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Land sc ap e R e c o r d
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Vol. 6/2016.12
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Pav e m e n t D e s i g n
Vol. 6/2016.12
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CONTENTS
L a n d sc a pe R e c o r d
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Vol. 6 2016.12 ON THE cover: IBM Honolulu, by Surfacedesign Inc. Photo credit to Surfacedesign Inc. LEFT: IBM Honolulu, by Surfacedesign Inc. Photo credit to Surfacedesign Inc. THIS PAGE: Light of the City, by ASPECT Studios. Photo credit to ASPECT Studios.
News
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Blauwestad Harbor Quarters
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Winners of the 2016 AAP American Architecture Prize announced
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Square Dorchester
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Guangzhou West Tower
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Studio Gang will design National Building Museum’s 2017 summer installation
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Angela Nikoletti Square
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Kingston Prison gets green light for housing with masterplan by Grant Associates
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Piano Plaza
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Stranden Waterfront Promenade
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Co–chairs announced for Landmark Global Biodiversity & Ecosystems Assessment
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Etele Square
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Winner revealed: K2K Urban Design
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Winner announced: Ian Potter National Conservatory
Insights
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International Design Competition opens for new UK Holocaust Memorial beside Parliament
WORKS 8
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Pasing Arcaden Shopping Center
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Zhangjiagang Town River Reconstruction
Planning & Competition 110 Philadelphia Boulevard
Hillside Eco–Park at Zhonghang Caticity Community
16 Highpoint Pop–up Park
Design Exchange 116 More Than What’s Under Foot
perspective 20 Open Spaces and Active Transportation
FEATURES 22 St Vincent Plaza 30 Light of the City 36 IBM Honolulu 42 Nakano Central Park South
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120 Paving Design in Landscape Architecture
Interview 122 Paving as Part of Green Infrastructure in St Vincent Plaza - An Interview with Kirstin Taylor, LDA Design 124 Systematic Paving Design, not as an Infill Element - An Interview with Cannon Ivers, LDA Design 126 For Materiality of a Place: Paving as Teller of a Cultural Story - An Interview with Jeffrey J. Pongonis, MKSK
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Landscape Architects: LDA Design Glasgow | Location: Glasgow, UK
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t Vincent Plaza forms part of a newly created streetscape for Glasgow. LDA Design was responsible for the design of the public realm surrounding this contemporary development by Abstract Group. Significantly, the new public realm is one of Glasgow’s only newly created streetscapes in recent years and will add a positive contribution to the city’s wider urban landscape.
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A bespoke lighting scheme enables the public realm to cleverly metamorphose from daytime into night, altering the place’s character and enhancing the City’s urban landscape. Clever use of mixed ornamental tree and shrub planting in raised terraces ensures seasonal variety and visual interest. The scheme forms a publically accessible part of the St Vincent Plaza office development in Glasgow. It creates a much needed pedestrian link from St Vincent Street to William Street and the Hilton Hotel and is, significantly, one of the few public realm projects to be completed in Glasgow’s city center in recent years. The addition of the public terraces and green space add a positive contribution to the city’s wider urban landscape, providing valuable publically accessible open space, enhanced connectivity within the city grid and positive “green infrastructure” link in the city’s wider greening streets and “Avenues” proposals.
Ariel view of the streetscape
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Lay to building line
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DETAIL 1C Example layout of gauged Caithness paving in connection to drain Typical gauged paving layout in Caithness stone, gauges of 300, 450 and 600mm random lengths no less than 200mm
AXONOMETRIC DRAWING
Note: - Inboard cutting is to be applied to ensure slab sizes are not too small, min 220mm. No slab length shall be less than its width. Joints on adjacent courses to be a minimum of 100mm apart as shown in drawing. - Joints nominally 5-10mm. - Joint material to engineer’s specification.
Kerb line
DETAIL 1A Typical gauged paving layout in Caithness stone, gauges of 300, 450 and 600mm random lengths no less than 200mm EARLY CONCEPT SKETCH
1. Pedestrian area with lighting
Caithness slabs to sizes approved by GCC, 80mm thickness in gauges of 300, 450 and 600mm
Project Name: St Vincent Plaza Completion Date:
Type 1 sub base to engineer’s spec. Following GCC Adoptable Standard
80mm DBN road base
50mm sand bedding
2015 Size: 0.6ha Photography: Ryan McGoverne MASTER PLAN
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DETAIL 1B Caithness slabs to main entrance laid on standard buildup. Caithness slabs to main entrance, laid in bond approved by GCC. Bond and unit size to be confirmed with GCC Scale 1:10
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DETAIL 1 300×200×80mm Kellen slabs for vehicular overrun areas Scale 1:10
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80mm×200×300mm Kellen slabs supplied by Hardscape or equal and approved
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The landmark building features a granite and glazed façade which is complemented by Caithness stone and granite aggregate paving within the new public realm. The paving design adds to the dynamism of the space using tones of gray which subtly move from dark to light as you transcend the terraces. The tonal paving is designed to complement the architectural cladding, rooting the building within its public realm context.
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Within the space, raised planters create dramatic terraces that include mixed ornamental tree and shrub planting. This gives seasonal interest to the space and creates an appealing setting to the building. The terraced plaza space also uses lighting to bring valuable dynamism to the public realm, changing the character of the space from day to night, in the way that the planting does from season to season.
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35mm thickness sand bedding Road base to engineer’s spec. Type 1 sub base to engineer’s spec. 9 10 11 12
DETAIL 2 300×200×80mm Kellen slabs for pedestrian traffic areas Scale 1:10 13
60×200×300mm Kellen slabs supplied by Hardscape or equal and approved 14
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PAVING DETAIL 1. New proposed lay-by arrangement 2. 125mm width silver gray granite kerb laid to 125mm upstand 3. 125mm width silver gray granite kerb laid flush to delineate in surface at lay-by 4. Proposed adoption line delineated linear slot drain 5. Silver gray granite 400×400mm tactile blister pavers 6. 50mm Caithness pin kerb 7. 125mm width silver gray granite flush kerb to delineate change in surface 8. Kellen hardscape terrace with plean pre-cast concrete steps and planter walls 9. Access gate for cradle façade cleaning & maintenance 10. Native tree planting 11. Slot drain 12. Retaining wall to boundary with adjacent Santander building. Flush bullnose kerb to form edge detail 13. Finished concrete wall to boundary 14. Final details of alterations footway to William Street/vehicle access to be agreed with GCC LES as part of the RCC Section 56/21 Applications 15. Granite-clad retaining wall to edge of terrace with 1100mm barrier to top of wall 16. Hotel vehicle access 17. Hotel vehicle exit route
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1-2. Caithness stone and granite aggregate paving within the new public realm
Road base to engineer’s spec.
35mm thickness sand bedding
Type 1 sub base to engineer’s spec.
DETAIL 3 300×200mm Kellen slabs supplied by Hardscape or equal and approved, laid in stretcher bond Scale 1:10
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DETAIL 1A Tactile paving to steps Scale 1:10
50×400×400mm size Pre-cast concrete Corduroy paving
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60mm×200mm×300mm size Kellen slabs or equal and approved
Type 1 sub base to engineer’s spec.
45mm thickness 4:1 machine mix sand; cement mortar bedding
Road base to engineer’s spec.
80×400×400mm size Silver gray granite blister paving to GCC adoptable standards
Caithness slabs DETAIL 1B Tactile paving to road crossing Scale 1:10
Type 1 sub base to engineer’s spec.
50mm sand bedding 80mm DBM road base
DETAIL 2A Tactile pavers Corduroy to steps 50×400×400mm, pre-cast concrete Scale 1:10
DETAIL 2B Tactile pavers Blister to road crossings 400×400mm, silver gray granite Scale 1:10
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1. The paving design adds to the dynamism of the space using tones of gray.
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Landscape Architects: Claude Cormier Architectes Paysagistes Inc. | Location: Montreal, Canada
Square Dorchester
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hase 1 of Dorchester Square’s restoration and enhancement is guided by a deep appreciation of its evolution, reflecting nearly 300 years of history. This project and its overall design is inspired by Victorian landscaping. It encompasses the restoration of four monuments from the City of Montreal’s art collection, recaptures the spirit of the St-Antoine cemetery, and returns the luster to this highprofile urban quarter, which commemorates the Canadian Confederation.
Victorian Montreal. Renamed Dorchester Square on the north side in 1987, and Place du Canada on the south side in 1966, they represent the landscaped emblem of the Golden Square Mile.
Archaeological Heritage
Two cemeteries established in the late 18th century precede the development of the square. Today, more than 60,000 graves lie beneath the surface of Dorchester Square and Place du Canada.
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Architectural Heritage
Several buildings surrounding Dominion Square attest to its popularity and reflect the economic, religious and linguistic realities of Montreal. Despite its development over centuries, the built context upholds a rich heritage that can still be observed in the wide variety of architectural styles: catholic cathedral, protestant church, train station, banking buildings and sky scrapers witness to Canadian history and architecture.
Before its revival, the site was in an advanced state of deterioration, its identity severely compromised. Important visual links had been lost, the tree species selection was inconsistent, informal paths had emerged across the lawns, and the urban furniture was a collection of disparate pieces. Emblematic of Montreal’s Golden Age, Dorchester Square has regained its former status as a significant landmark, and has become a unique urban destination. The high number of visitors since the reopening testifies to the success of its restoration and enhancement!
Context
Carried out by Claude Cormier Architectes Paysagistes Inc. + Groupe Cardinal Hardy, the master plan for the enhancement of Dorchester Square and Place du Canada includes four phases. Completed in 2010, phase 1 covers 75% of the original Dorchester Square. The other phases will be realized in the next few years.
HISTORY
Landscape Heritage
1. A carpet of black granite with diverse finishes reflects light and creates a vibrant visual effect which marks the interior pathways of the square. 2. Statue 54
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To celebrate the Canadian Confederation of 1867, a top-place for festivals and political/ cultural gatherings was created in Montreal, then metropolis of this new country. Because dominion refers to one of a group of autonomous polities that were nominally under British sovereignty, this new public space is named Dominion Square. In its planning, size, sophisticated landscaping, as well as its use as a bourgeois promenade, Dominion Square represents civic ambition through this quintessential garden square, the epitome of
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the landscape experience. From white to black, the two types of hardscape clarify thresholds and mark entrances.
SITE PLAN
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The Cross Pictogram
To recall the old cemetery and outline of the underground tombs, a Latin cross with a footing is designed – a device taken from the graphical representation on maps for the cemeteries. Fiftyeight crosses are distributed in staggered rows on all paved surfaces of the square, and 100 more are planned on Place du Canada.
Monuments
Four monuments are restored and refurbished: monuments dedicated to heroes from Boers War, Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid-Laurier, poet Robert Burns, and Belfort Lion. Sir Wilfrid-Laurier is endowed with a new foundation consisting of monolithic blocks of black granite in the form of a circular disc of 6.7m of diameter. Project Name:
Trees
Square Dorchester
The rehabilitation of noble deciduous trees and high crown foliage reduces opacity of the canopy. It allows the entry of an abundant filtered light that contributes to the growth and preservation of lawns.
Client: Ville de Montreal Ministère de la Culture, Communications et Condition féminine Photography: Marc Cramer, Sophie Beaudoin, Isabelle Giasson & Nathalie Guérin
DESIGN OF DORCHESTER SQUARE
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1. Promenade and benches 2. Flowerbed 3. Green lawns
Urban Forms
The project reconfigures the structure of the road system through realignments and changes in street and sidewalks widths. It establishes the urban plan to accommodate more sustainable modes of transportation, including the addition of a bicycle path on Peel Street.
Materiality
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On the ground, a carpet of black granite with diverse finishes reflects light and creates a vibrant visual effect which marks the interior pathways of the square. The black color carries with it a historical dimension and gives the space a felted atmosphere, while the white color of the perimeter sidewalks evokes the modern downtown area. The strong visual contrasts emphasize the distinct materials and intensify
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DETAIL: JUNCTION OF GRANITE CURB & GRANITE PAVERS 1. Granite curb type 1 – square 2. Granite pavers 3. Leveling shims 4. Crushed stone type MG-20, 95% compaction 5. Stone dust 6. Planting soil mix 7. Existing soil, 90% compaction 8. New sod 9. Concrete 10. Stabilized sand joint 11. Geotextile membrane
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Lawn
The grass plots are treated as mounds, a characteristic of gardens from 1870’s. It amplifies the green in the foreground, hides the pathways, and relegates vehicular traffic to the background. This technique also safeguards the archaeological heritage, ensures growth and durability of lawns by limiting their exposure to foot traffic and provides a new aesthetic experience.
Flowerbed
A flowerbed adorns the square and revives the horticultural splendor of the Victorian era. Located in the middle portion, it is composed of 3,500 brightly colored red and pink geraniums, emblematic flowers of Montreal.
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1-3. Pavement details
DETAIL: GRANITE CURB AND BENCH INSTALLATION
Urban Furniture
The addition of many light posts, along with 125 benches, celebrates the 19th century in an updated and subverted Victorian character. The new lighting plan enhances the historical monuments as well as the canopy, while securing
pathways and, therefore, becoming a destination at any hour of the day.
CONCLUSION
The project pays particular attention to current realities and is fed by more than twenty
additional studies and analyses: archaeological, heritage, historical, artistic, circulation, etc. The Dorchester Square witnesses the rebirth of the genius loci of Dominion Square, restoring its status as one of the tremendous public spaces in Montreal.
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Landscape Architects: Roland Baldi Architects | Location: Bolzano, Italy
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ngela Nikoletti square is part of the new district center of Oltradige-Aslago in Bolzano, Italy, and was composed by the Architect Roland Baldi as a new public urban space for the residents. The new public square gives access to the different structures of the district center and the adjacent urban park. It also acts as a meeting ground for the residents and offers people a space for outdoor events. For this reason, the 2,200sqm space was designed for a maximum of flexibility, avoiding any limiting structures by emphasizing its open character. The square is paved with a two-tone cobblestone zebra pattern from white Lasa marble and black basalt. Through an undulating elevation of the paving in the northeast area of the square a planter with seat function with different heights and different inclinations was created.
The square with unique pavement patterns
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Project Name: Angela Nikoletti Square Size: 2,200sqm Photography: Oskar Da Riz Pavement Materials: White Lasa marble cobblestone, black basalt cobblestone
MASTER PLAN
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1-2. The square paved with two-tone cobblestone zebra pattern with white Lasa marble and black basalt 3-4. Undulated elevation of the paving
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1. Night view 2. Planter with seat function with different heights and inclinations
Cobblestone 6/8cm
Drainage
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SECTION DETAIL
Cobblestone basalt
Cobblestone white marble
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Landscape Architects: LINK Landskap | Location: Oslo, Norway
Stranden Waterfront Promenade
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Waterfront promenade
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Completion Date: 2014 Developer: Norwegian Property Photography: Tomasz Majewski
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tranden is the first of a multi-stage redevelopment of the precinct known as “Aker Brygge” in Oslo, Norway. It is part of a greater effort to reinvigorate Oslo’s postindustrial waterfront by creating a 12km long publically accessible waterfront promenade, connecting the city’s east and west.
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transforming the area’s retail concept, and introducing new office space.
The precinct’s developer, Norwegian Property (NPRO), aims to reinvigorate Aker Brygge by refurbishing the urban outdoor spaces,
The waterfront promenade, “Stranden,” was officially opened, together with a new marina, in May, 2014. The remaining phases
LINK Landskap’s projects are well known for their simplicity and timelessness. The firm believes in the craft of landscape architecture and aims to make “spaces for life.”
will be completed in 2015/16. These include “Bryggetorget,” the precinct’s main square, and various streetscapes which connect the area to both the waterfront and the city fabric beyond.
1. Night view of the promenade 2. Pavement pattern
PROMENADE PATTERN
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LINK Landskap is the project Landscape Architect for all urban outdoor areas at Aker Brygge, and was previously the project Landscape Architect for the post-industrial waterfront site’s original transformation in the late 1980s.
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Aker Brygge is the outcome of a design competition held in 1985, and won by TeljeTorp-Aasen Architects. LINK Landskap, then known as 13.3 Landskapsarkitekter, designed the urban outdoor areas. Now, nearly 30 years on, LINK Landskap has been given the unique opportunity to revisit Aker Brygge, to adapt and renew this complex and popular urban precinct. Aker Brygge is one of Oslo’s most vibrant urban areas, with its eclectic mix of apartments, shopping, culture and restaurants. The area is much loved by residents and tourists alike, and is visited by around 12 million people each year. The refurbished waterfront promenade, “Stranden,” has reinvigorated the area, breathing new life and interest into an important center for social interaction and activity in Oslo.
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TYPICAL MODULE H - 893×893mm I - 1193×1193mm J - 1193×1793mm
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The landscape refurbishment increases visual and physical contact with Oslo’s magnificent fjord, while also encouraging social interaction and diversity along the waterfront promenade. One of the project’s main challenges has been to reconfigure and simplify Stranden’s crosssection; reorganizing and consolidating the promenade in order to create a wider, more generous publically accessible waterfront. This creates more space for promenading, “staying” and increases flexibility for other spontaneous and un-planned activities. The result is a more dynamic experience of the fjord landscape and more “space for life.”
1. Cobblestone used as pavement material 2. Ariel view
TYPICAL MODULE F - 293×593mm E - 593×593mm G - 593×893mm
TYPICAL MODULE A - 193×193mm B - 193×393mm C - 393×393mm D - 393×593mm E - 593×593mm
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DESIGN EXCHANGE
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Vanke Light of the City Development, Hefei, Anhui Province, China. Photography: Wang Rui
By Stephen Buckle
In undertaking this, we understand “design” as a series of analyses, assessments, studies and developments, which inform both singular and collective design decisions and that in turn, we hope, strive to capture and inspire the emotion of those who experience it. To achieve this, the starting point for all of our work is people. Therefore, our journey begins with a detailed assessment of the people we are designing for: the “target demographic.” This investigation touches on a multitude of influences that can include local and regional culture, society, traditions, context, age (teen, youths, elderly), background and the potential aesthetic and design stimulants that users can consciously and subconsciously respond to. Developing on from this study are a series of decisions that relate to design, elements, scale, composition, orientation, sequence, color, texture, finish, planting, lighting, furniture and paving. In writing this article, the initial challenge was to separate the consideration for paving from all the collective elements under the influence of the landscape architect. This article focuses on a limited number of aspects that can most clearly be associated to paving design and on what more we as designers, can do and consider to heighten user experience. Brand, culture, authenticity, creativity and activation often influence and are incorporated into ASPECT Studio’s designs. This article seeks to provide 116
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Vanke Xijiu City Plaza, Chongqing, China, Photography: Andrew Lloyd
More Than What’s Under Foot The driving force behind our work at ASPECT Studios is the creation of people-orientated environments; or to term it simply, the “creation of places where people want to be.”
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insight into how this is achieved throughout the design process.
Cohesive Design Brand Quite often in China, designs are undertaken in relative isolation, with limited collective vision and direction between architecture, interior, landscape and way finding. While as designers we look to collaborate, this situation is often amplified by the timing of different consultants’ engagement. In some cases, the end results can feel disconnected, and the opportunity for creating a strong powerful collective design and experience can be lost.
Authentic Cultural Reflection In our role as landscape designers, we have the opportunity to provide more than just an aesthetic response to a design. We have the chance to make an authentic connection between the site’s history and culture and the people that visit and enjoy it. The Hart’s Mill Surrounds regeneration project in Adelaide represents how a contemporary, energetic, family-orientated design and its associated paving design can be achieved through drawing inspiration from the site’s former historical use. A continuous yellow pipe together with the yellow strip paving on the ground is a reflection of original elements found on the existing site and the traditional conveyor belt machine found within the historic mill building. The resulting design is a dynamic and bold family-oriented play space with its origins derived from the authentic culture and history of the site.
In the design of St. James Plaza in Melbourne, the paving design is prevalent throughout the re-established plaza, and acts as a historic reminder of the previous life of the site. The color, tone, finish and scale of the paving and the use of timber was considered alongside the overall visual and aesthetics of the architecture. The paving flows between the external areas and internal building entries providing a visual connection between the two. This connection is further emphasized with the use of bush hammered pavers that together express the architectural motif that identifies the development. Stone-clad walls are extruded from the paving layout and used to clarify pedestrian movement lines and create seating niches, where visitors can sit, gather and socialize. The walls also negotiate a level transition through the plaza that leads to a lower timber deck zone. The architectural design of West Tower (Four Seasons Hotel) in Guangzhou was envisioned as a crystal. The landscape design responded to this design element with strong linear lines of light radiating from the central core of the building that’s refracted across the ground plane and provides a strong and dynamic unifying design framework. This formed the key to the landscape structure and
At Kangan Institute’s Automotive Center of Excellence, the deliberate expression of industrial and automotive processes is clearly seen: the finish of the paved surface incorporates nuts and bolts from car fixings, embedded into feature paving, enhances the chevron pavement patternation and demarcates vehicle loading areas. Historical steel industrial elements are used as feature pavement inlays in the main plaza and acknowledge the site’s former use and importance to the local community as both a steel fabrication area and a community-based hospital.
When considered alongside the material palette of interior and architecture, paving can provide a strong unifying element to a project making the visual composition and creating a physical connection between façade and interior. This can forge a powerful and seamless link between the inside and outside experience and define the whole composition as part of the “design brand” experience.
St. James Plaza, Melbourne, Australia, Photography: Andrew Lloyd
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provided an intense visual and physical connection to the internal space as well as the articulation and manipulation of the site’s geometry, topography, planting and spatial sequencing from inside to outside.
Creative Uniqueness From the moment we step out of our houses into the built urban environment, paving dominates our visual and physical surroundings. In China, the vast majority of paving is the standard municipal streetscape highlighted with the occasional plaza or replica art deco banding, which merger together into a homogenous carpet of uneventful hardscape that numbs the brain and provides limited stimulus or lasting memory. This almost standardized treatment on projects and the built environment does little to create a unique respons, or a highlight of interest within the surrounding context. However, when the suitable project allows, paving can play a major role in the creation of a unique environment that has an authentic response to the site, culture and context to provide a visual statement that stands out from the everyday. Located on the southern side of the picturesque regenerated river in Hefei City, Anhui Province, China, the Vanke Light of the City development demonstrates such an approach. Inspired by the flowing nature of the river, the design was developed to stimulate visitors’ experience and to encourage movement, gathering and connectivity. With consideration for techniques of perception without awareness (PWA), the design framework’s spatial rhythm was structured with smooth flowing lines of paving and spaces that direct people into different project zones, encouraging them to move into the active retail heart and to linger in the surrounding food and beverage spaces. The final design was realized with a simple combination of three standard square paving modules and three color tones to create a seemingly flowing curved line.
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The Vanke Xijiu City Plaza project demonstrates the creation of a locally inspired urban landscape that utilizes bold and dynamic contrasting paving to achieve a strong and recognizable people-orientated destination that stands out within the surrounding urban fabric. In stark contrast to the standard large empty plaza found in the majority of developments across China, the design of this community-focused space creates a series of human-scale experiences and facilities inspired by the unique natural environment of the local region.
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The distinct and unique topography of the local mountains and rivers is reflected with graphic pavement patterns, linear water features, raised planters with integrated timber seats and concrete steps forming a semienclosed space. Elevating the edges of the site strengthened and focused view lines to the mall.
Platform for Activation Space alone doesn’t create a “place,” and the activation of space is essential to the success and sustainability of any project. Paving on its own cannot achieve this; however, it can play a fundamental role in creating a platform for activation and a conduit for facilities. In order to create “sticky space,” which ensures people are enticed into a space and most importantly stay, it is vital that there are multiple overlays, in conjunction with paving design, which provide the essential social facilities and give people a compelling reason to visit, gather and stay.
Kangan Institute’s Automotive Center of Excellence, Melbourne, Australia, courtesy of ASPECT Studios
For example, the success of Southern Cross Lane lies in the formation of a public space where outdoor dining and pedestrian movement is the key to public life. The public space is articulated with the clean lines of the understated bluestone paving, which is drawn through the laneway from its adjacent streets. Staccato bands of pale granite contrast with the bluestone and add variety and texture. They also orchestrate movement and create space, while tying the façade of the architecture to the action of the ground plane and the thriving cafés and shops of this bustling public space. The Goods Line in Sydney represents the latest thinking and ideas in the Southern Cross Lane, Melbourne, Australia. Photography: Andrew Lloyd
Goods Line, Sydney, Australia. Photography: Florian Groehn
application of people-orientated urban activation. Situated in the heart of Sydney’s most densely populated areas, this new civic spine provides vital urban connection and a platform for urban activation.
of the site’s former industrial use, and is predominantly paved in oversized precast concrete slabs that provide for elements of gravel and steel gratings. The unifying paved platform of precast slabs offers a basis of a multitude of activities both permanent and temporary, passive and active, singular and groups, day time and nighttime, ensuring the 24-hour activation of this landmark urban space.
This linear space is overlaid with multiple functions and facilities for the social and cultural needs of the residents of Sydney. The surface is reflective
Stephen Buckle Studio Director, ASPECT Studios. Stephen is the Studio Director of ASPECT Studios, Shanghai. He is a dynamic and inventive landscape architect recognized for his creative thinking, contemporary designs and meticulous detail resolution. Driven by his passion for innovation and excellence, Stephen approaches design as an explorative play between landscape, art and urbanism, creating unique and memorable responses and experiences for each commission. Stephen draws inspiration from the humanistic influences of perception and culture, along with more contextual influences of environment, climate and the land. While each of his designs is derived from the same hand, each strives to be unique to itself and to challenge the routine conventions of the modern-day built environment. Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou PRC. Photography: Chen Shengming
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Hart's Mill Surrounds, Adelaide, Australia. Photography: Don Brice
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Systematic Paving Design, not as an Infill Element
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- An Interview with Cannon Ivers, LDA Design
LR: What do you think is the role that paving plays in landscape design?
B. Cannon Ivers B. Cannon Ivers graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Design with distinction. Throughout his professional experience in the field of landscape architecture, he has been awarded numerous awards, both collectively and individually, for innovation and execution of high-quality public realm projects and contemporary urban parks. He is a chartered member of the Landscape Institute in the United Kingdom and he is a Director with LDA Design. Cannon frequently contributes to design discourse
Cannon Ivers (CI): I’m reminded of a quote from the movie Shawshank Redemption, when Andy Dufrain escapes from prison and the narrator says, “How often do you look at a man’s shoes?” In many ways this could be applied to the notion of paving in design. For many people that walk through the landscapes we create on their quotidian routines may never really appreciate the attention to detail in regard to paving design period. However, the right pair of shoes completes an outfit, and it’s the same for designed space. The paving is the great leveler, unifying disparate landscape components into a cohesive whole and creating a visual continuity.
LR: How do you choose paving styles, colors and textures to suit the surrounding landscape? CI: The design of paving is both functional and aesthetic, but it should emerge from the context
of a place. As an example, I worked on a project in Liverpool when I was a landscape architect with EDAW working with James Haig Streeter. The project was in front of the Three Graces, which is a World Heritage Site, and the site had a rich maritime history and a hard working dockside past. The material, therefore, needed to be robust, hard-wearing and sensitive to both the historic past and the settings of the World Heritage site. The paving was designed as a responsive system based on the simple premise that no public space is ever flat. Therefore, the folds of the plaza were articulated with a system of paving modules that transitioned from large slabs in the less complex areas of the plaza to smaller setts in the more complex areas of the space where transitions were required. Much like the way the scales of a lizard have evolved; large hard-wearing scales in the areas that don’t need flexibility and smaller tessellating scales near limbs and eyes that are in constant motion. This was also before grasshopper and I drew the entire paving scheme by hand in CAD.
through numerous publications examining 3D design and digital fabrication, spatial programmability, intelligent water design, as well as high-impact, low-maintenance planting design. His research and interest in the methods for activating public space underpins the designs that he creates, fostering a sense of community cohesion activities throughout the year. Cannon has a deep appreciation of the importance of site specificity and strives to create meaningful design solutions that are place sensitive.
Shree Temple project by LDA Design. Photo credit Robin Foerster.
Landscape Record Vol. 6/2016.12
LR: What are the basic requirements in paving design? CI: The paving of a place often works harder than any other aspect of a space, so durability is paramount. Also slip resistance is imperative. On a less technical note, I believe the paving should form part of the design narrative, not something that is resolved once the rest of the design has been configured. Again, working on the Pierhead project in Liverpool, I appreciated how powerful paving can be as an organizational structure from which the entire design can emerge, not just as an infill element between landscape planters or buildings, which is so often the case in designed places. It’s a shift in thinking to consider paving as a system that pushes and pulls to respond to a site. We developed a systematic approach to paving for a competition we entered that transformed the paving into one of the fundamental aspects of the proposal. The Highline is an exemplar project that demonstrates systematic design, where the “plank” paving establishes the rules for the rest of the design and the signature peeling benches emerge from the paving.
transformative by night. The light blocks provide an element of surprise and an atmospheric ambience for the courtyard. Paving should also respond to the context. For a temporary popup park that I designed with a team from LDA Design in London at the Battersea Power Station development, paving radiates off this leviathan structure, drawing the eye from the groundplane to the structure. As one moves along the river promenade, the bands slowly transition to pull visitors towards the building. This also set up a rhythm of contrasting paving colors as visitors
walked along the waterfront promenade.
LR: What is the future trend of paving in landscape design? CI: Parametric design and the use of scripting software such as Grasshopper is affording the designer with tools to quickly explore multiple paving arrangements. This iterative process and the use of the scripting software will continue to define new geometries and novel ways of articulating surfaces.
Systematic paving system by LDA Design inspired by the Giant’s Causeway
LR: What factors will influence your paving design?
by establishing a calendar of events and
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Shree Temple paving design by LDA Design
CI: Similar to other aspects of the site, the paving should emerge from site specificity or a cultural narrative. As an example, a project I recently completed in London was for a temple; a place of worship. We crafted a narrative about a transition from dark to light as one moved from the car park to the grand entrance, as if being cleansed in order to enter the building via a grand staircase. A wide footpath was created using granite setts that transitioned from white to black. Interspersed in the paving were light blocks, almost imperceptible by day, but
Axon view showing water accumulating in subtle paving inflections to create a dynamic, reflective groundplane
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