Landscape architecture 2009 02 by nata

CONTENTS FE8RU 4 RY

VO~UME

I I

200 .

• MUMBlER 2

LAND MATTERS

113

LETTERS 116

RIPRAP 118

Twirly trecs, an o/f-thc-wdll education program, European designers get back to their roofs, lil/d (1 blus! from the wndscape past. Edited by Linda Mclntyr.

URBAN PARKS 124

Parks Under Siege Em:rrJdmmcnts arc /xwming the rule. 8y Peter Harnik CAMPUS PROFILE 132

Civil Union A /lcdgling wndscape architecture program once partnered with iJ land~cape anign program for mutual advantage Now that they need each other less, what has been learned? 8y Danlal Jost, A •• oclate "aLA EDUCATION 142

Landscapes afT TOlne, Landscapes of E scape Landscape archifel1l1re students design and build gardens in health care settings. 8y Daniel Winterbottom, ....u STUDENT WORKS

154

Decked Out A bunch 0/armitecture students designed and built Ibis deck in Ii semester. LandsClipe archileclure students, heads up! 8y AnJ:ulI McCulioulCh

ON IHE COVER A "",d bridv in W'aJbinEIOI1 ,laU ",,,ke, = mng Ih~ s/m'I.n rx,,",~/lC~, pagr 9Q,

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ART IN THE LANDSCAPE 184

TECHNOLOOY 180

\Valking Lightly on Ill(; Planet Digitlil tools om makt'/i possible to d,'m:ase carbon footprints . • , Jame a L Slpe., .... u. PLANTS

In Washington slale, a

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Srriking Slellls Pmvide Willicr IHlerrSI Kick the aPPt'IJlo/your winu'r umdscapc upa notch wilh shrubs and smail ln'C'J that o//erroloiful stems, am:sling/orms, orexquisileiy texlured bark. . , Rita PelcUir EDITOR'S CHOICE 1 74

l~Uldseapr

Planning: A HisIOIY of Influentia l Ideas

An eminent ltindscape planner Iooh at the kq ideas 0/ planners who pnxeded him, . , Ca,1 Stelnlb, Hono ••• , .... u.

4 I land'UP' Ar~hlt.ctur.

Prairie Crossing

n nUAU ZOO I

highway overpass becomes al/ experience, By Clair Enlow

Illuminating Knowledge fur codes grow big ill a ltbrary's sat/plUral !alllems, By Marty Carlock

A Place for Selllplll!"C N,w England's largest sculpture park

is'rans/ormed. . , J.n. Ro, Brown BOOKS 1102 DISPLAY

AD INDEX

1104

.UYER'S GUIDE INDEX 1105 PRODUCT PROFILES CRITIC

1118

AT LARGE 1120

Crille,,] E\'e Setup imperfect/or Pope John Paul II Prayer Garden_ . , Edward Gunt.

THE MAGAZINE THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

.I . William Thompson , ED ITO R

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NTICIPATION QUICKLY TURNED to disappointment on that Baltimore street as [he Pope John Paul If Prayer Garden came inro full view, "' c's next coa parking gamge!"

exclaimed my mmpanion. Yes, and che garage's looming presence is more chan an aesthetic issue. T he potencial fOf garage customers, as well as office workers in surrounding buildings, co ~rdown at the garden is part of the reason it may fai l as a place to pray (see this month's Critic at L1rge, page 120). Bur people of faith can pray anywhere they happen to be, re-

gardless of surroundings, can't they? Not exactly. "\'ÂŤhen thou prayest," said Jesus, "emer into chine inner chamber, and having

shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret" (Matthew 6:6). I chink Jesus was pre{(y clear: You need a solitary spot for all but [he most perfunctory prayer. So how does a site next to a parking garage at the comer of Charles and Frankl in streets sound? Regardless of your religious persuasion, Pope John Paul deserves to be remembered as a dynam IC and courageous world leader. But this is specifically a ftra)'tr garden, not a memorial garden, and C'lfdinal William Keeler Stated that people of all religions are invited to pray here. \'1ould John Paul's statue help CatholICS, much less non-Catholics, connect with their Creator in this setting? One c:xIdity of the garden is that it 's locked up tiglHer than Fort Knox on major religious holidays- at least it was on Christmas Day, when photogmpher Mike Tan went there. (He had to shoot the phoros hanging over the security fence.) It wasn't open on New Year's Day, when I went, either, bur I understand why. Baltimore, this grand, cultumlly rich old city, is plagued by crime. Downtown parks become venues for drug deals or worse unless they're only open when the surrounding busi-

meditation or prayer? E-mail thoughts to

nesses are open and can provide some bthompson@Jlsfa.org. informal surveillance. Still, J wonder if the security feoce around this tenniscourt-sized s{Xlcedoesn 't create the feeling ofbeing in acage. Would anyone even want to eat lunch here, much less pmy? I would love to see someone do a posroccu{Xlncy evaluation to determine if anyone uses the garden and, if so, for what. I'm reminded of another new pmyer garden of sorts in the region- the Pentagon Memorial (see "T he Pentagon Memorial Story," ulIIdscape Architecwre,. January), which, despite its equally hemmed-in site, may be an effective place forpmyer because of its scale: There are enough memorial benches that a visitor can find a spot where he or she can enjoy some solitude. As we ended our visit to the Prayer Garden, my companion, who happens to be a pmying person, gave her final verdict; Til Ix'r lIobody ever prays here." Who chose this sire for rhe Prayer Garden, anyway? The site was by no means a given- in ÂŁ1.C[, the Archdiocese of Baltimore had to tear down a historic building to create it. Even so, it's not directly connected to the Baltimore Basilica; you have to walk around the block to get there. So why couldn't the garden have been sired in some empty lot within walking distance? r do hope it wasn't the landscape architects who chose this site. That mises a bigger issue, however- that designers often have no part in d~ing the sites they design. How can landscape architects bener position themselves to be on site selection reams?

HUUUY 2 0 n

Landscape Archileclure

113

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LETTERS Llndscape Architects, the Obama Administration, and the Invironment

Yand I'm sure you we re also referring

UNDING FOR GREEN ROOFS would go a long way toward incorporating green roofs into federal, state, and local buildings that are coming on line in the next few years.

(Land Maners, December) to the Arctic

ELEANOK H.l\fCKINN EY, ASLA

National Wildlife Refuge. That will help

Ails/in. Texas

ES, LET'S PREVENT DRilliNG in Utah,

out our economic and energy situations immensely. But at least landscape architects will be able to say that they saved another acre of pristine parkland in the name

of aesthetics. Forget abour the economy and jobs. I think landscape archircns as a

whole need to open their eyes and see what is going on with people. Not JUSt

people who enjoy living com mu-

nally in these utopias that landscape

to be optimistic about with the ulXoming Obama administration . With the 2.5 milhon jobs

" The concerns of this country reach farther than saving another acre of parkland. "

architects love to opine about, bm real people. People who work in theenergy industry, the American auto industry, the housing industry. , think rhe concerns of this country reach fanher than saving M oeher acre of parkland or insisting [hat people live tlie way that you have dreamed up in the name of "smart growth." \'{1e as landscape architects have a dury to create beautiful, livable communiries, and yes, we need to be good stewards of the land. Bm wealsa need to keep in m ind thar ir's nO( just ··us" using this land. There are more than 300 million other Americans, and our mopmn approaches to land planning aren'r jUst unrealisric. In some cases, rhey are JUSt wrong. I know that in the world of landscape architecture I am an island, as most landscape architects have a very liberal view of things. But I don·t wish the government to come up with solutions (i.e., the Kyoto Protocol) toall our problems, and r believe that we as Americans, with our ingenuiry and pride of country, can come up with solutions wirhout government dictating ie. Oil is the I ifeblood of this coun try whether you like it or noe. Denying lhe right ro ever drill for anorher drop will cause rhiscountry to spiral downward OUt of control- all in the name of saving an acre of parkland. JENNI THOMPSON, ASLA

Sf.

ESPITE ALL THE UNEMPLOY MENT in

Dour profession, there is a lot

among many others. \'\1e met the ladies at twO of them- Mrs. Gardner and Mrs. Ford. I met T homas Church in the b te 1950s. I had written to ask ifhe would mark a city map with some of his garden designs for me to visit and photograph. Church invited me to visi t his office at a break time to meet his Staff, then he asked if I would like to VIsit with him some gardens under construct ion and some completed ones. Would J? I felt like what Moses must have felt like with Goo. At one garden I got to watch him show a contractor how he wanted a rock placed by picking itup and placi ng it. EOWAKO C. MAKTIN JR., FASLA Black /lfol/Illain. N()f"lh Carolina

Pallf, Afinne.iO/a

planned by Obama, landscape architects will have the opportunity to lead in the economic recovery as the profession did during rhe \'{1orks Progress Administration era. Perhaps a historical piece abom the important role the profession served in the WPA would be a valuable article for the readers of the magazine. RANDY BROC KWAY, ASLA

RiI'C1"side, Illinois

Chip Sullivan's Example HANK YOU FOR Daniel JOSt'S excellent

TShared Wisdom profile of Chip Sullivan

(December). It was inspiring ro get more insiglu into his personal journey after enjoying his art and books over the years. Sullivan is many things: artist, intellectual, teac her, and author. But aix)Ve all he is a model of living a life absolutely true to your vision. That's perhaps the g reatest shared wisdom of all. JAMES RICHARDS, ASLA

A ding/on, Texas

I Met the Church ladies

I/l.fMENSELY ENJOYED the December issue, which may be one of the best ever. Of particular interest was "The Church Ladies." On a [our of Thomas Church's gardens with Robert McPherson as guide in 2007, we visited those three gardens,

Sit~Specilic Art Misinterpreted ENJOYED READlNG Roberta Smirh's article "Public Art, Eyesore to Eye Candy·' in your [X-cember issue (as I enjoy much of he r writing for The New York Times). bur I found it quite misguided regarding the most crucial aspect of public art of the past decades, sire-specific art, of which she makes short shrift as ··an amorphous category." I agree with Smith that late modern public art (e.g., of the 1960s) was deadly, and {hat Anish Kapoor's shiny Millenium Park eloNd Gafe and Jeff Koons's giant flower P"Pfry, or his polished Balloo/l Dog, are wonderful examples of new "plunk" public sculpture. (Koons'scombination of Marcel Duchamp's ·'found object" formula with Constantin Brancusi's high polish works much better when he is inspired by toys and childhood imagination than when he copies kitsch artifacts or im irares pomography.) Smirh seems to have missed totally rhe major innovation of site-specific art- that it is inspired by its location or context, if nor fully derived by them, which explains its variety of forms and materials. This diversiry and rhe fuet that most site-specific arr was created for public competitions all over the country (rather than just New York or Los Angeles),as well as its affinity to landscape architecture or designing of public spaces, confuses most art critics.

HnUA n

21 09

landlclpeArchitecture

115

LETTERS Site-specific art was oom from "land art" but turned basically to urban spaces, thus often assuming a social responsibility. It was mostly generated by less-known anists, rather than by fashionable art world stars

promoted by dealers-so most art critics turned a blind eye to it even when they saw it. Moreover, tlJe most prOOunive artists in this new "movement" that emerged in the early 1970s were women (another reason it

Site-specific art was born from "land art" but turned to urban spaces, thus often assuming asocial responsibilny. passed in silence). PauiciaJohanson, Nancy Holt, Alice Adams, Alice Aycock,jody Pimo, Mary Miss, Cecile Abish, Elyn Zimmerman, Ann Healy, Jackie Ferrara, Joyce Kozloff, Agnes Denes, Michelle Stuarr,

Harriet Feigenooum, Mags Harries, and myself are among the numefUUS site-specific women anists; comparatively there are many fewer male srars in the field, such as Claes O ldenburg, Siah Armajani, Bob Irwin, and Richard Serra. f agree with one point of Smith's: Serra's controversial Tilled A1t", disregardful of the public, was probably the nail in the coffin of permanent site-specific art and encouraged a rerum (0 more acceprable, objectoriented "plunk" sculprure, such as Koons's endearing PIlPpy. ATH ENA TAUIA \flaJhing/on. D. C.

Design with Divinity

I IMERICAI SlmlY IF IJIDSCAPI

mlYE S1i1lT IW. WISHllilll. OC

112·I!I·l«4 •FIX 111·11·1115 16 1Lendlcape Architecture

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SUPPORT BETII MEYER's Manifesto, "Sustaining Beauty: the Performance of Appearance" (October), whichgivesequivalenr weight (0 aesthetics in evaluating sustainabi lity. \Vhile she cites contemporaries for inspiration, f' m more intrigued by the teachings on the divinity of nature from \'{festern phi losophers.

The protection of Earth's vitality, diversity, and beauty is asacred trust. Plato asserted in Timaeus that nature was the active principle presiding at the birth of things, whose operations gave organic form to a universe endowed with order and beauty, embellished through mathematic proportion. Plorinus WfO(e that the

One Principle from which all the Beauty of the world draws grace, showing itself in

material form, comc""S by Communion in Ideal-Form through the thought of reason /lowing frum the Divine. Thomas Aquinas asserted that aesthetic theory begins with Divinity, with beamya transcendental attribute grounded in form having three formal characteristics: clarity, imcgriry, and

proportion. George Santayana wrote of beauty as the dearest manifestation of per-

fection, a pledge of conformity between soul and nature, and a ground of faith in the supremacy of the good. 111e preamble of rhe 1992 R iode Janeiro Earth Charrer stares that rhe protection of Eanh's vicality, diversity, and beallty is a sacred trust. 111e spirit of 1mman solidarity and kinship wirh all life is strengthened when we live with reverence for rhe mystery of being, gratiwde fOf rhe gift of Life, and humility regarding the human place in nawre. Suscainability, spirituality, and aesthetics-spoken with rhe same breath. D ENNIS A. WINTERS, ASLA

J"oronto

Due Credit E WERE PLEASED to find HrQ ment ioned on page 29, "Reshaping Toronto's \'V'arerfronc"' (December). However, the design of HtQ is credited solely to Janee Rosenberg + Associates when in fact ie should also be credited to Claude Corm ier Architecces Paysagistesand Hariri Poncarini Architects. The design was a collaborat ion between our three firms.

PAULINA CARBONARO JANET ROSENBERG + ASSOCIATES

J"oronto HIRUUl 2009 Landscape Architecture

117

A sligh1fr irreglliar lonk (/

HAPPV TREES

Former Brownfield Now Verdanl, Verliginous In Liverj)()()/, the trees tllm,

tllm, tllrn.

NA RECENT INSTALLATION fur che Liverpool Biennial, a quiec walk in che park became a challenge to the equilibrium impaired. Arbores LalIt, che latest brainteaser from architectural tricksters DillerScofidio + Renfro, comprised a grid of 17 hornbeam crees, three of which traced a slow, swinging arc as subterranean turntables rotated them constantly on cheir axes. Vertigo sufferers were best advised to keep an eye (Q the horizon. Arbores l..delt'-Lacin for J oyful Trees-was among 15 Merseyside works commissioned for the 2008 Biennial, whose cherne was "Made Up---an Exploration of che Ecology of che Artiscic Imagination." The adventur-

BY L I \ ' I) \

ous work played tricks with basic elements like light and time; leaves and shadows shifredconstandy, responding rothe movememof the tfees rather than the sweep of the sun. TIlis manipulation of ourexpeaacionsof nature has shown up in ocher fantascical diversions from rhe New York-based firm; 2002's Blur Pavi lion for che Sixch Swiss National Expo Staged a platfurm hovering eerily above Lake Neuchatel, permanently enshrouded in an opaque nimbus of machine-generated fog. Arbores l..dele~ transfurmation of the furmer brownfield site on Parliament Street officially ran (rom September 20 co November 30, though the crees were planted over the summer to allow them cime co mature. Rick Scofidio formally presented [he piece at its opening, describing it as "beautiful, wonderful, and a litc!e bit frightening," echoing the sentiments of many bemused and slighrly dizzy Liverpudlians.

C, ntact L inda Mcintyre at fmclnt,u @asfa

ls i Llndlcape Architecture

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Midnig ht Forum also has implemence<1 a mural-painting initiative co help conrrolllJegal tagging. "Teaching music and visual arrs was rhe hook [Q ger kids in (Q learn about enrrepreneurship, communiry organizing, and life skills. \"X7e were able [Q get a number of murals up rhroughout rhe community, and statistics starred going down on illegal tagging," executive director Dominic Painter, who also answers to D) Tru, cold Landscape Architectllre. \"X7hile these young trainees may not grow up co make careers in the arcs, Painter sees agrearer long-term benefit for his charges and !Or their communities. "If you give a young person the opporrunity, and on-sire training in someching chac they care about- if they know there are other options-they're also not running around doing something illegal." - JOSHU A GR AY

I Landlcape Architecture

Hnun ZOGI

Philip di Giacomo on Change · C%uq::/o >'/4rdscapeS made me bi:tJer. z,....,proved

cl:ent SerV:Ce capa&il;t;eS. EVen:Y?""e "1e "1ore ti"1e to create. rhey d;d :t 6y lett;"!} "1e be "o/Sel.f". .By ut;l;z:"!} ""1}1 crelAJ or artisans and hav;"j ""1}1 crelAJ train the;rs. So IAJh;le everyth;n:J's cha/ljed, l <.Je still "1aKe the ""1}1

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L1lo Ule (L1lerdisciplinary) Woods Spanish mtists get in tOllch with nature. RT' NAllJRE, AND SITE specificity brought together a diverse group of

landscape architects, artists, arch ircns, and ocher designers in a reccnt

workshop in cadiz, Spain.

11w NMAC Foundation's Montenmedio Contemporary Art space, nes拢led in a Mediterranean pine forest, hosted rhe "Art and Nature: Ephemeral L1ndscapes" workshop, organized by Assicuirurt', a nonprofit that promO[es cultural exchange among international artis ts. Led by Patricia

Men("Se; and Ivan Juarez of Barcelona's ex.studio, the group produced NeJt-

Passages, a transitional sculpture defining space with maritime cordage, a material procluced in the region. The designers sought to transform the site into a place co be discovered and traveled, creating a place of rransir, mu(arion, and reflecrion. Light passing through the conducrive t hreads, as well as the brightly colored mrdage irself, added new levels of rexture to rhe space and defined a rome rhrough it.

TREASURE CHEST

!-lis tory in Storage Basement dfl:llItterillg yields link to early days

0/ ASLA.

HEN NOELLE FURfARO, wife of 2008 st. Louis ASLA

Chapter President Brad Furfaro, was cleaning

ollt the couple's basement recently, she found an old steamer trunk they had purchased at a thrift shop almost a decade ago. On closer examination, Furfaro noticed the trunk was stamped "Charles W. Garfield, Grand Rapids, Michigan. ft Internet research rerealed the trunk's surprising landscape pedigree: Garfield, whose name graces Garfield Park in Grand Rapids, was a horticulturist, philanthropist, and stale representatin with a passion for trees. His legislatin efforts helped to establish Michigan's stale forest s),stem and the agency that became its Department of Natural Resources. This affection for the landscape ran throughout the branches of the family tree-Garfield's first cousin, Ossian Cole Simonds, was a charter memo ber of ASLA and sened as president in 1913. A contemporary of Jens Jensen, Simonds was also a derotee of the midwestern prairie landscape and naturalistic design. In addition to designing projects such as Graceland

Garfield's silier, Jayne Pawlisa, who is now the proud owner of the

Cemelery in Chicago, RiYeniew Park in Hannibal, Missouri, and Fori

trunk. And in addition to a tidier basement, Furfaro now has a new

Sheridan north of Chicago 'see "Balancing Acts," Landscape Artlritec-

appreciation for her husband's vocation. "The trunk being connected

fure, January 20041, Simonds wrote the seminal book LAndscape路

to these two men felt like Brad geUing a handshake from two of his

Gardening 119201, which is still read today.

role models, telling him, 'We beline in your work. Keep striving to

Delighted with the find, Furfaro tracked down a descendant of

22 ] Lendlcape Architecture Hnun ZOGI

make a difference.'''

(krafts'man) n. 1 One who performs with skill and de ten y in the manual arts and crafts.

Changing the Shape of Landscape Architecture One Fount8Jn at a Time

rorpan

fountains 1800794 &'1 WMN rornanfounl31ns,vom Los ,6.rgctes • AJtx,qUf)rQUI. • At~",mta

'IiariOcrafted In Amenca by American Craftsmen •

Green space has sh runk

by a third in Miami's 8ayfTont Park,

NeE A PARK,always a park. Right? \'Vell, noc in Miami. Or in Sr. Louis, Kansas City, New York, or Los Angeles. In fact, virtually nociey in rhe counrry has been able to preserve and procect every acre of irs parkland from being developed in some way. Highways, police horse scabIes, SPOTtS arenas, shopping cente rs, hospirals, schools, parking [ms, museums: The list of encroachments into, on, over, and under urban parkland is almost endless, For some people, [he loss of even a square foot of grass is an outmge; for others, it's JUSt normal opemring procedure in [he world of urban real esrute. After all, they say, many great urban parks and plazas-from POSt Office Square in Boston to [he \'7esnvard Expansion Arch in St. l ouis to Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland, Oregon- were created on properties wrested from ehe wreckage offormer uses. Why should parks be any different?

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Encroaclunents are becoming the rule. 8y Peter Harnik For many years, ehe worse chreae co urban parks was from highway conS{luccion. Scores of parks from Providence and Philadel phia {Q l os Ange les and San Diego were grievously damaged by roads, cloverleafs, smog, and noise. T he U.s. Supreme CoUrt'S landmark 1971 ruling in CitiuIIJ to Preserve OvertOIi Park v. Volpe, a Memphis, Tennessee, case, slowed checarnage but didn't stop it. Even now roads chreaeen some parks. But today che culprics are noc chose crying to get out of town; ehey are those trying to gec inco che action, Museum direcmrs, eeam owners, shopping center moguls, hospital presidents- all are looking for

prime locations at bargain prices, and parks frequently mp cheir lises. "TIle land is often available for free, and it's controlled by politicians rather than by businessmen," noees Greg Bush, a professor of history ae ehe Universiey of Miami. "Tf you know how to llSe-Of manipulateche political process, you can circumvent che real estaee market and save yourself a lot of money." But ehac sicuacion doesn'e necessarily make for good public policy, "Building on parkland is like eaeing che goose thac lays golden eggs," says Alexander Garvin, forme r member of che New York Cicy Planning Commission and author of The Alllerict/ll City: \'{Ihat \'{Iorks, \'{IM' Doesll't, "\'{1edon'c wane co consume che goose; we want to feed ie- improve the park so that it conveys ever greater value to ehe surrounding land." He adds: "Unfortunaeely, when some people look at a park ehey see an empty

garage and a museum devored [0 the Bay of Pigs invasion. The polar opposite of M iami is Portland, Oregon. When it comes [0 parkland acquisition, deacquisition, transfer, lease, trade, and developmem, Portland scrupulously follows the rules. H owever, despite clear and fair procedures allowing the sale or conversion of parkland, it just doesn't happen. " In theory we can, but in pracrice we can 't," says Zari Samner, direc[Or of Portland's parks and recreation agency. "Our residents simply don't allow it. In Portland politics, parks come first. Frankly, my department somet imes has trouble even getting a restroom facility built in a park. site that is ideal for their project because it is in a location that has become extremely valuableasa result of the park. These parks jor should nor be 111 play. nley should play and continue [0 pay offsurrounding property owners."

In long Beach, Califomia, a controversy over a police department building being located in Scherer Park, abot"e and below, has led to more protections for pa~ spaces.

Polar Opposites

The "'parks-in-play" capical of the United Scates is Miami. Although Miami has only 3.4 acres of parkland for every 1,000 !"(--sidents (the sixth lowesr among the nation's 75 largesrcities, according (0 a 2008 study by the Center for City Park Excellence), developers as well as othercity agencies seem (0 have an endless number of alrernative ideas for almost every park in the city. In Bayfront Park, the subject of thousands of picture postcards in the I 940s and 1950s, only 26 acres of the original 62 acres have nor been developed in some way, whether as a waterfront shopping and dining complex or a parriall y gated performance area. Lummus Park, the city's oldest, lost half of its three-quarters of an acre when rhe pol ice department needed land to relocate its horse stables. \'Vatson Island, once all parkland, was first reduced by the creation of the private Parrot Jungle and is now slated to be furrher privarized by a large

26 1Lendlcape Architecture

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yacht marina and a hotel. Bicentennial Park, 29 acres and shrinking, is being eyed for the placement of rwo museums, each with a four-acre foorprint. And, on the last remaining open parcel on Biscayne Bay, on a properry leased co rhe ciry by Dade County, the owner of the Miami Hear basketball franchiseoverpowered the opposition and constructed what is called the American Airlines Arena. As parr of the deal, a riny parcel between the arena and rhe water was co become a promenade, but now a Cuban American group is seeking approval to build a parking

Complete Reversal

The transirion from Miami 's "anything goc--s"' [0 Portland's "noway" can be seenin real rime- in Long Beach, California. long Beach, an economically challenged, densely populated city of 500,000 in the shadow of Los Angeles, has a well-run park sysrem but is shorr of parkland. One of its larger neighborhood facilit ies, 27 5-acre Scherer Park, fOr many years contained several remporary rrailer offices for the Long Beach police department. In the late 1990s, because of problems with mold, safety, and space, the police proposed replacing the rrailers with a buildmg. lllere was opposition, but no alternative site emerged and a formal proposal to bui ld on a corner of the park went to the city counci l. \'Vhen opponents irwestigated their legal rights, they discovered that the city had no law against building a nonpark structure in a park. In fact , legally speaking, rhe entire park system was a mirage. Long Beach had noabilicy to fonnallydedicate any land as a "park," meaning that virrually every acre was IXltentially open co proposals from cicy agencies or private interests. (The only slight protection for

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URIAN PARIS Scherer Park was the fact tha t federal land and \Vater Conservation Fund s were invo lved in its acqlllsirion, bur that merely required the city to replace any land that migh t be lost.)

As with every policc-verslls-parks controversy, the citizenry was split. Residents of rhe immediate area generally f.1Vored the police station; residents mnher away were concerned about seeting a bad precedemo Following a bitter debute, in 2000

rile city council approved the construction. Scherer Park shrank by 2.5 acres, bur the outcry stimulated Long Beach to insritlltc a top-co-bonom overhaul of its park procedures. All existing park land in rile city was formally dedicated, and a new ordinance required future park additions co be Immediately dedicated as well. T he city's park and recreation agency was directed to update its master plan (unchanged for 25 years), and [he ensuing

2s 1Lendlcape Architecture

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documem recommiued Long Beach [0 adding parkland . It also for [he first time required [he city [0 rectifY neighborhood inequali ty by identifying park-deficient communities. Mos[ stunning, the council passed a law requiring that any lost parkland must be replaced wi th twice the ac reage takenhalf of it in the vicini ty of the loss and the other halfin a park-deficientneighborl"KXXi elsewhere in the city. '" It was a painful episocle, but at the end of the day it was a watershed moment,"' says P hil H ester, direc[Or of the parks agency. 路路I t proved the importance of parks to all OUT residents, and it really solidified our polICies. It made my job bener. And not a single acre of parkland has been sold or lost since 2000. Trading Up

Some park agencies take a dis t inctly entrepreneurial attimde toward their parkland. In Kansas City, Missouri, when parks and recreation director M ark M cH enry was offered a land swap by a developer, he

took it, and he was backed up by his park board, the city council, and the voters. '"We had a 13-acre park along a commercial strip Ollt by the airport north of

long Beach's DavenlXlrt Park was created to compensate for lost parkland elsewhere in the city.

downtown ... McHenry explains. "[n 2000 a developer came co us wanting co add {he northern half of ir-six acres-co a project he was planning . [n return he offered us a

7 5-acre tract of farmland about a mde north and a 49-acre tract of wooded, hilly land abour a mile west. Six acres for 124. J thoug ht ir was a good deal. \XIe did two

appraisals and he did one. They were all over the place, but all of them came our positive for the city. There was opposition and we took a li ttle heat, but every time it came co a vote we won handily. Today the six acres have been developed commerciaJ ly, the 75-acre farm isa $75 million aqlL1tic center and ball field complex, and the 49-acre forest is a natural area with trails.·' T he Kansas City Department of Parks, Recreation, and Boulevards is far from a run-of-the-mill park agency, which may explain irs entrepreneuriaJ attitude. Esmblished in 1890 and separately chartered as an independem emiry, the departmem has an elected board of commissioners and receives funding not from the city council but directly from the city·s property tax. McHenry has the authority co lock in parkland through dedication, but he doesn ·talways exercise it. !fhis agency owns a parcel that Isn 'r ideal , he sometimes leaves it

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129

URBAN PARKS undedicated and in play. And sometimes he even initiates the action.

we needed money to fix one of our fountains. Wle decided to sell that little piece of the park and use the money for the \X1omen's Leadership Fountain. \X1e got authorization to put it am fOr bid and end-

ed up selling it for $1.2 million."' As it rums out, the children's hospital bought the parkland, tore down the building, and has plans to use the site for green space. "C.'m you beat that?"' asks McHenry.

next 50, 60, 70 years, there was really no oth· er parcel to use. other hospitals in our situa' tion have moved out of the city, but we're committed to remaining here." 8JC sought to restructure the Hudlin lease. By this time, Forest Park had beeome a much more fonnidable player in city land politics. O¥er the previous decade, it had been led through a SI00 million upgrade by Forest PaR Fore,er, a conse~ancy fonned by many of S1. Louis's moYers and shakers. 8JC'S proposal was greeted with howls of public indignation,hllt the conflict was not a typical Da,id,ver$lls-Goliath scenario. Both sides entered the negotiations with consid·

fund . In return, Forest PaR Forever agreed to raise and donate an additional SI.8 million per year for the paR, as a match to the 8JC funds. In addition, the city agreed to make nail· able six acres of land for a replacement Hudlin PaR, directly adiacent, as soon as it completes the reconstruction of a clorerleaf on Interstate 64. I8JC will deyelop the park.! And, to top it off, St. Louisians roted to require that any fu· ture parkland disposal be submitted to a rote of the residents. "In general, parkland should not be sold," says James Mann, fonner executive director of Forest Park Foreyer. "That's why we have an

erable strength but, more important, with the orerall greater good of the city in mind. [,el)' time an impasse was reached, one side or the

agreement that no matter what gets built there will never be a net loss of green space. But we're also talking about parks that go back as

other sweetened the pot rather than demanding a concession. In the final agreement, 8JC got the land in reo tum for an annual payment beginning at S2 mil· lion a year and rising over time (significantly

much as 150 years. To not engage in modern· day politics doesn't make sense. If we can help reinvigorate our city by shifting a few acres, it's worth having the conversation." BIC's June Fowler agrees. "It was an emo-

higher than any of four appraisals of the land's value!. Under prodding from Forest PaR Forev· er, the city agreed that the annual payment would go specifically to projects in Forest Park rather than (as previouslyl to the city's general

tional issue but a respecHul debate," she says. "Honestly, one of the things we appreciate most is having Forest Park as our next·door neighbor. And getting a view of the park even helps our patients get well faster."

"We have a park in om Crown Center area that has a smail, acresize 'tail' across a busy street from

rhe main senion," Mc Henry says. "No one used the tail; no one even knew it was a park. It a1socomained a fun-down bu ilding. Meanwhile,

Getting to Win-Win ERHAPS TtlE MOST SUCCESSFUllY resolved civic debate over converting parkland took place in St. Louis in 2007. The outcome might set II precedent nationally. The "victim" was iI nine-acre corner of beloved Forest Park. The "aggressor" was the equally beloved Barnes-Jewish Hospital, iI civic pillar ilnd one of St.

Louis's great institutions. To the public,

the story seemed simple: Powerful hospital needs more space, ma)'or quietly of· fers pariland, story leaked to the press, conser· vationists rise liP in outrage, huge debate ensues, complicated compromise reached. The true stOI)' was much more nuanced. The chunk of land known as Hudlin Park was sepa· rated from the main, 1,293·acre Forest Park b, an eight·lane road that was realigned in the early 1970s. In 1973, Barnes·Jewish signed an agreement with the city to lease Hudlin for $150,000 a year. The hospital then bum an un·

derground parking garage and rebuilt the park, adding tennis and handball courts, a play· ground, and a picnic area. The lease required the hospital to maintain the park. The deal was set to run for 77 ,ears. At the time, Forest Park was run down and lacked an effective advocacy group. Most St. Louisians didn't know about the agreement, and those who did had no problem with it. Soon almost evel)'one forgot that HudUn had even been part of Forest Park; it was used mostly by hospital staff and patients' families. A few years ago, Barnes·Jewish Inow called Ble HealthCare! proposed an expansion-into Hudlin PaR. "We're landlocked," explains BIC vice president June Fowler. "As we thought about remaining a viable institution for the 30

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What It Takes to Save Parkland

\Xlhat are the differences betw~n Kansas City, St. Louis, and Miami? All three cit ies gave up some parkland , but Kansas City and Sf. Louis did it from a position of strength (and came out ahead), while Miami did it haphazardly, with the park agency relegated almost to onlooker status while politicians did the deals. If you compare Miami 's park system to a chessboard, the city seems to lose a more valuable piece e\"ery time there is an exchange. The strength of Kansas City's park agency stems from rigorous procedures, clear decision making and accountability, and a long tradition. Th e department doesn't always make the right decision, and the populace doesn't always agree with every acrion, but the process is transparent and there is widespread trust in it. In Sf. Louis, we see a bit less park system transparency and a bit less public trust, bur there is also a very strong private-senor parks advocaqr group for Forest Park (see sidebar, opfOSite). 111is alert, ent'lBizeci constiruencysimilartogroups in New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and a few other cities--can make all the difference when it comes to defending parkland from questionable uses, or at least making sure that the city getS the best possible deal. Miami has neither rigorous institmional policies and procedures nor a powerful park advocacy group. There arc outstanding individuals who rise up in eloquent concern, but without an organized base they aTe regularly outmaneuvered by developers, vested interests, eager politicians, and the city's powerful newspaper. 111e lesson is that in cities the competition for space is often so intense that flOt even the strongest statement about the inviolability of parkland is sufficient WithOUt the protection of well-defined regulations and an ever-vigilant private park constituency.

Peter Har11ik is director of the Cemer for City Park Exct/lell(t at the Tmst flff Public Land ill New York. He is the allthor of The Excellent City Park System: What Makes It Great and How ro Get There. This article was reprinted wid, permission from Plal/llil/g, the magazine of the American Planning Association.

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131

Spl'rio{ Srrfioll:

EDUCATlOJ\

laurel.McSherry, the landscape~n-re program at the Washington-Alexandria Archi路 tecture Center [WAAcl, an urban edension of Virginia Tech located just outside the nation's capital.

ASH iNGTON, D.C., HAS

CIVIL UNION

some of the nation's most famous landscapes, bur

for yea rs t here was no

master of landscape architecture ("'fLA) program within an hour's drive of [he \'{1ashington

MonumenL T hat changed in 1998 when Virginia Tech established an MLA program at the

\'{1a.shington-Alexandria Archicecrure Cencer (WAAC), its urban extension in Alexandria, Virginia. Virginia Tech has had a land-

A fledgling landscape architecture program once partnered with a landscape design program for mutual advalltage. Now dlat dle), need each other less, what has been leal路ned? By Daniel Jost, Associate ASlA

scape archi tecture program for many years, but it wasdifficu!c w expand che MLA program 270 miles from its parent campus in ehe Blue Ridge Moumains. It didn't have the facul-

ty necessary [Q duplicate its core classes at the WAAC, and distance learning can only go so far with courses like gmding. So Virginia Tech made an unusual parcnership; it worked with the esmblished landscape de-

32 1Landlcape Architecture

2007, the WAAC jumped at the chance co add a foundation year within ics own program. T he changing relationship between the schools is only a small parr of each school's smry. T he interdisciplinary nacureof the WAAC, the way it takes advantage of surrounding insticutions,and theoptions it provides students co learn various cmfts make it stand out from other landscape architeccure programs, Mean while , GW has continued co expand its options, addl!lg a sustainable landscapes certificate chat is helping co bring knowledge of sustainable design to small-scale projects.

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sign progmm at George \'V'ashingmn University (GW) to provide the firs t year of study for scudents who wanted mspend al l three years in the \'V'ashington, D.c., area. H ow well did this partnership work out? It was effective, but probably not ideal. So when the funding became available in

A Changing Relationship

GW is not the only landscape design progmm that has a relat ionship with a landscape architecture progmm . Some bachelor of landscape architecture (BLA) progmms

, I

George Washington University: Smal~Scale Sustainability

he landscape design program at George Washington IGw) Univenity is not a traditional graduate program, and its students are not traditional studenis. Most are working professionals coming from completely

different careers who sit for one or two courses at a time and often take three years to finish their landscape design certificate. Not far into an open house Landsc:ape

Cristina Lewandowski, Stndent Affiliate ASLA, discowered her interest in landscape architecture while taking landscape design dasses at George Washington University IGwl, An agreement between GW and the WAAC allowed her to enter the WAAC's MLA program with adwanced standing,

allow students from junior colleges to enter with advanced standing. Additiooally, fOf the past four years, the Conway School of Landscape Design has had an agreement with the Uni versity of Massachusetts Amherst's MLA program to provide ad vanced standing for its graduates, though only one person has taken advantageofit so far. But GWI may be the only landscape design program that was ever fully integrated inm an MiA program at another uniwrsity. And unlike Conway, over the years it has successfully steered many students into rhe field ofIandscape architecture. Virginia Tech and GW's partnership was formed at a time when there were more landscape architecture jobs than peop le to fi ll them, says Adele Ashkar, ASLA, who heads d le landscape design program at GW. Virginia Tech has offered ooth BLAsand MLAs in Blacksburg for many years. H owever, Blacksburg is a small town in southwestern Virginia, and few landscape architecture firms are nea rby. H aving t he MLA program near provides grad students more opponunities to intern. The 1998 agreement between GW and Virginia Tech allowed students with no previous design experience to spend their first yea r studying landscape design at GW and then finish their Mi A at the WAAC.

o.c.

34 1 Lendlcape Architecture Hnun l on

Originally, students could choose to spend their first year in Blacksburg rather than at GW, but Blacksburg's fi rs t professional degree program was discontinued in 2(X)4, and for tWO years, all students entering the M.LA program without prevIous design experience had m begin at GW or some otherprogram approved by the Virginia Tech faculty. To make sure that ,graduates from GW's landscape design pro,gram would be ready to enter a second-year graduate studio, fuculty members frum both schools sat down and compared thei r curricula. "'\"'e had m strengthen a few things," says Ashkar. "O ur site en,gineerin,g and construction classes were improved. But we agreed there would be some areas ou r students were overqualified for and some areas where they would need more instruction." D ue m its focus on smal l-scale landscapes, GW does not provide a solid back,ground in regional site engil"leering and hydrology. 'Ineseclasses would need co be provided at the WAAC. H owever, GW is stronger on planting desi,gn than many landscape architecture programs. T he partnership between GW and Vir,gin ia Tech had benefits fo r bach programs. It helped Virginia Tech establish a new master's p rogram quic k ly. In the early years, "it provided a significant source of students for both programs," says Laurel

Architecture attended, Adele Ashkar, ASLA, the prognm's director, tells incoming students point-blank that this is not a landscape architecture program, The program focuses on small-scale landscapes-small residences ilnd commercial projects, There is no "'usuill" career track for graduates, given their varied backgrounds, Many go on to do freelance landsupe design, Others 1"0'* for design/build finns, One graduate, who had a background in journalism, is now the garden writer for The Washingtotl Post, And of cOllrse a few go on to another uni路 'ersity to stud)' landscape architecture. Students at GW are taught many of the same skills taught to landscape architects. There are cla$$" on site analysis, site engineering, the history of garden design, and constroction methods. But there is a strong focus on plants. An introductory class teaches students basic plant sc:ience lone creditl. two core classes focus on design with plants (two credits eachl, and fire woody plant identification courses lone credit eachl take advantage of the U.s. Botanic Garden and other local landscapes to study plants duro ing different seasons. While the program recently added a digital representation electiwe, in studio classes students do all their design work b)" hand. Ashkar belines it is parlicularly imporlant for her students to be able to draft and draw, giwen the types of clients the)" will hue. " for a small-scale designer, AutOCAD is owerkill," says Ashkar, and so far there is no single design program being used by the majority of landscape designers. For man)" )"ears, the landscape design program did not offer an)" sorl of master's degree. It onl)" offered a cerlificate for students who complete a 28-credit track. How-

ever, recently the program added a second II5·credit! certificate in sustainable land· scapes, and students who com· plete both certificates can earn a master of professional studies in laudscape design. The sustaiuable laudscapes certificate is being marketed to both landscape design gradu· ates and practicing profession· als. The program focuses on sustainable ideas that un be implemented as a part of small· scale design. " As far as I know, this hasn't beeu done anywhere else," says Ashkar. There are classes on designing with native plants, techniques for removing exotic invasiYes and restoring natire plant communities, ilnd approaches to water conservation. Studenu learn about the technologies and planu used for green roofs, and they are introduced to rating systems for sustainable design. The sustainable landscapes certificate is a one·year program-beginning in August and ending in April-that is designed to accommodate the work schedule of practicing landscape designers. It consists of seven classes, each approximately a month in length, and uses a blended delivery format , which means that it combines distance learning dasses that can be taken over the Internet with intensive weekend dasses that meet illI da,. The final class is a sustainable design charreHe, where students work alone or in groups to create projects that express sustainable design principles. "Our mission is really to make sure our local designers are prepared for hom e owners who want to use sustainable practices in their hom e landscape," sau Ashkar. "It's a real community-based mission for us." The landscape design classes at GW focus on small·scale design, top and right. Adele Ashkar, ASLA, critiques her student's design for a church courtyard, below right. GW'S plant identification classes are held at the U.S. Bolanic Garden, Brookside Gardens, below left, and other nearb, landscapes.

GLANCE

C~?r~e \y~sllill~t?n yllivers i ty

Landscape Design Program Location:

W'aJhmgtoll, D.C. , alld Lol/dorlll CONllfy. Virg;/Ifa Students:

f20- f50 Full-time faculty positions:

I Part-time faculty positions:

30 Degrees offered:

laudscape desigll certificate, JlIStaluabie laJ/dscapes certificate, II/djter ofprofeHirmal str!dies in landsCdpe desigll Cost for 2008-2009 academic year:

15751credit (landscape design certificate, $16,. 100; smtalnab/e landscapes certificate, $8,625: IIMster ofprofessioJ/al sff/dies in landsCdpe tkign. $24,725 ) Accredited:

by the Middle States Commissioll 01/ Higher Edm<ltioll (Not accredited by the L mdscape Architecfllre Accreditation B(ldrd: Ixnl'tlJer, a certificate from GW is colliidered an adequate replace1l1l!11t for the first year ofgraduate study ill lalldrcape architectflre.) Profile:

George Washington V lIillenily offers Cdrter challgers opportflnities 10 learn abollt designing small-scale lalldscapes onllights alld weekends, with a strollg emphmis 011 plalltillg desigll. For thme illterested ill continuing on ill the field of landscape archilectllre, its COllrJ(j call comll t()tlldrd the MLtI program al Virginia Tech.

fEnUAn 2 0 n

landscape Architecture 1 35

McSherry, who now hends the landscape arch icecrure program ac the WMC. Ic was also a way (0 provide plant identification and ocher core courses for the WAAC's MLA candidaces. The p lanes classes in Blacksburg are provided in conjunccion with Virginia Tech·s Department of Horticulture, which does noc offer classes in Alexandria. ForCW, che pmnership offered a chance co improve the landscape design program and extend new opportunities (0 its graduates. ·The big atcracrion for me and che program was chat we would have a fmerion of students who would scart ac CW and chen discover the field of landscape architecture," says Ashkar. Under the new agreement, "chey wouldn'c have to forfeic all the work chey had done and stare somewhere fresh." Add icionally, CW students would generally benefit from having an Ml.A program nearby. "So many of our studencs are career changers," Ashkar explains. ·They have families here, roots here. TIley can·c JUSt gec up and leave town." It is unlikely chey could continue their studies in the field oflandscape architecrure if there were no program in the D.C. metro area.

36 1Lendlcape Architecture

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Cristina Lewandowski, Student Affil1 ace ASLA, now a second-year student ac che WAAC, discovered landscape architecture as a part-time student at CW. "\'\Ihen I starced at CW, I had been a software developer for 15 years, and I wanted something creative rodo in my spare time,·' she says. ··Ac firsc, I wanted co learn how co design a Rower bed. And chen I said, ·\X1hat·s larger than a flower bed? I want to do thaL .. ·

, -.I

Sarah Strunk Couchman, Associate ASLA . a former economic consultant who graduated from the WAAC in 2007, was already considering a career change when she began taking classes in landscape design. "CW was a great way for me ro ge t my feet wet;· she writes. "Classes were in t he evenings and on wC€kends, which meant that I could continue to work as a consultant while I figured our whether I wanted to change careers. ·· In e-mail questionnai res, many graduates of the crossuniversity program s.'\id they valued the plants courses they took at CW and the program's strong connection to real-world construction issues. "At CW teachers were typically practicing as well as teaching, so they often had useful advice thac stemmed from close contact with contractors and suppliers,'· says Rob Holmes, Associate ASLA, who graduaced from the WAAC in 2008 and currently works for Michael Vergason landscape Architects. "Since working with contraccors and suppliers is such a major pare of professional pracrice, T've come to appreciate that aspect ofcw a great deal." However, the partnership had disad vantages as well, particularly in the years thac students were all but required to begin at CW. TIle biggesc is that since CW is a night school and Students do not have their own desks on sice, it lacks che Studioculture chac is craditionally the backbone of a design educacion. Studio environmencs encourage students co share ideas and critique one anocher's work. "'{That] can't be duplicated in once-a-week MLA students at the WAAC present their projects to both architecture and landscape architecture faculty, top and opposite bottom. Caren Yglesias, a full·time adjunct professor, critiques a student's work, left.

,.&'

., .

All students at the WAAC are reo quired to own a laptop computer with a software package proyid· ed by the uniyenity, but a small computer lab is ayailable, right.

pinups as we had at GW," S<'Iys Holmes. Being immersed in the studio environment suddenly in their second year was also a bit of a culture shock for some students. ,· It was an adjustment [0 come to the WAAC and have studio thret' days a week for four hou rs each day;' says Couchman. Additionally, many Students foun d the focus on small-scale design during their first year overly limiting. Lindsey Heise already had a background in landscape design when she entered the program, but her degree d id nO( allow her to receive advanced placement at the WAAC. While she round theGW program to be very well run, itwas redundant for her. "'It would have been more advantageous for me ro have chree years at the WAAC," she says. Others chought chere were benefics to beginning on a smal l scale. "Having no previous design experience or {education], small-scale design may be less intimidating and perhaps a gocxl way to get {he basic fundamentals," says Irene Mills. But even Mills thought the amount of time spenc on small-scale design was tOO long. larger-scale design was not introcluced ac GW, T he Students planning [Q continue u on in landscape archicectureeven at rhe height of rhe parrnership---made up only a third of the landscape design graduares in agiven year, Mosr students went chere ro learn small-scale design. Finally, running a program in cwo different universities can be a bureaucratic nightmare for both students and adminisrrarors. For the tWO years that Virginia Tech lacked a

•

foundation year, students needed tosimultaneously apply to GW or somewhere else when they applied to the \'MAC. "From the students' perspective, that was really cumbersome," says McSherry. 'The students had to go through cwo different application processes, and both schools nc-eded to accept them ." Gi\'en chese challenges, ic is not surprising that the \'MAC decided to add a foundation year in 2007. Yet, during the period

when the WMC could nO{ teach all three years, the program scill managed to chrive, It was accredited twice by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board, and in 2008, Virginia Tech's r.ILA program ranked lOch in che publicacion DesignJl/tel/igel/ds annual rankings. "'It is a viable model," says Ashkar, "'espe_ cially if we are looking for nonrradicional ways to bring students into landscape architecture programs. I think the challengesrhe fact chac these career changers are nor used co a StUdio environment and the jump in scales-are both surmountable, as long as the MiA program is sensitive to it and designs a studio chac helps them co bridge chat gap." Such a transition studio was offered at rhe WAAC in che summer of 2006 as a substitute for che fi nal stuclioat GW . GW graduates can still receiveadvanced standing in {he Virginia Tech program , chough many students have recently chosen noc co finish their certificate and ro transfer after one semester's worth of course work. GW is currently working with rhe University of Maryland's young (and as of HnUA n

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CAMPUS PROFILE this writing not yet accredited) MLA program to create a similar partnership that would give srndents graduating from GW another option in the region. The WAAC > Architecture + Landscape Architecture

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It's 1:30 PM on a Monday afternoon, and everyone at the WAAC is crammed intoa single classroom for the school's weekly kickoff meeting. The chairs fill quickly, so latecomers must sit on the floor or lean on the walls. Architecture and landscape architecture students, firs t years, and thesis students all sit side by side, conversing as they wait for the meeting to begin. Intemnion between architecture and landscape architecture students is uncommon In many universities. At the main campus of Vi rginia Tech, for exampIe, the landscape architecture and architecture studios are in separate bUIldings, and students rarely interact. 13m at the WAAc's small campus, the students are integrated in a variety of ways. T he most obvious form of integration is the seating arrangement in the studio. \'7hile many programs separate students by discipline, year, or studio class, the WAAC does the opposite. Architecture students sit next to landscape architecture students, and first years sit next to third years. Students designing a boatbuilding museum sit next to students deSlgmng a cemetery. O riginally, the faculty tried grouping the first-year students together so they wouldn't be overwhelmed, ··but no one was ever breaking Out ," says McSherry. ··ft was like playing tennis with people at the same level as you." Students of various abilities and disciplines are likewise integrated through the studios themselves. Second- and third-year students are co-taught by both archicecture and landscape architecture mculty, and landscape architecture and architecture Studenrsare mixed in che same class. At the beginning of each semes-

ter, the faculty hangs a banner in the main entry of the WAAC with the names and descriptions of the 12 studio projens being offered. Students select their top three choices, unaware of which £'IClllty member is teaching each studio, and they are assigned to one. Lemuel Hancock, Student ASLA, a second-year landscape architecture student, is in a studio called "Polis and Demus- Exploring Democratic Space," and mOSt of his classmates are architecture students. He s,'\ys that the landscape architectS and architects are each taking a different approach to the problem, based on their discipline. Many of the architects are creating buildings that interact with public squares, while he is more intensively focusing on outdoor space and how it can be designed to facilitate interaction and el(-vate people who have been cast aside. Another unique aspect of the studio environment is that students areencouraged to schedule desk crits with landscape arch itectllre and architecture faculty who are not teaching their studio. While many schools have professors who go beyond the call of duty, helping Students who are not in their studio get OUt ofa rut, what is unusual about the WAAC IS the way that seeking Out multiple opinions is institutionalized. All professors have a sign-up sheet on their door that shows the times they are free for desk crits listed in half-hour increments. This SOrt of freewheeling studio environment requires some kind of grounding SmlCture, and that's why the WAAC stages kickoff meetings every Monday. ft is at these meetings that students learn t heir readlllg assignments and when their studio will meet for pinups and dis-

Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center (WAAC) Landscape Architeclure Program Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virgill ia Tech) Location:

Alexandria, Virginia Students:

45 landscape architecture S{fldel1/1 ( 17 3 slmien!s total ill

U'IAAC)

Full路time landscape architecture faculty positions:

3 ill AleXLmdria (2 resident alld I adjunct); 7 additjOllal famlty bdJed in BldCksbllrg dre able to jerve til fhe maj(Jt' professor for d tOOil st"dent Landscape arehitecture faculty holding PhD.:

1 in Alexandria, 2 in Blacksburg Degrees offered: MLA

Coat for 2008-2009 academic year: Virginia residen!J-$4,892.50/semester ($4,386 fllition + $506.50 Ires); Ollt-ofJtdte wide/Iff: $S,560Iie"UJter ($7,968.50 t{{itioll + 591.50 !&J) (doer nol inclllde woody plants cOllrses thaI film! be faktll olltside the !IIlil'mify) Accredited:

by wlI.iswpe Architecture Accreditation Board Profile:

The jim nldJter oflandicape architectllre established in the Capital Region, this program takes adf'dntage of nearby mOllrces to tearh design at a f'drietyof scales. Its 1II111sf{al interdisciplinary stlldio environment fadlitates dis[IIssion betll'fRn architectllre and landicape architectf{re stf{dmlf and Jtlldents with different laws ofexperience. ElectllJt!i il/rltlde a dllifrse array of art, lIatflral mOllrces. alld plalllllrig da.HtJ. (ussions. Also, since the stlldems are get ting advice from more than one stud io professor, it is necessary to group-grade students' work. T he emire faculty participates III all final reviews as jury members. The tWO primary studio instructors begin the conversation about rhe Stu dent's grade. Then , "the faculty as a

whole discusses the work and their interactions with the srudent, and a consensus grade is reached," says McSherry. Sining near architecture stlldents who are more experienced in drawing and model building "'helps to push the landscape architect's work forward because the architects tend to be more meticulous," 5.'lys Annalisa Miller, a PhD candidate in architecture and design research who caught the foundation studio last fall. T he architects also learn from inreracti ng with the landscape architects and caking landscape architecture classes. "'Before, the professors would have to prompt us to draw 10 feet past the building,"' says Omni Morse. "Si nce coming here I understand that it should be a lot more than thar." \'{fhile the WAAC experiments with many ways of integrating

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HIRUUl 2009 Landscape Architecture

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CAMPUS PROfiLE architecture and landscape architecture students, it avoids having architects and landscape architeas partner on studio projens. Most of the arc h itcnure students at the WAAC are pursuing their second professional degree, so making them work with

second-year landscape archi tecture students would be un£'\ir. Arts + Crafts It is not just [he WAAC's connenion to [he

field of arcilircnure but its conncnion ro the fine arts [hat makes the progrnm stand out. \Xlhere dsecan you learn printmaking alongside the head of your program?

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"I think if openues as a guild here," observes McSherry. When she lirst arrived, she took the intaglio printmaking class, a class where smdents etch copper plates with toots or acid and then create prints, with her Students. "Anywhere else, you·d have to be in a master tiline arts program orwait until thc-rt was space,·' says McSherry. "Here you can take that class with ocherpoople in your field." In addition to the printmaking class, the architecture department offers classes in photography, screen and block priming, Ix>okmaking, and watercolor, which can be taken as electives. T he WAAC actually has its own darkrooms and a wood shop. "Even if you're not in the photo class, the darkroom'salways open and you're encouraged to use it," says Alhson TImrmond. And the same goes for the wood shop. TIle students don't use the shop JUSt for models; they often design interventions within t he bui lding itself. Students designed and built all of the Ix>okshelves in the library and a second-floor balcony that holds a piano, and they are currently working on a corkscrew staircase. Of course, there are also ecology classes. The natural resources department of Virginia Tech offers classes in Northern Virginia, and all MLA students are required to take at least one. A class called field ecology takes trips to various ecosystems throughout the mid -Atlantic states- visiting landscapes such as a salt marsh and a cranberry oog. "It provided me with a fairly solid understanding of plant communities and their relationship to fauna," says Holmes.

Other departments where students can take courses include an urban planning program and the Metropoli tan Institu te, which "conducts research on development patterns and metropolitan growth" according to its web site. L-mdscape architecture students can pursue dual degrees with many of these programs. However, the WAAC sri II doesn ·t offer basic plants courses. T hough rhe MLA Stlldents are payi ng fu ll-rime tui tion, rhey must shell out additional funds to take their required plants courses ours ide the prog ram. Locally, they can take dle courses at GWor the USDA G mduateSchool. Recently, most stud ents have chosen the USDA, where the courses are relatively inexpensive. One thing the WAAC does very well is rake advantage of its locati o n within WashingTOn, D.C. So that stlldems have opporrunities TO intern within the com munity, all classes are run in the afternoon (after 1:30 PM) and in the evening. Many s[Udents are working i 5 TO 20 hours a week for a local fi rm by rhe rime rhey fi nIsh their second year at the WAAC, and some continue working for the same emp loyer once they graduare. Cultural opportunities also abound. At the weekly kickoff meetings, students are informed about lectures taking place at 10cations such as the National Building Museum and Dumbarton Oaks. Within the WAAC irsel f, Civic Citings, a new class being taught by Caren Yglesias, uses rhe city as a textbook. Srudents take 10 trips within the city, visiting both cultural Institutions and important landscapes. The class is being taught to fi t stsemester fOundation srudents in an effort to encourage critical th inking about landscape archireccure. "You cannot have students graduating who hm'e never been to rhe National Gallery of Arr,"' says Ygles ias , ··who have ne ver looked at the work of Andrew Goldsworthy versus Christo, who have not compared O lin's work at the \'V'ash ington Monument to Van Valkenburgh's work at the \'V'hite House." O ne of the highlights of the class is the trip to the Library of Congress, where srudents are introduced to {he library's collections and how to use them. Imagine researching your thesis there. TIlat's the sort of opportunity that makes srudying so close to the nation·s capital unique.

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EDUCATlOJ\

Landscape architecture students design and build gill'dens in healtb care settings, By Daniel Winterbottom, ASlA HE UNTVERSI1l' OF WASHINGTON

Landscape Architecture DesignIBuild Program recently completed two undergraduate capstone projects in health care settings, The first project is a therapemic play garden at a state residential school for individuals with developmental disabilities, the second an urban rooftop garden at a residential treatment

fucility for advanced-stage cancer patients. Both user groups cope with the cumulative effects of relocation to unfamiliar environments, separation from supportive networks, and feelings of isolation, depression, and fear. Student designers were confronted with these feelings in planning meetings with residents, staff, and volunteers. Out of such meetings they evolved

rhe two main organizing concepts: "fumiliarity" and "escape." Home is a safe harbor, a personal domain serving the needs of the resident. But patients also need a place to escape when the routine of treatment and institutional life feels tOO limited and controlled, Our strategy was to build familiarity and escape into the design through the creation of specific places commonly found in the domestic landscape: gardens for cultivation and sensory stimulation, paths for wandering and exploration,

Students Bridget Darrow, Associate ASLA, and Ronald RoveHo, Student ASLA, and Associate Professor Daniel WinterboHom, ASLA, shovel concrete into the forms for a water runnel in the healing garden at Fircrest School. other students on the left are applying a steel finish to a seat wall.

42 1Landlcape Architecture

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The tool shed at Fircrest School is adjacent to the

raised beds, above. The bed on the right is designed to accommodate wheelchair gardeners. Student Janette Eby attaches plywood to the two-by-four framing, top right, to create the circular form. The circular raised bed in the middle of the illustrative

plan, right, marks the center point of the radial organization of the site. The

tool shed ilnd raised planters are on the left, the swings ilnd rubber surfacing at the top, and the meandering path and lawn area are located on the left and bottom of the plan. Students Emily Carlson (on the leftl, Matthew Martenson, Student AStA (in the centerl. and luke

Anderson, Associate ASLA (on the rightl fill the seat wall with concrete, below.

and speci fic elements such as swing sets, warer fearures, and shade arbors. The Healing Garden At Fircrest School

O ne garden we designed and built was ar Fircrest School in Shoreline, \Vashingron , the only residential center for the state's mosr severely developmentally disabled residents, Residents suffer from autism , mental retardation, physical disabi lities, developmental regression , and cognirive impairments, Add to these poor or no mo-

44 1Lendlcape Architecture

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,1•

,••

~ 1

·,

This project was ambitious in scale and complexity for our third-year undergraduate students. biliry, frequent seizures, difficulties with social engagement, and compulsive or v[alene behaviors,

younger rr-sidencs at rhe same facility. I toured t he site and met with the

In 200 1 rhe undergraduate capsrone studio designed and buil t a,garden for the eld-

Friends [Q discuss {he objectives and explain the process we use in our program. T he project offered the students interest-

erly residents residing at Fircrest. The gar-

ing challenges and a unique opportunity

den has been a well-used and loved amenity by the residents and care providers, and last year the Friends of Fircre5c, a fund-raising group, inquired if we would be interested

ro design a garden for chose with disabilities. Washington state requires that facilities housing youth provide appropriate recreacional facilities, which iniciaced the idea for a therapeutic play garden. T he Friends of Fi rcrest raised $30,000 to fund

in participating in a collaooracive designl build srudio to create another garden for

the garden, and the project was undertaken through the lO-week 2008 undergraduate capscone stud io. During the first week the class toured Fircrest; met with therapists, staff, and adminiscracors; conducted a site analysis; and compiled a resource library of precedent projects. Few of the students had interacted with those suffering from autism, bipolar disorder, or violent cantrums. Wle typically use a participatory design process engaging many of the users, bur this projecc differed in chat many of che potencial users had difficulcy communicating and their aaive panicipation was limited. O nly a few accended che publ ic forum and were able to panicipace, offering their ideas and sharing thei r needs wlCh the students. Some of the residencs wacched from a distance bue did not interact. Many of the students were shocked and a litcle stumped as co whac codesign. 111ey The finished garden, top, has a wand ering path in the foreground, swings and a pumpkin patch to the left, and a rainwater ronnel, tool shed, and raised beds on the right. The tool shed, shade structure, and worktable, left, are in close proximity to the raised planting beds-each residential " family" has its own planting bed. HnUA n

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relied on care providers, parentS, residents, and their own research [0 gain a deeper understanding of the population they were designing for. Tn t he second week they divided into five teams of three students each and were given tWO weeks to prepare schematic master plans and models fOf a play garden designed for a menu of activities that can be chosen by individuals or groups and their caregivers. The therapeutic program and the characteristics of the site suggested that a "backyard" thar would funct ion at times as a "village green" would be the work1l1g narrative. The results were rhen presented to sraff, administrators, and the few residents who could communicate and provide feedback. Participants were asked to vote for their favorite design and tochoose elements from the other plans they would like to see incorporated into dle preferred alternative. After reviewing {he comments a team of five srudents synrhesized the designs in one week and presented [he result to the Friends of Fircrest, sraff, and parem s. The plan was adopted

46 1Lendlcape Architecture

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with minor changc""S. Some elements were deleted due [0 rime and COStS; others, including a tree house, wi ll be added in rhe

future. T hat k{t juSt one week [0 prepare construction documents. TIle remaining eight weeks were devoted to construction . The students worked on site 20 hours per week, with addi tional time allocated for development of the color schemes, refining the planting plans, and adjusting elevations as inconsistencies in the field emerged. T he fJ.c ilicy's personnel also contributed to the project, lending their time and expertise as backhoe operators, in transporting fill, and in digging and salvaging existing trees and large shrubs. Concrete finishers were hired to work with the students to ensure the quality of the concrete pathway, TIle swings, parallel bars, and rubber paving tiles were purchased from a playground manufacturer and insralled by the student team. Meanwhile, many of the residents were attracted to the construction of the garden and continued to spend significant JXirts of their days sircing and observing the garden and the activities there. Th is project was ambitious in scale and complexity for our thirdyear undergrnduate students. Most

Water is pumped hrto the runnel during the dry season for use by the residents, above. Students RoYetto , left, and Julian Christodouli, center, and teaching assistaJrt Benjamin Engelhard, Student ASLA, right, install it steel-sculpted tree form, right, that conveys water from the roof into the runnel , Student Shu-Vu Huang applies iI steel finish to the seat wall, be/ott',

had litt le experience in construction. \'{Then draw ing the conscruction documents, they were able (Oful! back on lessons learned during their construction classes, but when they faced decisions during the construction process moS{ were unsure of how ro rurm the concrete walls, how to build a curved glue laminated beam, how to lay pavers, or how to form and pour a concrete rat slab. Plumbing a column, assembling a OOurd and baton shed wall, framing a roof, or laying drainpipe were still mysteries t hat the students hadn't considered, although many had designed them in plan and section. 111e class was certainly pushed (0 its limits, but in the end the students were quite amazed with the result and touched that they had created a garden so valued by the residents. 111e residents were excited, claiming ownership of the beds. Many were saddened (0 see the team leave, having developed relationships with srudents and having enjoyed the construction activities in their backyard. The Staff at Fircrest is enthusiastic about the garden design and

makes use of it on a regular basis. Onesraff member has a group of the yomh growing vegetables in the raised garden beds. 111e parents of the residents liTI it is a critical addition ro the care Fircest provides theirchildren. Residents are \'ery engagtxl in the gar-

den, and on each visit ro the sire residents can be seen using the garden rur work, play, and socializing. Many of those whoare nonverbal use the walking paths, preferring chose in the garden to others within the cam pus. These users view the garden as Htheir backyard" and seek the calming solace that the garden and nature provide. Some residents use the garden independently, though most are accompanied by one or more scaff. For those users with very low social skills- severe autism, for example-parallel play or gardening may represent the highest k....路eI of social interaction they can manage. For others, swinging side by side may inspire social imeranions not stimulated by more passive activities. For the minimally social, observation is an im)XJrtanc part of their daily routine. The garden provides an <ICCessible means of escape both for the residents and significantly for the care providers. Many of the residents are prone to stay in their rooms, watching TV or sleep ing. T he narrowness of op)XJrtunities to engage the residents is an issue among care providers, and the garden is a counterpoint to {he monotony of their routine. As a place of stimulation, entertainment, play, and diversion, fEnUA n

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EDUCATION

KORNEGAY LANDSCAPE CONTAINERS

the circular paths contrast with the rectilinear layout of the main campus and enable residents (0 increase their muscle mass, improve coordination, and gain confidence. TIle water runnel provides fascination and engagement as it courses down rhe channel, changing texture and encouraging manipulation, which improves fine mocor skills and eye-hand ({X)rdinarion. The motion of the glider and swings is soothing and reduces stresses and anxiety that many of the residents must cope with. Gardening allows residents co have ownership of a bed, plant a seed, watch it grow, and harvest its produce. It's an immersiveexperience rorsome residents JUSt to touch rhe soil, dig, and water. For those who become serious gardeners it is one of their primary d1ily focuses, and it helps them build a work ethic, sense of responsibility, and discipline. The briglnly colored concrete walls, the flowering vines and herbs, the natural wood, and the sculpted rain tree thar conveys the water into the runnel are dynamically taCtile and expressive and provide a place of COntrast and enticement that allows residents for a brief while ro be in a special place thac provides a seasonally changing aesthetic, opporrunities for play, and constructive physical and mcneal engagements within a safe environment. Pete Gross House Healing Garden

AMERICA! SOCIETY Of ImSCAPE mEn SfREEf IW. WISHI16fOl. OC 101-m -1m â&#x20AC;˘fIX 101-898-1185 48 1Lendlcape Architecture

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As director of the landscape architectu re design/build program, J was approached in 2005 by the development director ac che Fred H utchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, who was familiar wich a previous Cancer Lifeline project completed by students in 2001 and was interested in building upon the success of thac project. \'{le agreed ro use our capstone srudio ro design and build a garden for pacients undergoing cancer treacment at the Pete Gross House, which provides apartmenc-scyle accommcxlation fOr up to 70 patients receiving stem-cell treatmern for advanced-stage cancer. 111e wide rangeof ages accommodated at che house offered an addicional challenge for che srudencs. Ac any time a chird of the residents can be children and most are joined by a parent, so intergeneracional needs were considered. "rnese patients are uprooted from famil-

mr home environments for long periods and are coping with exhausting and invasive treatments, For mosr, rradirional cancer rreatmenrs have been unsuccessful and stem-cell rrearmenc offers a last chance. Patiencs arrive with a companion, parenc, friend, or parmer who lends support during rhe rrearments. T he garden was to be designed to SUPIXlrt both patients and care providers. Patiencs' energy level is affected by

the treatmencs, and mobi lity is limited to their rooms, hallways, and the garden. Many feel uncomfortable in public serrings, and rhe garden becomes a place of res p ite and escape. Care providers, by concl'dSt, are orren bored and stircmzy. For rhem, rhe garden provides an outler and serring for social inreraction and peer support. T he 1,500-square-foot garden located on the seventh-floor rooftop was to be designed

HnUA n

At the Pete Gross House Healing Garden, a deck features glass sentinels and a "liying room" space to the reilr, abo~e, Younger residents leaye notes, poems, ilnd images on the chalkboard at the end of th e woodland path, below left. The arbor posts were tied jnto the deck frilming, below right, to pro,ide resistance to the wind.

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landscape Architecture 1 49

EDUCATION and conS[ructed by 14 undergraduate students in just one 10week quarter. T he first week was devoted to community engageMeditation ment. Meetings were held with Room the younger residents and staff; older residents were less involved since they were at greater risk for infection. TIleirwishes were conveyed through written comments collected from the staff. Many of thesrudents had linle experience with cancer and were reserved at first. Over the course of the first week, most weredmwn in by stories told by the younger residents (ages 8 to 15) who, despite the severi ty of their situation, displayed a deep inner strength and were blunt and deeply moving when asked to tell of their journeys. During these discussions many themes emerged. T he young patients wanted spaces to talk and socialize, to watch the Stars and moon, to be away from adults, to write, and to disappear. On a lighter note, they wanted game tables and a "'deck like my backyard." T he adults' wishes were somewhat similar. They asked for a place for meetings, spaces to talk and socialize, a place to

Pete Gross House S ite Plan

be alone, a place to see the sky and to relax in the sun, places to write leners, and, most heartrend ing, a place to cry. Based on this input the students developed a program and were then divided into five teams who were g iven three and a half weeks to develop a schematic design proposal. Each team created plans, sections, elevations, and scaled models. The

The 1,SOO路square路foot garden, top, is on the roof of the Pete Gross House. Students Ryan Storkman and Kara Weaver, ASLA, cut concrete payers for in路 stallation on the woodland walk, leN. Student Travis Scrivner installs the arbor rafters, abo~e. Teaching assistant lack Thomas and Storkman run the arbor rafters through a planer, right, before they're erected on site.

50 1Lendlcape Architecture

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Residents often use the garden for passive activities such as reading, abore, Storkman, left, and Krystal Lowber, right, install one of the S<llvaged Jilpanese maples into a raised container, belotl' left, Thomas,left, and Jacob Millard, right, install new Trex plastic lumber decking, below right, which offers a warm color and a nontoxic and slip-resistant surface,

models wefe most helpful in communicating [he scale, color, and spacial relacionsh ips of thei r proposals. An advisory commin('(" of patients and staff reviewed the plans. Commiccee members placed a single pink Posc-it note on their preferred design and three yellow Post-its on elements from other schemes they would like incorporaled

into the final proposal. Two designs garnered rhe majoricy of voces; chese were merged with several components from the remaining designs into the preferred alternative. Next, construction documents were completed by half of the class in juSt one week, while other students completed COSt and macerial esrimates, A structural engineer was hired to si7.e [he arixlr members and connections. Because of t he tight time frame, only a week was available rur permining. 111is presented a significant challenge and, in theend,onedetermined scudent camped ouc at the

Department of Planning and Development for three days, stewarding the drawings through the permitting process. 11lt' remaining six weeks were devoted to construction. 111e class was divided into several teams: walls and screen, arbor, and plamer and metal fabricution-each with a student leader and guided by me or one of two teaching assistants. As each task was completed, team members were reassigned to other teams. 111e students fabricated the garden components at the university, where they COtdd use the wood and welding shops. T he components were transported to the si te and carried up seven fl igh ts of stairs for installation. All organic material had to be double bagged in plastic bags to prevent inhalation by residents. T he 14-foot arbor beams pt"(""Senred a unique challenge, as the rad ius of the stairwell offers a two-inch clearance. Despite the intensity of the labor, which averaged 20 hours per week per student, the students rarely complained, and as the physical forms emerged, their excitement galvanized their efforts and helped them work th rough their exhaustion. Students then erected walls, SCf(fnS, planters, and arbors, framed for and attached rhe decking, installed the vent screens, irrigation, soil, and plants. Some elements went quickly; rhe arbor did not. Its post-to-the-fioor-I01St connections were complicated by an effort to salvage the exISfing deckIng. \'Ve had to remove the decking, add members to the framing,and bol t the postS to the beefed-up beams. We also added cross frammg to increase the rigidity of the Roor. A structural engineer helped us with the derai ls.

fEnUA n

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lSI

EDUCATION Finally, the garden was complete. A planted pathway conneC[s three garden rooms - "llvlng room," "porch," and "study." Bright and contrasting colors, plant textures, and geometric patterns provide an escape frum the mmed browns and beiges

that define the interior spaces of the residences and lend a sense of uplift for those

facing the unrelenting srress of the illness. The "living room" is the hean of the

AMERICAN somlY Of IANOSCAPE AR\~:lllml 636 En SIREEI NW. WASHIN610N. DC 101 101·090·1m •fIX 101·098·1105 • 52 1Lendlcape Architecture

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garden, and as the first space visitors experience it feels very domestic in scale, character, and use; it is similar to a backyard patio and offers enclosure and privacy with an arbor supporring vines above. With its inward focus, this outdoor hying room is used by residents and swfffuf reading and homework, for meetings and conversation. Lightweight IOllnge chairs can be arranged for rest, contemplation, visiting, Of playing h'llfllfS and otfura degree ofself--determ ination for the patients, whose decision making has been usurped by medical staff. T he west side of the living room opens to the "porch," the largest space, triangular and open to the sky. A parapet wall offers sweeping views of Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains, and Lake Union. In response to t"e(jllestS by the young residents of the Pete Gross House, a telescope is mounted above the parapet wall to better view the boats plying the sound and lake. Wide ascending stairs lead to the '·study," the most private space, canopied with vines and enclosed on (hree sides by the building and a wooden screen dividing wall. A glider offers a comforting motion for those seeking escape or privacy in which to grieve. The stairs are etched with poems by the children who Stayed at Pete Gross I-louse and wanted to leave something behind. At rhe end of (he connecting walkway jUst below the raised platform are chalkboard squares salvaged from an old school and used by residents to leave notes and draw pictures. To date a posr-DCcupancy evaluation has not been administered at Pete Gross; however, my visits and discussions with residents and anecdotal information provided by staff indicate (hat the project has had positive results. The casualness of the garden

and the range of textures, colors, and scale of spaces seem to accommooate the needs of this user group. Ch ildren respond enthusiastically to the chalkboard, the poetry, and the brigh t colors, and they lounge in the "deck" area as they get to know and share experiences with their peers. ·meolder users find the "living room" to be a comfortable space and often use this space for meetings and to call and update their families. They frequently use this and the "deck·· to complete paperwork and correspondence. Both g roups enjoy the relescope, the views, the flowers, and meeting others who are using Pete Gross House fur the same reasons. Residents have repeatedly mentioned that, when using the rooftop garden, they felt they were in a different place and, fur the momem, left Pete Gross and rhe unrelenting focus on their cancer treatments. Meeting people who were stntggling with similar issues in the garden helped build mnnenions to th~ undergoing a sim ilar fate. T he staff has reponed that the garden had a great influence for those choosing Pete Gross House over competing facilities bemuse it re><Jnatoo so deeply with their needs. " [ SCArE" AND ""HOME" are tWO imporrant concepts that can help to guide the design of a therapeutic garden, particularly for those displaced by !lIness or circumstance. \Vhen combined with other principles including wayfinding, accessibility, and interactions with nature, the Stress common among residents of medICal and institlltional f.1.Cilities can be reduced and quality of life enhanced. But the issue of dislocation is not limited to those facing a medical diagnosis. [mmigrants forced to relocate because of conflict, natural disasters, and economic devastation, the elderly relocated into retirement homes, and the incarcerated removed to detention fac ilities represent an expanding population of those displaced. Evaluation of the environments designed for those displaced due ro il lness may offer some applicable theories and lessons when designing environments for those suffering the effects of environmental change for other reasons. Dalliel WiliterbottlJfll, ASIA, is all asseaate professor ill fhe Deparfll/Cllt Of1..dlldsca{Je Arrhifectllre at the Vllitroity of\'{/ashillgton.

IMfRICIN SOCIUY Of lINOSCIPf IRCHlTmS 636 msimi NW. WISHIN6lON. D[ /00013136 101·898·1441 •fiX 101·898·1185 • HIRUUl 2009 Llndscape Architecture

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EDUCAT IOJ\

A bUIlch of architecture students designed and buutthis deck in a semester. Landscape architecture students, heads up ! 8y Angus McCullough HEN Ti lE MA'lTAI3E.SECK Audubon Soci-

ety com missioned a group ofsrudents from

Wesleyan University who were only a few weeks inco their second colleh>e-Ievel ardlit{'(ture cl'lSS codesign a bird-viewing platform, the project involved several gools: - creating a site-appropriate struaure for a former cranberry bog covered with three feet of water - using durable and sustainable materials and conSlnlCtion technologies as extensively as possible - working within a budget - making it optimal for observing red-winged blackbirds, scarIer tanagers, Canada geese, hooded mergansers, and the occasional grear blue heron "\YIe had been struggling with a way co provide an optimal experience at our 5.'lncruary," says Mattalx:seck Audubon Society Presidenr Alison Guinness, "especially si nce a colony of beavers had

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changed the site [0 such adegree that access was a serious challenge." TIle result of thestudio--SplirFrame, a bird-viewing platform in the Helen Gulson \'VildlifeSanctuary in Portland, Connecticu[capped an intensive semester-long process involving student research, design, and cl ient presentations. This project was undertaken during the university's 2008 spring semester by sophomores, juniors, and seniors enrolled in Architecture IT, caught by Elijah Huge, assiscant professor in the university's art department and a licensed, pmcticing architect. T he class is rhe highest level unde rgmduate design studio in architecture at \'Vesleyan, where the architecture progmm is part of the art studio major. The architecture research/desig n/build studio is a new initiative for \'Vesleyan. ''The class was basical ly an academic triathlon comprised of design research, realworld testing of conceptual work developed in rhe stuâ&#x20AC;˘ dio, and community-based learning," Professor Huge , explains, with rhe intention of"going from suscainable materials and site research to project construction within a single semester." The studio's process was broken up into three parts: research, design, and build. TIlroughout rhe process,

561Lendlcape Architecture

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collaboration was emphasized so that no one studio member was more or less responsible for what ended up being built. 111e studio took place over a 17-week semester. D uring the first few weeks of the class, the studio was split up into teams offour to research possible materials, technologies for implementing them, precedents for design, and the history and topogmphy of the site. 111e research phase lasted about three weeks. l 11is research was augmented wi th trips to the site with orni thologists from Yale's Pealxxly Museum ofNatumi H istory, time spent in the open collections of the museum itself, and trips to bird hatcheries around Connecticut. T he studio learned about the migratory patterns of species of birds on site, as well as the architecture of birds' nestS, which both influenced the final design of the project. T he design phase of the studio involved three stages: I . Site Strateg ies. Each studen t developed an overall plan over the course of about a week focusing on ways visitors would experience the site. 2 . North Team (six stud e nts) vs. South Te am (seven stud ents). Based on ideas developed in the site strategies, two teams were formed, and each was assigned the task of making a sitespecific proposal for a location at the no rt hern or southern edge of the si te. After a round of mood presentat ions, the two teams switched locations, budding on the design work of each other's pro!X>Sals. T his phase of the process was allotted two weeks, in which each team would complete two moods and create drawings for external critique. All rour moclels were presented fora crit ique with art and art history professors from Wesleyan and Yale. 3 . Studio ( 13 sm de m s). Dmwing on the work of both teams, a single site location was selected for the project, and over the next two weeks the studio members worked together to dc"Velop a final proposal to present to the client. Mock-ups of specific construction elements were built and tested. Once a final model was constructed, materials secured, and a budget final ized, the whole package was presented to d1e Mattabeseck Audubon Society. T he final design, tided SpIiIFramÂŁ, consisted of floating platforms connected to an upper observation platform. T he clients were very happy to see how much the studio had done on such a

The studio chose sealed polyurethane floats to support the lower platform, abore, minimizing the impact on th e site and proriding a flexible s)"stem to deal with flucluatin g water lerels. The stud io presented muHi ple models to the Audubon Society over the course of the design proee", settling on SplitFrame, here, as the final model.

.,"

STUDENT WORIS tight deadline and budget and gave the go-ahead on the construnion phase, which took about five to six weekends. In an effort to keep on-si te construction time to a m1n1mum, many components of ~'plifFrdme were built on campus (including rhe aluminum frames, rhe guardrails, tile benchc""S, and rhe srai r) befixe being brought out to the sanctuary ro be secured in place. The maJorpiecesofaluminum framing that sUpJXlft the upper deck and

rhe flooting platforms wefe profes sionally fabricated ofT site to our

specs. T he g uardrails wefe designed and assembled on campus by the studio, using quarter- inch aluminum T brackec:sdesigned co fir onto the frames. \X'e designed and fabricated aU other elements of the deck.

T he actual on-site construct ion time for the project was limited to ruur weekends, with the main stntcrure erecred rhe second weekend . Professor H ugespem mosrofh is free rime on site, inspi ring rhe emire class

to work harder. T he process was incredibly rime-consuming, wirh every studem, on average, spending about 25 hours a week for almosr the entire semester. But not one would say it was too mllch time or nO[

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worth the effort. It was an incn.-xlibly rewarding experience and one we·re very proud of. Split Frame consists of two integral pieces---n floating observation deck and an elevated viewing station--connected via a hinged staircase. It is situated at the end of a long weir, a vestige of the wildlife sanctuar)'s former use as a commercial cranberry bog. All on-siteconstntction wascompleted by the students with handheld fX>wer tools; no heavy equipment was used. Students chose an innovative precast concrete pin-foundation system for the elevated viewing station and a floating aluminum frame assembly for the observation deck on the water. The project was designed to minimize its impact on the site, both in construct ion and over rhe projected life of the structure. Together, the twO platform components provide an immersive site experience, bringing visitors om onto the water and offering an overview of the sanctuary from the maple tree canopy above. SplilFrame was officially unveiled on Oc-

tober 19, after weathering a summer and gaining a silvery patina. From what we·ve heard , the local kindergarten classes love that it allows them such close access to the water. Many local residents showed up at the unveiling to thank us for the project. Mattabeseck Audubon Society·s Guinness is also pleased with the project. ·'\'\1hen other students were enjoying the spring season, the architecture class was knee-deep in mud and water, swatting mosquitoes, and dripping with sweat or rain. \'\1e were impressed by their architectural skills, professionalism, and dedication to the project, and we are very grateful that our sanctllary is once again available for a unique envi ronmental experience.·· AligfIJ· i\itClllk!/lgh is all art sl"diolarrhiterlllrf filajor, daSJ of20 I o.

PftOJECTCREIXTS Design leam: Wesleyan University's 2008 spring semester Architecrure II dass, Middlecown, Connecticut (Elijah Huge, instructor; Zachary Bruner,

teaching apprentice;Jason Bailey, Hunter Craighill, Henry Ellis , Nicole Irizarry, Yang Li, Angus McCullough, Megan Nash, Rebecca Parad , Arkadiusz Piegdon, Derek Silverman, Julia Torres, Renae Widdison , and Yale Ng-\'\fong,students). Clients: Mattabeseck Audubon Society, Middletown, Connecticut (Alison Guinness, president; Lorrie Martin, education comminee chair; Marl), Klanenberg, District 13 outdoor education program director). OtherinYoMld groups: Wesleyan University Center for Community Partnerships, Middletown, Connecticut (Suzanne O'Connel l, director). Feet to the Fire Project, Wesleyan, Middletown, Connect icut (Pamela Tatge, Center for the Am director; Barry Chernoff, Robert Schumann Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences). Consultants: Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New H aven, Connecticut (Patricia Brennan, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology/ Animal and Plant Sciences; KrisrofZyskowski, collection managervertebrate zoology).

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flight from Australia is more than three t imes that amount. A more sustainable approach is to reduce the impact ofbusiness travel by using remote meetings technologies such as audio teleconferencing, web conferencing, or video conferencing. When air travel is absolutely necessary, a carbon offsetting approach is one option that landscape architects may want co consider. In the past couple of years, ASLA has encouraged meeting attendees to reduce their carbon footprint in an effort to "demonstrate its stewardship of the environment." By parcnering with TerraPass, ASLA provides annual meeting acrendees a convenient option to reduce carbon dioxide emissions as they travel to and from the meetings. By using the ASLA link, ASLA was able co tl""ack the total carbon offset number from anendees using TerraPass.

ANDSCAPE ARCI IITECTS

have long been leaders in sustainable prac拢ices. T hese

days, there is a lot of discussion about reducing our carbon footprint, which is the measure of rhe amount of carbon dioxide that goes into the atmosphere as a result of our aaivities. Carbon dioxide is the major man-

made greenhouse gas causing global warming, so reducing our carbon footprint is one of the most effective ways to T{"duce global warming. A carbon fOOtprint consists of two parts: a primary footprint, which is a measure of our direct

emissions from the fOssil fuels we use fur energy consumption and transportation, and a secondary footprint, whICh includes indi rect emissions from the produc-

tion of materials we use. u.ndscape architects can have an impact un

reducing both types of carbon

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footprints. Reducing travel, switching [0 hybrid cars, using public transportation, unplugging electronics, adjus t ing the thermostat, switching to energy-efficient bulbs, using energy-efficient appliances, and switching co green power are all ways to reduce carbon footprints. As landscape architects, we can design low-carbon projectS chat use recycled materials and sustainable practices. \Ve can also help establish policies that change society's carbon footprinc. A number of digital tools are available that can help landscape architects in this quest co reduce carbon foot prints. Professional Trave l

One way that landscape architects can reduce our carbon footprint is by changing our transportation habits. Using alternative means of communication, driving less, and using more energy-efficienc vehicles are all ways co show our commitment co sustain60

I Lendlcape Architecture

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Digital tools can make it possible to decrease carbon footprints. By James l. Sipes, ASLA ability. Recently I worked on a major "green ,. planning projecc in north Georgia, and the civil engineer drove onto the site every day in an H2 Hummer that gets something like six weight mi les per gallon. So much for pl""acticing what we preach. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , air t ravel accounes for about 3.5 percent of the human contribution co global warming. It is somewhat ironic, then, thac when EDAW conducted a Low Carbon workshop in Aclanta this fall, people from as fur away as Australia flew in to actend. TerraPass estimates that one round-trip Right from San Francisco co Aclanca emits 2,010 pounds of CO2 , and a

Compute r Efficiency

From a design standpoint, we can reduce carbon footprincs by using 路'green" materials, alternative energy sources, Telycled materials, and advanced photovolcaics. Even caking simple steps such as turning off computers can sign ificancly reduce our carbon footprint , since computers accounc for almost 6 percent of this COUntry's electricity consumption. Generally, lapcopcomputers use less energy t han desktop computers, and LCD monitors use less energy than CRT screens. Companies such as NComputing are producing ultraefficienc technologies that can reduce the carbon footprint of your computers by more than 90 percent. Anot her approach is to use a program like Carbon Concrol Software (CCS) to manage the energy efficiency of your computers. CC<; isan energy usage monitoring tool that regulates IT systems co help reduce energy wastage, CO 2 emissions, and energy

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Contact ASLA today.

202-898-2444 www.asla .org Interoperate between CAD and ArcGIS .

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TECHNOLOGY costs. It is designed to be nonimrusive, so it is completely transparent during normal

work activities. To reduce energy waste associated with computers, CC$ Home Edition moniwrs activity on your home PC. If it senses a periocl of inactivity, it switches your computer into IX>wcr-saving mode. CCS also records a computer"s energy usage and produces a repon show ing how

much elccrriciryand carbon emissions can be saved. CarbonEarth is a web site where YOll can share your efforts to reduce carbon footprints, and CCS Home Edition is designed specifically to rlln In COfl)Uflcnon with CarbonEarth. Calculating Your Carbon Footprint

As individuals, we can reduce our carbon footprints by changing simple things in our day-co-day hves. According [0 statistics compiled by the United Nations, each person in rhe United Scates is responsible for about 22 tonnes, or metric tons, of carbon dioxide emissions every year. In comparison, the world average is less than 6 tonnes per (ap'ta. The first step to reducing your carbon footprint is to establish a baseline of existing activities. TIlet"e are numerous c; (arbon <:a.lnllators available via the web that <:an be used to determine how much carbon dioxide gas we ~ are putting into the atmosphere as a result ofour daily activieies. Primary carbon footprinr calculaeions are typi<:ally based on annual emissions from the previous 12 monehs. Carbon Foorprine, for example, can figure ou[ your carbon footprint by evaluating the following: house, flighes, car, motorbike, bus and rail, and secondary activieies. Sropglobal wanning.org has a carbon calculator ehat enables you to establ ish your carbon fuorprine and ehen offers suggestions for reducing this footprint. Anoeher way to calculate your carbon fooeprill( is to use a program such as Carbon Diem , which uses theGPS in your phone to track your carbon fOQ[prinr. The GPS tracks ehe speed you·re moving at, and from thae information, the software figures out if

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The map above. which was created as part of the Vulcan Project, shows the total emissions of carbon dioxide in the United Sillies during 2002, The dark red areas, which are associat· ed with major urban areas. indicated the high· est levels of carbon dioxide emissions, With Terra Pass's Carbon Footprint Calculator, below, you can calc ulate your carbon footprint and then evalu ate differe nt carbon offsets to det er· mine wh ich would be most appropriate.

--_ ..----. -------::.-=--.- - -.-----a. --------.--- -

62 1 Lend lca pe Archit ectur e Hnun l on

Carbon Footprints for Businesses And CIties

The convergence of rising energy coses, increased power consumption, and a global focus on sustainability is providing businesses wieh a strong inceneive to reduce their carbon footprinr. For land, , , ., d scape architecture firms, bemg carbon neut ral is one way to estab. A.:-;(· lish our commiemene to sustainable practices. For exam ple, some = utility companies offer ··gree n power" options in which you pay a little extra for power generated by wind or solar eechnology. ft makes sense thae landscape archi.- ~ tenure firms would be using this type of green power. ....., fI _ _ _ A number of digital tools can help landscape archieecture firms develop a beeeer understanding of ... their carbon footprints. Verisae enterprise emissions Tracking provides real-time carbon footyou're walking, driving, or in a train or air- prine reporting, including an inventory of plane, and estimates fuel use accordingly. Greenhouse Gas (GI IG) emissions. EarehMcObject produces a similar system called check is a CO 2 benchmarking software tool Carlxm Hero that can be downloaded on a that has been in use internationally since BlackBerry, Nokia N-series, or other 2002. The Canadian Standards Associa"smart'· cell phone. T-mobile is working on tion launched the GI IG CleanStart Reg-

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a carbon calculator called Ecorio that will be available fOf the company's Android range of phones.

---

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istry to help organiz.'Itions measure, monitor, and manage their carbon emissions. Planet Metrics is a web-based system buil t on the Software-as-a-Service model. With this approach, an applicat ion is hosted as a service provided to customers across rhe Internet. There is no need to inst all software, and any user who has Internet access and is authorized can use the application. T he benefit of this model is that informa tion can be easily ujxlated, and this data is available to all users. Planet Metrics also allows companies to track indirect emissions from suppliers,employees, and products over the course of their life from manufacturing todisposal. If a landscape architecrure firm wanted to establish its carbon footprint, it would meet with Planet Metrics over a two- to fourweek period to help create a base model. Planet Metrics's sraff then would set up a modeling program and perform an initial analysis of the firm's carbon imlXlCtS. Planet Metrics has an extensive dara repository of publicly available economic dara, scientific dara, and carbon dara that can be used to model carron use. The Planer Metrics services are noc cheap, chou,gh. An annual subscription to the bera offering, whICh includes a set number of users and professional services bundled wich che software, can COSt anywhere from $25,000 to $75,000 fora more complex setup. T he landscape architecrure firms that can afford such a service should be able co use chis information from a marketing standpoint. TIle Carbon Disclosure Project (COP) is an independent, not-for-profit organization thac acts as an intermediary between shareholders and corporations on climatechange-relaced issues, COP includes 385 institucional investors chac collected dara on corporace greenhouse gas emissions since 2003, and as a result it has creaced one of the world's largest repositories linking dara aOOm greenhouse gas emissions to climate change. COP supportS a number of programs that focus on climate change, including theCDP Cities program. At least 30 urban centers will use the COP system to assess their carbon foocprint and determine alcernatives for reducing that impact. TIl is is important because more than 70 percent of total global emissions aregenemted by cities. New York , Las Vegas , Denver, West Palm Beach, Sf.

YISit our web site or (ontact us at: 1-8001547-1940 ext. 737

e-mail: asla@timberform.(om

IMIIICAI SICIIIY IF 1I10SClPIIRtHIlIClS ill III SIIIllIW. WISHIIilII. DC 11111-l1li 111-111-1ÂŤ4 â&#x20AC;˘FIX 111-111-1115 HIRUUl 2009 Landscape Architecture

163

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Paul, and New Orleans are just a few of the cities that have signed up fOr the program . TIle Cities fur Climate Protection (CCP) Campaign assists cities in adopting policies and implementing quantifiable measures to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and enhance urban livability and sustainability. More than 800 local governments participate in tileCCP.ll1e International ClUncil on Local Environmental InitiativesOQEI) is an association of governments frum more than 1,(x)() cities worldwide, and they prOOuce "Clean Airand Climate Pt"O{ection" software that has been used by cities to measure emissions since 1995. Landscape architects involved w ith city and urban planning projects should consider the impact our decisions have on carbon foot p rints, and programs like COP Cities, CCP Campaign, and ICLEI simplify that process. Carbon Mapping

In recent years there have been mapping projects that seek to provide a more accurate picture of ourexisting carbon foorprint. T he Vulcan Project, which is funded by NASA and the Department of Energy, has produced a detailed map of the United States that shows carbon emissions frum fUssil fuels. T he project was led by researchers at Purdue University, Colorado State University, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and is part of NASA/DOE's N orth American Carbon Program. It took more than two years to complete and shows a compilation of dara from 2002 about carbon dioxide originating from power plants, roads, factories, businesses, and homes. "l11is type of mapping shows the distribution of carbon emissions at a much greater level of detail than previous efforcs. W/e wi l! soon be seeing maps with a level of detail that helps local decision makers determine the best policies and land-use panerns to control the impact of carbon emissions. In late 2008, the Orbital Carbon O bservatory S<lte!!ite was launched. Its mission is to coUect data about carbon in the Earth's atmosphere and is intended to give us a much greater understanding of the problem than ever before.

The team that produced the Vulcan map is now focusing on what it calls the Hestia Project, a g lobal mapping project that is intended to mocld all processes that produce carbon dioxide. H estia will provide the moclels, data sets, and decision-suppon tools needed to design and implement carbon management st rategies. T he project is launching a prototype of the city of IndianalXJlis where electricity, gasoline, coal, and natural gas are combined with em ission factors from existing databases to create a detailed image of the city's carbon fOOtprint. With these dig ital tools, it is easier for landscape architects to have a better u nderstanding of carbon footprints and how we, as stewards of the land, can reduce carbon emissions both in ourday-to-day lives and in our work. J ames L. Sipes, ASLA, is a senior associate lor

fDA W ill Atlallta alld foulidillg prillcipal 01 Salld COl/lily Stl/dios in Seattle. Resources

• Carbon Control Software, Ivww.carlxm

cOlltra/software.com • Carbon D iem, wwuuarbolldiem.col/l • Carbon D isclosure Project,

IVllllv.cdproject. nel • CarbonEarth, www.carbo1/earth.lIe1 • Carbon FOO£print, wUJlil.CdI{xlI/looJpr1nt.{fJllJ • Cities for Climate Protection Campaign, WI/IIliiclei.org!co2 • Earchcheck , IVWliuarthcheck.org • Ecorio, UJlIIIl'.ecori(l.org • GHG CleanStarc Registry, UlwUl.CJd.ca/carbo1/perlormal/(t

• H estia Project , Ivww.pllrdJle.ed"lclillJalei hestia

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

Change,lvww.ipcc.ch

800.388.8728

_____~~ww ~ w. wausautlle.com~~:::::::;__J ""Cl€ 310 ON A E,;.oE A S€fMC€ CARO OR GO TO HTTI' 1II<FO. >«JTD.IS,(:(I,<I';!349O»10

• International Council on local Environmental Initiacives, Ivww.iclei.org • NCompucing, IV/VI« lI((1f11plltillg.com • North American Carbon Program , IVWlil.lldCdrboll.org • Orbiting Carbon O bservatory,

oco.jpl.lltlsa.gw • P lanet Met rics, WUJlli.ecoSYliergyiIlC.C(II1l • TerraPass, UJllJW.lerrapaJJ.CIJfII • Verisae Enterprise Emissions Tracki ng, /lIUJll!. uerisde.comienterprile-emiJJi(llIS-

trackillg.hlml • T he Vulcan Project, W/1IIl'.pllrd/(e.edJll {'LJs/carimlliVlllcLlIl

IMIRIUM so[lllY Of llNOSUPE IR[HllEm 636 EYE STREET NW. WASHIN61ON. DC 10001·3136 101·898·1444 • fIX 101·898·1185 • HIRUUl 2009 Landscape Architecture

165

STRIKING STEMS PROVIDE WINTER INTEREST Kick the appeal of your winter Ian dscape up a notch "rith shrubs and small trees that offer colorful sterns, arrestin1:)u forms, or exquisitely textured baIk. By Rita Pelczar many shrubs with colorful stems

it's best co remove the oldeS{ stems each spring ro encourage

lars of new shoots.

i lE 51 IORT DAYS AND chilly temperatures of wimer have stripped deciduous plants of rheir summer and autumn finery, exposing rheir "bare bones" [Q rhe world. \'{firh rhis seasonal exposure, however, some of rhe finest qualities of many garden shrubs and [fees are revealed. Wimer srem colors vary widely. Beyond brown, black, and gray, rhey include yellow, green, red, pink, orange, and ghostly whire. Ofren ir is rhe young growth thar spons the brighresr hues, so for

66 1Lendlcape Architecture

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Several selections of the redooier dogwood (Coru/IS sto/(mijerd syn. C. seriCl'd, USDA Hardiness Zones 3- 8, AilS I-Ieat Zones 8- 1) d isplay colorful winter seems, and despite [he common name, all are nor red. \Xi'hile the seems of 'Cardinal' range from brilliant red [Q yellow-orange, dlOse of'Flaviramea' are bright yellow. Most culcivars grow to about six feel rall, spread to 12 feet, and sucker vigorously. T hey are great fur massing against an evergreen background. 111e stems of Salix 'Flame' (Zones 3-8, 7- 1) areor:mge-red. "This vigorous grower never fails [Q elicit positive visitor response at [he ] C Raulston A rboretum," says rhe N orth Carolma arboretum's

Will you ... A. Wait fo r the perfect candidate to fall from the sky

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636 Eye - . Nw. Waohlngton DC 20001 -3736

1-888-999-ASlA

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MORE SHRUBS THAT DAZZLE IN WINTER

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Cornu• • IIM

(Tatarian dopoodl

Cornu. u"Kuinea ' Midwinter Fire'

Heptllcrx/ium miconioidt. (seren-sons flower)

Bright orange·yellow winter stems Pforide Cood fall foliage color.

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Europe southeastern

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southwestern U.S.

5-9,9-5

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China

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Brictrt ~llow arching stem. haYe green . tripes.

Japan

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Arching, spirally twisted branc hes produce brilht yellow YOlln;: stems.

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Rocky MCMlnUins, so..titwestem U.S.

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Slender purple stems adapt to moist lociJIions.

hybrid

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Upward·arching red·purple stems produce penduloliS flowers in bite winter.

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easiem North America

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Large shrub or small tree has light tan b.... thai peels to rev-titl d,uk·brown inner bark.

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J.sm;num nudiflorum

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[winter jasmine)

Kern. ;'poniu 'Kin Kan'

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Upript, chlmping shr.b has stem. that tum blwender i. filii. C..t stem. back to keep btlshy.

Mllltistemmed shrub has arching yellow·green to red stem. in winter.

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landscape Architecture

169

PLANTS director, Dennis \Verner. "It's a great alterna-

tive to the red- and yel!ow-stem dogw<XXls, which often are challenging fOf LIS here in the mid-Somh." The shoots of coral bark Japanese maple (Acer pa/mat/lm 'Sango-kaku,' Zones 6-8, 8-2) are bright coral-red. "It is the newest growth that is the reddest, and only where

I Lendlcape Architecture

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Many shrubs and trees with striking formsfrom ri~dly upright to downright twistedare best appreciated in winter. the wimer sun shines on the stems, so plam it where you see it from that angle," suggesrs Larry Mellichamp, a professor at the University ofNonh Carolina at Charlone and coauthor with Peter Loewer of The \'(Iillter Ganim: Planllillg alld Plami/lg!ar the SOl/tiMs/.

For shmbs with exfoliating bark, it's the older branches that produce the best show,

Resources The Garden in Winter; Plant fo, Bel/uly and Interest in tire Quiet SNson. by SUl} Bales; Emmaus, Pennsylvania: Rodale Books, 2007. The Winter Garden: Planning and pqnt· ing fo, the Southeast, by Peter loewer and larry Mellichamp; Mechanicsburg, Penns,-I.ania: Stackpole Books, 1997.

TLNSILL SCULPTUR!

The Winter Gardell: PUnts that Offer

Color and Beauty in Erery SeilSDn of the Year, by Rita Buchanan; Boston: Houghton

Mifflin Company, 1997. Wonden of the Winter Land$Cape: Shrubs and Trees to Brighten the Cold· Weather Garden, by Vincent A. Simeone;

West Chicago: Ball Publishing, 2005.

Sources Avant Gardens, Dartmouth, Massa· chusetb, 508·998·8819, www.avantgardensne.com

ForesHann, Williams, Oregon, 541· 846·7269, _.fore$lfarm.com

Gossler Farms Nursery, Springfield, Oregon, 541·746·3922, _.gouler farms.com

Wayside Gardens, Hodges, South Carolina, 800·213·0379, www.Jfay$ide gardens.com "FlCLE 311 ON READER S£RV1CE CARll OIl GO TO HnI' JilNFO. >-QT1MS.COMIl3<9ON11 fURUUl 2009

LlndlclpeArchileclure

171

so removmg low branches or twiggy growth (Q reveal the patchwork of bark colors or shredding textures will enhance

Fog

the wimer display In the garden. T his samediscfetionary thinning treatmem applies co shrubs with dramatic branching habits. Ellen Zagory, director ofhoniculture at the UniversityofCalifomia, Davis Arboretum, recommends a manzanita, Arctostaphylos dellS/jlora 'Howard McMinn' (Zones 7- 9, 9-7), for western gardeners. It has "'beautiful, mahogany, muscular branches with age,"' says Zagory.

Many shrubs and trees with striking formsfrom rigid ly upright (Q downright twistedare best appreciated in

Worldwid~

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72 1Lendlcape Architecture

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C1AClE 122 ON RE.lI>ER SERVICE CAAO 011 GO TO IflW ~ FO , HQ"TII,tS . C0WZ3400- I22

Rather than yearning for the warmth and riotous colors of spring, enjoy the variety of winter colors, textures, and forms of your shrubs and trees. tall and wide. "Its brownish stems all' unique in that they

fork in threes," says Mel-

wimer. T he pape rbush, Edgeworth/a chrysamha (Zones 7- 9, 9-7), is a mulcistemmed shrub that grows five to six feet

lichamp. "T hey have a reddish cast in wimer and are stocky and anracrive- no( finely twiggy. The proportions are pleasing." Suzy Bales, author of T he Garden fII \'{Iilller: Plallf for BMllty alld Interest in the Qlliet Seasoll, describes H arry Laudds walking stick (Crnyllls ave/lalla 'Contorta,' Zones 3- 9, 9- 1) as "a living sculpture. It is mesmerizing for its tangle of corkscrew branches, each one squiggling and twisting like a madcap dooclle," says Bales, who gardens on Long Island, New

York. It usually grows wabour 10 feet tall and wide. (For more shrubs with outstanding wimer stems, see chart on page 68.) Each season has its strong points. So ra ther than yearning for the warmth and riotous colors of spring, enjoy the variety of winter colors, textures, and forms of your shrubs and trees. T hey impart a stark beauty to the wimer landscape, often further enhanced by the muted tones of winter grass, a backdrop of dark evergreens, or a carpet of fresh snow.

Rita Pe/czar is a (Olltribllfmg editor for The American Gardener. Reprinted with permission from the November/December 2008 issue of The

American Cameler.

C'ACl.E 21 ON RE.o.DER SERVICE C ~ "I) 011 GO TO fffTPillN FO,HOTIMS_C~-2 '

HIRUUl 2009 Landscape Architecture

I 73

Humphry Repton's good idea was that each project should be represented by two drawings showing, here, the existing and, below, the proposed landscape. " ,r".

LANDSCAPE PLANNING: AHISTORY OF INFLUENTIAL IDEAS

Alii NOT A HISTORIA N. J am a landscape planner who looks toward the futlu-e. Even so, [ know that most of the ideas that have shaped my work are old ideas. Recenc1y, I decided [Q prepare a lecture to pay respect to people whose ideas have influenced me. [n this published version, I will summarize a cencral and influential idea from each of about 30 people. T his is, of course, a gross simplification. Each person pro::luced a complex body of work, but each did one or tWO things that have had great influence on landscape planning, on me, and on many ochers. I have included some work in which J had a role, mainly to acknowledge those with whom I have had the p leasure of working. The best definition of what we do was published in 1968 by He rbert Simon in a book called The Scit1lce of Artificial. He wrote, "Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing conditions into preferred ones"路 Scale and size matter in how we act as designers. \'Ve can work on a small project, such as a house on a difficult site, or we can work on a medium-sized project, such as a new urban developmenc or a new urban park, or we can work on a large project , for exam-

74 1Landlcape Architecture

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An eminent landscape pl31lJJel' looks at the key ideas of planners wbo preceded him. Sy Carl Steinitz,

Honorary

AS LA

pie on a new town or a regional conservation plan. But JUSt because you are skilled at one scale of design does not necessarily mean you can design at the others. [ am particularl y interested in the design of large landscapes of ecological and culcural significance that are under major pressure for change. Al chough J chink small projects are important, I will focus here on ideas that have influenced how we approach the design of large landscapes. My first cwo examples are from China during the Southern Song Dynasty. T he \'Vest lake of Hangzhou is imporrant because it is the result of a decision made in the eighth century to build a very large lake-a deliberate act [Q create a new land-

scape on a large scale. This landscape was made pri marily for reasons of defense, water supply, aquaculture, and agriculture. In che Song Dynascy ic was rebuilt under the direction of the poet and governor of Hangzhou, Su Shi (1037- 1101). Over time, it has Ix--come considered "natural," a place of great scenic beauty and cultural imporrance. EmperorQianlong's TmScmes of the Wert Lake, poems composed in the 18th century, is learned by all Chinese schoolchildren today. Too many people believe landscape planning is only conservation and reaction, but the \'Vest Lake shows that landscape planning includes action with foresight. The big idea embodied by the Wesr lake is that a landscape built for practical reasons can be designed and transformed over rime into a highly valued cultural landscape, and even one (hac is primarily assumed co have been the resulc of narural processes. TIle second example is Huang Shan, the Yellow Mountains of southt'JSt China. By the timeof (he Sou(hem Song Dynasty, this area had become che symbolic landscape of Song painting and poetty. Ic was protected byEmperorQuinrong (1100-1161),and now 300 square kilometers are included in

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EDITOR 'S CHOICE a UNESCO World Heritage site. To my knowledge, it is the subject of the first major program fOr landscape conservation and protection. It is a very important idea that landscape be protected because of its role as

a symbol of a rulture. Visitors should realize that they are walking through and seeing nO[ just a beautiful mountain area bur also a landscape of great cultural importance.

From the 14th through the 16th centuries, the Medici family was the most powerful in Italy. TIle family's leaders are shown in Botricdli 's Adora/ioll of the "fagl (1475) as the Magi. They had palaces in cities as well as many villas in the Tuscan countryside. The Medici villas were decorated with paintings that express the idea that the agricultural landscape was the

basis of the wealth of the fam Ily and also that it was beautiful. T his idea, that a productive agricultural landscape was a beautiful landscape, Ix-camevery powerful. Manyof the great English landscape gardel"lers and impro\'ers had a similar idea, rhar the landscape can be both productive and beautiful. A famous example is Stowe, a work by Ch arles Bridge man, W illiam Kent, and Lancc10t "Capability" Brown (I 715- 1783). 11le landscape was pnxluctive, with sheep, cattle, and deer grazing among scartertXl clumps of trees. 111is SOrt of English landscape has become idealized as a beautiful landscape and has formed the image that has inspired much of\'Vestern landscape design. Perhaps the most famous English landscape gardener was Humphry Repton (1752- 1818). For (he large landscapes r am interested in, he had one very important

76 1Lendlcape Architecture

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goOO idea: that each projen should be described using two drawings, one of "before·· and one of "after" the design is carried out. Repton·s Red Book included watercolor illustrations of his designs with flaps that fold over the areas where changes are planned. \'Vhen you lift the flap, the new design is revealed. Repton used this method to show the effect of proposed changes on the existing landscape. Edmund Burke (1729- 1797) is associated with the idea of the sublime. ·"Designs that are vast only by their dimensions are always the sign of a common and low imagination. No work of art can be great, bm as it deceives. To be otherwise is the prerogative of nature only.·· r do not believe that working at large size implies low Imagination, Of that design at any scale must be artificial and aimed at deception. At almost the same time, in France, J ea n-Marie Morel de Kinde (172818 to) wrote his book, Throrie desjan/;m (1776). His basic IXJSition was that design is managing the natural processes of the landscape. H e designed the famous landscape at Ermenonville, near Paris, where Jean-Jacques Rousseau is buried. 111is is a design that respectS and takes advantage of the natural processes of the site, its terrain, hydrology, vegetation, and drainage. 111US, as early as the 1770s, there was a great debate between two powerful but opposing ideas about the role of landscape interventions, a debate that survives today. Are we creating artificial landscapes or managing natural processes? Thomas J efferson (1743- 1826) was the third president of the United States. He decided that the then Northwest Territories should be surveyed and sulxl ivided using a square grid. His aim was to encourage settlement, and 1[1 the L780s, he

needed an inexpensive way to define the boundaries of homesteads for new settlers. 1l1is idea, that the landscape should be surveyed as a grid, was extended westward as the country grew. It can still be seen today by anyone who flies over (he country. T he shaping of the American landscape owes more to Jefferson than to any other individual. However, he was not the first to use a grid in (his way. The Roman Empire rewarded its most successful soldiers with rectangular farmsteads, creating the gridded landscape called cenfllriazi(ll1f still visible in the Po delta of northern Italy. Prince Leopold III Friedrich Franz von A nhalt-Dessau (1740-18 L7) inherited one of the many German principalities and was concerned with its improvement. England was then the most advanced and prosperous nation in the world. English literature, economics, government, agricul ture, and landscape were regarded as the model for most of Europe. Prince Franz made extended visits to England to study English ways and returned home to introduce English ideas and to remake his lands in the way of the English landscape. 111e landscape of the Gartenre;ch WarHrz was developed between 1765 and 1817. Itfunctioned both to educate in the advanced agriculrural techniques of England and to exemplifY English liberalism and the ideas of the Enlightenment: It was planned to be a didactic landscape. Grl't'k classical architecture was the style for many buildings. \XIorlirz had a pLiblic library, sneet trees were all fruit bearing, and all bridges were built in a different way. View corridors were carefully planned. This was the first place in Germany where Jews were fully citizens. This is exemplified by the famous view frum the Bridge of Tolerance, which encornpaSS("S both tl"le church and the synagogue.

Many people learned new social, physical, economic, governmental, and landscape ideas from the Dessau-\X/orlitz "Garden Kingdom .'路 Prince Franz's great idea was not to copy a style, but to use the landscape to teach. In the 1830s, J ohn Claudius Loudon (1783- 1843) was the most important landscape designer in Britain. He made his reputation by designing parks and gardens and as a thinker and writer on landscape gardening and architecture. loudon had an extraordinary idea. He made a landscape plan for the entire region of London . He proposed that there should be alternating rings of city and countryside, centered on rhe Palace of \Xlesrminster on the River l1lames. loudon made a series of example designs thar showed how a residence and garden could be different in the middle of

John CldfldillJ LolltWlI

PeterJrueph Lenlll

rhecity, in a suburban area, or in the countryside. Th is concentric diagram was his way of sayi ng that people cannot live only in the city, and they cannot live only in the countryside. Both are necessary. This was a very important idea in the L830s and is still relevant nxiay. Peter J oseph Len ne (1 789- 1866) is undoubtedly the most famous German landscape architect. Lenne said, 路'Noth ing can thrive without care, and the most significant th ings lose their worth through i mproper handling." To design is nocenough, and to build is not enough. \"XIithouc care, a landscape loses its value very fust. Lenne had an extraordinary career, which coincided with a period of political revolution. His most famous works are in Potsdam and Berlin. At Potsdam, location of the important German royal palaces, famous architectS designed the buildings, but Lenne organized the landscape structure. His most

important contribution was the central axis, a line about two kilometers long. Everyl:xxly else attached their projects to that line. Leones big idea is rhata clear llild Jx>werful concept established at the beginning can organizeenormoos design diversity in the future. In 1840, Friedrich Wilhelm IV came to the throne. Lenne submitted a plan fur the expansion and improvement of Berlin and its surroundings, including the expansion of the Tierh'1lrten. His earlier plans of 1819 and L832 for the T ierhwten had drained swampy JXUts and created winding streams and paths within the earlier geometrical pattern of long, straight

Gifford Pill拢hot

HordU W S. Cle/dand

hunting allees. 11k new geometry was more appropriate for quiet recreational pursuits, as was the intent of the transfurmation of royal lands into public parks. Now, Lenne planned the new parks system for the geocraI public, accessible to all. Americans consider Frederick law O lmsted (\822- 1903) to be the founder of landscape architecrnre, aod it was he who first used the name to describe his profession. He is perhaps most famous for the 1858 d(""Sign, with Calven VaLIX,ofCentml Park in New York City. But I consider that tWO others of his many projectS represent more important ideas. In the I 860s,John Muir and Olmsted and other people had the idea (similar to the idea for Huang Shan I ,OCHJ years before) to protect the most importane landscapes in America. They conducted the studies that led to the creation of Yosemite National Park , the United States's first national park. And today, be-

George Sdntd},dfld

cause of the work of Olmsted and other people of that period, many importane American landscapes have been well prorected, such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon.l1le second idea associated with 01 msted is related to his work at Biltmore in North Carolina, the estate of George W. Vanderbilt, the rich(""St person in America at the rime. The house was set in more than 4,000 hectares of forested mountain land. Olmsted hired a young man, Gifford P inchOl (1865- 1946), to head the estate's Department of Forestry Management. \"XIorking under Olmsted, Pinchot guided the earliest efforts at scientific forestry in America. They avoided monoculrure and clear-cutting and practiced multiple use of the land. TIley also established the first school offorestry in the United Scates. In 1914, the Biltmore Esmte forest became Pisgah National Forest, America's first national forest. HnUA n

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sor in the early 20th century and author of

EDITOR 'S CHOICE

Sewe 0/ Beallty (1888). He wrote, "When

\Vhen the Uni ted States government created the National Forest Service, Pin(hot became its first director. He promoted two important ideas that were first applied at Biltmore: conducting research on sciemific forestry and promoting rhe multiple use afforests to sustain animal habitat, provide rec reation, protect water and air, and also provide timber. In 1883, Chicago-based landscapearchltcC[ Horace W. S. Cleveland (181419(0) had a very important idea. Cleveland

was [he Jandscapearchirec[ for the twin cities of Minneapolis and Sf. Paul, Minnesota, 0p-

posite each mher on the Mississippi River. At that time, rhe cities were small. Cleve-

land convinced the municipal governments to buy land to create a regional park system, long befure many people were living nearby. Because they wece planning fo r several dt'Cades into the fu ture, the cities were able to buy the land at very low prices. TocIay, the Twin Cities are large, and land is cosdy, but they ha\"eone of America's greatest park systems. 111is IS an enormously important idea, bm it requires action and the investmentof money far in advance of actual demand. George Santayan a (1863- 1952) was Harvard's most mmous philosophy profes-

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creative genius neglects wally itself [Q some public interest it hardly gives birth to wide or perennial influence. Imagination needs a soil in history, tmdition, or human institutions else its mndom growths are not significant enough, and, like t rivial melooies, go immediately om offashion.路路 Said in anQ[her way by the artist Andy \X1arhol, "isms are wasms." C h arles Eliot (1859- 1897) was a famous landscapearchitccc who lived in my city, Boston. At the end of the 1890s, the people in Boston knew that other cities wefe building Important park systems, bm Boston was an older ci ty that was already built up, with little land available. Eliot had the idea of developing a park sys[em from the city's leftover land, the land that nolxxly wanted for development. H e took the wetlands, the steep areas, the rocky areas, the unsanicary parts of the city and used them to design a connected landscape network. wter, other people, including Ol msted, transformed these areas into attractive and valued parks and recreation areas. Today, when you look at the park system of Boston, you see a park system that looks much like others but was made from what had been considered to be useless or spoiled land. Eliot's big idea was to get control of the land regardless of condition , because it could be transformed into something wonderful later. Patrick Geddes ( 1854-1932) was a biologist, a philosopher, an educator, and a planner. Geddes traveled and practiced all over [he world, in areas of British influence, numbly India and Palestine. H e had three big ideas.

The first he called the Valley Section. As an evolutionist and a global thinker, he was interested in the interrelationships between people, their activities, and their environment. T he Valley Section diagram expresses timeless relationships that are seen everywhere. It begins in the mouncains and extends to the coast. At the highest elevations in the mountains, it is natural and usual w find miners; in lower areas to find forests and wcxxl.smen; even lower to find hunters and shepherds; still lower, peasant farmers and gardeners; and finally, along the shore, cities, and in the waters, fishermen . Failure to respect these human-landscape interrelationships either doesn't work or requires too much energy and too high a risk and will ultimately no t be sustainable. Geddes's second idea is expressed in the title of one of his plans, Oly Det'iiopment: a SllIdy 0/ Parks, Gardens, alld CIIItllre Imtitf{fes. He believed that the primary structure of urban form is shaped by the landscape and by the planning of parks, gardens, and culture inst itutes. Tmnsport routes and industrial , commercial, and residential areas are secondary and should be guided by the landscape stmtegy. Geddes's third important idea is that people need to know about their landscapes. H e created the Outlook Tower in Edinburgh,Scotland, in 1892. [twasan "index museum," beginning with the universe and concluding at the top of the tower with a CdIllEra obSCl/ra, providing views of the actual dady Iife of the ciry and its setting in the larger landscape. It was also the center of courses and cultural activities for the public. Geddes's objective of an educated publiC is still a very important idea. Ebenezer H oward (1850- I 928), Raymond Unw in (1863 - 1940), and others reacted against the terrible housing

conditions in 19th-century industrial England. In that period, for the poor and working classes, housing was overcrowded, d-Ingerous, and polluted. Several intellectuals who thought that people should not live like that formed the Garden Cities Association in 1898. 11ley proposed many ideas, the most important of which was Howard's Garden City concept in 19{)2. The idea was to reduce the size and lower the density of a major city by surrounding it with a band of countryside and relocating people to smaller new towns. All dle areas were to be connened by efficient publ ic transportation. Letchworth was begun in 1903 and is still an anranive suburban town. In the early 20th century, rhe Garden City became the most important concept for urban development in England, America, and parts of Europe. 111e idea, a concern for efficient suburban development, is reflected in today"s New Urbanism movement. Warren H . Manning (1860- 1938) worked for Olmsted as a horticulturist before establishing his own landscape architecwre practice. By about 1910 electricity had become widespread, and light rabies (drawing rabies with translucent glass topS illuminated from below) were

invented, inicially to simplifY che tracing of drawings. In 1912, Manning made (he first study chac used map overlays as an analysis method, much as wedo today. He laid selected maps together to produce new combinations of information and made a plan for development and conservacion in Billerica, MassachuseHs. Around this time, national maps of resource-based information for che United Scaces were being prod uced and made available to the public for the first time. Manning collect-

ed a few hundred maps of soils, rivers, forests, and other landscape elements and had them redrawn to one scale. By using overlays on a light table, he made a landscape plan for the entire country, which was published in Landscape Arrhifatf{râ&#x201A;Ź in June 1923. His plan contained a system of fuwre urban areas and a system of national parks and recreation areas. It included major highways and long-distance hiking trails and contained everything that a comprehensive regional landscape plan

with complex elements that are connected one another. If you make one big change, you will inevitably change the other parts of the system . Landscape planners must have a broad and complex understanding [Q make an effective plan. One cannoe be only a specialist. Also in the 19205 and 19305, modern landscape planning began as a profession. Courses were begun [Q erain the people who were responsible for the bureaucracy of planning. Regional Plannillg, by L. B. Es-

would have today. It is remarkable that Manning did this chen, and for the emire coumry. It is one of the most important, boldesc, and most creacive undertakings in our professional history. Tn the 1920s and 1930s, imponanc changes were made to landscape planning methods. These changes were led by the Bricish, including G. E. Hutc hings and C. C. Fagg, who were noc landscape archicects buc were surveyors and geographers. In 1930, they published All Illtrotlllctl(1I/ to l?egl(llid/ SUrveyil1g. one of rhe first textbooks on how to make regional landscape plans. The most imporcant new idea was the recognition that landscapes are systems

eritt, publ ished in 1943, is about one centimeter chick. If my beginning students would read this book, they would know much of what chey need to know. For example, chey would learn how to make overlays and how to use them to analyze the landscape for particular purposes. T he techniques are simple and effective. In 1947, afcer eleccing a socialist government, the British nacionalized planning concrol of all land. T hey were able to implement a very good planning system very quickly because they had che textbooks and merhods to ceach che landscape planners. In che 1950s, President D \vig ht David Eisenhower (1890- 1969) decided chac che United States needed co have lim iced access highways co connecc all the scace capicals. He gave che cask of designing chese

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EDITOR 'S CHOICE interstate highways to engineers. It was both a gcxxl and a bad idea. We have generally straight highways that are fast and safe. But they have often caused serious d'lmage to the ci ties and landscapes through which they pass. Perhaps most imrxmam,

they have led to the widespread destruction of America's rail transport system.

B. Jackson (1909- 1996) was nor a

landscape architect, bur he taught cuJrurallandscape studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and at Harvard. He was a landscape geographer who founded the small bur influential magazine called wliriJeape. H is hig idea was that theordi-

nary landscape was valuable. He explained co Americans the beauty and interest of their commonplace landscapes. Most landscape architects focus on what they think

of as special places and undervalue the usual acrivities of ordinary people in making landscapes. Jackson ocgan what now is a very powerful movement to value and prmecr whac we now call rhe culrumllandscapethe ordinary landscapes that have coherent character. He began the magazine in the

Philip u:wiJ

Hmmrd FiJher

1950s, when America was expanding so rapidly char it did noc cake rime co proceer places rhar scood in rhe way. It was noc uncil ! 986 char the Unired Scates escablished a sysrem co idenrify and procect culrural landscapes. My ceacher, Kevin Lynch (1918- 1984), said rhar planners should understand and consider che way ordinary people perceive cheir environmene before proposing changes. Ly nc h wrore many books on

I Lendlcape Architecture

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many topics, but his first and most important work is The Image 0/ the City. For the first time, interviews were done to learn how ordinary people perceive and understand the city. Lynch believed that design could make the ci cy dearer and stronger and more understanda ble. H e assumed that a good city form should have an understandable strucrure and image that are not an imJXISition by designers and planners, but derive from the perceptions of the people who use the place. Philip Lew is, FASLA (1925- ) of the University of\'V'isconsin has spent most of his life studying the northern part of the American Midwest. He made many plans for this area. The most inAuential was his plan for a system of parks for the state of Wisconsin in 1964. His big idea, supported by his analysis, showed that the corridors along the state's rivers and streams were the mos t important places to protect. H e was the firs t to shape a landscape plan around the idea of environmental corridors. Ian McHarg (1920-2001) published Desigll with Natllre in 1969. It is probably rhe Single most inAuential book in the field of landscape planning. In ir he ouclines ways in which natural processes can guide development. The book Includes

Design with Nature is probably the single most influential book in the fi eld of landscape planning. several projects ar several scales. TIle one J rhink is rhe mosc importane is che "Plan for che Valleys." In che 1960s, Baltimore was expected co expand into che area known as rhe Valleys. McHarg and his colleagues recognized thac there were many possible patterns of development and studied four alternacives shaped by differing patterns of sewer alignment. They knew rhat you don'r make jusc one plan- ir is bener to make several plans and compare

them to help decide which is best. Development was no t Prolx>sed on the bottomland, so that agriculture could be protected, and not on steep slopes or on hilltops. Development was distributed in compact groups on the gender slopes and uplands. McHarg and his colleagues understood the relationships among landscape, engineering, the sciences, and development. There was a big change in technology in the middle of the 1960s. H oward Fisher (1903- 1979) invented SYMAP, the first practical and publicly avai lable compmer g raphics program. In 1963, he came co H arvard to set up the L1boratory for Computer Graphics, the first of itS kind. I was among the initial members of the laboratory. In 1965, when J was a very junior professor, tOur graduate students and J made the first regional plan using a compmerthe Delman'a Plall. Wle studied an area near \Xfashington, D.C., that included the entire state of Delaware, part of Maryland, and part of Virginia. It is a very large area, and che cask was very difficult. The maps we prodllced were not as legible as maps that colild be drawn by hand. T hey were

lall McHarg

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EDITOR 'S CHOICE

Earth scientists understood the landscape and realized it was likely, to underao maJ'or c11aJJO'e but they, didn't b " , know how to propose changes to the laJlciscape,

criticized for their graphic quality, but flot for the analyses that created chern. By 1967, we had computer techniques fordrawing terrain, vegetat ion, and buildings in perspective. Again, these images we[t criticized because a capable draftsman could draw bener than the computer. But we knew that techniques would become bener and bener. Wle understood the iXltemial powerofcomputers in landscape planning. [n the late 19605, with Peter Rogers (1937- )and OUT students, we made several more landscape planning studies. These studies included complex analyses that modeled rhe often-seen conflicts between rhe anraniveness for development and the vulnerability of landscape. Our work was published as A SYJtefllJ Analysis Al odel of

are five principal t1l1ngs (0 consider in landscape planning: systems, analysis, mooel, urbanization, and change. O ne of the early Harvard graduate Stl\dents, jack Dangermond (1945- ), found-

nificant idea that changed the appearance of a large part of the Uni ted Kingdom. Crowe spent much of her career advising the Forestry Commissio n of England on its forestry practices. She condemned monoculture and the ugly rectilinear block planting that went with it. She advocated planting a diversity of tree species, in patterns that acknowledged the natural ground form. She wrote a report called The Lmmcape of Fomts alld W/m- (1978). In it, she gives examples of how to approach reforestation with considc"1'ation fOr ecology, economic produuion, recreation, and aesthetics. In 1%9- 1970, the Congress of the United States led by Senator H e n ry "Scoop'路 j ackso n (1912- 1983) passed the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). This revolutionary law for the first time required open public participation, landscape preplanning, mit igation of detrimental impacts, and publ ic review of all significant planning actions. Lady Bird johnson (1912- 2007), wife of President

method ology. Each American federal agency that managed land was required to develop methoos to assess visual impact. R, Burton Litton (1918-2007) of the University of Califomi a, Berkeley, and Edward H. Stone II , FASLA, of the U.S. Forest Service, influenced by the work of Sylvia Crowe, responded to NEPA fOf the U.S. Forest Service, the first federa l agency to produce a methooology. [n 1974, the Visual Management System was introduced. T he Bureau of Land Management and other agencies followed with thei r own visual management systems. As a result, the U.S. government has several different systems that are often confusing. H owever, the primary benefit is that, in America, every major project is evaluated for its visual impaa. In 1986, a very influential book, Landscape Ecology, was written by my colleague Richard Forman 0935- ) and M ic hel Gooron (1949- ). TIle decade of the 1980s was a period when biological scientim and earth scientists began to work closely with

ed che company that made the first commercially successful computer graphic mapping program. Today his firm, ESR I, is the largest in che field. By making and distribucing tools for others to use, Dangermond has probably contributed mr more to landscape planning than any professor, researcher, or professional landscape planner. Sylvia Crowe (1901 - 1997) was one of the great English landscape architects. She had a long and varied career in landscape architec拢ure and was responsible for a sig-

l yndon Johnson, had made beautifying rhe American landscape her public issue. She was in many ways responsible for adding "aesthecic" to the concepts of '路health, safety, and welmre" that underl ie NEPA. These ideas have influenced the creation of similar (Xllicies and legislation in many other countries. TIle new law raised a very serious question. H ow do you study environmental imI:xl([ in aesthetic tenns? Tt could noc be simply personal opinion. h had to be a

planning and design professionals. In general, the earth scientists unde rstood the landscape and realized it was likely to undergo major change, but they d idn't know how to propose changes to the landscape. Today, landscape ecology helps to understand the effens of past and potential change by looking at the spatial structure of landscapes in ecological terms. It is an enormously powerful theoretical basis for landscape planning, (And ic is inceresting that its descri pt ive model bears clear

Urbal/izatioll alld C&mge;1I umdJcape Plal/ning (1969). Tooay, I still th ink that there

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"The profession of landscape architecture stands at a critical fork in the road. One fork leads to a significant field of endeavor contTilmting to t.he bellermenl of human environmenl, while lhe ot.her poinls lo a subordinale field of superficial embellislmlenl. " -Hideo Sasaki

similarities to Lynch's in Imageo/the City.) In November 200t, the 47 member countries of the Council of Europe signed a new international treaty, rhe European Gndscape Gmvention (see sidebar, below). This new treaty has now been ratified by many, but not all, of the member States. It is having a profOund effect on the practice of landscape planning, as it requires these activities as part of the treaty obligations. 111is, in rum, 1salsa having a major impact on landscape education throughout Europe, and indirectly on the rest of the world. I will conclude this article on a personal note. Two people have earned my particular gratitude. They are the late Hideo Sasaki (1919-2000) and Charles H ar ris, FASLA,

The European Landscape Convention ome excerpts from the text adopted at the European landscape Convention in November 2001: Chapter I-General Pro,isions Article 3-Aims The aims of this Con,ention are to promote landsupe proteclion, management and planning, and to organize European cooperation on landscape iuues. Chapter II-National meaSUrH Article 4-Division of responsibilities Each party shall implement this convention, in particular Articles 5 and 6, ac-

(1926--). Sasaki hired me as a young assistant at Harvard

many years ago, and Harris encouraged my early academic development along somewhat unorthodox paths. H arris is the best real "educator" I have ever known. In the early 1960s, Sasaki wrote: "111(' profession

of landscape architecture stands at a critical fork in the road. One fork leads [0 a sig-

nificant field of endeavor contributing to the betterment of human environment, while the other points (0 a subordinate field of superficial embellishment." Th ese are wise words.

UntUrrunarely, much ofrhe landscape architecture profession still stands at that fork. Over the mOfe than 40 years I have been active in this field, [ have observed that we are gening better at understanding the landscapes we are planning. \YJe have much betrer dam and moclds. In democratic processes, environmenml politics are gen ing more open and complicated, and landscape plans are also getting more complicated. This makes it very difficult for the ordinary person to understand what is g oing on now and what might happen in the future. One can imagine a furure of global warming, desertification, overpopulation, water crises,

conling to its own division of powers, in conformity with its constitutional principles and administrative arrangements, and respecting the principle of subsidiarity, taking into account the European Charter of Local SeH-government. Without derogating from the provisions of this convention, each party shall harmonize the implementation of this conrention with its own policies. Article 5-General measures Each party undertakes: a. to recognize landscapes in law as an essential component of people's surroundings, an exprHsion of the diversity of their shared cultural and natural heritage, and a foundation of their identity

and other potentially catastrophic changes. If we are at the brink of an increasingly serious environmental crisis, it is very important for people to understand the siruation and their options, or they will not make vital changes. This may be our next majorchallengeto make more complex landscape planning more readily understandable to broaden public participation, and to improve decision making in support ofa more equitable and sustainable future.

Carl Sumitz, Honorary ASLA, IS the Alexander and Victoria Wiley Research Professor 0/ IAI/dscape Architectllre and Plal/nil/g at Hanurd G radflate School 0/ Design. ACKNOWLEDGMENT: I

thank especially Tess C1.nfield. Many others have also contributed, both directly and indirectly, including Mirka Benes; Peter 801 ; Ethan Carr, FASU.;Joseph Disponzio, ASLA; and Juan Carlos Vargas-Moreno. I also thank those whose work I have cited and used herein, often without permission. I thank especially the many persons who had these influential ideas in the first place, and upon whose work we have all built. Originally published in theJollrllal 0/ IAl/dscape A rchilecflm, Spring 2008.

b. to establish and implement landscape policies aimed at landscape proteclion, management, and planning through the adoption of the specific measures set out in Article 6 c. to establish procedures for the partic路 ipation of the general public, local and regional authorities, and other parties with an interest in the definition and im路 plementation of the landscape policies mentioned in paragraph b altove d. to integrate landscape into its region路 alland town planning policies and in its cultural, environmental, agricultural, so路 Cilll, and economic policies, as well as in any other policies with possible dired or indirect impact on landscape

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T'S H ARD TO IMAGIN E a more

elegant setting for art in the landscape than the rx<:ordova

MuselUll and Seul prure Park in

Lincoln, Massachusens. This museum of regional contemporary art occupies 35 acres encompassing the furmer estate of Boston indus trialist Julian DeCordova, dat-

ing from the early 20th cemury. A mixed-hardwoOO and pine forest laps against an amoeba-shaped pool of lawn. Stands of Norway

spruce and other mature specimen trees punctuate the open spaces, casting deep shadows onto the grass. A Stttp hill with

rough outcrops of ledge adds a dash of the sublime to this picrur-

ts/:jue landscape, which is home to New England's largest sculpture park. 1111" museum displays about 75 large-s<:ale sculprures at any given time, using rhedark wooded edges, rolling terrain, and sunlit lawns to striking effect. But the landscape, although modified roserve as an exhibirion space since rhe museum began

New England's largest sculpture p31'k is transformed. By Jane Roy Brown displaying sculpture omdoors in tile 1980s, was not designed as a sculprure park. In parricular, ir was noe planned roaccommodate a hefry percentage of rhe museum's 125,000 annual visirors exploring rhe property on foot. Over time, people roving the grounds, sometimes sim ply searching for ehe museum encranceor a way co ger up a hill , creared desire lines and erosion. Crossing back and forrh across rhe main entry drive, pedestrians also put themselves ae risk of being hir by cars. 'The driveway complerely bisected rhe main lawn, and rhar needed ro change for a number of reasons, primarily safery," says Corey Cronin, direccor of markering and communicarions, referring co ehe original circuirous carriage drive, which climbed co che 1910 brick mansion-cumedHalvorson Design Partnership museum acop che properry's highsubtly defined a new place in the esc poine. This parr of rhecampus landsc:ape, top, by replacing a felc d isconnected from the lower swale with a gentle swell, At the elevations, where mose of the sculpture is displayed , Cronin museum entry, the new plaza, left, serves as a segue between says. To reach chis suburban mubuilding and landsc:ape. seum, mose visitors arrive in cars.

84 1Lendlcape Architecture

Hnun l on

CALL FOR ENTRIES AMERICAN

SOCIE~

01' LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS 2009 AWARDS

land...,...,.. archItecture

AWARDS PRESENTED: September 18-22, 2009 at the ASLA Annual Meeting and EXPO in Chicago

\Vhen the museum celebrated its 50th annivers.'\ry in 2CKXJ, it put the project out to bid and chose Halvorson Design Partnership of Boston to create the plan. raig C. Halvorson, FASLA, says the master plan design set out with several clear, broad-brush goals: - Make the landscape legible so that visitors can explore the park on their own without losing their orientation . - Enhance the experience of the grounds as a series of larger and smaller outdoor rooms. - Realign the access road so that visitors can see the museum as they drive up to the parking area. - Design the new entry p laza to be an aesthetic transition between t he modernist character of the museum wing and the pastoral landscape of the sculpture park. - Reclaim as much of the site as possible fOf pedestrian use and apply traffic calming to vehicular roads. - Improve the display of sculpture. For safi::ry, the moot significant change Halvorson made was to reroute the looping drive around the museum school. ··TIle original drive was disorient-

MASTER PLAN

2004

•

Gateway to sculpture park landscape

B New entrance plaza C Replicated wetland 0 New visitor welcome

F Staff parking G Visitor pariling H Museum school and shop complex

station

Main access drive

Museum main entrance

Unused amphitheater

After parking in the three-tiered lor located on the southeastern quadrant of the property, they needed to cross the drive to reach the museum as well as other parts of the grounds. As the sculpture exhibition program grew and became more widely recognized, museum staff members took notice of dlese issues and began to envision new possibil ities for the landscape. In addition to the safety concerns, "the park was looking a bit scruffY," adds sculpture curawr N ick Capasso, who saw numerous opportunities for improvement and expansion. ··\Ve have this varied landscape of meadows, wetlands, gardens, fields, and woods. It makes the park a particularly rich environmem for showing sculpture. It's like having eight or 10 very different outdoor galleries."

86 1Lendlcape Architecture

Hnun l on

The master plan redirecled

EXISTING CONDITIONS

2001

around the museum shop and school for improved safety and wayfinding.

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The DeCordowa Museum'. new destination was, and theyenrered entrance plaza, abof~, viewed the museum school complex in the middle," Halvorson notes. from the new access to the sculpture park, creates a sense Now the drive passes the school of arriwal for both the building complex but doesn'r go rhrough and the landscape. The former it, and drivers can see rhe (XU'king scheme, right, was cramped lor in rhe foreground and rhe and hazardous. main doorci rhe museum srmlglu ahead. TIl is si ngle srep. carried out on a IXlttof the property rhar was alreadydeveioped,eiiminared mOSt of the potential pedesrriao-,'e hide conAicrs, A segment of the former drive sti ll lXlSStS rhe museum's main enrmnce, but only pedestrians and deli. . ery vehicles (en route to a service and staff entrance atop rhe hill) can use ie "Wechipsealed rlle beginning of rile service drive to say 'pedestrian' and placed bollards [here, which can be removed for deliwries," says Halvorson. Hnv •• , un

lendlcap.Architectur. 1 87

T he new entry plaza outside the museum's entrance serves, literally, as a pivotal connection wa unified campus. The emire space, partially enclosed by the risi ng slope and the bui lding's front facade . also doubles as an o utdoor gallery. Five bronze Tigen by sculpwr Gwynn Murrill crouch and prowl on granite blocks that Halvorson tucked among thick grasses and pert'nnials on the slopes above and below the plaza. (Other blocks jut from the grassy hillside to extend the lines of the plaza inm rhe landscape and provide add itional sculpture settings.) Capasso observes [hat this environment, while pleasing in its own right, illustrates the flexi bility he was I<x>king for. "Here we had this outdoor space, architectural and circular, perfect for circus tigers. but we arranged them to underscore the ir abSt ract ness and to cteate the opportunity for visitors to walk amongst them ," Capasso says. " Placed elsewhere in the park, t hey would certai n ly not have the same relat ionsh ip (0 the

Roomlike spaces throughout the landscape enhance the experience of the art. landscape, to each other, and to their viewer. \'V'here they are onderscores both tlleir personali ty as animals and their abstr.lCt qualit ies." Simi lar roomlike spaces throughout the landscape also enhance rhe experience of the arT. For instance, at the cop of rhe new steps linking the plaza w the main lawn, Halvorson lowered the grade to fOrm an asymmetrical dip that reveals the top half of a steel donut (DO/JIlt with 3 Balls. by Fletcher Benton), JUSt enough co emice viewers up the hill. When the visitors step OntO the grass, their eyes, rather than a prescri bed [.Xlth,cominuepulling them forward . lllecircularion is strong between spaces, but within [hem , it is loose and free-Rowing. "A lot of our work lleft' is about making something visible in the next passage or space ro mO\'e rhe viewer forward , in (he way that Olmsted created great outdoor rooms that ttansi(ioned ro each other, drawing t he eye to rhe next s[.Xlce," Halvorson says. Sile improve ments inltcr.te elillinc ftltu~1 luch as this wall "TIle sculpture park is a series of ilKorpor.linc. boulder, top. A interlocked rooms, and we delibnew replicaltd wetland, left, is erately kept views open for orilocated soulh of the new road. entation and to create a hierar88 1 L. nd lu p, Arehlt. clur.

flnURI u n

<:hy of spac:e. We aimed for seamless trans mons.

From the entry plaZiI, llbove, yisiton glimpse Donut with 3 Balls (Fletcher Bentonl in the sculpture par1l.llan Ayer路 buch's Skirts and Pllnts (ilfter Duchilmpl, below, overlooks the visitor welcome stiltion. Hillvorson's new entry plnil ertended the existing stilircase from the pilriling lot to the museum entrilnce, right,

eamlessness is not something that screams "design" to the average visitor, but the deft handling of {he passages between rhe cam pus's main spaces ueates a clarity that amplifies the landscape's overall beauty as much as rhe presence of rhe art. " \'{fe rried to work with a collection of liner brushstrokes, more naturalistically than architecturally," Halvorson says. He added touches of his own that straddle the line between art and design. Take, for instance, rhe segmenc of scone wall added co mark the edge of the museum school complex. TIle crisp line of moclern stonework incorporates a massive errati<: boulder in its

path, visually cleaving it in rwo. The wall, more symbolic than functional, also passes through a clump of trees next to the boulder, slicing the cluster of trunks into distinn fOreground and ba<:kground planes and crearing the illusion of a deeper space. The wall scops ar the edge of rhe drive; opposite, a rough fanner's wall of piled fieldstone picks up the internlpted line. The break calls attention to safety (you're crossing a road, be carr路lid!) and signals the rhreshold co a more mysterious, primitive realm, where organi<: sculptural forms tangle with the shadows of the encroaching woods. Planting now screens several unsighrly views from the older landscape, including fencing around a private parcel abutting the museum property and a panorama of [he parking lot from {he emry plaza. A replicated werland complerely fills a former con(t'ftamphitheater that no longer fit within the museum's miSSion. The project won a 2007 BSLA Merir Award in Commercial and insritutional Design,

jane Roy BroWII, a writer ill western MassachllSells, is a cOlllribllfillg editor. PROJECT CREDITS Landscape architect Halvorson De-

sign Partnership, Boston (Craig Halvorson, FASlA, principal in charge; Stephanie Hubbard, project manager; Bryan Jereb and Pr.misa Boonkham , project design). Construction and stoneworlc D, Schumacher landscaping Inc., \'{fest Bridgewater, Massachusens. HnUA n

21 09

lendscape Architecture

I S9

uu I-IIS IS IllUCJ-l, MUCH 1l1ORE than a highway overpass, From the air, it swirls and eddies like a stream. From [he upland side, it rises like a hill from a grassy field neaf historic Fort Vancouver, obscuring [he fourlane rood it crosses. TIleeardl and concrere Land Bridge is a wide, dignified path to the Columbia River. Along rhe pathway, there aTe panoramic views of rhe Pacific Northwest landscape. From midspan, [he rushing traffic below seems faraway, and the land, shore, and moving water seem very

close, Planes thac gave (he native landscape its character and susmined people for thousands of years aTe right there, along [he path and around the overlooks. "\'{1e grubbed the pmirie and pulled it over the highway," says Johnpaul Jones, partner of Jones & Jones Archicecrureand landscape Architecture and designer of the Lmd Bridge.

In Washington state, a highway overpass becomes an experience. By Cair Enlow Vancouver, \X1ashingcon, population 162,400, lies on the north shore of the Columbia, with Portland, Oregon, on the south side. Meeting the interstate along (he north shore iseast- wesc State Route 14, the Lewis and Clark Highway, wich looping Ilyovers less chan a mile from theprojecc. The Land Bridgecrosses over Highway 14, reconnecting the upland historic district, which includes a number of old army base buildings and open spaces, wich the river. A pedestrian bridge had been planned for the location for decades, a long-delayed mitigation for the 1980s widening of Route 14, But in retrospect, a simple, caged span would have furcher degraded a historic place that has already been overwhelmed by modern transportation , including a municipal airport right next to the walls of the fort. It cook an effOrt like the Confluence Project to dig deeper into the possibilities of the site and break through the deadlock. The

rHe V1llAGe

u,' _

'.". '"

••

·,• •

The bridge's design, .bove, is Land Bridge is the largest of seven projectS in a its river lifeline-shorrening a three·mile drive based on a circle motif, shown in to about a quarter of a mile stroll. It's also an collaboration between tribes and civIC g ro ups important trail for walking, jogging, and bi· shaped by celebrated artist Maya l in, Founded concept sketch beloit', in connection with the bicentennial celebration cycling, an interpretive landscape, a parklike of Lewis and Clark's expedition, the Confluence amenity, and a tourist destination. Finally, it Project is dedicated to reconnecting the people ~ / : ..."7 putS plants over pavemenc without draw· of the Northwest with their history along a 4 50/ ing on city water supplies ... It's really a r -' , .~-"'"=:::::::mile stretch of the river. In most locations, green roof," says landscape architect " ' ... '--...... .-A: l in is overseeing and creating site-based Rene Senos, ASLA, who was project , ' -'-'CliV . .J~' I I ,,~, ...... . works. Jones is an adviser for the Conflumanager and landscape architect for ,' <..l ence P roject. The primary design conthe project at Jones & Jones. 1 ~. sultant for the project is KPFF, a multi· TIle path begins by winding around a mounded earth base and then meandering disciplinary engineering firm, Dedicated last August, the $12.25 million project into a semicircular, 40·fuoc·wide bridge span, finally ramping down and landing on a relativewas admin istered by the ci ty and funded ly straight course between the highway and a with federal transportation dollars, support ..... railroad embankment. A small pre-exiscing from t~le \'qashin~ton Depar~memofTrans- V ~ park is located rhere, along with an old portatlQn, and pnvate donatlons. 0I'Vl "J' pedestrian runnel that leads through To skeptics, it was a waste of money, a wild ly inflat· ed concept of a highway overpass. But some of the most voche 16·fooc·high embankment to the cal critics of dle land Bridge have now come around. h packs a river shore. lot of practical and environmental value into a single project. As Along the way, pedestrians are partially enveloped by a bridge, it reconnects a National Park destination, the recon· the Land Bridge, with planting beds chat run along sometimes structed Fort Vancouver and historic environment, to the shore- aOOvc waist lew!. T hree themed circular overlooks bump out of the

r,;:;:;

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92 1

path, and they carry much of the interpretive content of the Lllld Bridge. The themes-people, land, and river--are celebrated in each overlook with text in English and in the languages of the native peoples who once inhabited the immediate area. Two of the overlooks are marked by circular metal trellis structures. Spirit Baskets, petroglyph-inspired artworks by Narive American artist l illian Pirr, are centered under the trellises; Pin is also the author of a gateway construction at the southern terminus of the bridge. The story of the site is wid in a series of interpretive panels at the overlooks and embedded in the walls of the land Bridge path. Speaking on the Confluence web site about the vision of the larger project, l in said, "It is sometimes good w understand what's been lost, what is irrecoverable, what is valuable w us, and what we would like to repair." In Vancouver, repairing the nawral landscape would be impossible. Instead, [he land Bridge reframes the history of the site, when [he people were vitally connected to [he river. The Chinook tribes traveled along the lower Col umbia River. T he prairieoriented Klickitat and [he great Klick itat Trail met the shore

near the sice of Forr Vancouver, a place for meeting and crade. T he Hudson's Bay Company founded rOrt Vancouver, the first large-scale multicultural community in the Northwest. Oceangoing ships of European traders, coming in from the mouth of che Columbia and tying up near Forr Vancouver, added another layer of conneccion to the river. T hen came the railroad, and finally the highway, severing thac connection profoundly. To proponents and supporters, che L1.nd Bridge IS a step toward healing a natural and cultural world chat has been broken. "Ie had to be not JUSt a bridge," says the Confluence project director Jane Jacobsen. "Ir had to be land. N ot JUSt for what ic would represent, buc for whac it could bring." Jones, himself Cherokee and Choctaw, is known for projeccs chat blur che boundaries between buildings and landscape such as che Museum of che American Ind ian on che Mall in \Washington, D.C., for which he led [he design ceam. Early discussions about the land Bridge setrled around (he idea of a circle, an important trope in boch Jones's and l in's work. It became even more important when the design [earn began the difficult task of placing [he

bridge, because the arcing span allowed the Land Bridge to set down gmcenilly between the highway and the railway embankmem, nearly parallel to the highway. The position along the highway had already been determined by a number of immovable factors, including {lie historic reserve and its sensitive archaeological areas. But there were other factors char influenced the design. While che Land Bridge team worried about che remains of che pasc, che present continued to encroach. T he highway administration was considering 14 differem opcions for rebuilding the I-5 corridor and the bridge o\'er che C0lumbia, including the revision of a Ilyover ramp thac threatened to loom over the bridge. \X!hile the design team struggled to keep the deck high enough to afford views over che interchange, chey had to keep ic low enough to satisfY che Federal Aviacion Ad ministracion so chat che planes at the small municipal airport right next to Fort Vancouver could continue to land and take off. Engineering the Land Bridge was a special challenge. The bridge feacures 15 totally different retaining wall designs, including soil-nailed and mechanically stabilized earth (all faced widl concrete) along wich craditional cast-in-place and cantilevered walls. No radius is the same, and no one had to bend more than the state highway engineers, who had never before faced an overpass with lateral curves. To bring che prairie back over the highway, Jones & Jones referred to the notes in [he journals of Lewis and Clark, who left

drawings and descriptions of many planes. In all, more than 100 species are indudedamong the plantings on the Land Bridge. All are native rothe \Xlillamene Valley bioregion, and many also have culcural significance for Northwest eribes. T he landscape plan is divided among four habitat mosaics progressing from upland (north) ro shoreline (sour h). T hese plant communities include grassland, wich whiee oak and shrubs like chokecherry, ocean spray, and snowberry; dry prairie, wich various grasses and flowers along wich shnlbs like nomka rose and serviceberry; wet prairie, with lupine, meadow rushes, sedges, and bulbs like camas, an important food rooe; and bottomland hardwood, with red alder, wescern red cedar, redosier dogwood, vine maple, and ferns. The Land Bridge is designed to use only captured rainwaeer. Everything chac isn'c captured by the planting beds runs into a guccer syscem wieh channels along ehe pachway, which feeds inco a rain garden on one side and aciseern and pump for irrigae ion on the ocher. There is a Naeional Parks-owned well conneceed with Fore Vancou\'er that supplied waeer for start-up and Hands by in drought conditions. The path itself is surfaced with a locally sourced, tan-colored decomposed graniee t hat is permeable and natural looking. Almost a million people a year visit the historic fort and surrounding area, according to Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard , and mose don'c know how to walk to the waeerfront. But since ehe rebuilt fort still turns its back on the Land Bridge, it may take a

while for chern co learn. T he goo:J news is chac when chey do, chey wi ll be passing an increasing number of users of the waterfront trails who now croos over ro the hisroric area. Joggers and bit),dists from tlie nearby Hudson's Bay neighborhoo:J abouc a mile away andarhletes from Hudson's Bay H igh School ro rhe north are known ro frequent che L'md Bridge. Ic seems chat mosc of che pedestrians on the Land Bridge have to leave home and park a car to gec chere. If chis is a pedestTian amenicy for a susminable future, t he fucure has not quice arrived. Buc it's coming, according co Pollard. People already make the one- co cwo-mile round crip co che Land Bridge from downeown Vancouveron fooc, crossing under 1-5, he says. A mixed-use wacerfront community of about 10,000 is planned for an underused swach of river shore to che west, just on che ocher side of the freeway. From che waterfront itself and the linear park, chey would be able co walk to the main parr of the historic reserve, including che reconstructed fort. At the other end of che linear waterfrone park to the ease, there is a huge redevelopment opportunicy on the shore in parr of the old Kaiser Shipyard, now an industrial park.

For now, che land Bridge is bringing a rediscovery of the beaucy of the Vancouver landscaJX: and water views-nor JUSt for vlsirors, but fur locals. TIle serpencine shape, combined with the many incercwining curves of che bridge sClUcrure, has che force and presence of nature. It reminds us of a time when the land was not something to divide up, buc someching chac connects us wich one anocher and with the wacer.

Clair Enlow is d jreddl/a writer ill SMull. PROJECT CREDITS Owner: City of Vancou\'er, \'7ashington. Primal} stakeholder: The Confluence Project, Vancouver, \'7ashington (Jane Jacobsen, director; Bob Friedenwald, project manager; Bob Balaski, projecc manager). Consull:路 ing artist: Maya lin, New York. Primal} design consultant: KPFF. Portland, Oregon (lim Shell, project manager). Architect and landscape architect: Jones & Jones. Architects and landscape Architects, Seacc1e(Johnpaul Jones, principal in charge; Rene Senos, ASLA, project manager; Osama Quorah, project archicect; Ints l uters. ASLA, landscape architect; \'7esley Simmonds. ASLA, landscape designer). Generalcorrtractor: Kiewic Pacific Company, Seattle (Jeff Ellis, project manager).

1路5

HE CUENT, A U BRARY, wanted

site-specific, landscape-based sculprure near the entrance of irs expanded building. What it gO( from MiJ.qroung Kim, ASLA, of Boston was fJarctxu Lllflliller(met, six custom-made, scare-of路 ehe-arr lanterns that reference both (he function and the technology of

mclay's libraries. Kim, who has a background in

sculpturl'as well as larxlscape archiuxmre, was recommended [0 the Ocean County Library by New J CI"S{1"S artS commissioner, Thomas Moran. He was fumiliar with her work bectuse

5. ret' :."

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he had served with Kim onacommic(0

draw up an ans master plan for

the General Services Administration.

11le library, WhKh sirson rhe main of Toms R jVef, New Jersey, had finished rhe shell of a major addition,

Street

bur when she visited, Kim round "3 _ mound of dirt" outside it. TIle library ; staff told Kim [htl( a number of evenrs-fXlrndes and old car m(~tS, for instance-cake place on Main Strt'Ct, and they would li ke something (har ......... ~ would draw cheacrencion of passersby.

搂

As she usually does when mulling a new project, Kim began to muse about the function of the place. "Why do we come to the

library? Togain knowledge. We have an imemion."Then "light" as an obvious analogy to "knowledge'" occurred to her. She focused on the idea of lighted sculptures that would have a practical as well as a referemial function. Kim envisioned putting the light inside a wrapped skin. 'The way you get to knowledge is by unwrapping or unfurling infor-

mation,'" she explains. '"You learn by being curious, by walking around a subject. " Lanterns made of dear acetate were Kim's first thought. She considered filling each one with items related to library useeyeglasses, for example. '"It was a real struggle to get away from the Plexiglas;' Kim s<'\ys. "'\'\Ie decided that in the long term, it was not a viable material. It scratches; it's hard to maimain." Even when working with the idea of Plexiglas, Kim and her a<;-

IH[N 'l16HT' AS AN ODVIOUSANAl06YTO "KNOWlm6[" O[[URRm TO KIM.

sociates saw that they "needed something to hold the lantern together." T hey came up with a darkened sted ribbon that also functions as a strunural element. "I could easily have put it around the middle,"· she adds, "bur this way it leads you into the core, into the concept of unwrapping. ·· On various faces, the ribbon leads the eye diagonally bottom to top and top to bottom . Brainstorming among the team evolved the idea of wrapping the light with a metal mesh instead of Plexiglas; for a time, before they hit upon the aptness of bar codes, they considered expanded metal with a diamond-patterned screening. Meanwhile, Mikyoung Kim Design had also been hired tocreate the building's landscape-a fiscally separate projen-and developed it before the lantern plans were senled. For the entry counyard the landsca\X' team s\X'ci fied black-and-white pavers creating irregular stripes like a bar cooe. "l1lat·s how library information is organized now,'· Kim points out. Inspired by the pavemem to use bar codes in more complicated panernsas scrttning, Kim had the fabricator, Amuneal Manufacturing, lasercm a sample sheet of stainless steel. "They said, '\VIe think this could work .· Kim says she had not worked with Amuneal before; she hears aoom fabricators via word of mouth, from other sculptors. "Ultimately,"' she adds, ··we realized bar code language was a nice abstraction of this information. The ones and zeros were more powerful'· than diamond screening. "T here·s a modular qual ity, a set of rules,'· she said. "Because we didn·t want kids to get heads or fingers stuck in the openings," the spaces in the bar code were no g reater than four inches and no less than half an inch. "\VIe worried about wrapping the core too much," Kim says. ·"The challenge was to make the screen transparent bm so you would still see the bar code parrern.'· T hey tried a triple layer, bur the light was obscured. In rhe final version , the perforated sreel wraps around twice, wirh the bar code spaces offset and a prismatic acrylic lantern inside. "'\'{fe wondered how it would look if the bar code (on each layer) matched up," she recal ls. "Bur then itdidn·r look like it was wrapped. This way rhere's a moire effect that changes as you move around it." Getting rhe scale right was a long process. The design group did full -scale mock-ups of the lanterns, PUt them in rhe window ofKim'soffice, and viewed them from across rhe srreet. ·nle final version is eight feet rail , with the bar code punched somewhat smaller rhan it was in their early experiments. TIle team initially considered a fiber-optic core, programmed to change color. But Kim began to ponder ··how rhe body engages the piece. You move abom to discover dlings in a library." The

designers began to think about a sculpture that was imeranive, containing a light whose color would change as the viewer walks around the sculpture. A salesperson had left them a S<'1mple of a Dichrolam acrylic dichroic resin, translucent bm iridescent. '·W/e had thought about using it two years ago in a counhouse in \'{fest Virginia," Kim recalls. '"But we were also using fiber optics, and Dichrolam fought with the fiber optics. It will even invert the color, red to green, for Instance. From the first, Kim says, she had drawn the lanterns askew rather than vertical. Her natural aesthetic, she says, tends toward asymmetry. Besides, ·'1 thought it was more interesting. You see

Middle ribbon

Inner spiral

Inner ribbon

Dichroic aCillic core

Base platfonn

constructed of aluminum channel

Acrylic ribbon Ibyothers)

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A steel band, a strudnral element, many lanterns that are conical or vertical; they placed in such a way that they look distinct , like leads people to walk around the so many small icebergs floating randomly across are not very interesting . TIlis way, every face is sculpture5; a Dichrolam acrylic different and it forces the viewer to walk around the p laza. "\VIe like the way they seem to be core changes hue as viewers move speaking to each other, depending on the angle it. Ever since Rodin, who made the back of his about. lighted all the time, lantern sculptures as interesting as the front, sculpture from which you look at them, because of the has asked that viewers do that." colors are snbtle, almost invisible, canting of the pieces." There were also cost effiin daylight, below. At night, oppo路 For a t ime she considered making t he ciencies in making [he six identical. site, colors glow like an aura. lanterns in three d ifferent sizes. "We did mockT he pieces are each bolted to a foundation plate whose edges are covered by paving. "\VIe ups of them on the site with two-by-fours and p lywoocl, but we found the little ones got lost in the landscape. didn"t want the bolts to show," she says. " \'\Ie wanted the sculp\Vhen we got rid of the little ones, it didn't make visual sense to ture to spring right from the ground." have just two sizes." In the final result all six are identical but The rest of the land scape design is understated, with a small

IH[ liGHTS AR[ sunm IN TH[ DAYTIM[ nUT DYNAMIC AT NIGHT. grove of white-flowering shadbush (Ameldllchier (anadem/5, maximum height 20 feet) inset among the striped walkways.

industrial. Kids like it, though." As she planned, 'T he colors change as you walk around it. You don't just pass by."

The $565,000 project drew on two separate budgers, a $265,000 Percenc for Art gram and $300,000, parr of [he con-

Marty Carl(J(k. a Brutol/-basedfree/alice writer. COlltribllles freqllently to

strunion budget sec aside for landscape plaming. Because her firm did ooth, K im says she was able to meld rhe nvo: "For instance, [here had to be pavemenc anyway." So its cose could come

landscape Architecture.

from (he landscape budget, even though it was designed as part of the art project. TIle lights 3re on all the time, very subde in thedayrime but dynamic at night. The library got its wish: The director says she sees drivers slow down and go by very slowly, obviously trying to figure ou[ whOle they're seeing. Kim adm its dlO1Cwhen the lanterns were insralled lase spring, they created some coneroversy. "People had never seen anydl ing like this before. Some thought it was too

PROJECT CREDITS: Client: New J ersey State Council on the Arts, Ocean Couney Library, Toms R iver, New Jersey. Landscapearchi路 teet: M ikyoung K im Design, Brookline, Massachusens (Mikyoung Kim, ASLA, design principal; Matthew Gillen, arts project manager; \William Madden, landscape project manager; Elaine Delaney and Raphael J ustewicz, office designers). Fabrica路 tion and installation: Amuneal Manufacturing, Philadelphia. Acrylic core supplier: John Blazy Designs, Cleveland. Landscape contractor: T Fiotakis Construction, Edison, New Jersey. 1 101

BOOKS Designing Sustainable Forest Landscapes, by Simon Bell and Deall Apostol; New Yo rk: Taylo r and Francis, 2008; 356 pages, S 100.

of past work that I would suspect most potential readers would have prior knowledge of. 11le best section in the book is Community Participation in ForReviewed by Lynn DuPuis, ASlA est Design. As a person who works on community-based projects, HIS BOOK BY T\X/O LANDSCAPE ARC HITECTS with experiI found this section to be very well written and laid out and fu ll ence in forest management and design takes a look at very of information. \'qorking with community groups on a large scale large-scale planning for forests, including visual techniques involves different dynamics, and finding the right strategies to use and forest aesthetics. Simon Bell, now a research fellow at Ed in- with each group is an important part of the process. T his section burgh College of An, was fo rmerly highlights potent ia ! participation chief landscape architect to the British strategies, outlining the streng ths and weaknesses for each type of strategy, Forestry Comm ission, and Dean Arx>sand gives the reader a good overview rol, who now teaches at the University of O regon, was chief landscape archiof potential approaches . tect for M t. H ood National Forest in Another strength of the book is that O regon. T he book is well laid om in a each chapter has a conclusion or a series format that is straightforward and easy of case studies that uses information B II & O. . n Ap s' presented within the chapter; the case for the reader to follow and apply. The authors use serial photographs and studies are relevant and thorough, maps that visually layout changes over packed with informacion. time and design dlrecrion. Bm the Work in this field is sorely needed, book has some serious flaws. so I commend the authors for their As [ started to read this book It work, but because of the scale of landscape forest design there is more work quickly became ap parent that It is based on very large-scale foresc planning to do. with logging as a design requirement. I c'XpCCted a broader-based sustainable deLyll/l DIIPII;S, !ISLA, ;s a /al/dscapearchlsign scrategy rhac included a secrion Urf with the New YQt'k State Departfl/CII! 0/ chac looked ac logging as a pocential for Tram/M'tdfioll RegionS umdscape Archirenewable wood production. Instead tÂŤlllre & Envirollmmtal G rollP. the authors repeatedly push large-patch logging as an important factor for rhe William Robinson: The Wild Gardendesign to be sustainable, which in my er, by Richard (J;sgrove; Londo n : opinion is an industry-driven idea of Frances lincoln Limited , 2008; 256 whac consticuces suscainabilicy. As I scarred to gec deeper into this book I pages, S60. began to wonder whether we can deReviewed by lake sign a sustainable foresc landscape givDouglas, AS LA en che nature of commercial foresery IWAr.! ROBINSON (1838- 1935) was a prolific, influential and the physical and visual effects it can have o n the landscape. T he garden joumalisc who steered garden design in Victorian and auchors agree that forescs that have been under human manageEdwardian England away from checomrivancesof"beddingment using silviculcural practices, either as t he production of specific cree species or more than one, lack diversity, as conventional ouc" schemes, arbirrary geomecries, and garish ornamentacion foresc managemencdoes nO[ allow fordiversicy ac all layers of che and into the informal "cottage" gardens of wildflowers, hardy foresc canopy. Much discussion is spent in chapcer nine, Design in perennials, and herbaceous borders. Alchough his books appeared Managed Natural Forests, of the limiced pocencial for restoring in mulciple editions in his lifetime, Robinson is less known toforests chat have been previously managed. Buc I was disappoint- day and his writings are largely ignored, victims of the far greater ed in che brief mention of valuable biotopes and buffers and link- visibility of Arcs and Crafts contemporaries such as social reformer ages to procect chem; r would have expected this to be a very and essayist John Ruskin (1 819- 1900), designer W illiam Morris (1834- 1896), and Robinson's own protege, gardener and important discussion in this book. The first cwo chapters are heavily based on che history of for- writer Gertrude Jeckyll (\843- 1932). This attractive book is priest design and managemenc and landscape ecology based on rhe marily an examination of Robinson's writings, a timely and weloriginal work of R ichard Forman and others. This is reiteration come critique since many of his positions-such as {hose relaring

DESIGNING

SUSTAINABLE

FOREST

LANDSCAPES

This book is based on very large-scale forest planning with logging as a design requirement.

102 1 Lilndsupe Architecture H u u n 20n

to hardy plantings, sustainable landscapes, and the importance of urban public open spaces-are prominent in comemporary practice. 11lfOUghout his life Robinson attacked with evangelical zeal pract ices of "architectural gardening" and "bedding out:' pointing out instead the merits of wild gardening with hardy plan ts and natives, a discussion that became one of his most popular books, The Wild Gardell, 1870. By far Robinson's most famous work was The Ellglish Flower Gardell, 1883, which, Bisg rove States, "esmbl ishoo his posicion as the most widely known gardener of his age" and made Robinson the "undispmoo father of the English flower garden.'" Its 50th (!) edition appeared in 1984. There are indications Robinson consulted on designs for gardens, but no plans exist; instead, his legacy is his writings. Throughout his mreer, Robinson used his publications co advance his position and excoriate those who held opposing vIews. He was, fOf instance, an early critic of kaleidoscopIC '"bedd ing-om'" garden schemes, and writing abom American Samuel Parsons's The Art of Lalldscape ArchiflXture, Robinson noted that Parsons '"calls himself a landscape architect, a contradiction in terms, and one of the most stupid evcr invented by man." Yet Robinson's interest ranged beyond gardens and, iron ically, into areas of professional relevance tooay- including, as the author notes, advocacy for efficient and sustainable

Ne wtown , Conn e cticut: Th e Taunton Pr ess, 2009;

240 pages , $30. JULIE MOIR MESSERVY, AFFIL1ATE ASLA, follows up h er pr evious book, Outside the Not So Big Hous e (coauthored with Sarah Susanka), with thi s u s erfri endly guid e for do路lt路yourself路 mind ed home owners Intimidated by th e prospect of tackling th e ir outdoor spac e s. Full-color photos and mini sketch es make for an appealing layout, and the wellde signed space s depleted require enough expertise that the y can be an ide a s ource for landscape architects working on reSidential proJects. ~

is an examination of Robinson's writings, a timely critique since man y of his positions are prominent in contemporary practice.

HOLDING FAST: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE

MOUNT HOOD TRAGEDY, by Ka,en James: Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc., 2008;

256 pages , $24.99. THIS 8001( TRIES TO PROVIDE ANSWERS to the climbing tragedy on Mount Hood In the Winter of 2006 that claimed the lives

This a1tracti.ve book

horticultural pract ices, for the use of renewable resources instead of fossil fuel, and for "greenness as an antidote to the city and as an indicatofof civi lized life." 111is work will find its audience among garden historians and plancing designers. With scant biographical infonnacion here, the reader gains litcle sense of who Robinson was, apart from his wricings. Yet the auchor effectively uses lengthy passages from Robinson's publications ropresem the design COntext of the times and discuss why his works became influential. The text is illustrated with beautiful images from mult iple sources, including archival material from Robinson's publications and contemporary views of plants and gardens. All correlate with the text and are well served by the book's simple, pleasing design. \'{1hile this work may have limited appeal among contemporary landscape architects, there is something co gain from Robinson's writings, and for those interested in this perioo of garden design, there is much to enjoy here.

HOME OUTSIDE: CREATING THE LANDSCAPE

You LOVE, by Julie Moi, Messe,vy, Affiliate ASU;

0' Dallas landscape architect

and mountaineer Kelly James and his two climbing partners, Brian Hall and Nikko Cooke. James's widow, Karen, was able to piece together the sequence of events that lett James stranded In a snow cave Just below the summit In one of the worst storms of the decade. ~

PLANTHROPOLOQY: THE MYTHS,

MYSTERIES , AND MIRACLES OF MY GARDEN FAVORITES , by Ken D'use; New York: Clarkson/Potter Publishers, 2008; 288 pales, S60. AMIDST THE SPECTACULAR horticultural eye candy, this book reminds us to occasionally take a break from the plant prejudice of native versus nonnative and appreciate each plant for Its Individualism. Druse takes us on a tour 01 his lavorltes, Illustratlni their botanical herltale; quirky, little-known facts; and cultural and historical uses for each species. His passion for plants shows through, enamoring the reader with plants

Lake DONglas, ASLA, isgradllafuoordillafor for LSU's Robert Reich Schoo/ ofLal/c/-

t hat may be taken for granted and sparking Interest

[cape Architecture ill Batoll l?ollge, IJJllilialid.

about unfamiliar species.

H UUUY lo n

Ludsupe Arthllethre 1 103

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A 5 LA American Society of L andscape Architects

636 Eye Street, NW â&#x20AC;˘ Washington. DC 2(XXH

TIns month features innovations in stonnwater management. JXlunding with bacteria inserted in the media or through sedimentation. The clean water reaches the concrete container and then flows Out via an under drain connected to a storm drainpipe. The only visible features are the plants covering the concrete storage box and filter media; everything stom",.. ter and mwlimize the else is underground. urIN" heat island effect, Although results can vary based on location and site conditions, the Filterra bioretention system can capture an impressive amount of pollutants, including 73 perDrivable Grass cent of deposited phosphorus, 43 percent of nitrogen, and more RJVABLE GRASS, BySOIL RETENTION , is a permeable, flexible, than 85 percent of predicated oil and grease. vegerated pavement system. It is meant to be used in place of traFilterra Bioretention Systems also manufactures the Bacterra ditional asphalt driveways, parking lots, and loading docks. Driv- media blend, which is designed to remove organic pathogens such able Grass not only rerains scormwater, buc it also helps refleer as fecal coliform and E. coli bacteria. TIle pn:xluct may remove some sunlight, leading to a reduction in the utban heat island effect. of the same pollutants as the Filterra system, but it has an added Drivable Grass installation scares with permeable crushed ag- benefit: O nce the blend of filtration media has matured, it develgregate base, which is rypically composed of crushed rock; che ag- ops a complex nacural microbiological ecosystem thac enhances gregate is determined by the landscape architect Of engineer in predation and other physical, chemical, and biological processes charge of the project. T hen the user installs a sand bedding layer, that contribute to the removal process. TIle Bacterra media blend gmded to che specifications of the site, che cwo-foot by cwo-fuot by has been found to remove 94 to 99 percent offecal coliform and E. one-and-a-half-inch concrece paving mac, and finally che grass. The coli, as well as 85 to 96 percenr of total suspended solids and 86 to paving mat's jXJrous nature allows the root systems of the grass to 95 percent of heavy metals. penetrate through the mat into subgrade soil and allows mOisture Filterra Bioretenrion Systems products work in manyapplica[ions, including screetscapes, parking lacs, roof drains, and more. to seep into che soil as well, Depending on the soil cype, Drivable Grass has a load-bearing For more information, please visit IVlllw,jilterra.cofil. capacity that allows for light to heavy vehicle traffic. For best resu lcs, a user should warer the macs regularly to establish che new grass. For more information, please visit wwu'.Joilrerelllioll.com/

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CRITIC AT LARGE (Continued/rom Page 120) aiXUlmffir building until then, rhe trust sought

city perm Ission to raze the Rochambeau, even though it was occupied. Its leaders proposed replacing it with a prayer garden dedicated to Pope John Paul II , who visited Baltimore

in 1995- a nobler vemure than a parking loc. They also argued that razing the Rochambeau would help im prove sigh t lines to the bas ilica from certain vantage JXlims. Preservationists howled, saying the Glidden building was exactly

the son of historic structure that should be retained and upgmded to draw residents [0 the city. But rhe building was no t protected by local

landmark designation, and city officials approved the demolition. Besides eliminating housing, re-

moving the Rochambeau had consequences that wct'(;n 'r consistent with the larger vision for the basilica. It exposed the east end of the adiacem garage, making it more prominenc than ever. At the same time, it did little ro open up views ro the basilica and gave the trust relatively little land to honor the pope.111is is the imperfect urban design situation that awaited the designers of the prayer garden, the landscape architecrnre firm ofMnhan Rykiel Associates, with ScO[[ Rykiel, FASLA, as principal in charge and Stephen Kelly, Brian Reetz, ASLA, Jake Golding, and Mike Rogers as design team members.The park they designed is enclosed by a meral and cast-srone fence that enables the trust to close it after dark. Elements include a central elliptical lawn, benches, flowers, trees, an inscription wall, and a seven-foot-high bronze statue of Pope John Paul II , created by 77-year-old Maryland native Joseph Sheppard. Accord ing to Rykiel, the garden was designed to offer a journey that people can take to learn about the pope and his trip to Maryland . Visitors enter throug h a gate near the corner of Charles and Franklin streets and walk along a curving brick pathway that frames the lawn, with benches along the way.

11s 1Landscape Archihcture

fEUUUl20n

T he path leads slightly uphi ll to the granite inscription wall, which bears a statemenc from the jXJpe about Maryland路s role in religious history. If they follow the path all the way around, visitors will end upat Sheppard's sratue, which depicts the pope as he looked when he arrived at llWI Marshall Airport in 1995, hugging two children who came to greet him. The Statue holds the space well and portrays rhe jXJmiffas he is fondly remembered: gentle, embracing, beneficem. Still to come is a large mesh scrim that will hang from the side of the adjacenc garage . Designed by RTKL Associates, this fiberglass screen will contain supergraphic images of flowers, reAecting the jXJpe's love of nature. It's also imended to hide the garage wall. \'<'hile the garden des ign works on many levels, it also contains a few COlltradict ions that show the difficulty of trying ro do so much with a limited site. Because SheprXl.rd's statue was placed at the north end of the property and fuces south, for example, it will receive ample morning light to illuminate the pope's countenance. But the placement also means the statue is seen against the backdrop of the neighboring Unitarian church, as if the garden is a forecourt for it mther than the basilica. And al-

thoug h the ,garden is intended to serve asa place for both quiet contemplation and group gatherings, it can't necesS<'lfily do OOth at the same time. When a large, ooisterous group fills the space, as schoolchildren did in October, there is little opp:lrtunity for solitude. It's also a very noisy site, with sounds of traffic and construction from Charles and Franklin sneets. Some of these concerns will take care of themselves, as plants fill in and. trees marure to block moreof the Unitarian church and help muffle traffic noise. One aspect of the project that won't improve by itselfis the lack of a clear connection berwttn the prayer garden and basilica. From inside the feflce, it's hard to see much of the cathedral other than the cross at the top, one of the onion domes that frame the front entrance, and jXJrtions of the back side. \X'hat visitors see mostly is the utilitarian garage. 111is is why the prayer f,'atden is difficult to try to experience at this jXJint. One can appreciate Sheppard's statue, the flowers, and the inscriptions. One can see how this small ,6>arden begins to fulfill some of the trust'S larger goals. But it's nO{ aU there yet. 111e prayer garden ought to be an imegral pnrt of the basilica experience, yet it's still largely cur off from the basilica, visually and physically. It suffers from being surrounded by noisy traffic on tWO sides and hemmed in by a hulking garage that dwarfs the human figure and blocks the sun for much of the day, 111edanger of this project is that its completion may lead observers to think the mission is accomplished, when that is nO( the case. 111e pmyer garden is commendable in many ways, bur its fu ll potencial will never be real ized unti I more of the master plan for the surrounding area is carried our. Now that the Rochambeau is gone, the Franklin Street garage needs to follow.

Edward GIIllls is the art and architectllre critic for The Baltimore Sun.

Baltimore SlIn Online by Edward Gums. Copyright 漏 2008 by Baltimore Sun Company. Reproduced with permission of Baltimore Sun Company in the format Magazine via Copyright Cleamnce Center,

Journeys with the Editor

Historic and Contemporary Charleston Landscapes March 18 - 22, 2009 Join Landscape Architecture magazine editor Bill Thompson, FASLA, on an exclusive tour designed especially for landscape architects. Explore the historic and contemporary landscapes of one of the world's most beautiful cities during the Historic Charleston Foundation's annual Festival of Houses and Gardens. Noted author and landscape historian James Cothron, FASLA, will lead tours of gardens designed by the renowned loutrel Briggs, ASlA. Award-winning landscape architect Sheila Wertimer, ASlA, will share her work in historic gardens and visionary developer Vince Graham will open the discussion on the many New Urbanist communities being developed around Charleston, including a tour of his own ground breaking work ot l'On. Enjoy a private tour of Middleton Place and gain exclusive access to gordens not usually open for public tours. Have breakfast with the city's beloved Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr., Han. ASLA, and hear his views on what makes Charleston so engaging and his vision for the city's future .

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

cape

"'''''~h1tecture

ie's a spiricual oasis near che heart of [he city.

OR RELIGIOUS LEADERS,

For narure lovers, it's a much-needed

g rttn space, open to all. For those who value hisroric archItecture, it symbolizes (he failure of [he preservation process in Baltimore. Even thoug h it covers no mOfe SfOlind chan a tennis COUrt, ie's hard to chink of another public space with [he ability to crigger so many conflicting reactions as [he Pope John Paul " Prayer Garden, which was dedicated in mid-O ctober. The $1.5 million garden was built as a complement to che recently resrored BasiliC30f the Assumption , which occupies the same block in Baltimore's Cathedra! Hill district. Begun in \806, it's [he first Roman Catholic cathedral in [he United States, architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe's masterpiece, and f.X>SSibly rhe most significant work of archicecture in Balcimore. Along wich spending $32 million to restore and modernize the cachedral , the stewards of the property, a nonprofic group called che Basilicaof che Assumpcion Historic Trust, had a vision for improving the 120

I Landscape Architecture

f URUU' 2009

Setup imperfect for Pope Jobn Paul II Prayer Garden. By Edward Gunts grounds around che cachedral to make che entire block a more attractive destinarion and enrich che experience for visitors. Ics leaders envisioned building an oriencacion center that would tel! the story of the first cachedral and Maryland's role in promocing religious freedom, 111ey also wanced to remove buildings along Franklin Street chac blocked views of che restored basilica and creace a scronger visual connection be{ween Lacrobe's landmark and nearby institUtions to the north, T he prayer garden g rew ouc of thac chinking abouc improving che grounds but doesn 't represent an execution of the encire vision. Ie's impressive, in one sense, because ic shows chac che H istoric Trusc and Archdiocese of Baltimore have the

cloU[ to complete any project they want. Ie's also fruscracing to see ac th is seage because it underscores how much stili needs to be done, 111e larger vision called for enhancing the restored basilica by razing cwo structures that blocked views of it from Charles or Franklin streets, T he Strucfllres were the Rochambeau, a seven-story Renaissance Revival apartment hoLlSe designed by Edward Glidden in the early 1900s, and the Franklin Streec garage, a seven-level scruccure chac opened in che 1980s, If chose buildings were gone, p lanners reasoned, chey could be replace<1 wich a shorter oriencacion cencer chac could supplement t he basilica while making ic more visible from the norch. Ic could also g ive the basilica a presence on Charles SHeet and establish a visual link to Maximilian G oclefroy's First Unitarian Church on Franklin SCreet, 111roUgh a dummy corporacion, the crusc acquired che Rochambeau, Buc ic learned that it couldn't buy the city-owned garnge unci I che municipal bonds are paid offsometimeafi:er2012. Unhappy about che pru;pecc of operating an (Contilllled 011 Page 118)

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