concrete using recycled materials in lieu of traditional components, recycled timbers for the buildings and park furniture as well as recycled soils, mulches and gravels. The planting for the site is provenance stock drawn from local plant communities that promotes the local gene pool as well as assist in the re-establishment of the local fauna. The park provides a reference to the past and an eye to the future, when the plants are fully mature it will sit comfortably opposite Balls Head, its sister headland at the entrance to the Parramatta River.
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Copalita Eco-Archaeological Park
Project Location: Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico Project Type: Ecological Park
In 2004 FONATUR (Mexico’s Tourist Development Office) hired Grupo de Diseño Urbano to design an EcoArcheological park named Copalita in Huatulco, a beautiful tourist center in the south west of Mexico’s pacific coast. FONATUR selected a large parcel of land (81.14 Ha) with amazing natural landscape features for the park: at the west you can find Copalita River, south you can see the great blue of the Pacific Ocean. This means that the land has a wide variety of vegetation, ecosystems and diversity of fauna. The uniqueness of the park is that it merges an important archaeological site with a great eco-environment. The archaeological site is one of the most outstanding on the pacific coast of Mexico. The park has at least 35 species of trees, 17 of birds and 19 reptiles. The Master Plan was divided in three phases, for the first phase GDU designed a visitor’s center with its own coffee shop and a parking lot. On the second one they planned an archaeological site Museum with management and research offices for archaeologists, botanists and administration. The third phase will include an etno-botanical garden, a bird lagoon, a crocodile station, an observation tower and a camping area among other services and attractions. The archaeological restoration has been ongoing in the first, second and third phases.
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Dockside Green
Project Location: Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico Project Type: Ecological Park
On a 6-hectare former industrial site adjacent to downtown Victoria, BC, a new community is taking shape. Dockside Green is unique in North America, a model livable community and project for which the developer and design team have pursued the highest goals in energy efficiency and sustainable design. PWL Partnership, in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team, produced the competition-winning master plan for this innovative pedestrian-oriented mixed-use community. At build-out, the community will house 2,500 residents and include commercial, retail and light industrial uses. Closed-loop design strategies employed at Dockside Green include on-site wastewater treatment and reuse, a biomass plant and central heating system, an alternative transportation strategy, and carefully integrated greenspaces and wildlife habitat. The landscape architects helped realize the first two residential phases and the central greenway. The first phase achieved world record-breaking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification for New Construction in 2008. Numerous challenges were overcome to meet LEED requirements, to meet code requirements for rainwater management, and to design a significant demonstration freshwater ecosystem. Meeting LEED green roof coverage requirements dictated patio sizes and made the use of high albedo roof patios, urban agriculture and roof gardens, and large canopy trees over paved areas primary elements of the design. Green roofs play a significant part in the project’s environmental achievements and social amenities; green roof area was maximized to reduce the development’s heat island effect, improve the buildings’ energy efficiency, detain rainwater, create habitat, and create opportunities for recreation and urban agriculture. The celebration of rainwater also defined the design. Municipal government regulations do not allow rainwater, once collected in a pipe, to be daylighted. This issue was overcome with the extensive use of runnels to collect surface runoff and water expelled by roof rainwater leaders, which terminate in reed beds and the greenway pond. Planted areas contain native and adaptive planting; blackwater treated on-site provides the main source of water for the pond, in addition to being reused to irrigate the landscape. The greenway, a major pedestrian link for the community, is a keystone Dockside’s water management strategy. The greenway pond extends to the building edges with bridges to the ground level units. With no guardrails used on bridges or patio edges, the landscape architects needed to modify the pond design to satisfy the building code; within 600mm of the bridge edges and patios, the pond bottom is less than 600mm below the walking surface. Other areas of the pond are deeper to enhance habitat. Water source points and flow rates were carefully adjusted to maintain water circulation over benches created by these varying depths. The buildings and pond were stepped to follow the south to north slope along the greenway. The landscape architects worked closely with the architects to determine the finished floor elevations of the garden apartment units along the greenway, which were dictated by the high water level and the fixed elevation at the end of the ponds where the water exits to the harbour inlet. A series of stepped ‘stream’ weirs were introduced on the east sides of the islands to facilitate the movement of aquatic life between the ponds, which are separated by larger weirs that control moderate storm events. Because a weir longer than the width of the pond was required for the 100-year storm event, a solution was devised to wind the weir across the island from the main weir below to the small weir above the stream. Thus, during a 100-year event, the islands will be fully inundated but the patios and greenway walkways will remain safely above water. With the pond lined to prevent infiltration to the contaminated fill below, the landscape architects designed islands and riparian areas that will not be displaced along the liner in a major storm event. Working with the structural engineers, biologists, and pond contractor, a system was devised to mortar large “islands” of recycled site blast rock in place and armor the upstream ends. Driftwood with intact root wads was cabled in place to enhance habitat value. Dockside Green is a major achievement in community planning, pedestrian-oriented design, waste-and rainwater management, environmental interpretation, and energy efficiency. The landscape architects played no small part in achieving outstanding environmental targets, while developing a truly unique and richly layered setting for this new community.
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Green Hills TSUYAMA
Project Location: Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan Project Type: Park Project Design: TBG Partners
Green Hills TSUYAMA is “the green lung” at the core of Tsuyama, Japan, providing a venue for cultural events and recreational activities which promote good personal and social health for a population previously seriously underserved by significant public open space, in a setting that respects the existing character and heritage of the site and surrounding areas creating a harmonious and sustainable relationship between Man and Nature within a dense urban environment. Project Location, Size, and Scope The 29 ha Green Hills TSUYAMA Public Park is located in the heart of Tsuyama, Japan serving a local population of over 110,000 residents. Our firm was selected to lead and coordinate the design team, consisting of Landscape Architects, Architects, Civil Engineers, and Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, through Master Planning, the Schematic and Design Development phases, the Construction Documentation phase, and to conduct Construction Administration. Our Office was also tasked with developing management guidelines for park operations. Site and Context Investigation Tsuyama has a long history dating over 400 years. This park was envisioned to contribute to the cultural heritage of the area and provide much needed public spaces for festivals and cultural events, as well as for personal recreation and discovery. The city is primarily located north of the Yoshii River in a natural basin created by mountain ranges surrounding the city on all sides. As a result, the city has grown in a linear fashion northward through the valley from the river. Due to an abundance of natural wilderness recreational areas surrounding the city, large public parks capable of
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accommodating programmed events were long neglected in the city. As the population in Tsuyama grew the need for such a space increased yet the availability of land for such a purpose decreased. When a large parcel of government land became available it was the perfect opportunity to provide this much needed regional park capable of accommodating large cultural events and festivals and providing recreational opportunities not available in the surrounding wilderness. The site formerly served as the Institute of Dairy Farming of Okayama Prefecture. The existing landscape was pastoral, characterized by large expanses of rolling grassed fields spotted with small stands of mature trees. The elevation at the high points of the site provided ideal views of the city below and mountain ranges surrounding the city and park in the distance. Design Program The design program was fluid and formulated during the Master Planning phase based on input from the community, stakeholders, recommendations of the Governor and his staff, and the experience of the design team. The final program allowed for uses ranging from children’s adventure play to cultural activities and large festivals such as the Golden Week Festival held annually. The program elements include a children’s play field, wild flower area, water garden (which also serves as a retention pond mitigating the impacts of stormwater runoff on off-site infrastructure) an indoor swimming pool, outdoor theatre and sloped lawn amphitheatre, and enhanced woodland surrounding much of the site containing a music hall, museum, and Artists’ Village.
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Design Intent The intent of the design and programming of the park was to harmoniously combine the sites’ potential with the existing natural features of the surrounding environment, seeking a unification of experiences between nature and man-made rather than contrasting a built work with its natural surroundings. The park was designed to organize the city, linking previously disconnected residential areas to each other and the surrounding landscape providing residents an opportunity to reconnect with nature and natural process in an environment that was easily accessible and allowed for a multitude of uses. The park also buffers the foot of the northern mountain range from the advancing city offering a transition from the dense urban environment to the less dense residential areas, and eventually the more wild nature of the mountains. The surrounding mountains were incorporated into the park as “borrowed landscape” acting as a backdrop for the cityscape below, and creating a sense of expansiveness and connection to the natural landscape when in the park. The park itself becomes an integral component of the overall landscape and “lends” its features to the surrounding environment creating a cohesive whole. A primary objective of the planning process was to preserve as much of the existing topography and vegetation as possible both to minimize environmental impacts and to honor the heritage of the site and its contribution to the surrounding culture and economy. The park was designed to consist of two zones offering different experiences and activities. The Northern Zone consists of a children’s adventure play field, wild flower area, and iris water garden which cumulatively form the ‘Health and Recreation’ component of the park. The Southern Zone forms the ‘Culture and Recreation’ component of the park and is comprised of a large sloped open grass space oriented around an outdoor theatre, a hilltop flower garden showcasing native flowering plants, and preserved and enhanced forest containing a music hall, museum, and Artists’ Village which showcases traditional local art and craft styles and the techniques used to create them. The design elements are structured such that visitors can sense the various ways to use the spaces allowing each to formulate their own unique pattern of interaction, vastly increasing the potential of the park. The interplay of nature in the park and the park in nature compels visitors to explore the beauty and complexity of the natural environment increasing awareness of the natural processes surrounding them. Material & Installation Methods To provide a project that respected both the environment and the existing character of the site and surrounding area, local materials were utilized to the fullest extent possible. The intent was to create a space where the natural and built worlds harmoniously coexist, so using materials common to both was essential. To further ensure this continuity of materials and construction technique, local craftsmen were hired to guarantee that new construction adhered to local vernacular methods of building. Nearly 80% of the plant material specified for the project is native to the Tsuyama region allowing visitors to reconnect with, and learn about, the nature of the region. Environmental impact & concern The park was designed to maintain as much of the existing landform and vegetation as possible. The majority of the site remains “natural” with areas of highly programmed and designed space linked throughout the site. This strategy was ideal because it minimized earthwork operations and maintained the existing character of the site. It also provided significant cost savings for the overall project allowing higher levels of detail and construction in the programmed spaces. Maintaining the existing hydrology of the site minimized infrastructure costs and land disturbance, and the addition of a retention pond, which doubles as an iris garden, at a natural low point reduced the sites impact on off—site stormwater infrastructure. Although we would have preferred to use a 100% native plant palette, certain areas with harsh growing conditions and other areas utilizing bio-engineering techniques to stabilize soils and/or mitigate contaminated soils required the use of some exotic species. Collaboration with Client and other Designers The project was a special project of the Governor’s policy in Okayama Prefecture. As such, all work required the permission and approval of the Governor himself. We worked closely with the Commissioner who acted as the Governor’s Advisor, and was responsible for selecting the Landscape Architect and Architect for the project. We were responsible for the original park Master Plan and then collaborated with project Architects to determine appropriate building types and locations, and to modify the Master Plan to accommodate. We collaborated with the Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineers for the infrastructure design providing an image of the park and then working closely with them to ensure that this concept was realized. Plant Palette Most of the existing trees were preserved or transplanted in order to maintain the character of the land and in an effort to provide an environmentally friendly design solution. New plantings were combined with existing trees at the sites boundaries to create a piece of woodland which acts as a transition from the city to the park. The core of the site was maintained as an open lawn sprinkled with stands of existing mature trees. Additional trees were planted at the site of the proposed Music Hall and Art Museum which become the “woodland cultural facility”. Along the main path, cherry trees and other flowering trees were planted (Magnolia kobus & Prunus persica) allowing pedestrians to experience the changing seasons. Other planting areas, such as the wild flower gardens, the rose garden, and the iris garden (within retention pond) provide areas of natural beauty allowing visitors to enjoy the park and observe seasonal changes.
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Green Park
In an age of climate change, development options have to respond to the impacts of natural processes in the landscape and development proposals in flood risk areas. Developments are having to be more resilient in the face of projected impacts and this has meant that not only are building forms subject to design responses but the landscape is equally required to play a part in this response. Most people are familiar with the changes in the Dutch landform achieved by radical changes in the landscape. In other countries the problems are not so acute but the way a landscape can be shaped to play a part in protecting development and providing development potential is increasingly part of landscape design. One resilient and sustainable approach is to change the landform with a greater range between valleys and hill plateaux. Instead of a land of undistinguished contours where a volume of flood water spreads thinly over a large area, an alternative is to lower some areas and use the resultant spoil to increase the height and flood resistance of upper areas. The volume of water retained on site remains the same but the landscape has more visual interest and offers more bio-diversity. This approach has been part of the development philosophy of Green Park. Green Park is a development by Prudential Portfolio Managers Ltd in Reading, a town to the west of London which has aspirations to be a city by 2020. Development has transformed what was once an area of low lying poor quality agricultural land into a business park with international appeal. At the same time a major new landscape has been created with a diverse range of habitats. This has been achieved without damage to any protected landscapes or designated conservation areas. All proposals were developed and agreed in consultation with the UK Environment Agency to ensure that conservation issues involving both land and water have been fully considered. The area was also designated for employment uses and was fully
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Location: Reading, Berkshire, UK Project Type: Green Park Project Design: Place Design + Planning Ltd.
supported by the three Local Planning Authorities within which the 73 ha (180acre) site is situated. The site lies in the floodplain of the River Kennet overlying gravel. It is generally flat with a high water table. The combination of regular flooding and farming had produced a landscape with few significant features and a form typical of lowland pastoral landscapes. Ditches were formed to assist drainage of the pastures and their banks planted with crack willow (salix fragilis) which had been traditionally pollarded to provide willow wands for hurdles or basket making but which had now gone into decline. The topographical design has also been developed, in close liaison with the hydraulic engineers in order to provide specific water flow and flood storage characteristics. There is little scope to modify completed landform design and there is a strict balance between the areas of raised land for development and low land capable of retaining a specific volume of flood water within the site. The demands of the flood control regime impose a set of landscape types on the site. All development – buildings, road and car parks are set above the anticipated 1 in 200 year flood level (39.35 AOD) while flood water is accommodated in three zones. The landscape design at Green Park is based on the expectation of seasonal flooding with planting designs capable of resisting the natural difficulties such conditions create. The design has been commented on by the Environment Agency, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, local county wildlife Trust and others. It therefore makes the transition from a robust and naturalist landscape to a more refined and disciplined landscape in close proximity to the buildings.
The principle objectives of the landscape design are: ·To create an attractive working environment, ·To design a scheme appropriate to the site conditions, ·To create a strong and coherent identity derived from the lake which sets the character of the park with a variety of habitats and conservation interest, ·To provide visual amenity and recreation opportunities, ·To screen surrounding sites where appropriate, ·To design a scheme where high intensity maintenance is limited to the building context but is otherwise generally low. The formation of the landscape structure and the implementation of infrastructure planting occurred against a backdrop of particularly adverse weather conditions. Site flooding at 1:25-1:50 year events occurred twice within 24months putting the engineering design to the test but also making landscape implementation a particularly difficult exercise. Reed bed establishment required continuity of 200mm of water cover to establish the root system. After establishment, the reed beds (phragmities) are far more resilient with rhizomes capable of extending 1m per year. Pre-planted coir rolls were substituted in various locations for individual plants. The path network design was based on an 18 month monitoring of water levels but this was subsequently was raised by another 500mm to ensure greater continuity of access. Such measures may be the result of global warming, and demonstrate how far data on which design assumptions have been made may have to be reviewed each decade. The design code for the park has required each plot to provide 30% on plot landscape to add to the landscape infrastructure. Twenty one buildings have been completed on a range of development plots and have attracted a range of knowledge based industries. Support facilities include restaurant, crèche and health club set around a civic square. A major retailed complex has been successfully integrated with great care over its appearance in the park. Flexible space has allowed emergent companies to take smaller floor space and graduate to larger units. The code has been administered by a design panel formed by the client, a commercial agent, an architect and a landscape architect. This has provided an overview on issues of both design and value. The site continues to expand, and has won a number of awards. The scheme has also acquired its own wind turbine, with a teaching facility and water vole habitat at its base, for which the scheme has won a bio-diversity award. The same development formula has been followed in a new phase of the park providing a new station to serve the expanding business base in the park and also, 750 homes and mixed use development around a remodelled 10 acre lake with island refuges for wildlife and diverse lake margins. This phase has obtained planning consent and will go forward as the overall UK economic climate improves. Green Park has demonstrated that development and conservation can go hand in hand, and the environment for man and other animals can be created even within a site serving hydraulic demands. Understanding the contribution a good landscape scheme makes to a scheme, from initial site planning to implementation and management, is a fundamental part of delivering asset value. It produces real returns whilst playing a part in meeting sustainability targets. A further question having transformed the landscape is to what degree does a good landscape add value? It is accepted that a view has a value. A hotel room with a sea view attracts a premium which is often stated in rental terms. If it is accepted that an attractive view enjoyed for two weeks carries a premium, what premium would we pay for a view for the other 50 weeks of the year? As a comparison, figures showed that being next to a derelict lot caused a loss in value of 20% whereas a cleared and cleaned site saw a rise in 37%1. This data was centred on Philadelphia, a city which has shrunk from 2.5m occupants to 1.5m resulting in 40,000 abandoned lots in the city. However, New York has 47,000 vacant land parcels. Being nearer than 50ft to a newly planted tree raised the property price by 9%. Investing in the landscape is not just a nice to have, it does produce real returns. The central issue with landscape investment compared with the built element of a development is that it is the only element whose form changes in time. The landscape is always in a state of dynamic change. This puts it into a class of its own. Particularly in respect of trees it is also adding value in its own right. According to a new method of assessing the value of significant trees (CAVAT) by the London Tree Officers Association values increase for trees depending on the density of population. In using the full calculation method this allows “the final value to reflect realistically the contribution of the tree to public welfare through tangible and intangible benefits”. This system prices trees, which are part of the picture, but this is not the whole landscape picture. Landscape is more than the sum of the parts. When the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment in the UK (CABE) asked 8 local authorities about urban parks the results were confusing. “…we weren’t able to learn much about the link between the amount spent on parks and services and the quality of parks that was delivered. The reason we couldn’t find this out was because most of the local authorities couldn’t answer our questions” CABE has also published a report entitled Does Money Grow on Trees assessing the increased asset value of development adjoining landscape spaces. At Jubilee Park Canary Wharf in the UK the expenditure on the landscape scheme is £55 per sq ft, which represents the costs of effectively building a roof garden or 160 semi mature trees at ground level. Agents have assumed a hypothetical increase in value of 9% by being seen as “on park”. Also in terms of commercial property it cites the view by Arlington: “Our business parks command city centre rental values” according to Roger Wilson Director of Arlington. At a time when rental values in the Thames Valley for commercial space were between £21-£25 sq ft, Arlington were able to command £29 sq ft with service charges of around £5.50 sq ft. This was a higher rent than in central Reading. At Green Park rental values of £25-26 sq ft are quoted with a service charge of £8.65 sq ft. Location as ever plays its part. There are no simple rules except that a good landscaped setting will look better, attract more occupier interest, be empty for shorter periods and produce better returns as well as being good for wildlife.
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Hotarumibashi Park
Project Location: Minami Alps City, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan Project Type: Park Project Design: TBG Partners
Purpose This project started as a civil engineering work to redesign the slope beside new bridge with a minimal of design. The area of the site is about 7,200m. The Landscape Architect proposed that the landscape work was not to cover the slope with vegetation, but also to develop the site for people's use (Mt. Fuji viewing park, children's playlot, and terraced park). The site is surrounded by the typical rural landscape "terraced paddy field" in Japan. Our theme of landscape design here is in harmony with surrounding environment and to creating the place for community. The park is consisted of the following 3 major parts: "Mt. Fuji Viewing Plaza" is an observatory for viewing Mt. Fuji. Mt. Fuji can be seen from the frame which is formed with columns of the Gazebo. We call this "Ikedori" which means Japanese traditional design method. "Terraced Plaza" is facing to existing "Tanada (terraced paddy field)" scenery. The plaza is for people's use. Existing "Tanada (terraced paddy field)" and terraced plaza, both made from same nature stone. We try to design to keep sustainable environments using same "Tanada (terraced paddy field)" material. Children always drop in and enjoy playing after school. Role of The Landscape Architect To redesign and to enhance the site from poor landscape, embankment and abutment beside new bridge created by civil engineers, To preserve the existing "Tanada (terraced paddy field)" scenery, To keep the relationship of sustainability (nature & people), To harmonize with surrounding environment and new park. Special Factor This project continued 7 years from beginning to completion. During the period, the Landscape Architect performed not only designing, but also the collaborated with local citizens to expand the site. As result, a citizen donated his land for parking and park. We proposed to build community center for regional people on the donated site. Now, the community center was constructed. It is necessary to unify the site by design because the site is divided into 3 parts by road and river. As the solution, the Landscape Architect proposed that smoothing the circulation and to unify the design motif and materials. Materials are mainly stone and timber that are used in the agricultural landscape of the region for long time. Design of gazebo and water mill are using traditional design motif on this region. Significance New bridge made the dynamic movement of regional residents and the bridge became a place for gathering people to forming community. The Landscape Architect involved not only designing, but also supporting to form community such as advising process of adjacent community center construction. As the park is designed to keep relationship of sustainability, people can rediscover harmony of beautiful scenic "Tanada (terraced paddy field)" and new landscape of the park. The landscape Architect tries to create new rural landscape design which has blended existing "Tanada (terraced paddy field)" with the Park. This sustainable relationship will be left for the future generations. Client Statement The harsh slope that was designed by the Civil Engineer was gently improved by its redesign by the landscape architectural firm, Keikan Sekkei of Tokyo. The design of the park was well considered and is in harmony with the surrounding rural sustainable landscape. The park creates a sense of community and is greatly enjoyed by the people who live in these surroundings. Also, people from urban areas come here to enjoy the rural agricultural qualities of its landscape. Two major features of the park are the "Tanada" which is the name for terraced rice fields typical of the adjacent agricultural landscape at the base of Mt. Kushigata. Also, views to Mt. Fuji are featured in the design of a "viewing plaza" that is focused on distant view. This park is a place where rural and urban populations can meet In a rural environment. In densely developed Japan, this promotes the movement towards the development of more parks in rural and agricultural landscape.
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La Esperanza Park
Project Location: Gómez Palacio, Durango, México Project Type: Architecture and Landscape Architecture Project Area: 82.871 m2
The authorities of the state of Durango knew that Gómez Palacio city required a new alternative to recycle its former industrial area; something that will offer a different quality of life to immediate neighbors and the community at large. Grupo de Diseño Urbano was hired to design a recreational and cultural park named La Esperanza inside of what used to be a very important soap factory which operated in the late XIX and XX centuries. The concept of the park included the existing walls, structures and spaces and incorporated them to the new design keeping the pre-existing memory of the site. The Master Plan includes gardens, children’s library, aviary, workshops, jog rink and also a Museum. The park is located at the heart of Gómez Palacio City; walking distance from City Hall; in front of the main plaza and the train station.
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Lartelare
Project Location: Australia Project Area: 7000m2 Project Design: Taylor Cullity Lethlean
The site of this project is located on land that is of enormous significance to the local Aboriginal community, particularly to members of the Brodie family and the late Aunty Veronica Brodie. The site was known as Campsite Two and was the recognized birthplace of Lartelare (Aunty Veronica’s great grandmother) and her daughter Laura Spender. It remains the traditional home of Veronica’s mother Rebecca, Veronica and their families for generations to come. The role of the landscape architect was pivotal in defining the brief and hence ensuring a completely integrated outcome in which community involvement and ownership of the site was maintained whilst fulfilling overall development requirements and objectives. Twelve months, of extensive consultation with Aunty Veronica, members of her family and the community resulting in the concept design of the park, which has been named Lartelare. The park was sensitively designed to respect and reflect the importance of the site to Aunty Veronica’s family, local Kaurna and all Aboriginal people. Lartelare features a series of interpretive nodes developed and written by TCL which contain large split rocks with cast resin artefacts. The split rock reveals a hidden past, or a window into past occupation of the site which was buried when the river was transformed into a wharf. The interpretive node’s are surrounded by weaving pathways, indigenous vegetation and contains seating and inscriptions that describe the significance of the artefact boxes. The stories and items contained within the boxes include a strong presence of the Brodie family as described below: ·Middens and Tools – Shells collected by the Brodie Families ·Weavings and plants, baskets – Unfinished mat made by Aunty Veronica, miniature basket by Aunty Cherie and replica fish basket which inspired the shelter design ·Black Swan – Cast footprint taken from Torrens River after weir failure ·Dreaming – mirror Lighting contained within the artefact cases and the Wodli have been designed to mimic a story told by Aunty Veronica which described an evening landscape prior to settlement of vegetated river banks flickering with campfires of aboriginal families camping along the river edges. The central node reflects a traditional wodli or shelter representative of structures that were built along the banks of the Port River prior to settlement. Moire patterning across the shelter using perforated sheets of rusted steel was chosen to reflect layers of hessian which was increasingly used in lieu of brush and bark as the river was developed into a port. Sugar and flour mills which were built along the river provided produce in hessian bags which Kaurna men would work as ‘lumpers’ loading produce onto ships. Campsite 2 was occupied whilst the Port was developed for industry. Throughout Lartelare other design features reflect Kaurna culture. Planting patterns adjacent to apartments are indicative of traditional weaving patterns used in making baskets and mats. The same indigenous plants used for making the baskets have been planted in the landscape surrounding contemplative nodes for potential collection and use by local Aboriginal groups looking to share and pass down skills to younger generations. Pavements and the arrangement of seat walls form collections of middens or shells evocative of collections on the original river bank that has been buried by three metres of fill during the construction of revetments and wharfs along the Port River. Pavement materials were carefully negotiated through consultation with Council and the developers to provide finishes that were natural, soft under foot and maintainable to ensure elements of the park were not too urbanised. The selection of these materials was carefully chosen and where possible utilised sources such as sands from the Maslin quarry that were pertinent to the Brodie family. The roof form of the shelter is evocative of a traditional hand crafted fish basket. The design was conceived following Aunty Veronica bringing a 150 year old artefact into a session to demonstrate the baskets that were made and brought to the campsite over many generations. A large plaza with perimeter seating has been provided adjacent to the shelter for informal performances by the community. The planting of 11,000 indigenous seedlings adjacent to the Jervois Bridge was undertaken as part of an employment training program suggested by the landscape architects, and funded by Council, the developers Newport Quays Consortium and State Government through the Department of Further Education, Employment Science and Technology. Sixteen Aboriginal people from the western region were supervised by Tauondi College, which provided the trainees with skills and qualifications in horticulture and an opportunity to learn more about Kaurna culture and the significance of the site. Overall the reserve functions at various levels albeit with a very simple design. It maintains a relationship with new residential developments separating private space associated with townhouses from open ball play areas and performance spaces. It creates private spaces for exploration through vegetated bush. Whilst the process has fostered a well integrated design outcome that is rich in content the true benefit of this project has been the strengthening of unity within the local Kaurna community.It allows friendships to form and strengthens community spirit and values.
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Otteson Entry Garden
Project Location: Phoenix, Arizona, USA Project Type: Botanical Garden Landscape Architect: SPURLOCK POIRIER Landscape Architects
The Ottosen Entry Garden implements the first phase of a new master plan, also prepared by Spurlock Poirier in 2008. The Desert Botanical Garden is located within Papago Park, and sensitivity to this context was extremely important. Additionally, the entry garden was a further iteration of work begun 10 years earlier to clarify the DBG’s entry sequence; care was taken to create a fresh and wonderful new entry gallery while honoring the core character of previous improvements to ensure a continuity of materials and sensibility. The 1.6 acre, 2 million dollar project had two principal goals of providing the many activities of a lobby, improving the function of the garden entry experience as well as immediately engaging the visitors with the drama and visceral sensory enjoyment of the desert. Program elements included dedicated areas for tour gathering, special events, visitor orientation, shaded seating, improved access to amenities and foremost, creating a memorable, iconic space showcasing large specimen cacti and succulents that could at once provide and enhanced sense of place and whet the appetite of new and repeat visitors. Spurlock Poirier served as prime consultant for this project, leading a collaborative conceptual design process which included the Garden’s donors, executive board, horticulture, research, facilities and design staff to clarify and refine the functional and aesthetic goals for the entry garden. Special consideration was taken to identify existing site features and plant specimens to preserve, relocate or highlight for maximum effect. Professional services included design, construction documents, construction administration and coordination of consultants including civil and electrical engineers. A unique challenge and opportunity presented by the project was making the most effective and judicious use of some of the Garden’s magnificent mature specimens. Care was taken very early in the process to identify which plants were to be protected, removed and relocated. The expertise of the Garden's horticulture staff was an invaluable and enriching technical resource throughout the design process. The form of the garden is rectilinear, contrasting with the rest of the 80 acre site; vistas open to the iconic buttes beyond, establishing a distinctive sense of place in the larger landscape. The entry lobby is organized into three ascending gardens - the low and broad Basin Garden, open and backlit, featuring the largest specimen plants; the Canal Garden, carved into red rock planter walls and bisected by a linear light feature and small water feature tucked away to reward the adventurous; the Terrace Garden which ascends to a small, shaded gathering space and features the more tender and colorful succulents in the collection. Each garden features its own distinctive combination of stone and plants, integrating ideas about geology and topography and highlighting the sculptural qualities of the materials set against red buttes, distant desert mountains. These combine to create a unique interaction with nature that speaks strongly about the beauty and diversity of desert plants. The project successfully implements a key element of the previously prepared master plan, creating a high functioning, dynamic visitor entry
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lobby, and fulfills the goal of emphasizing the genius loci of the Garden. The project's formal conception, stepping up from basin to mesa and carved by a rectilinear grid of paths and gardens, evolves out of Phoenix's development patterns; the use of a hardscape and plant materials palette drawn from local Sonoran sources emphasizes the project and institution's integral connections to its immediate and regional context and fulfills the goal of creating a dynamic, engaging model of sustainable gardens in the desert. The many subtle and intricate hardscape details from masonry to metal work showcases the high level of local craftsmanship.
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Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center
Project Location: Orange, Texas Project Type: Natural Resource Conservation Project Design: Jeffrey Carbo Landscape Architects
The site is an extraordinarily diverse 252 acre ecosystem on the edge of the Adams Bayou in southeastern Texas. Local businessman H. J. Lutcher Stark purchased this property in the 1940s and, as a hobby, created a small garden with a 10-acre lake, extensive plantings and pathways, greenhouses, and other garden features. Though Stark had arranged to preserve his estate through a foundation, the garden he named Shangri La closed to the public after a devastating freeze in 1958. Several years ago the Nelda C. and H. J. Lutcher Stark Foundation reinterpreted its management role and, as stewards of this unique environment, embarked on an ambitious program to engage the general public in environmental educational and gardening activities. Board members, realizing the unique opportunity the site offered for environmental and garden education, determined that creating programs to take advantage of this unique site would both return the property to the original owner’s intent and also commemorate his philanthropic values. The Foundation engaged our firms to create a master plan to re-imagine Shangri La to capitalize on site resources, guide future development, and create appropriate educational programming to realize the Foundation’s re-focused mission to mentor children of all ages to be kind to their world. Shangri La is located in the center of Orange, Texas (population 18,500), and a town known for plants (petro chemical) of another kind. The site remains undeveloped due to its location within the floodplain of Adams Bayou, a tributary of the nearby Sabine River. Surrounded by residential and commercial developments on three sides; its southern boundary is Adams Bayou, a brackish waterway that rises and falls with the coastal tides of the Gulf of Mexico. Process and the Role of the Landscape Architect As a student of nature, H. J. Lutcher Stark collected plants, books, and art; these activities provide insight into his intellectual curiosity and environmental interests. Wishing to share his wealth and interest with the community, Stark and his wife established a foundation to oversee their estate, but since Stark’s death in 1965, the gardens had been closed to the public. For almost 40 years the site was undisturbed by development, environmental management, or routine maintenance. With no clear mission, the site became environmentally disorganized and educationally underutilized. Project Goals The project had 5 goals: 1) to protect and enhance the site’s biological, cultural and scenic resources; 2) to promote understanding and appreciation for nature in general and for the site’s natural systems in specific; 3) to identify, preserve, and maintain the site’s cultural features, as developed by Lutcher Stark; 4) to provide new opportunities for visitors of all ages to explore and learn about the Adams Bayou ecosystem through participatory and experiential study of the site’s natural systems; and 5) to provide the general public, opportunities for passive horticultural experiences. Significant Issues Addressed during the Design Process
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The Planning and Design Process identified twelve significant design issues that would later be addressed in site design and architectural design phases and, as appropriate, integrated into the facility’s educational programming: 1) maintaining and using existing circulation systems (pedestrian pathway and vehicular roads) to minimize site disturbance; 2) maintaining, at any cost, the heronry and enhancing the quality of its land/aquatic habitat as an educational feature by incorporating a water filtration process to remedy the current eutrophic situation; 3) using the bayou as an educational experience and as a means of visitor transit to facilitate first-hand encounters with swamp habitats and the “Survivor Cypress” (a 1,200 year old specimen); 4) minimal visual impact of architectural elements to allow landscape to remain the dominant feature; 5) using an architectural vocabulary that expresses local materials and vernacular building styles; 6) collection and retention of roof storm water into exposed runnels and retention areas for both functional reasons and as a didactic experience; 7) compliance with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) criteria to ensure platinum certification by the USGBC (United States Green Building Council); 8) use of helical foundation piers for decks and boardwalks to minimize soil displacement; 9) integration of photovoltaic cells in arbors to generate power for site lighting; 10) using porous paving materials for hard surfaces (parking and pathways); 11) limiting on-site parking to minimum requirements with provisions for shuttle service to off-site parking nearby; and 12) using native plant materials to express local environmental associations and to enhance populations of wildlife (bird, insects, fish, and reptiles). We developed a master plan informed by the client’s mission, the team’s analysis of current conditions, and our understanding of the site’s opportunities. Three general activity areas evolved: the Orientation Center; the Historic Botanical Garden; and the Environmental Educational Center. The Orientation Center incorporates a minimal-impact visitor parking area; soft-surface trails lead pedestrians into an arrival court with a building that includes wide porches and moveable outdoor exhibits. Outdoor classrooms separate the entry sequence from the water filtration gardens located between two existing 1950s greenhouses. This water garden connects a series of bogs to the lake; The Botanical Garden reflect the site’s past as a showcase of horticultural variety in this climate and include Texas natives, azaleas, camellias, iris, fern and perennials. The layout reflects the original owner’s notion that all forms are derived from nature. Structural forms and hardscape patterns mimic those found in nature. The focal point is a serene pond circled by azaleas, recreating a scheme found originally in the heronry. Site-specific artwork installations facilitate water aeration. The bird sanctuary, the wildlife gem of the entire development, is the ultimate destination of the garden path and is buffered from the Historic Garden area by a native vegetative zone of three hundred feet. The remaining part of the site, the Nature Center, encompasses the largest land area but contains the least amount of development. From the Orientation Center’s courtyard, an elevated boardwalk connects the visitor to the Environmental Education Pavilion at the edge of a nearby tupelo swamp ecosystem.
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The Dublin Veterans Park: Grounds of Remembrance
Project Type: Landscape of Remembrance Project Design: PLANT ARCHITECT Inc.
The Dublin Veterans Park dedicates this new site as a legacy to Veterans for a Grounds of Remembrance. The Grounds demarcate a place of significance circumscribed by the Guide Rail, and contains Indian Run Cemetery. The site is organized into a Walk, Loggia (open porch), and Grove, together defining the limits of the grounds and guiding movement through the site on the days of significance including Memorial Day and Veterans Day, as well as for everyday visits. The grounds will be activated by both collective and individual ritual experience. The collective ritual centers on the ceremony of special days. Parades will enter along the Dublin Road smooth limestone wall that is inscribed: Dublin Veterans Park. This wall turns the corner to line the south side of the limestone bridge across the gulley and is inscribed: Grounds of Remembrance. The route passes over the limestone bridge, and to the ceremonial centre of the project. This gathering area is framed by the Loggia, the sloped grassy Grove of Sycamores, a bench-high limestone wall where wreaths can be laid that is inscribed: these Grounds, this Walk, this Grove are dedicated to Dublin’s Veterans that have served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, & Coast Guard; and the American Flag on a 30’ Flagpole. The Loggia is a ceremonial backdrop and shelter for this collective pause - it is a panoramic window into this special site from Dublin Road and forms the threshold between the ordered Sycamore Grove and the rugged limestone cliff ravine. The area is paved with crushed limestone. Emerson’s words die-cut through the bronze end wall of the Loggia were originally written for Concord Mass.’s centennial celebration of the start of the revolutionary war: An ancestral connection is made between their original fight for national independence as a necessity for freedom, and all veterans that have followed since. The landscape can be seen through the words, linking the landscape with the veterans’ commemoration. The Loggia is copper clad with bronze end walls. A long inclined limestone ramp brings the visitor up 18” to the poem wall at the North end, and provides a raised area for speakers during ceremonies. Being at bench height, it provides seating along its edge during casual use of the site. At the south end is a continuous seat along the end wall. An opening in this wall provides views to the poem wall from the entry walk. The Grounds promote a daily and individual ritual experience choreographed through the rest of the site. A place that is habitually walked and touched is a place that begins to knit it’s way into our lives - an intimacy that provides a restorative and contemplative function to cope with one’s intimate losses. The journey also encourages a sense of stewardship - a care of the land that is only possible with a deep knowledge of it. The act of walking is both a symbol and ritual of the continuity of life, as walking permeates war, community procession, and many forms of physical and mental healthful activities. The Walk is edged by the bronze Guiderail which guides movement and quietly marks the site boundary, while retaining the dominant views to the cemetery walls. The handrail’s shape invites touching, while providing support and registering the passage of visitors by polishing through usag - it is shaped to hug back. The Walk is a journey from Dublin Road, through the Grove, along the perimeter of the cemetery wall, and then weaving down a ramping wheelchair-accessible walk into an area of seclusion, for pause and reflection in the rugged ravine that overlooks Indian Run. Here, a long stone bench is carved crisply from limestone, providing a seat huddled into the side of the hill, with the Memory Wall - a brass tube perforated limestone wall designed to receive and absorb personal and private messages. The wall is capped with a bronze panel to provide a place for the written words of veterans (letters). The Walk is calibrated to pace movement with the alternating textures of limestone screenings and paving. The sound of the crunching underfoot, the wear on the path, and the feel of the Guide Rail reinforce the physical and mental remembrance that generates personal meaning for the site. The Grove of Sycamores demarcates the area of the grounds surrounding the cemetery— the planting of a grove is a traditional means of sanctifying ground. The ordered Grove marks a strong color and spatial contrast to the ravine trees and the adjacent library, school, and cemetery’s open lawns. Sycamores are symbolic of memory and rebirth: In addition to their riverside habit, Sycamores are symbols of longevity, renewal and shelter - they are literally ancient, with their roots going back in the region over 130 million years. They shelter with their canopies and sometimes trunks, their shedding bark mixes young and old on the trunk (it is literally inter-generational) and their branches are striking white giving them a strong winter aspect when Veteran’s Day events occur. The Grove stands as the natural canopy for the collective gathering space, and the natural colonnade along the individual journey into the valley. It provides an area for both wandering and large gathering functions. Spring blossoming plantings will be introduced to provide a sense of renewal and seasonal color as Memorial Day approaches. Early bulbs in the Grove area will provide a colored carpet prior to the budding of the trees and flowering under-storey ravine trees such as dogwood will be lightly planted in the gulley area between the road and the Loggia to provide a late spring bloom.
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The Park at Lakeshore East
Project Location: Chicago, Illinois Project Area: 2.43ha. Project Design: The Office of James Burnett
The Park at Lakeshore East is the central amenity of a $4 billion, 28-acre community near downtown Chicago at the confluence of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. Since its completion in 2005, the Park has played an integral part in the continued success of the community and demonstrates the ability of landscape architecture to spur growth and development. The Park at Lakeshore East is a 5.3 acre urban park that is the central amenity of the 28-acre Lakeshore East development in Chicago’s Inner Loop. Overlooking the confluence of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, Lakeshore East is a $4 billion redevelopment that will include 4,950 residential units, 1,500 hotel rooms, 2.2 million square feet of gross commercial space, 770,000 SF of retail space and an elementary school at completion. Originally an Illinois Central Railroad yard, the site was used briefly in the 1990s as a 9-hole golf course before being acquired by the developer in 2001. The landscape architect was engaged early in the project by the master plan architects and produced the open space guidelines that would later guide the design and development of the park. The most significant challenge to the creation of successful pedestrian environments the three-tiered street system that surrounds the development, which separates through traffic on lower levels and local traffic on upper levels. The 3-tiered transit system results in a daunting grade change of approximately 25’ from the south side of the site to the north. To mitigate this condition the landscape architect created a grand overlook that offers a commanding view of the park and reinforces the axial connection to Grant Park. A minimalist arrangement of pavers carries the axis of North Field Street down the generous limestone staircase, through the park and into an intimate plaza at the north end of the site. A study in form and geometry, the plaza continues the form language of the axial connection and extrudes it into the third dimension through the addition of seat walls set in plinths of decomposed granite and surrounded by mixed understory plantings. “Cleveland Select” Pears reinforce the axis and strengthen the formal organization of the plaza. Inspired by the curves of the sailboats that dot Lake Michigan, two sweeping promenades serve as the primary east-west circulation across the site. Each promenade features a series of five fountain basins. Stainless steel weirs pierce the red granite walls and spill water over the rough-hewn Lannon stone basin into stainless grates below, allowing passers-by to cool themselves on a warm summer day. Large basalt stones line the bottom of the basins, providing sculptural interest during the fierce Chicago winter while the fountains will lay dormant. A variety of ornamental plants celebrate the horticultural history of Chicago and provide changing seasonal displays of color. A series of botanical courts extend along the western water garden echoes the form and proportion of the promenades. Occupying the interstitial space created by the intersection of the promenades and the North Grant axis, the children’s garden is organized by a circular plaza with an interactive water feature and safety play surfacing. Three smaller plazas with individual play themes are arranged around the perimeter of the plaza, allowing children to play and wander throughout the spaces. Small, intimate perennial gardens offer a tactile, child-scale garden experience while the surrounding lawn areas provide overflow space for additional activities. Located along the transitioning slope near the south side of the park, the dog park offers a safe, secure area for owners to play with their dog. Thornless Honey Locusts emerge from three sod-covered berms that emphasize the six-foot grade change across the dog park. Slicing through the highest of the berms, a low stone fountain wall spills water into a meandering runnel that collects at base of the smallest mound. Dogs jockey for position at the drinking bowl and chase each other across the simple, geometric pattern of gravel, unit pavers and colored concrete at all hours of the day and night. The Park at Lakeshore East demonstrates the significant impact of a landscape architectural project to spur development. As part of the agreement with the City of Chicago, the park was constructed as the first element of the masterplan. Since its inception, the client has reported that units overlooking the park have outsold those looking towards the city or the lake. Despite only partial completion of the development, the park is actively used by residents and now serves as the home for a variety of cultural events, including the popular Chicago Farmer’s Market. As the remaining developments gain momentum and the area continues to grow, Lakeshore East will become an integral part of Chicago’s open space network.
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Plaza and Open Space Nowadays, globalization has reached its maturity. Cultural exchange is occurring on a scale as never before. For landscape architects this provides opportunities, but also constraints when it comes to planning timely open space. Landscape architects design space in the framework of urban design and open place planning. They must take into account that the value of the modern open space planning is measured by how well the open space can keep up with current developments and serve to interpret contemporary life appropriately. The public space is just like its “living room” and “shopping window”, acts as the lung of the urban city, provides endless vigor to the city dwellers, the city becomes better and more colorful for the existence of public space. Being in the crowded plaza, from the layout of pathway, the choice of the pavement materials, it gives a special feeling and improves the vigor of the plaza. The design maintains the historic design elements; integrate the modern design language and future. Remaining old design elements, increasing modern elements, indicate the long history of plaza. The visitors can sense the real meaning of the city at random. The flowing dynamic fountain, green lush plants, unique landscape pieces, provides a good chance to get close to the nature, be aware of its existence, also encourages to take part in the activities. It is an ideal place for people to meet, relax and hold special activities. The soft lighting, delicately designed by the designers, gives people a sense of beauty. Ecological concept is also reflected and implemented in the design, which is helpful to enhance people’s environment sense. It meets the functional need, at the same time; meet their demand of play and esthetics.
Barrel Warehouse Park & Father David Bauer Streetscape
Location: Waterloo, ON, Canada Project Budget: $650,000 Project Design: Janet Rosenberg + Associates
Barrel Warehouse Park is located adjacent to two condominiums converted from barrel warehouses and near the historic Seagram distilleries in uptown Waterloo. JRA worked with the client and community in a public consultation process that inspired the residents to become involved in the design of their park and its surrounding streetscapes. From schematic design through to completion, our commitment has been to create a sense of place inspired by the site’s history, while tailored to the lifestyle of its new urban residents. Massings of ornamental grasses suggest fields of grains used in the distilling process. Large scale artifacts are used as sculptural art works to evoke the industrial heritage of the site and to introduce neighbourhood landmarks/place makers into the public urban environment. Now it is a well loved park that increases the livability of this transitioning industrial area. Part of the project’s scope also included the design of surrounding streetscapes. We proposed a rather unconventional approach to streetscape design by setting elegant benches perpendicular to the sidewalk in order maximize on pedestrian views as they stop and sit, allowing them to see the neighbourhood instead of only looking forward toward the street.
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Boston Children’s Museum Plaza
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Project Location: Massachusetts, USA Project Area: 2,787m2 Client: Boston Children’s Museum Project Design: Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.
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Expressive of the Boston Children’s Museum’s public mission of interactive learning, this plaza transforms the outdoor space of the museum from a utilitarian vestige of its industrial past into a positive and integral part of the overall visitor experience. In an already established urban neighborhood on the verge of dramatic growth, the plaza’s bold design serves to reinforce the area’s vibrant, pioneering identity while creating a popular, useful civic space. Completed in 2007, the Boston Children’s Museum Plaza in Boston, Massachusetts encompasses 30,000 square feet of privately owned waterfront property, including a portion of the Harborwalk (a preexisting boardwalk essentially unchanged in this phase) that provides continuous public access along the Fort Point Channel and Boston Harbor. The plaza was designed and built in conjunction with a renovation and expansion of the museum’s original building. The plaza was designed exclusively by the landscape architects working side by side with the building architects, and the two firms collaborated on the design of an extensive green roof that covers the entire museum addition. Site and Context Investigation The Fort Point District in South Boston is urban without being centrally located and has been evolving over the past several decades from an exclusively industrial precinct into a neighborhood with residential, commercial, and industrial uses. The Boston Children’s Museum was fundamental to the initial stages of this transformation when it first moved in the late 1970’s to its current location in a former warehouse building. The expansion of the museum created an opportunity to realize the latent potential of the site as a vital destination for museum visitors and neighborhood residents alike. In 2004, when design work for the plaza began, the site was predominantly covered in asphalt and poorly suited to children’s play. It provided only a mediocre public façade and arrival space for the museum. The iconic Hood Milk Bottle was badly located, obscured by plantings and barely serving as a museum landmark. Poor subsurface conditions throughout the site, a serious problem to overcome in this project, had resulted in uneven settling which created the need for visitors to negotiate an inconvenient system of steps and ramps in order to gain access to the museum. Eliminating these changes in elevation became a critical component of the plaza’s design. Design Program The plans for an addition to the original warehouse structure created an opportunity for the landscape architects to explore the programmatic goals developed by the museum. These goals included creating memorable spaces for events, classes, and group demonstrations, providing opportunities for hands-on learning, establishing relationships between the interior and exterior of the museum, strengthening the public expression of the museum’s identity, and creating the potential for direct contact with nature within this highly urban setting. Design Intent In a world where almost everything within a city is designed for adults, the Boston Children’s Museum Plaza is designed for children. Perceptions of difference, distance, size, and scale are playfully manipulated in different ways within the new plaza. Inspired by the forty-foot-tall Hood Milk Bottle, all elements of the design, from the seating and paving to the unique environments like the marble boulders or the native plant garden, are slightly oversized, undersized, overstated and boldly patterned. With respect to its urban setting, the plaza establishes a clear outdoor area for the museum that is distinct from but fundamentally connected to the pre-existing Harborwalk and attracts attention within the seemingly boundless waterfront setting. In recognition of its significance, the Hood Milk Bottle was rebuilt in a new location in order to announce the presence of the museum from a distance and enhance its visibility from all directions. In conjunction with architectural improvements, the design of the plaza also serves to clarify the museum’s entry sequence. Collaboration with the Client and Other Designers The landscape architects worked together with renowned play experts and museum staff to define a program expression for the landscape that maximized its capacity for learning, experience, and fun. The landscape architects were solely responsible for everything about the design and realization of exterior spaces. The landscape architects also worked in tandem with the architects for their building addition. Materials and Installation Methods The combination of wood, brick, and stone present a tableau of construction materials that create associations with the natural world (trees, clay, mountains). The marble boulders were discovered in a quarry and already deemed unusable for more rationalized construction purposes. Their inclusion in this landscape alongside marble pavers and slabs references raw natural materials as well as the processes by which these materials are transformed. Throughout the project, construction techniques were employed to address the need for durability on a constantly shifting site. Expanded polystyrene foam (Geofoam) was used as fill below the finished plaza to offset the weight of the new landscape and to prevent further settlement. Steel piles driven into the native bedrock were installed to support heavier elements like the marble boulders and the Milk Bottle. A waterproof liner system was developed to contain the roots of the willow trees while keeping the saline ground water from contaminating the planting soils. Environmental Impacts and Concerns The location of the site alongside a body of water that is being transformed from a polluted industrial channel into a thriving recreational waterway made sensitivity toward protecting water resources particularly relevant. In conjunction with the building architects, civil engineer, and irrigation consultant, the landscape architects worked on the design of an extensive green roof and rainwater harvesting system, both of which are designed to eliminate discharges of runoff into the Fort Point Channel. Collected rainwater is stored in an underground tank on the adjacent property and is used to supply all of the plaza’s irrigation needs. In keeping with the museum’s educational ambitions, children were involved and helped to assemble some of the planting modules that were then installed during the construction of the green roof. The green roof itself provides ongoing interpretive opportunities, as it is visible from many locations within the museum. The building and landscape are on track to receive LEED certification at a high level for these and other efforts on the part of the design team.
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Braithwaite House
Project Location: London, UK Project Area: 1,730 m2 Project Design: Diamond Architects
The Podium Project is a small-scale design intervention that has transformed a bare expanse of asphalt on a 1960s London housing estate into an open-air urban “sitting room” that benefits local residents and office workers. Diamond Architects in collaboration with Public Works, an art / architecture collective, were commissioned to undertake a series of workshops with local residents in order to develop the brief and design for this piece of shared public outdoor space within the Banner Estate - a large raised open podium over a residents' car park, in front of a 19-storey residential tower block and adjacent to a low-rise housing development. The process of developing the scheme was the result of intensive engagement with the local residents to develop a brief from their desires. The design principal was to develop a sustainable scheme to enhance the building’s public realm that would engage the residents, so that the podium maintains itself through use and act as a catalyst for local community activities. The community engagement involved two residencies that identified the opportunities and constraints for the proposals, and led to the brief and a strategic design. The scheme had a very modest budget and had to be developed in the context of serious loading issues which were found to exist with the podium’s concrete deck. The design consists of a series of interventions and surface treatments, relating to resident desires and the idea of a public space, which binds the community and links to the public uses around it. By introducing pieces of furniture, games, planting and surface treatments, the project has created areas for activity, play, interaction as well as contemplation, for residents and the wider community. A “sitting room” of concrete armchairs and ground patterned “rugs” attracts residents to linger and picnic, and is also used by local workers for al fresco lunching. Informal bench seating provide places from which to view the estate and for parents to chat while their children play on the ball court and play area below. The painted ground patterns reflect the repetitive fenestration on the tower façade and also act as guides for classic pavement games. The painting scheme includes design elements that were developed by resident children at on-site projects faciliated by Public Works during the construction. The playful interference of “natural” ground patterns relates to their ideas of gardens, culminating in the door to an imagined secret garden. An outdoor table tennis table adds to the Podium’s play potential. The landscape scheme on the raised podium binds together the adjacent open spaces at street level behind – the ball court, childrens play area, and the peaceful, slightly wild nature of the Quaker Gardens with its existing mature plane trees. The planting brings to life previously neglected large existing planters with a line of trees to link the surrounding green spaces. The planting in this windswept environment is robust and wild, using plants typical of warm dry marginal native landscapes – sea edge and moor. These include grasses, sea hollies, some wild planting, and herbs, which will be used to introduce the community to the sensory nature of plants and food growing. New lighting has been introduced around the tower; lighting the open spaces under the tower helps define the space and low level urban lighting encourages evening use of the podium.
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Landscape of Parkview Eclat
Site Area: 1.3 ha. Project Design: Rainer Schmidt Landscape Architects
Parkview Eclat is a high-end residential development with a water-themed landscape to complement the Art-deco style of its architectural style. The outdoor spaces are organised along two major axes. A main axis runs from the main building to the landscape deck, punctuated by water fountains and exquisite sculptures. This continues across the horizontal plane and even vertically up the building’s façade, lending coherence to the overall Art-deco look. A second axis categorises various water-related activities, distinguishing facilities like the water play fountain, children pool, lap pool and Jacuzzi. The linear swimming pool acts as visual anchor along this axis, which ends dramatically in the raised Jacuzzi pavilion.
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Nymphenburg – Palace Quarter
Site Area: 1.3 ha. Project Design: Rainer Schmidt Landscape Architects
The Site is directly next to the Castle and the Gardens of Nymphenburg. The views and impressions of the Palace gardens are used as a base for the design of the new residential area. Exotic trees and shrubs combined with local plants characterise the old baroque gardens. This given concept finds it interpretation in the Gardens and the public park of the new Palace quarter. The new design offers a modern interpretation of the historic gardens e.g. sunken gardens and architectonic elements and focused views. Those elements create a contrast to the surrounding open landscape.
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Syracuse Streetscape and Urban Design
Project Location: NY, USA Project Type: Streetscape Project Design: M. PAUL FRIEDBERG AND PARTNERS (MPFP)
The downtown commercial core of Syracuse was faced with competition from outlining commercial and office developments. This combined with a declining interest in the downtown had the potential to impact the tax base for the city. The city decided that the best means of countering these problems was to invest in the downtown as a means of maintaining and attracting new development. The Urban Design plan called for the augmentation of the existing recreational and cultural facilities. Recreational activities were weighted towards ‘urban’ activities which could not be easily replicated in outlying malls or office parks. In order to succeed the physical appearance of the downtown area also had to be upgraded, the streetscape improvement program was designed to accomplish this. This program included tree plantings, seating areas, new sidewalks, and a sophisticated graphics system which would communicate current and upcoming activities which were taking place in the downtown area.
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The Square in Front of Hühnerposten
Project Location: Hamburg, Germany Project Area: 6,500 m2 Project Design: GHP-Landschaftsarchitekten
Originally Hühnerposten was a post office building with railway tracks leading to the nearby Hamburg central station. Between Hühnerpostenand central station the Altmann-Bridge crossed over the tracks. The railway was a landmark in this area with its rusty-red tracks. Nowadays Hühnerpostenis a declared historic monument and used as an office building. Besides several different offices the public central library has its residence here, receiving lots of visitors every day. The former tracks of the post office disappeared owing to a huge underground carpark which builds the base of the square in front. This square has only one wall, the building of Hühnerposten. Besides that downtown Hamburg and the central station form a borderline in the background. In height the place corresponds with the building Hühnerposten; the Altmann-Bridge lies about 1 m higher. Another specialty of the square is its solitary location. The only connection to the building is a small bridge. A flight of steps leads into a passage through the building to the lower neighboring downtown area. An architectural concept had to be designed and agreed on between the building contractor, the state government and the district authority. The planning target of GHP was to not overfill the square, to apply only a few strong elements and to give the square something variable. GHP developed several concepts with the final version being realized. In the style of the bordering rusty tracks corten steel was used for all elements on the square. In contrast to this the square should appear fresh and bright. One of the elements made of corten steel are four big containers with plants. They form a boundary to the highly frequented Altmann-Bridge, they serve as filter elements, represent the difference in height between bridge and square and they are a lighting element which comes to its full visual appearance especially at night. Plants with Miscanthus sinensis “Malepartus” form the character of the location and are unique in
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downtown Hamburg. Also by using grasses the planning target of “spatial variability” has been taken into account. After cutting the plants by the end of February the grass will sprout again in springtime and show its compact form soon. In summertime the spadices will rise up to the sky and change colour from rusty-red to beige. These spadices define the image then and wave in the wind until they are covered with frost again. After re-cutting the plants end of February the show starts over and over again. Another corten steel element is the clearly formed bollards pointing the way in two parallel lines to the lower building-passage. Special spotlights in the base of the bollards shine at night drawing a light-beam on the surface of the square and illuminating the stairs to the buildingpassage. The spotlights of bollards and plant containers are completed by the illumination of the building. The fresh pavement with a light splintersurface of natural stone makes no further lighting elements necessary. For a building of this size the state government expects lots of bicycle stands. GHP convinced the authorities to use the surrounding fence with handrail as bicycle stands. While the place was under construction the state government of Hamburg agreed with the building constructor to offer a reward in a competition between visual artists. The sculptor Stephan Balkenhol won this competition. His ultralarge sculptures “man and woman” are perfect for this square which is deliberately kept wide and free.
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“The Yards” at Southeast Federal Center
Project Location: Washington, USA Project Type: Open Space Project Design: M. PAUL FRIEDBERG AND PARTNERS (MPFP)
As part of a renewed focus on the Anacostia River for the city of Washington, D.C., MPFP is working with a multidisciplinary team to transform an area of industrial waterfront into a vibrant, world–class park that will serve the City’s residents well into the future. The park will provide a unique nexus between the river, active and passive recreation, commercial interests and local residents. It is one of four primary urban waterfront destinations in the Nation’s Capital and is just a few minutes' walk away from the Washington National ballpark. It will also become an important punctuation in the broader waterfront experience as 20 Miles of Anacostia Riverwalk and Trail are developed. MPFP’s approach seeks for Southeast Federal Center Park to be unique by responding to broader goals, such as: diversity in program; dynamic in form; integration of public and private; and a balance between development and nature.
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ULAP-Square Berlin
Area: 1.3 ha. Design Competition: 2005, 1st prize Design: Rehwaldt Landschaftsarchitekten
The prominent geometrical urban space in Berlin city centre, situated between traffic axes and buildings, has been strengthened. Existing trees gave reason to develop a spatially cohesive green area. The urban plaza can be used in various ways and offers space for a multitude of activities. The flanking building’s ground-floor zones and areas at the train track offer the possibility of utilizing these outdoor spaces as outdoor dining zones or venue spaces. Regarding this the site is defined by its borders. The “Freie Mitte” (clear centre) is a flexible zone, responding in various ways to the multiple uses and activities of its surroundings. Modern-day, the ULAP Area is a space for all age-groups. Generous spatial arrangement and the tree canopy are creating a generous and clearly arranged urban open space.
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Urban Garden in Nørresundby
SLA produced the master plan for Nørresundby quayside. The first realised part of the plan is the urban garden that creates immediate aesthetic assets in an area of the city under development. The town garden is close to the water. From meandering areas of asphalt jets of water spout several metres into the air and collect in small pools which reflect the movement of clouds in the sky. Between the asphalt areas paths covered in shiny mussel-shells are laid out, and in the dense planting water vapourisers are placed which send out fine mist. The garden is enclosed by a rough steel fence that functions as a
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Location: Aalborg, Denmark Area: 1,000 m2 Project Budget: 304,000 € Project Design: SLA
transparent frame. A frame which both screens passers-by glimpses of the green beds of willow trees, bracken and mosses. The garden opens towards the harbour with ramps and a blue, rubber-coated stairway. The sea and the sky, familiarity and surprise. As an inspiration the town garden in Nørresundby is a concentration of experiences and aesthetic assets. On the quayside the existing industrial building is illuminated. The closed surfaces of the buildings create an impressive background for openair cinema. The quay edges and surfaces are also lit.
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Victoria Square
Project Type: Square Project Location: Adelaide, Australia Project Scale: 6 ha. Project Design: Taylor Cullity Lethlean
Taylor Cullity Lethlean with Tonkin Zulaikha Greer and a large diverse team of consultants are continuing their work with Adelaide City Council in developing the city’s prime central square. The $100M master plan for the 6ha site was completed in October 2009, with sketch design completed in November 2010. The proposal for the Square includes cafes, a bicycle hub, an Aboriginal cultural centre, major outdoor event space, and a large garden focussing on urban sustainability.
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The central garden and event lawn are edged by two large arbours and their associated promenades which extend the full length of the Square, creating a shaded walk and an activity spine for a wide range of possible functions. This is a transformative project for Adelaide; laden with symbolic significance. The success of the project hails a new era for public realm planning and design in the city.
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Leisure and Entertainment With the development of economy and increasing leisure time, people are longing to get relaxed and stretch themselves. “Leisure entertainment landscape” comes into being and get together perfectly. It plays an important role in urban ecology, witness the changes of the urban economy and culture, and display the real meaning of the urban landscape culture. Appreciation is its original meaning, while entertainment is subjective to appreciation. If appreciation is a static attraction, entertainment is the display of dynamic attraction. We are involved in the delicate tower statue, wall, pathway, water landscape; the lush plants, the blooming flowers; the transformation of the landform, the change of the landscape, overlap or disperse, create a strong vision feeling. It seems that we move between the reality and imagination; sense the change of time and space. The combination of several design elements, create abstract and mysterious atmosphere. It displays a picture-like landscape in terms of form, materials and color. When entertainment is highly emphasized, its attraction is unparalleled. Designers imbed play elements with landscape, encourage people to take part in it, meet their psychological need. The designers pay much attention to the coordination between landscape effects and play facilities. “Though created by human beings, like God made” is the perfect explanation of its relationship between landscape and entertainment. It emphasizes its unique, interactive, safe, at the same time, it is supposed to meet the demand of people at all ages and make their lifestyle more diversified. When the leisure entertainment landscape becomes the spiritual inhabitant, return to the “spiritual home”.
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A 15-year History of the Joel Schnaper Memorial Garden
Location: NY, USA Project Type: Memorial Garden Project Design: Dirtworks, PC
Since 1995, the Joel Schnaper Memorial Garden provides an oasis of peace and tranquility for residents and visitors alike. The garden also serves as a convenient location for social activities, ranging from parties to exercise classes to small gatherings. Designed pro-bono by David Kamp FASLA, LF and founding principal of Dirtworks, PC, this seminal work is a reflection of the firm’s design philosophy — to provide opportunity for everyone to connect with nature on their own terms, in their own way and at their own pace, regardless of their capabilities. In a broader context, says founder David Kamp, “We believe in the power of nature to enhance our everyday lives. Our work is an ongoing study of the myriad ways in which we experience and reflect on nature: how it stimulates memory, the physical senses and the desire to be caretakers of the environment that nurtures us.” In 2004, building upgrades necessitated that the garden be totally removed. Dirtworks, PC was asked to rebuild the garden to continue the Health Care Center’s vision and mission of care and to extend the life of the garden for decades of enjoyment. The photos highlight the most recent improvements to the garden. Located in the East Harlem community across from Central Park, the Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center is a long-term care facility serving over 700 residents. It provides services to the elderly and people with a range of developmental disabilities and chronic illnesses including residents infected with HIV. The rooftop garden welcomes all residents, visitors and staff while providing a therapeutic environment for the adjacent AIDS care wing. The garden, built totally with donations and volunteer labor, is dedicated to Joel Schnaper, a Landscape Architect, specializing in urban gardens, who died of AIDS. The Joel Schnaper Memorial Garden is a restorative garden; it shows the effectiveness of gardens to influence and enhance the quality of the health care environment. It advances the idea that properly planned and operated gardens can reduce stress and encourage a sense of well being for longterm health care patients. Mr. Kamp continues to be the garden’s steward to this day. In April 2010, he received the Mary White Commitment Award. This year also coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Discrete Unit for HIV/AIDS for which the garden was originally envisioned, as well as the 15th anniversary of the garden itself. The garden’s design focuses on the specific needs and requirements of the HIV resident. Numerous concerns are addressed, such as strength and stamina, varying sensory abilities, sunlight sensitivity, awareness, orientation and the need for activity, interaction, privacy and independence. Plant selections play a vital role in providing a sense of empowerment through careful use of color, fragrance, texture, sound and taste. Plants also link the garden with the Center’s physical and occupational therapy programs by advancing the therapeutic value of nature as a complement to traditional medical and social programs. The garden provides a variety of spaces that are flexible in size and arrangement with varying degrees of enclosure and privacy. The garden can accommodate large events while also providing intimate settings for private activities or quiet moments. Fully accessible to the physically challenged, the layout emphasizes clarity and ease of maneuverability to encourage individuals to experience the garden without assistance. The garden provides a hierarchy of protective settings depending upon personal comfort and medication protocols, varying from complete shade under tent structures, to dappled sun/shade under vines and tree canopies to open areas with full sunlight. Adjacent to the garden’s entry, a spacious vine-covered trellis with lushly planted lattice columns frames a view of the entire garden while providing an easily accessible and flexible setting for relaxing. Vine-covered lattice panels are used to screen mechanical equipment, provide display areas for art and craft exhibits, and to create privacy between adjacent activities. Residents help in the selection and cultivation
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of the garden’s herbs, fruits and vegetables. Planters vary in size and height for individual ease of use. Circular planters create mini-gardens that provide enjoyment for visitors and residents. Easy access to these mini-gardens encourages individual and group activities, casual conversation and instruction. Maintenance and safety concerns were carefully considered in the selection of materials. Planters are composed of sturdy, lowmaintenance fiberglass. Lattice columns and trellises are composed of lightweight metal requiring no maintenance. Pavement is an easily maintained, low-glare concrete paver raised over the rooftop drainage system. The concrete is lightly textured to minimize the potential for slipping on wet surfaces. To assist in orientation and issues of visual acuity, activity areas are highlighted with special colors and patterns. The Garden in Context These considerations reflect an approach that is sensitive to the changing needs of residents and staff and a design that is flexible enough to accommodate these changes. The success of this approach over time becomes apparent when put in the context of HIV/AIDS. Mr. Kamp explained, “The Schnaper Garden was a response to an emerging and largely unknown illness. That uncertainty led to a design that employed simple basic principles of flexibility, opportunity and choice. Those principles have served the garden well of the years.” Evidence-based design guidelines, and for that matter basic medical protocols, were scarce at the time of the garden’s inception. With few precedents to draw upon, the design process first entailed careful consultation with physicians and nurses to understand the progressive nature of the disease, as it was known and the effects of available medications and emerging treatments. Therapists were brought into the dialog to see how their indoor activities might be incorporated into a protective outdoor setting. And whenever possible the residents were asked their ideas for the garden. What became apparent is the need for immediacy. Many residents were seriously ill and weakened. Their conditions changed daily, heightening a sense of isolation and vulnerability. Many could only see the garden from their adjoining rooms. Changing individual conditions and varying medical protocols demanded a very individualized approach, which was reflected in the garden’s opportunities and choices. Flexibility was equally important as medical knowledge about HIV/AIDS increased and new medications prolonged life. Residents were stronger; stamina increased, as did the number of residents able to use the garden and the number and variety of activities within it. The garden became a favored destination for residents and staff form the entire facility. The various spaces were modified to address the new situation, utilizing the garden’s built-in flexibility. The garden will continue to evolve as treatment for HIV/AIDS continue to develop. The value of the garden’s therapeutic benefits increased not only among residents and staff but also with the hospital’s administration. In 2005, when the roof’s twentyyear old waterproofing membrane needed replacement, the decision was made to rebuild the garden using more expensive and durable materials to insure the garden would last twenty-five years. The basic design, and its basic premise of sensitivity and flexibility, remained intact. Restorative Gardens: A Historic Overview As many of those who work in health care settings have learned, gardens offer a unique therapeutic resource. Nature can respond to the isolation and vulnerability experienced in times of crisis and can help nurture and restore a sense of balance to those in care and their caregivers. Nature is an agent of healing and restoration; this is the premise upon which therapeutic or restorative gardens are built. Gardens have been a part of human settlements since the development of agriculture. The rich gardens of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia are early examples of the importance placed on maintaining contact with nature within an urban environment. A major emergence of gardens used for restorative purposes and to promote healing occurred in Europe during the Middle Ages. Monasteries and hospitals ministering care to travelers; the poor, the sick and infirm often incorporated courtyards to provide a protected outdoor setting for recuperation and to produce food and medicinals. The 17th and 18th centuries brought the reappearance of outdoor spaces for health care, with developments in scientific thought establishing new medical standards. The coinciding revival of pastoralism during the Romantic Movement promoted appreciation of nature in all aspects of life. Nature was again an important aspect of health and therapeutic care. This concept continued into the 19th century with the treatment of tuberculosis focusing on fresh air and sunshine. Subsequent developments in the treatment of mental illness recommended more pastoral settings, often incorporating gardening as a component of the therapeutic regimen. The 20th century brought the development and application of germ theory and major advancements in medical science and technology. With an increasing emphasis on efficiency, health care institutions were transformed from environments focused on the patient’s experience towards more controlled spaces conducive to staff and operational needs. Concepts of health care continued to evolve to where in most facilities the therapeutic connection to nature was largely denied. A parallel development during this time, however, was the advancement of rehabilitative therapy programs including horticultural therapy, a treatment method using plants and plant-related activities. Horticultural therapy programs incorporating gardens and greenhouses expanded from hospital settings into a range of facilities, including hospices and long-term care facilities serving those with diseases that have eluded scientific cures, including Alzheimer s and AIDS. These facilities provide palliative care in a comfortable, familiar and supportive setting, which gardens can complement. Today, that trend in health care design continues. With increased interest in the benefits of sustainable and regenerative design, there is an ever-growing awareness of nature’s role in individual, community and environmental health. We are rediscovering that nature is an integral part of our basic human condition, a part of daily life sustaining us physically, intellectually and spiritually. Design is a reflection of the qualities of our lives, expressing our hopes and aspirations in how we choose to live and to heal. Through restorative gardens, nature and design join together broadening our understanding of providing compassionate care to celebrate healing, wholeness and the richness of the human spirit.
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Chemnitz Zoo – Recreational Area Pelzmühle
Project Area: 0.5 ha. Project Design: Rehwaldt Landschaftsarchitekten
Right in front of the entrance to the “Tierpark Chemnitz” (Chemnitz Zoo) a new playground has been established. It was intended to generously rearrange the spatial situation in accordance with the zoo’s significance for the City of Chemnitz. The leitmotif “Noah’s Ark” is illustrated by five large animals and an abstract ship. The in-line arrangement of the animals is symbolic for their procession into the ark. The playground can be subdivided into three zones: the area for play structures, a water playground as well as an area for toddlers (the ark). Towards the Zoo’s entrance a curvilinear bench defines the playgrounds limits. On the one hand it can be used as seating for visitors and on the other hand to oversee children’s play. At prominent locations the walk from the parking lot towards the main entrance is marked with direction signs designed as stylised animals.
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Getty Center Lower Central Garden
Project Location: Los Angeles, USA Project Area: approx 12,141m2 Project Design: SPURLOCK POIRIER Landscape Architects
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Prime consultant for the three-acre Central Garden at the new Getty Center in Los Angeles. SPLA supported the design work of artist Robert Irwin in creating a place that celebrates the rich garden tradition of strolling and viewing remarkable plants, earthforms and vistas. Scope included: development of design with the artist; coordination of 15 sub-consultants; and coordination with overall architectural project and team. Construction cost was $10 million.
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3.Study Model 4.Stream Path 5.London Plane Tree Bosque Summer 6.Lower Central Garden 7.Flower Garden 8.Waterfall and Azalea Maze 9.Bougainvillea arbors 10.Azalea Maze Detail
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Georgica Roof Terrace
Project Location: New York, USA Project Design: HM White Site Architects
This new 20 story luxury tower located on Manhattan's Upper East Side features a 15,000 SF common roof garden as one of the building’s primary marketing amenities. Named and inspired by the serene Georgica Pond in East Hampton Village, HM White Site Architects has design the roof terrace to capture the spirit of a refined residential private garden. The building is geared to appeal to the "Family Modern" set, families who are drawn to traditional neighborhoods but want to live in modern residences. The garden accommodates for both adult and children's activities. Landscape concepts emerged from the need to respect environmental conditions, take advantage of views to the East River and create a sense of "false ground". State of the art green roof technologies are used to support a natural turf lawn panel and sustainable communities of coastal grasses, perennials, evergreen shrubs and multistemmed shade trees providing an enriching garden environment. Amenities including a wet bar, outdoor kitchen, grille, dining space and a natural stone porch are carefully crafted and knitted together to provide for a variety of adult uses. The play area on the western roof was designed for young children and provides an environment that inspires creativity and promotes interactive play. A small outdoor stage for children's theater is central to the play area. Custom designed fiberglass play mazes and hoops in a variety of colors are incorporated and build on the theme of encouraging children to invent play opportunities, interact and develop imaginative skills.
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Irving Veterans Memorial Park
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Project Location: Irving, Texas, USA Project Award: Texas Chapter American Society of Landscape Architects, 2010 Award of Excellence Design Constructed Public Project Design: MESA
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The Irving Veterans Memorial is the final jewel in a string of three civic heritage open spaces that celebrate the cultural and historical evolution of the City of Irving. This memorial park commemorates Irving citizens who have given their lives fighting for Freedom in the 20th and 21st centuries. While neighboring Millennium Fountain and Centennial Park share an address on the Delaware Creek corridor, the Veterans Memorial further shares the same block with the City Hall and Public Library, elevating the prominence and civic status of this important community landmark. Although all three parks were master planned together and are unified through a consistent vocabulary of materials and forms, the Veterans Memorial contrasts with the others by its inward focus, reflective atmosphere, and refined detailing. The park evokes a fractured mix of emotions that are timeless in expression – emotions that transcend decades between conflicts and across the generations. The experience seeks a sense of peace, hope, and inspiration among the memories of those who have gone before us. A grass-roots effort forged by the dedicated Irving Veterans Memorial Park Committee, the memorial is the culmination of a phased fund raising effort and partnership with the City of Irving Parks & Recreation Department. The committee included several WWII veterans who assisted in creating thematic concepts that were ultimately crafted into the final design. Working with the committee, the landscape architect developed the interpretive storyline, material selections, and preliminary concept design for all interpretive panels, collaborating with the interpretive designer on final dimensions of granite panels and copy preparation. The design team prepared the final master plan and a phased implementation approach. A community effort of canvassing local archives, newspaper clippings, and oral histories resulted in a powerful story that is unique to the city, illustrating personal relationships between various conflicts around the world and the parallel events occurring in Irving on the home front. The landscape architect expanded upon the committee’s preliminary notions of thematic elements and refined them into a thoughtful whole. A series of layered metaphors heighten the visitor’s engagement with the space. Two primary Blade Walls take on the plan form of a “V” for “Victory” when viewed from the library above. Emerging from the “Pool of Hope” (a committee-driven named element), these walls extend outward toward the Wall of Remembrance, fracturing to create the Interpretive Walls that commemorate five eras of conflict that have affected the Irving community. The blade walls also create pedestrian portals to the memorial interior, shielding out distractions and providing a quite space for contemplation and reflection. Water plays an important metaphorical role, emerging from the “hidden” Pool of Hope at the upper reaches of hillside. Hope must well up within oneself, and this hidden source inspires a peaceful thought toward the future. The “River of Freedom” meanders through the landscape and over a waterfall to the World Plaza, symbolizing water as a common source of life for all. The Plaza is an integral component of the storyline, mapping in the ground plain the primary conflicts illustrated on the interpretive walls with medallions that recall the design of the military’s Bronze Star. Each of the five walls chronicles a particular period of conflict (WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Post-Vietnam), and provides a glimpse, through mapping, photography, and prose, into the inter-relation between the Irving community and larger global events. Each wall is paired with a statue depicting the period battle uniform, one for each branch of the armed services and depicting five different ethnic backgrounds. Where the library records history through books, biographies, and other media, the memorial further extends and personalizes the appreciation of history through an experiential site engagement. Radiating from the Pool of Hope, the embattlement battalion walls serve as sentinels, standing at readiness through the trees. These walls also recall the rural landscape – farm walls and other barriers – that must be overcome in order to advance to the city center and liberate communities during combat. Engraved on their surfaces are personal memorials and stories endowed by loved ones. The landscape echoes a campaign through rural to urban transitions in the pursuit of freedom: the preserved tree grove (forest) yields to layers of native grasses that recall prairies and agricultural fields that surround a city. Through the blade walls, these fields gradually transition to the stone plaza, recalling the populated cities which our soldiers are sent to protect and liberate in the pursuit of freedom.
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Light Forest
Project Location: Winnipeg, MB, Canada Project Budget: $100,000 Client: City of Winnipeg Project Design: Janet Rosenberg + Associates
As part of a winning entry in an international design competition, JRA completed a design for City of Winnipeg’s famous and historic Portage the design options, heritage considerations, traffic patterns, and costs of the project. JRA worked with a team of architects, engineers, and and Main intersection, which proposed a gesture of reforesting the site with planting and lighting thereby making the street more appealing, other consultants to make appropriate recommendations for the project and establish a feasible strategy. In our study, we also explored and accessible, and safe for pedestrians. Subsequently, the City commissioned JRA to complete a feasibility study to examine in more detail proposed the implementation of a wind turbine system at the intersection as a source of energy for nearby architectural and landscape elements.
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Seattle Symphony’s Benaroya Hall Garden
Project Location: Seattle, Washington, USA Owner/Client: Seattle Symphony / City of Seattle Project Design: Murase Associates Project Awards: Honor Award, ASLA Washington Chapter; Downtown Seattle Association Horticulture Award, Most Unique Public Outdoor Space
Benaroya Hall, home of the Seattle Symphony, is the site of a vibrant new urban plaza, The Garden of Remembrance. The Garden honors over 8,000 Washingtonians who died while serving in American wars since 1941. Begun with a vision of reflection, redemption, and peace, the garden uses stone, water, and vegetation to provide an urban sanctuary. The design intent was to create “an offering designed with passion and poetry to successfully engage our collective soul.” In program and plan development for over ten years, Murase Associates was involved from initial site selection. The role required a close integration with the architect and structural engineers to develop the landscape on the structured site, with over 30 feet of grade change. As the program developed, Murase took on the direct role of coordinating with a separate committee for the Garden, charged with gathering and proofreading the names for the memorial walls, determining appropriate quotations, approving all materials, and identifying and approaching major donors. The site initially presented a spatially daunting project for the project team. With its location on a steep slope, forming the roof of an underground garage, plumbing, electrical, and weight issues needed to be carefully addressed. Despite the awkward L-shape of the ½-acre site, the project resolves complex design issues in a deceptively straightforward manner and required complex planning in order to make the project look simple and graceful. Utilizing the significant grade changes and difficult site arrangement as an advantage, Murase created a major plaza and open space in Seattle’s downtown commercial core. Another challenge for the landscape architect was integrating the Garden with the existing structures on the sloped hillside, and maintaining continuity with the Harbor Steps, the Seattle Art Museum, Benaroya Hall, and upward to Rainier Square. The design solution consists of three level, accessible, interconnected paths that provide an easy stroll with a choice of entry points and access to the symphony hall and bus tunnel. The Garden of Remembrance is a unique public gathering space and memorial. On any given day, the plaza is filled with people socializing, having coffee, eating lunch, or sitting quietly near the fountain. The plaza fulfills the notion of what a civic open space should be - an attractive place for people to congregate, but it also includes spaces that feel secluded, creating an environment people crave in the middle of crowded, urban areas. The plaza serves as a major linkage from the waterfront to the central arts district and attracts visitors who wish to pay their respects for those who the memorial honors. The site successfully integrates the urban fabric of the Benaroya Symphony Hall, Seattle Art Museum, University Street hillclimb, and a METRO bus tunnel with the surrounding arts district. The Garden of Remembrance has become an outstanding achievement and a testament to Seattle’s tradition of finely detailed civic areas. From the start of the project, Murase Associates actively engaged those affected by the events of war and conflict by gathering inspiration for the Garden of Forgiveness. It was understood that only those who experienced these events first-hand could assist the design team in capturing the essence of the memorial’s principal function. Through meetings, reading letters, and speaking first-hand with veterans and their loved ones, the Garden has become an oasis of harmony, repose, and remembrance in a highly urban setting. Some come to search for the names of family members, friends, or neighbors. Others seek peace within the zen-like quality of the large-scale boulders, the soft sound of running water, the reflection of the sun on still pools, and the quiet rustling of native plants and trees. With stone elements for seating, shade trees to rest beneath, and the magic of moving water, the Garden of Remembrance is a place not just for passing through, but one that invites passersby to linger and reflect. Up-lit at night, the garden is also meant to be viewed from within the symphony hall. The memorial is enveloped with moving, symbolic gestures. Water is used to connect all elements of the Garden: beginning with a waterfall on the upper terrace, flowing through stone channels along the wall, and ending in a series of remembering pools and waterfalls below. The use of water throughout the site is analogous to the ideas of origin, rejuvenation, and the cycles of life. Engraved on the black granite wall are excerpts of letters from soldiers to their families. A poem pays tribute to the veterans who died in World War II, while a bubbling fountain honors those who are missing in action. The word ‘present’ appears repeatedly along the length of a shallow channel of water. It is a roll call for those who died and a reassurance that they are present here and forever. Behind the wall of names is an uncut boulder of black granite. It symbolizes the hope that war will not claim another life and that another slab of stone will not be cut in memory. It is a hope that this Garden of Remembrance is complete. The sunny southwest corner insures that the plaza is used for a place for people to congregate. The main garden entrance and plaza is one of the sunniest spots in the garden. The space is meant to be an open and bright area, symbolizing vigor, rebirth, and the future. As pedestrians enter the garden, symphony hall, and bus tunnel, they pass the engraved names illuminated by the western sun. The Garden of Remembrance is planted with nearly 2,000 different plants, including azaleas, ferns, vine maple, dogwood, Oregon grape, magnolia, snowberry, among other native species. As a symbol of peace, the color white is spread throughout the site. The largest tree, a 40foot Red Oak, was designated the Garden’s “Remembering Tree.”
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Target Center Green Roof
Project Location: Minneapolis, MN, USA Client: Minneapolis Department of Community Planning & Economic Development (CPED) Project Design: The Kestrel Design Group
When Minneapolis’ Target Center Arena needed a new roof, The Kestrel Design Group provided its green roof expertise to create a quantitative and qualitative cost benefit analysis that enabled the City of Minneapolis to decide with confidence that replacing the conventional roof on the Target Center with a green roof was the most cost effective decision over the lifespan of the Target Center building. Subsequently, The Kestrel Design Group also provided design services for the green roof. At 113,000s.f., the Target Center Arena green roof - the fifth largest extensive green roof and the first green roof installed on an arena in North America— mitigates the urban heat island effect, greens views from above, provides wildlife habitat and improves urban air quality on a scale that is not feasible at grade in an urban area like downtown Minneapolis. It also mitigates stormwater runoff from a significant amount of impervious surface in a downtown location where space does not permit use of other Low Impact Development Techniques for stormwater management at grade. Such positive impacts on local water bodies are valuable in a City that prides itself on its legendary water bodies: The City of Lakes in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
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The Albany Courtyard “Garden of Light”
Project Location: Liverpool, UK Project Design: BCA Landscape
Rescued from dereliction, the courtyard within this Grade 2* Listed Building in Liverpool in the UK has now become the setting for the ground breaking “Garden of Light”. The design team explored a variety of concepts, including habitable pods within the court, before eventually settling on a design based around a series of scrolling and spiralling contemporary forms. These were inspired by the Albany’s original architect JK Colling and his passion for medieval foliage and flower illustrations, which can be seen in various motifs within the building’s carved stonework and cast railings. The new seating, lights and trellis structures are all bespoke and unique to the Albany. In order to make the cutting edge design a reality and realise their vision, the designers enlisted the services of specialist furniture and lighting manufacturers from across Europe. Spiral Chandeliers Every chandelier comprises 2,250 Swarovski Strass 14mm crystal beads set on a chromed helix. Each is approximately 1 metre tall by 1 metre in diameter, and weighs 25 kilos. Swarovski Strass crystal is considered to be amongst the finest quality crystal in the world, normally used for exquisite and luxurious jewellery. The chandeliers seem to float above the courtyard on a catenary wire system. To satisfy conservation concerns none of the stainless steel hanging wires could be above 4mm in diameter. Scroll Seating Sinuous and sculptural seating constructed from moulded red GRP is situated directly beneath each chandelier at ground level. At night dramatic LED underlighting makes the seats appear to hover above the original Yorkstone flags. The power for the lights and ground fixing details are all hidden within the spun aluminium legs. All the legs have varying diameters – scaling down as the section of the seat decreases. Each seat was constructed in 5 parts, so it could be carried through the front door and down a flight of steps in to the basement court. Trellis Cones All the new elements within the court tread lightly on and around the original features. Rather than break out the courtyard paving for new tree-pits - the existing coal holes in the ground are utilised as planters - above which are fixed sixteen, 3 metre-tall trellis cones. As they grow, the ivies are being trained around the spiral. Each is illuminated with “shimmer” fibre optics which glimmer to accompany the seating and chandeliers. All the lights in the court can be controlled by a dimmer system within the concierge. Night-time viewing is essential. Restoration On entering the courtyard, the visitor is met by the sight of the fully restored original cast-iron bridge that bisects the courtyard. The cast-iron spiral staircase that leads to the bridge is also illuminated with subtle up-lighting. The chandeliers and seating are revealed upon descending into the space - the new elements harmonising with the original features. The team worked closely with Heritage and Conservation experts within the city to ensure the careful restoration of original features and the retention of the view of the cast iron pedestrian bridge from the street. Within this context – elements such as the cast iron balustrading were refined to ensure compliance with modern safety regulations. “We have always been very aware of the great heritage that we were working with here and hopefully we have shown that with care and attention to detail – new and old can exist together in harmony. Ultimately we wanted to add to the Albany’s uniqueness and create something magical that celebrates the past, but looks to the future.” —Andy Thomson (BCA Landscape)
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The Sanctuary at Tidbinbilla
Project Location: Australia Project Area: 52ha. Project Design: Taylor Cullity Lethlean
Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve is the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the ACT’s park system, and is regarded as the Territories premier nature based tourism destination. Prior to the redevelopment the site focussed on providing a successful breeding program for Brush Tail Rock Wallabies, and provided an important habitat for many other species living within the enclosure. The enclosure served as one of many trail networks within the Reserve for visitors but one which offered a wetland experience, albeit along ranger service tracks. The constructed wetlands were built approx. 40 years ago and drew uncontrolled amounts of water from the Tidbinbilla River, and contained design and operational water quality issues. During the January 2003 bushfires the entire park was severely damaged with the landscape destroyed along with 95% of the captive and free ranging animals and much of the reserves infrastructure. Following the devastation, Environment ACT made a commitment to reinstate and enhance the previous functions of Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. Taylor Cullity Lethlean were engaged in September 2005 to redevelop the park and reinvigorate the visitor program with a view to encouraging an experience of nature, encounters of wildlife, and explore how plants, animals and their habitats are interconnected. In response to the brief, a new park entrance was created leading to a new entrance carpark adopting water sensitive urban design principles. Visitors have been provided with an immersive experience of the landscape immediately from leaving their vehicle upon entry into sanctuary with interpretation integrated into all landscape and architectural designs. Seamless integration throughout the site is maintained by use of a small palette of materials used throughout the site and simple, consistent detailing at macro and micro levels of visitor nodes provides an engaging encounter. Enticing people to each destination is a 2.1km wheelchair accessible, visitor focussed primary loop track providing a journey through a series of story focussed precincts from high in the ranges amongst granite tors (exposed following the fires) to the gullies along the Tidbinbilla River adjacent redeveloped water efficient, ephemeral wetlands with numerous animal habitats and plant ecosystems. The learning experience of the complex interdependencies of the Australian landscape is supplemented by a unique training program whereby volunteer interpreters provide further insight from knowledge gained through a six week training program and live props. To date around 60 volunteers have been trained to operate as guides within the Sanctuary on weekends and during school holidays.
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Virginia Avenue Park
Project Location: Santa Monica, CA, USA Project Type: Community Park Client/Owner: City of Santa Monica – Karen Ginsberg, Assistant Director Project Design: SPURLOCK POIRIER Landscape Architects
Virginia Avenue Park transformed a former commercial site into a 9.5 acre vibrant, sustainable community hub for park-starved adjacent neighborhoods. Care was taken to interweave park activities and spaces with the larger context. Community workshops yielded a rich program for a park its size and flexible spaces serve multiple uses: the shaded plaza becomes a weekend Farmers’ Market; the reinforced play lawn accommodates overflow parking; a colorful water play court adjoins the neighborhood “living room”. The project consisted of adding 5.5 acres of brown field land to existing 4.0 acres of open space to create a newly unified Community Park. In addition to complete hardscape and planting design and construction documents, the Landscape Architect’s scope of work was to review, rethink and complete a previous master plan with numerous unresolved issues. A key project objective was to connect two disparate neighborhoods: a primarily Latino apartment and rental neighborhood, and a gentrifying single family neighborhood. Additionally, the location presented a rich opportunity to connect to the wider context: the incorporation of the commercial sites opens the park to Pico Boulevard, which in turn connects it to a series of cultural uses and institutions, to the beach and to the nearby civic center. The unique success of the park is that it functions as a small but very dynamic Central Park that brings the community together. It is focused around a formal promenade that links the neighborhoods and provides a highly flexible framework of patios, plazas and open spaces that extend use of the buildings for cultural events, the farmers' market, classes, dance, art, community meetings, exhibits, parties and festivals. These courtyards and plazas open out to recreational open spaces such as the water play court, play areas, open lawn, soccer, and basketball. Two new structures were added to support park program: a restroom/community room, and a pavilion for the Market Plaza. Three existing buildings--one park building and two commercial structures—were remodeled for new community uses. The Landscape Architect worked to seamlessly integrate outdoor spaces and courtyards with new and remodeled buildings through collaboration with the Architect. The Landscape Architect’s role also included extensive coordination and collaboration with other team members including Lighting, Graphics, Civil, Structural, LEED, Traffic, Artist and Contractor and significantly, the Community and the City of Santa Monica. The project provided two very important opportunities to demonstrate and inform the public about the role of landscape architecture in creating valued community assets. First, through the community workshop process, the Landscape Architects led discussions with the neighborhoods about mixed use possibilities for the site, directly addressing and offering solutions to community concerns regarding the proposed Farmers Market, including increased traffic and visual character of parking areas. By remaining open to input while providing education and leadership during the design process, the Landscape Architect provided creative solutions for multiple use areas throughout the park maximizing flexibility, addressing community needs and desires, and minimizing the scale and visual impact of parking and paving when not in use for major events. The project’s approach to sustainable site strategies provided a second opportunity to demonstrate how the profession shapes innovative public spaces. Virginia Avenue Park was the first in the country to receive LEED Silver certification. Removing over four acres of asphalt and a 20,000 sf retail warehouse structure transformed an eyesore into a community focus, providing much needed open space as well as the opportunity to infiltrate stormwater runoff and reduce the heat island effect in the area. In early planning stages the Landscape Architect took a lead role in developing integrated sustainable strategies with the Civil Engineer. Site planning integrated a straightforward but effective approach to treatment of storm water including detailed analysis of water use for park planting, use of permeable materials and on-site storage under playfield to achieve the City of Santa Monica standards for Zero Net Runoff. In addressing each issue of LEED criteria, the site reveals the process of sustainability and its connection to the community with solutions that are visible and direct: parking is on grass and on permeable pavers, the farmers' market plaza is surfaced with high albedo NaturalPave, stormwater runoff is collected in vegetated swales and underground storage areas, hardscape is shaded, in many cases with re-used and relocated existing trees, recycled construction materials are used throughout; the design team elected to emphasize these features by integrated design rather than interpret them with text. The creative re-use of existing elements, and the interweaving of indoor and outdoor space with a strong design sensibility created a highly distinct sense of place for these communities and Pico Boulevard. Knitting together disparate grades, architectural character and quirky relationships demanded a high level of skill and creativity to produce a unified yet rich solution. In the larger context, placing this new, public window on Pico Boulevard has underscored Pico's larger role as a Civic corridor for Santa Monica that connects this park to Santa Monica College, Woodlawn Cemetery, Santa Monica High School, and the Civic Center and Civic Auditorium with the Pico watershed and Santa Monica State Beach at the far western edge of the city.
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Yerba Buena Gardens Children’s Center
Project Location: San Francisco, USA Project Design: M. PAUL FRIEDBERG AND PARTNERS (MPFP)
A unique garden built on the roof of the Moscone Convention Center, a place where children can encounter the phenomena of their environment through various experiences such as sound tubes, listening vessels, sun cannons, optical devices, hydraulic play elements, botanical learning garden, experiential gardens, sun dials, and other play elements. The Children’s garden includes a complement of recreation and other support facilities including an ice skating rink, bowling center, theater, carousel, and day care facilities. Since completed in 1999 it has become a tourist and resident attraction of San Francisco.
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Tourism and Resort People, who live in the urban for a long time, move forward and back between steel and concrete. Hustle and bustle life makes people depressed and gloomy. We are tired of the systematic life. How to fly your heart? Looking for our spiritual inhabitant, appreciate the beauty of nature in the spare time. Meanwhile, get relaxed and stretch our body. Therefore, resort becomes the ideal place. Resort attracts large number of people’s attention with its natural advantage, no matter the natural scenery, or the artificial landscape, provides us a sense of beauty. People can enjoy the energetic and characteristic resort. Experience the local people’s life, sense the different cultures. In the embrace of nature, people are easily to get relaxed and keep their mind in peace. At the phase of design, designers confine with the local culture, preserve its historical architecture, and integrate with the local culture. Pathway, green plants and swimming pools transform people’s vision. The perfect combination of natural landscape and artificial landscape, from interior to exterior, landscape provides people a calm feeling, its simple design styles integrated with delicate design techniques. Lawn, garden, pathway and its surrounding natural landscape form simple picture-like scenery. Return to the nature, enjoy the peacefulness of your mind.
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Amanali Country Club and Nautica
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Project Type: golf course and water amenities Project Location: Mexico Begining: 2007 complition: 2009 (Phase I) Project Area: 294 ha. Project Design: Grupo de Diseño Urbano
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Amanali is a residential development with an 18-hole golf “championship” course and aquatic sports. It is located by the Lake Requena, in the State of Hidalgo, Mexico. Mario Schjetnan’s workshop/Grupo de Diseño Urbano designed the master plan, the landscape architecture and the architecture of the access elements. The aim was to integrate in a total form the natural semi-desert landscape, characteristic of the central part of the country, with the formal proposal of plazas, tower-symbol and showroom. The principal expressive element is the volcanic rock, that was directly extracted from the site, product of the excavations during the construction of the streets. In the same way, the vegetation based on desert plants like the sotol, maguey and organ*, pipe cactii were rescued and recovered directly from the site and re-planted. The building’s architecture contrasts with the retaining walls and the light roof and thin columns that surround the transparent elements of the glass perimeter. In the garden of the principal office and sales building the loose gravel of “tezontle”, a volcanic red rock of pre-hispanic tradition, makes contrast with the rectangular wood decks. The wide view to the lakes and mountainous landscape are framed by the massive rock walls. Our clients asked for a clean architecture with a very local mood, mixed with a contemporary expression that would stablish a real atmosphere for the future construction of the houses in the residential development. *Sotol: dasylirion wheeleri Maguey: Agave salmiana Organ: Cereus sp.
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Classic Golf Course and Resort
Project Type: Classic Golf Course and Resort Project Location: New Delhi, India Project Design: MPFP
We have been commissioned by the Indian Conglomerate, ITC, to master plan this new community in Delhi. The master plan includes a Golf Course designed by Jack Nicklaus; Club House; Country Club; Conference Center; a Resort and over 200 Villas. The complex provides a wide range of recreational and athletic facilities including two swimming pools, tennis courts, lawn bowling, children’s play areas, an amphitheater for performing arts, and outdoor dining. The facility is dramatically landscaped to provide a different sense of identity, although within the same vocabulary for each section of the complex. When completed this facility will address a wide range of family and corporate program, activities and desires. The planting scheme for the project is derived from indigenous plants currently found in India. Due to its location in the New Delhi region the opportunity to orchestrate the planting palette season by season is being pursued.
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Edward’s Ranch
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Landscape Location: WY, USA
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It is a large ranch with elegant and luxury building style inspired by the essence of Renaissance architecture in Europe. The ranch follows the European neoclassical Palladian paradigm of building construction in the recent millennium. An exquisite sculpture stands in front of the gate of the ranch, showing the owner’s extraordinary taste of art. Both construction materials and building structure reflect ingenious sign concept from the architect.
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Nature in Waldkirchen
Project Area: 7.5 ha. Completion: 2007 Project Design: Rehwaldt Landschaftsarchitekten
The small garden exhibition “Nature in Waldkirchen 2007” is based on a decentralised exhibition concept. The main axis of the garden exhibition is designed as a loop path from the core of the garden exhibition, the new Waldkirchen urban park, via old town to the characteristic areas in and near Waldkirchen. As the main feature of the garden exhibition a new urban park was developed on the south-eastern edge of the old town, along brook Waeschelbach. Trough reorganisation of existing streets, parking sites and a bus stop a spacious entrance square to the urban park and the garden exhibition could be established. Here, all main events and activities take place. “Landschaftsbalkone” (scenic balconies) are offering special views into the surrounding landscape and are explaining them. The Waeschelbach valley features a variety of scenic and historic sites like the natural landmark “Gsteinet”, floodplain forests and hillside meadows along Waeschelbach, as well as some protected habitats in an urban context. Along the elongated meadows the manifold topographies and the diverse landforms were used to develop differentiated gardens and to provide great views into the landscape. Within the garden exhibition a new open space system was established which links the urban park and the adjacent residentials through new paths. Within the structural facilities and design focuses the Waldkirchen’s characteristic location as part of the Bavarian Forest was respected. Therefore, the material wood plays an important roll as functional and artistic element. The elements of the urban park as entrance square, urban promenade, water stair case, cherry gardens, pond and Waeschelbach as well as the spacious meadows with the “Gsteinet” are understood and designed as self-contained areas. Manifold views beyond the park borders enlarge the spatial impression of the park. An additional focus of the garden exhibition is the garden “Bellevue” along the loop path. It represents the city’s character besides the other municipal open spaces as market-place, cemetery, urban park and sports fields. At the “Bellevue” the unique view at Waldkirchen was used and staged through a self-contained design. Waterbound paths frame the shrub and bush plantings and show the inside and outside areas. On a spatial view point a water fountain was placed. The water basin is playground and recreational zone in one. On historic site of Waldkirchen’s water reserve the site was new interpreted by using instruments of contemporary landscape architecture.
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"Nest" – Venice Beach Villa
Project Location: CA, USA Clients: Private client Architect: Emilie Moss
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Within a 5 minute walk from the beach, this contemporary villa is located in the charming district of Venice Canal in artsy Venice Beach. The concept for the garden is a response to the setting and the openness of the architecture. Here the garden is like a nest, a protection and at the same time an open connection to the outside. The diversity of the well chosen plant palette provides a private space sheltered from passers by. The landscape design keeps with the intention of the architecture with its very large folding doors on the canal and its openness to the public space. The plant palette gathers trees with a pendulous habit and peppermint scents, grasses set in motion by the coastal breeze, and succulents whose immobility provide contrasting effects. In the courtyard, a lighted wall fountain designed by Los Angeles Architect Emily Moss brings a special ambiance to the space wrapped with tall Black Bamboos and colourful succulents displayed in black zinc containers. 1 2. House surrounded by the vegetation. 3. Detail of the selected plant material below the balcony of the master bedroom. 4. Vegetative palette mixing different shapes and different colors of leaves. 5. Green staging in front of the kitchen window. 6. Sequence: Garage and guest house above with terrace on top with view on the Pacific ocean / patio behind bamboo / main house / terrace-garden / Canal. 7. Entrance of house surrounded by ornamental grasses. 8. Green staging in front of the kitchen window. 9. Canal / Hedge of shrubs - Terrace / Shade of trees -Dwelling / Openness of walls. 16
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10.Entrance of house surrounded by ornamental grasses.
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11.Façade of the house.
20. Principle of the custom made bench for the patio.
12.Detail of architectural plant material.
21. Custom made bench and aluminium reinforced sliding glass wall.
13.Detail of the street number.
22. Bamboo bringing privacy and blurring the limit between indoor and outdoor.
14.Detail of architectural plant material.
23. Chaiselongue by Le Corbusier and Adirondack armchair dialogue.
15. Patio: Verticality of black bamboo canes crossing the horizontality of the claustra wood panels - Wall fountain plane meeting with sanded concrete floor plane.
24. Detail of the selected plant material along the terrace.
16. Access to the canal from the terrace.
25. Private access to the canal.
17. Plants in the back: Phormium.
26. Diversity of the plant palette in the garden.
18. A line of Nassela Tenuissima parallel to the grey stucco retaining wall of the terrace.
27. A folding glass wall allows a complete opening to the terrace: blurring indoor and outdoor limit.
19. Rendered plan.
28. When the glass wall is folded, the terrace becomes an extra room.
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Pamet Valley
Project Design: Keith LeBlanc Landscape Architecture Project Location: Truro, Massachusetts, USA Project Type: Single Family Residential
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“Nicely scaled. It’s very sensitive treatment of the land and its progression from domesticity to wild is a beautiful resolution of the wild coming up to the edge of the home. The most beautiful part is the seating area. The outside areas are appealing and comfortable rather than austere. It harkens back to traditional New England history with some level of modernity. The imperfect element lends warmth. The sense of landscape comes up to the house, so the architecture is softened by elements. ” —2010 Professional Awards Jury
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This project illustrates one strategy for sensibly incorporating development in an environmentally responsible manner. The design developed through careful study of the existing conditions allowed the creation of new and varied garden spaces that contrast and ultimately compliment the native landscape. This project addressed the site design for an undeveloped hilltop on Cape Cod. Mindful of the impact of development on the pristine site, the landscape architect and architect worked together to create a strategy which would meet the client’s programmatic needs while minimizing the area of disturbance. The designers allowed the necessary insertion of structure to act as a positive force by harnessing the dramatic tension between the naturalistic and designed. This study in contrast resulted in a series of compelling and unexpected garden spaces that ultimately enhance the natural beauty of the property. In approaching the project, the landscape architect was inspired by the natural contrasts found in the existing landscape. Approaching the site, one moved through a steeply-sloped deciduous and evergreen forest before being released into a broad, hilltop meadow featuring expansive views of the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Cod Bay. The designers preserved the natural beauty of this progression by creating a plan that concentrated development to a narrow L-shaped footprint which corresponded to the flattest area of the property. This siting minimized the levels of disruptive earthwork while preserving the majority of surrounding forest and meadow. The completed home is accessed by an entry drive that moves through the shaded tunnel of existing woodland towards the gravel Arrival Court. This simple court provides ample area for parking while respecting the site through the use of a pervious material. Additionally, the openness of the Arrival Court is a striking contrast to the narrow width of both the entry drive and the access to the Entry Garden; access provided by a raised boardwalk that slides between the shingled facades of the guest house and a garden wall. The narrow passage opens into the Entry Garden, an area defined in equal parts by its relationship with the architecture and a stand of existing vegetation. Continuing to parallel the building, the elevated boardwalk draws the material language of the weathered wood architecture to the ground plane defining two sides of the space. Opposite these edges, a lush perennial garden and shrub border, which includes catmint, goatsbeard, garden sage, Virginia sweetspire, and inkberry holly provides a bold, colorful edge condition, transitions to the more muted tones of the existing vegetation beyond. The strong bands of planting extend away from the main house to provide one edge of the Pool Area. Opposite this planting, the shingled garden wall provides an equally-defined architectural counterpart while shielding the view to the Arrival Court. These two defined edges channel the view along the long axis of the pool towards the expanse of surrounding woodland in one direction and towards an aperture in a shingled garden wall which connects the guest house with the main house. In contrast to the openness of the pool area, the Shade Terrace on the other side of this aperture provides a welcome respite from the heat of the summer sun. Bands of bluestone and river stone extend under the forest canopy, defining a small seating area. Additional seating is provided by the South Porch, which opens dramatically from beneath the main house, providing a space that is at once landscape and
architecture. Moving back through the aperture towards the front door, bands of native plantings along the architecture transition to the existing meadow, which has been supplemented with plantings of sweet fern, beach grass, and beach rose. This meadow envelopes the north end of the house and provides a simple, yet striking contrast to the elevation of the architecture.
1. The pool is set against a mass of shrubs and perennials that dissolve into the native landscape beyond. 2. The entry garden frames a view of the main house. 3. The pool and deck insert themselves into the landscape. 4. Pamet Plan. 5. The elevated boardwalk lined with a band of grass leads to the entry of the main house. 6. An elevated boardwalk passes through the narrow space between the guesthouse and garden wall providing access to the entry garden. 7. The shade garden provides a comfortable seating area on a warm summer day. 8. Bands of bluestone and river stone define the ground plane of the shade garden. 9. The canopy of the adjacent woodland extends over the shade garden. 10. A climbing rose trails above the aperture in the garden wall. 11. The south porch frames a view of the shade garden.
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San Juan Court Venice
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Project Location: CA, USA Project Design: ARTECHO
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This contemporary development is inspired by early California Bungalow Courts incorporating a common courtyard path to residences, and in this case with additional private patios at ground level. Two 25-foot Date Palms and an entry garden of South African plants leads to a landscaped courtyard providing adjustable filtered levels of community and privacy…mature California Pepper trees and tall bamboo, wire fencing with Passaflora vines, metal coil “drapery” at patios, tinted glass, and sheer & opaque window draperies. It provides a continual garden experience upon entering and while residing. There are also gardens on rear decks and roof tops with synthetic turf and landscaped selfirrigating planters. The mixture of roof gardens, with mountain views and tree-top scapes, and courtyard gardens affords one a house-and-garden experience while living in a four-unit complex. This configuration, on two-standard lots, provides a means to increase density in older neighborhoods while respecting their developed character. The ground floor is a great-room of living, kitchen, dining and garden areas. It has floor to ceiling stacking glass panel dividers, to create a separate media room/guest room. The large guest bathroom includes storage units. Bamboo “tonsu” storage cabinets are built-in under the staircase. The second story has two-bedrooms and an additional bedroom or workspace, which can also be divided by stacking glass panel doors. The entire 1st floor, and the 2nd story bedrooms have sliding glass doors looking into the courtyard. Each unit has a roof deck with an outdoor kitchen and the rear two-units have an additional second story landscaped deck. There is plentiful natural light and space for living both inside and outside, including operable doors and windows for natural ventilation and cooling, through various seasonal weather conditions. Interesting backstory/constructuon story/how the project came to be • Started as 2-units on one lot with an 80ft lap pool for the owner. Subsequently acquired adjacent lot and mirror-imaged another 2-units with a garden courtyard Inspired by early California Bungalows • Hired Julian Kaiser as a Project Manager and his partner Eddie Odlum as the building contractor. This arrangement turned out to be a very fine working relationship with the contractors, kept the cost within the budgeted amount, harnessed the efforts of the subcontractors and produced an excellent finished product. • Landscape palette influenced by owner, Jenny Roman, from South Africa. Environmental Aspects Lower operating costs Increase home value Reduce maintenance Improve indoor environmental quality • Sustainable design Urban Infill development Flexibility • Movable walls - Full height stacking glass panels @ Media room and Study • Full-span truss system allows reconfiguration of space on all floors • No intermediate structural elements Site Orientation 2-mirror image buildings receive identical insolation at varying times throughout day. Each side of “long building” has simultaneous sun and shade sides to create temperature differential for constant breeze. Courtyard microclimate has 10º differential for cooling interiors and a full landscape for cleansing air. Heating & Cooling • HVAC/ energy loads are reduced with efficient appliances and natural lighting/ ventilation designed into the buildings. No Air conditioning…natural cooling is accomplished with multiple window/door areas for cross ventilation and three-story airflow from courtyard’s microclimate 10º differential via stairwell tower. • High Efficiency Forced Air Heating system…dual zoned and pressure regulated with a return at each floor; indoor air quality maintained by measured fresh-air intake. Reversing fan at 1st floor ceiling to cool or redistribute stratified hot air from FAU • Takagi tankless water heater with circulating pump • Exhaust fans keep moisture from bathrooms Appliances & Fixtures • Energy Star qualified appliances • Water conserving fixtures • Hansgrohe water-conserving fixtures • Toto low-flush 1.6gpf toilets - 2” drains & sanitary surfaces • Thermobalance shower/tub valves • High efficiency Energy Star appliances: Bosch washer & dryer; Fisher Paykel dishwasher; Jennair refrigerator; Dual-fuel Jennair range; Tankless Hot water heater w/clock operated circulating pump Landscaping • Landscaped private patios, decks and roof decks • Landscaping irrigated by Netafim sub-surface irrigation • Fully landscaped courtyard and entry with drought tolerant plants…water fountains in courtyard provide ambient sound • Low Water-Consumption plant palette • Pervious areas to collect water on site • Rooftop gardens with automated self-irrigating planter boxes • Planting full size trees for immediate shading • Full site drainage with areas for rainwater absorption Solar Panels • Rooftops include integrated PV-solar panels • 1.2KW Photovoltaic panels - electricity generating solar installation connected to house power providing 1/2 electrical load Doors & Windows • Fleetwood doors and sliding glass windows, dual pane, low, and tinted Lighting • CFL fixtures in kitchen, bathrooms, and dusk-to-dawn exterior security lighting • Dimmable lighting controls throughout • Extensive Low voltage landscape lighting Weathertight • Fully insulated, weather stripped and conditioned for seasonal comfort Low Maintenance • Fiberglass Reinforced Polyester molded grating (balconies) and pultruded railings • Weatherbest composite fencing • Low-water Landscaping with automated sub-surface irrigation • Synthetic Turf on deck areas Roofing • “Cool” white roofs • Deck areas covered w/synthetic turf over roofing- no sand or rubber fill used Materials • Stranded-bamboo: utilizes 100% of harvested stock, Flooring, stair treads and risers • Ceasarstone: man-made quartz counter tops • Chilewich flooring: vinyl textile • PSL beams left exposed: sanded and oiled • Eliminate wood-base millwork by drywall recess detail • Low emitting finish materials • Low VOC paints & stains • Tectum acoustical cementitious wood fiber ceilings (aspen wood fibers bonded w/inorganic hydraulic cement)
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• 3Form laminated acrylic door panels Communications • Full array of present & future communications wiring including fiber optics • Security Cameras & Video Monitoring
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Sullivan Residence
Project Type: Holiday Home Project Location: MN, USA Project Design: Coen + Partners
The Sullivan Residence, half of a 1920’s mansion converted to condominium residences, overlooks Lake of the Isles, part of the prized Minneapolis Chain of Lakes, in the Kenwood neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The neighborhood consists of many large and historic mansions and city homes, and blends eclectically into the adjacent bustling Uptown neighborhood. This project is a fundamental restructuring of half of the shared back yard of the .46 acre property for one of the condominium residences. The client sought a dynamic usable space for entertaining that would capture the incredible views, incorporate a pool, and create an intimate gathering space with a fireplace as a focal point. Several feet of grade difference rendered doors at the finished main floor elevation unusable and created drainage flow toward the home, which had to be resolved. Coen + Partners collaborated with the client and adjacent condominium owner to conceptualize, design, and detail the entire landscape, also collaborating with the project architect and structural engineer on site architectural elements. The client had been steadily restoring the home’s interior and soon realized the landscape was in dire need of attention. Over the years, piecemeal changes had been made to the landscape, none of them properly addressing the key issue: the poor relationship between the rear yard grade and the architecture, which left a shady, depressed, unused space between the house and the garage. The space lies to the north side of the house and is very small in relation to the home, which only accentuated the negatives. Despite these challenges, the site had very strong features to draw upon. Located on one of the most prized lakes in the city, it had a very limited but important view from the rear yard. Large, majestic oaks in and around the site, including one very large and significant specimen, and the established architecture of the house and neighborhood provided a strong context. The client sought a design dynamic and adaptable in uses and scales appropriate for both personal enjoyment and entertaining groups. In recreating the space Coen + Partners turned to a simple palette of geometric forms and materials, decidedly modern in approach yet in harmony with the architectural character to create an open, flexible space with quiet sophistication. To do this the landscape architect needed to properly organize the space -both vertically and horizontally- to correct the grade issues and arrange uses and subspaces appropriately with respect to solar access, circulation, and context. Vertically, Coen + Partners corrected the poor relationship of grade to architecture by bringing the main terrace up to meet the finished floor elevation of the structure properly. The main terrace is organized around a strong central geometry of three parts working together: a central pool, and a panel of lawn to either side. To embrace the best areas of sunlight in the small space, the pool and upper terrace were pulled away from the shadow of the structure, and set against the backdrop of the renovated garage with a new fireplace and pergola, to be viewed as a focal point from within the dwelling. Coen + Partners worked with the client to select a simple palette emphasizing timelessness and durability focused on warmth, color, and texture in harmony with the context. The terraces, walkways, walls, pool coping, stair treads and fireplace cladding are all bluestone, with a full color range of blue to bronze to emphasize warmth and a texture of color variation. All paving is dry set and dimensional in width to integrate seamlessly with the pool coping, but in random lengths for texture and variation. A dry stack bluestone wall extends a strong line into the landscape from the edge of the elevated terrace, leading the eye toward Lake of the Isles from the space. The top edge of the wall seamlessly continues the dimension and surface of the terrace paving, an attention to detail that unifies the wall and walks. Where the corrected elevation meets the dwelling, an innovative application of concrete planks spans a utility and access channel, supporting the terrace paving and eliminating architectural modifications that would have been necessary to fill against the structure. An extra thick sand setting bed ensures evenness and flush continuity of paving from planks to fill. A floating stair, of standard length bluestone treads and steel structural supports that recede from view transitions from the main terrace to the lower terrace elevation. The stair backdrop is a dry stack stone retaining wall, blending with the adjacent freestanding wall. Along the west edge, a bed of beach pebbles returns the site to original grade with a row of birch forming a soft vertical edge, adding color contrast and texture. Enclosure for the site consists of a custom cedar fence on the east and north sides painted white to coordinate with the architecture. To preserve open views to the lake, a custom steel and cable fences employed on the southwest; the design of which informed the fence used at the rooftop deck. This redesign ends a pattern of repeated inputs to the site by solving the primary issues of elevation and usability, providing a long term solution that is built to last. In addition to the timelessness and durability, dry set stone paving was also chosen for ease of repair and greater permeability than monolithic paving surfaces, and care was taken to use locally sourced concrete, steel with a high recycled content, and renewable cedar wood custom fencing. Declining oaks on the property were diseased and suffering harsh conditions. The landscape architect removed paving that completely surrounded the trunk of the significant specimen and prescribed a construction protection and disease treatment plan to ensure their long term health and vigor. Areas of high input maintained turf were greatly reduced and the space was organized to greatly improve access to sunlight. This project would not have been possible without positive collaboration with the client and neighboring condominium owner. The landscape architect also collaborated extensively with the architect on site structural and shared detail elements, and with the structural engineer, general and landscape contractors, stonemasons, and pool contractor to insure successful realization and the delivery of quality to the client.
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The Belvedere Garden on Beverly Hills
Project Location: Beverly Hills, CA, USA Project Area: 837m2
The modern villa, located in Trousdale Estates, is privileged by its hilltop location which offers great views of downtown Los Angeles as well as Santa Monica Bay. The design concept for the lush gardens takes greatly advantage of these wonderful views. In these gardens with a tropical feel, Palms are a favourite with the owner. It was a strong desired of him they be used in all landscaped areas. The owner also took great interest in selecting some of the plant material. Palms were tagged at specialized nurseries. Some of them had recently been brought from Hawaii and had to be acclimated to the dryer climate of Southern California. Among the palm trees found, one can admire the unusual Alexander Palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae), with its smooth and slender trunk, the Sugar Palm (Arenga pinnata), characterized by its black furry texture at the base of the palms, the sun loving Foxtail Palm (Wodyetia bifurcata), with its creamy green crown shaft, and the Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifritzii) set in a manner as to form a grove. Numerous species complement this plant palette formed of various shades of green. The tight planting is meant to imitate the abundance and lushness of tropical vegetation. The pool terrace, a perfect place for entertainment, has been designed by Los Angeles Architect and artist Kamran Khavarani. It combines dinning, lounging, an outdoor fire place, down-ceiling water fall, and a fire pit. Finally, it is the perfect place to enjoy the wide panorama of the City.
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Vermont Pool & Pool House
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Project Type: Pool & Pool House for a Private Residence Project Location: Stowe, Vermont, USA Completion: August 2009 Project Design: H. Keith Wagner Partnership
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The mountain top residential site offers spectacular 180 degree views towards adjacent hillsides. The client desired to replace a neglected, stagnant pond that a previous owner had installed with a pool and accompanying pool house to be used for both entertaining and family use. The site for the pool is adjacent to a driveway to the north but offered spectacular mountain views to the south. The challenge was to provide privacy at the pool without obstructing the beautiful vista from the entry drive. Furthermore, the building needed to in someway complement the existing traditional residence while meeting the client’s desire for a more contemporary structure. Both solutions would need to deliver a compelling kinship to the beauty of the surrounding landscape. Our intention was to join structure and landscape in such a way as to result in a sureness of place that was stronger for the union. In so doing, we used precise placement of the building, careful choice of building & site materials, and selective planting to reflect a harmonious alliance with the surrounding landscape as well as the existing residence. The pool house reflects a contemporary interpretation of the traditional timber frame architecture of the main house while providing interior and exterior spaces that directly engage the pool and the surrounding landscape. Understated stone steps in the lawn loosely connect the pool to the main house. The pool house is composed of three linear components. The first, descending the slope from the main house, is an exterior trellis space that provides a shaded dining and entertaining area featuring a board formed concrete fireplace anchoring the far end. Next, on the other side of the chimney, a “copper box” contains the interior living space complete with a kitchenette, large bathroom with shower and changing room. The area doubles as a guest bedroom when the couch is pulled out into a bed. The third component, toward the east end of the pool, is a small exterior space containing a semi-private outdoor shower. Other than a small window in the living space and the large portal exposing the mountain silhouette to approaching visitors, the building is relatively closed to the north yet opens generously to the south placing the pool and countryside on splendid exhibit. We strove to enhance and highlight the beauty of the site through simple understated architectural elements and a minimalist landscape. Existing trees were edited to open up selected views. Rows of ornamental grasses provide delineation of outdoor space and privacy for the outdoor shower, but in no way attempt to compete with the natural beauty of the site.
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Wallace K. Harrison Estate
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Project Location: NY, USA Project Type: Single-Family Estate
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This landscape re-design for Wallace K. Harrison’s summer house in Huntington, New York was part of a larger historic restoration and building expansion to fit the needs of a young family. This work was led by the architects, Schappacher and White. Harrison purchased eleven acres of land in 1931 to build a summer retreat in the new International style of architecture. In order to accommodate his growing family, Harrison built extensions as “an exercise in how to fit circles together”. One of the extensions consisted of a living room 32 feet in diameter with a 16 foot high ceiling. Harrison would bring his work – including his draftsmen – out to Huntington. The Harrison Estate, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, represents the leading edge of the International style, which first appeared in Europe in the 1920s. Harrison’s use of circles – in the living room, dining room, pool and concrete paving stones in the walkways – foreshadowed the use of this form in later Modern architecture. The Harrison Estate was seen as a laboratory for the ideas Harrison expressed in his architecture, including the United Nations building and the Bronk Laboratory building at the Rockefeller University in New York City. Robert Moses, LeCorbusier, Chagall and Leger were frequent visitors and long-staying houseguests. Leger considered one of the greatest artists of the 20th Century, painted a large mural in the main house and at the bottom of the circular swimming pool. Terrain created a plan for the entire property that included the restoration of two small courtyards and a terraced putting course that steps down towards the south of the site.Terrain also developed new courtyards, terraces and panels of plantings that built on the original Harrison landscape plan and vistas through the buildings. Schappacher and White added a significant number of new rooms and a double garage to the east of the existing buildings continuing this exploration of interlocking circular forms and levels. Terrain developed a grading scheme that retained as many of the large mature trees as possible with the addition of a stepped pillowed lawn connecting the new buildings to the new terrace surrounding the pool. Terrain developed a material palette that utilized many of the existing Harrison materials and forms with contemporary additions. These include zinc-wrapped landscape seat walls and a new pool terrace using white circular pavers. Terrain added new plantings and trees to create a series of smaller landscapes throughout the expanded site. A grove of Japanese maples form a four-season garden visible from three internal wings and a long bed of flowering perennials and grasses forms a dynamic landscape at the front entrance. The new landscape design of the Wallace K. Harrison Estate celebrates the modernist roots of this historic site while employing contemporary landscape techniques, materials and forms to create a relationship between the new and the original buildings. The landscape also includes new spaces, types of plantings and topographical features that continue the spirit of Harrison’s constant process of design experimentation.
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Traffic and Transportation The hustle and bustle urban life promotes the speed of human beings and automobiles’ fluid. The globalization has reached to its maturity, the international exchange is becoming more frequent, otherwise airport and railway station become an integrant part of modern urban life. Promenade provides for a relaxed place for the people in a hurry, strengths the relationship between buildings and human beings, and makes the urban life more colourful. We are so appreciated the grander of the airport, admire the unique design of the designers, no matter from the choice of the materials, its functional layout, or the installation of the landscape pieces. It not only provides us the vision sensory, but also maintains the continuity of the sense. The designers explore its historic characteristics, with modern design language; make the site alive and energetic, imbeds the buildings with new meaning and vigour. It also brings us the beauty of buildings while meet the functional demand of the site. Ecological idea is rooted in the mind of designers while designing the promenade, which is good for deal with the relationship among environment, nature and human world. They pay much attention to the conformability of the promenade, and the recognizable of sign. They make use of recycled and sustainable materials. Native lush plants are chosen to plant; filter the pollutants in the water to improve the stability of the earth. The sustainable street are integrated with flowing elements, indicate its ecological value. it not only provides the sensory appreciation, improves its environmental quality, it can also stimulate the awareness and exploration of sustainable design.
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Alabama Railroad Park
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Project Type: Planning for Park Project Location: Birmingham, Alabama, USA Project Design: Tom Leader Studio
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This 20 acre urban park in the center of Birmingham, Alabama occupies the seam historically created by a major 15’ high industrial rail viaduct and former warehouse zone that bisects the downtown. The park is formed by a new topography that carves the site to channel and detain storm water and to build up a range of knolls that allow viewers to experience the train traffic first hand. Land forms also give shape to a range of festival and performance spaces in this food and music-loving city. Evolution This park was the beneficiary of a thoughtful and strategic series of studies by the City Planning department. This included a ULI study of the entire downtown followed by a new downtown master plan identifying key initiatives for growth and improvement. The park site was selected as the first design initiative emerging from these studies. There was general agreement that the park would help organize and stimulate growth in the southern half of the downtown which is already experiencing rapid development related to medical and biotechnology research at University of Alabama, Birmingham, directly to the south. At the same time, many existing warehouses within the district are undergoing loft conversions as residents return to the downtown, anticipating a new urban lifestyle. The landscape architect was initially hired to do a park master plan and was then retained to design and build the park as well. Now moving into the construction phase, this process took an unusual amount of time—4 years—due to constantly changing scenarios related to changing political administrations, land ownership and major utility discoveries, and budget limitations due to the recent economic downturn. As a result, numerous iterations of the plan and its relation to the surrounding fabric were necessary, each time maintaining the core vision in terms of program and theme while adapting to evolving circumstances. Birmingham is not a rich or particularly powerful city. In fact, it is perhaps best known to those outside Alabama as a civil rights battleground. The city experienced a flight to the suburbs in previous decades similar to many other cities, leaving parts of the downtown retail core vacant or underutilized. These factors have contributed to a sense there that there is much to overcome in terms of history as well as the ability to organize and get significant things done. For many the potential realization of this long-discussed park has become an indicator of whether the city can regenerate itself or if the wealthier suburbs will continue to drain the life out of it. The Site The park site is one component of what was known as the “Railroad Reservation” – a zone of rail and warehousing in the center of the city that served the steel-making industry which was the city’s original life blood until the 1960’s. Birmingham is now the southernmost “rust belt” city in that respect. The railroad connected the large steel furnaces with necessary raw materials and with markets for the finished product. With the disappearance of the steel industry, the Railroad Reservation was partially abandoned, leaving large vacant areas, unused sidings, and empty warehouses. Railroad Park takes advantage of the largest contiguous area of vacant land in the center of the downtown – 21 acres extending four city blocks to stimulate redevelopment of the area overall. The park site adjoins a 15’ high rail viaduct with 11 active tracks, hence its name. The specific park location was also the lowest area in the city, originally home to a marsh that was slowly filled in for warehouses and sidings. The Railroad Unlike most cities where trains and rail are something to be mitigated or neutralized, city residents look fondly on the rail as something positive, worth preserving and honoring. Since the city has no regional geographic element such as a river or bay around which to orient, the rail performs that function. Long lines of rail cars rumble through town on this elevated platform at a slow speed creating a 24 hour ambience similar to waves or rushing water. This is punctuated by periodic ground-shaking pulses when long lines of cars are coupled. On weekends, bridges over the rail corridor are lined with train-spotters, taking in the activity. The Concept In response, a key goal of the new park was to embrace the rail, not as a thematic or interpretive “flavor” but as a direct experience for park visitors. For reasons of budget as well as design, topography became the central means of accomplishing this and organizing the park. The key idea was to excavate for a new lake and stream system and generally tilt the site toward the south (in its final form) and to use this system for all storm drainage, detaining, infiltrating, and bio-filtering water as it passes through the park. The excavated material is then used to create a series of knolls next to the rail that would allow train experiences at the same elevation or higher. The Rail Trail connects these various knolls together with a series of bridges to create a continuous elevated train-watching platform with many access ramps and stairs along its length. The rails of the bridges are lit with LED’s that sense the movement of trains and reproduce it sequentially in light. Music The knolls are shaped to create spaces for a variety of outdoor performance spaces including an amphitheater with large canopy and back of house facilities seating 5,000 people. Birmingham is home to many different festivals and large scale music parties. The best known party being the annual Crawfish Boil, where 40,000 people will gather in the park for two days to hear bands, drink beer, and eat crustaceans. The Alabama Symphony will also have their summer home in the 5,000 seat amphitheater. Various other events among a large number include City Stages where 7 different venues operate simultaneously and the Sidewalk Film Festival where there will be multiple film screenings for a week are all accommodated. If some parks provide a “living room for the city”, this park is more the rumpus room, continually activated by music, parties and train rumbles. The Core The Southern edge of the park along 1st Avenue South is a key pedestrian corridor collecting pedestrians in shady allee of Princeton Elms and delivering them to one of five different entry plazas corresponding to the five streets, 14th through 18th, that end on the park. However the most important entry point is the 17th Street plaza which terminates a planned pedestrian corridor extending 5 blocks into the UAB district to the south and reaching Children’s Hospital. The 17th street plaza also extends much deeper into the park and forms its main urban arrival and gathering space. The plaza, made of recycled street brick, collects and organizes the activities of a lakefront restaurant, outdoor market space, and the amphitheater arrival and ticketing. The restaurant has indoor/outdoor seating and fronts the entire east edge of the plaza. Part of the restaurant is raised one level above the ground to create a wide and shady portal to the main lake and open space beyond and provides shelter for an outdoor market on hot days. The plaza extends to an east-west promenade. The Promenade In the park’s final form, a major promenade bisects the park east-west as necessitated by major utilities and rail easements. This linear connector is framed by shade trees and display gardens. It is also planned to be the home for a changeable “art vehicle” based on parade float technology. The vehicle will be ride-able, provide shade, and move at slow speeds back and forth along this 4 block line all day long. The Amphitheater A large elliptical fabric canopy at 50’ above the ground creates the focus of this year-round performance space. It protects both performers on stage as well as formal seating on lawn terraces and functions as the architectural landmark of the park especially at night when the fabric volume glows. The canopy has a retractable portion in the center for use on clear, moonlit nights. When open, the inner ring of the retractable portion drops a curtain of rain to the ground during non-performance hours, making the space a huge interactive fountain for children. Archaeology The site was filled with large amounts of rubble and assorted urban and rail detritus in the late 19th century to create dry space for warehouses. As the excavation proceeds, these materials will be sorted, inventoried, and stockpiled for use as gabion infill. Due to budget as well as concept, all site walls are constructed of these gabions with the infill arranged thematically according to source and time period. A surface is created for seating by clipping molded fiberglass grating of various colors to the top. The Cultural Furnace As the project proceeds toward phase one construction, a key longer term initiative of the park planning is for the parcel directly facing the park across 18th Street. The land is also bisected by an extension of the east-west park promenade. The northern half is currently occupied by an
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elegant brick steam plant soon to go out of service. The southern half is a city parking lot. At the urging of the park planners, discussions have ACEA in Rome facing directly onto the park. The planning proposal is for twin architectural volumes, open on the ends, that echo train stations proceeded for the city to transform both halves into a new city art museum, as the current facility is undersized and badly needs to expand (after or steel furnaces, with art events and installations, both temporary and permanent spilling across the street into the park so it can serve as a the downturn is over). There will be an opportunity to create a less precious, industrial-influenced institution on the lines of the Tate Modern or creative laboratory for art long term.
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Hollywood & Vine Metro Portal and Plaza
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Project Location: Hollywood, CA, USA Project Area: approx 1394m2 Project Design: Rios Clementi Hale Studios
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Rios Clementi Hale Studios was commissioned to create a covered entryway for an existing Metro subway stop, and an engaging plaza surrounding it. Bordered on three sides by a multi-use project, the entry canopy and adjacent common areas artfully merge into the ground plane of Hollywood Boulevard, serving as a pedestrian threshold and grand “front door” for the elegant W Hollywood Hotel and W Residences—which rise up just behind—and a gracious arrival point for Metro Red Line riders. Within its exciting urban context, the plaza and portal find common ground between the public, egalitarian ethos of the transit station, and the exclusive nature of the W Hollywood Hotel and W Residences. Rios Clementi Hale Studios’ design— which required approval by the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles (CRA/LA) and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro), as well as the developers—mediates this interface of users and activities without ever physically separating or severing the spatial experience. Rios Clementi Hale Studios’ design integrates the Metro Portal and Plaza into the fabric of Hollywood Boulevard, creates an environment to satisfy the diverse groups converging there, and links Hollywood’s iconic past to its revitalized present. The program realizes the plaza as an extension of a series of thematic courtyards lining Hollywood Boulevard (such as the ones fronting the landmark Egyptian and Grauman’s Chinese theaters). The design also utilizes the dramatic presence of the Pantages Theater directly across the street as a visual benchmark—the Metro escalators are aligned so that the Pantages is central to the sightlines of commuters coming up from the subway. The historic theater, which spatially engages with the plaza as its own courtyard, lends its Art Deco palette and verve to the design. The Rios Clementi Hale Studios team incorporates a rich spectrum of colors and patinas into the design—and a boldly differentiated hardscape palette—to contrast and connect project areas. At the east perimeter, a ruby-hued glass-aggregate concrete “red carpet”—suggesting archetypal Hollywood glamour—stretches from the sidewalk’s Walk of Fame through the hotel lobby. On the exterior of the Metro Portal canopy, black granite and concrete walls extend up to wrap a granite slab over the top, making the roof a handsome focal point for W Hotel guests looking down from their rooms. The luminous underside of the canopy is composed of varying tones and translucencies of gold, honey, and amber glass, a patchwork of color and texture inspired by “the yellow brick road.” The gold jewel tones are repeated with terrazzo inset into the concrete plaza pattern. Other details throughout the portal and plaza echo the design’s black and gold motifs—including gold leaf, foil, and crenellation—as well as the black and gold ornamentation on the Pantages’ Art Deco façade. The Metro entrance sits directly in front of the W Hotel’s Station Hollywood lounge—a sophisticated open-air gathering spot with corresponding landscape design by Rios Clementi Hale Studios. Hotel guests congregate, eat, drink, and view movies projected on a screen on the hotel’s façade, visible to subway riders through the Metro Portal’s translucent canopy. Permeability and transparency are themes running through the entire design program for the portal and plaza. Like the courtyards of the themed historical theaters on the Boulevard that inspired it, the new public plaza also has a foreign reference. Rios Clementi Hale Studios used a Southeast Asian palette of low lush tropical plants, including Dwarf Bamboo, Black Bamboo, King Palm, Lily Turf, Variegated Shell Ginger, and various types of Elephant’s Ear—all selected for their exotic appeal, easy maintenance, and root base to be accommodated in shallow planters. The Metro Hollywood/Vine project was developed by Gatehouse Capital and built in association with the Federal Transit Administration’s Transit Oriented Development program, which fosters mixed-use development within walking distance of public transportation. A key element in Hollywood’s vibrant urban redevelopment, the plaza is surrounded on three sides by such development
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Phoenix Arts Commission
Project Location: Phoenix, Arizona, USA Project Type: Conceptual Approach for a Canal Project Design: M. PAUL FRIEDBERG AND PARTNERS (MPFP)
The development of a conceptual approach and prototype for 1 mile of canal that can be employed in the remaining 99 miles of canal. The existing canal is the last vestige of desert in the City of Phoenix, the intention is not to transform the landscape but to make it more accessible through the experiencing of unique experiences which are only present around the canal environment. The project was a collaboration between artists Jackie Ferrara, Doug Hollis and Paul Friedberg working with an environmental and community consultant. The final plan created three linear spaces paralleling the canal, intermittent special ‘rooms’ are arrayed along this linear space each utilizing the natural elements present along the canal. Several of the rooms utilize water to alter the microclimate of the rooms closer to human preference ranges.
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Transpotomac Canal Center Savage Fogarty
Project Location: Alexandria, VA, USA Project Design: M. PAUL FRIEDBERG AND PARTNERS (MPFP)
This project is located in old town Alexandria, on the shores of the Potomac River across from the Washington Monument. Due to limited site area, 75 percent of the planting and outdoor spaces had to be located over underground parking structures. The problem was further complicated by steep grade changes from the site entry area at the upland side of the project to the public areas at the Potomac River. The plan integrates the office development with the public waterfront by creating a promenade along the river’s edge and around the restored canal. Pedestrians are encouraged to enter the project via a series of water features that cascade from the higher entry level of the office buildings down to the river and the canal area. This formal axis, called the Promenade Classique, was a collaboration with artists Anne & Patrick Poirier of Paris, France. The collaboration introduced an axial element which overlays the pedestrian areas. This pedestrian area was designed with plantings, walkways and monumental sculpture creating separate activity areas. The Promenade begins with a 30-foot tall spear that penetrates the earth, creating the first fountain, the source of all water which traverses the site, cascading through a series of pools, encircling the sculptural fragments, and disappearing mysteriously into holes. Punctuating this sequence from the buildings to the river is an amphitheater and a 30-foot tall obelisk at the river’s edge that visually relates to the Washington Monument, across the Potomac River.
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Urban Corridor Planning — City of Houston
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Project Location: Houston, TX, USA Project Type: Urban Planning
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"Really significant work. The analysis and excellent and the illustrations are strong and understandable. So many great implications well diverse urban environment over the long term. The purpose of this Urban Corridor Planning Study is to establish a strategy, informed by an beyond Houston." extensive stakeholder and community consultation process, to implement Transit Oriented Development in proximity to the planned higher — 2009 Professional Awards Jury order transit facilities. Transit Oriented Development is a form of development that is higher density, based on high quality design standards and scaled to the pedestrian. It supports a mix of uses with active uses at grade, places emphasis on a high quality pedestrian realm and Project Statement results in an urban environment that is attractive, walkable and transit supportive. Higher density, pedestrian-friendly and transit-supportive The Urban Corridor Planning Study for the City of Houston is a strategy to guide land use and development decisions along six corridors Urban Corridors will ultimately maximize transit ridership potential. where light rail transit is to be expanded. The strategy defines opportunities for community building, transit-oriented development and urban A key component of the Urban Corridor Planning Study is exploring the potential to create a pedestrian friendly environment that promotes place-making. The project is award-worthy because it breaks the mold for Houston by suggesting that the public realm is key to generating the use of transit but also generates identifiable "places" within the City of Houston. It is absolutely necessary to enhance the public realm the livable city and it presents a comprehensive strategy for achieving it. along every inch of the corridors to establish them as more than just individual corridors through which to move cars and service vehicles. Our practice believes that great streets make great places for people to congregate. We are finding that the move back to the urban core of Project Narrative Houston is one of the fastest growing municipalities in North America, economically and demographically. Notwithstanding that, it is many North American cities has not always been accompanied by the attendant public realm enhancements. It's not complicated. Simple becoming increasingly evident that its historical growth and suburban development patterns are unsustainable for the long-term vitality of interventions like creating tree-lined streets with places to sit are very effective and can be done over time. In Houston, we encouraged the the city. With a growing recognition of the fiscal and environmental costs of Houston's traditional car oriented development model, concepts City to incorporate a tree-planting plan in the work program and budget for the reconstruction of the streets. And while the City is at it, the related to urban intensification, smart growth, sustainability and Transit Oriented Development are gaining broad acceptance by the public, locations for the LRT to stop should be designed for the riders as pedestrians and not the cars that pass by. local planners and government entities at all levels. With the development and operation of the Main Street Corridor and an expanded In addition, the Study developed a framework, guidelines and implementation strategy for the evolution of higher density development light rail system being actively planned for five other connected Corridors (East End, Uptown, Southeast, North and University), there are to support transit on six distinct and unique road corridors. The framework, guidelines and strategies for each corridor were developed enormous opportunities for economic development, capital investment and the creation of an improved quality of life within a rich and through an intensely collaborative process of design workshops. Each workshop was tailored to the unique demographics and character
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of the specific corridor and responded to the varying conditions of the public realm and built form pattern. The Study addressed the specific opportunities and challenges along the corridors, which act as spines connecting Houston's most affluent districts, its poorest neighborhoods, cultural districts, University precincts, employment districts, and regional parks. In the end, a consistent public realm has been developed with distinguishing characteristics for each corridor. The sense that Houston can create identifiable pedestrian/transit corridors as places for people is a highlight of the strategy. The plan includes an overarching document that addressed elements of the Strategies that applied to all six corridors. Six corridor specific plans detailed the vision for intensification, public realm improvements, and the short and long term actions to achieve high quality Transit Oriented Development. The vision is founded on an overarching ambition to develop in a more socially and economically sustainable way. Mixed use, compact high density development will regenerate urban neighborhoods, revitalize urban corridors and support the use of transit throughout Houston's urban area. The Public Realm Plan protects natural features and proposes a connected system of open space through enhanced streetscape treatment, new or improved parks and urban squares associated with new development. Implementing complex urban design strategies in any context is typically a challenging exercise to undertake. To say that implementing them in the Houston context where there are no regulatory tools — Official Plan, Zoning By-laws is challenging would be an understatement. Our implementation strategy focused on investing in infrastructure, understanding the fiscal realities of the development industry and creating a diverse urban environment within the framework of a great public realm. The firm worked through an integrated design process where the input of five consulting firms and a core City team was coordinated. They designed and facilitated six Corridor specific workshops tailored to meet the needs of the population and demographic characteristics of each corridor. 1. Landscape Architects lead an integrated design process where input from a broad range of disciplines contributed to the development of a strategy that addressed improvements to the public realm, built form and circulation. 2. Landscape Architects lead the development of a comprehensive strategy for intensification to support transit in a City with no precedence for design frameworks to guide development. 3. Landscape Architects designed and lead a process to engage an incredibly diverse community along each one of the six corridors in a very complex planning and design study. 4. Landscape Architects lead in the detailed streetscape studies that served to illustrate the possibilities for pedestrian friendly environments in a variety of existing contexts.
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