Ecological Urbanism - Podcasting Now

I was really excited to see that the Podcasts of the Ecological Urbanism conference at the GSD (from early April) are now available... for those of us unable to make the trek to check it out live. While a 100x200 pixel image isn't the same as a conference, I hope this trend continues with other events, as the impossibility of getting to all of the good dialogue continually sinks in...

Check back on their site for more additions, and in the meantime check these out here. I'm slowly savoring them, and will post some highlights as I get to them:

Friday April 3:
3:30 pm Introductions: Dean Mohsen Mostafavi and Mayor Thomas M. Menino
4:00 pm Roundtable: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Ecological Urbanism
6:30 pm Keynote: Rem Koolhaas in conversation with Homi Bhabha, moderated by Sanford Kwinter

Saturday April 4:
9:00 am Lecture: Bill Dunster. Respondent, Antoine Picon
10:30 am Panel 1: Productive Urban Environments
2:00 pm Welcome: President Drew Faust
2:15 pm Panel 2: Curating Resources
4:00 pm Panel 3: Mobility, Infrastructure and Society
5:30 pm Lecture: Andrea Branzi. Respondent, Charles Waldheim

Sunday April 5:
9:30 am Panel 4: Ecologies of Scale
11:30 am Panel 5: Engineering Ecology
2:15 pm Roundtable: What Next?

Plant Propaganda

A recent visit to the Clean Water Services Field Operations Center in Beaverton offered the added bonus of some interesting signage about native plantings... While I'm not a native purist by any means, I like the inventive way of conveying the idea.




:: images by CWS - photos by author

Stay tuned for some pics of the facilities rain gardens and stunning ecoroof as well... one of my local favorites.

Wilderness, Continued...

Book Review continued from Part I: Reading List: Wilderness and the American Mind

Aldo Leopold's ideas of a 'land ethic' and 'ecological conscience' offered a touchstone for a new movement - giving birth to the idea of instilling Americans with a love and respect for their land. While mostly known for the amazing work 'A Sand County Almanac', it's interesting to see how Leopold came up through the ranks of the government system through US Forest Service in New Mexico and other locales. The ideas of working within the system (for the 'man' if you will) to expand the National Parks and Wilderness Area designations is novel. It was a struggle but eventually succeeded in developing an expanded and official role for wilderness protection. Leopold's influence expanded to others such as the pioneering planner Benton Mackaye whom among other victories was responsible for the Appalachian Trail.


:: image via Wikipedia

The dual ideas of planning and ecology definitely opened a new thought for looking at wilderness and it's benefits in new ways. "The science of ecology came of age during Leopold's lifetime. In rapid succession a series of breakthroughts revealed the way in which land and the life that shared it constituted a complex organism functioning through the interaction of its components... Ecology enabled him to concieve of nature as an intricate web of interdependent parts, a myriad of cogs and wheels each essention to the health operation of the whole." (p.195)

Others joined Leopold on this fight in the 20th Century, including Robert Marshall, Sigurd Olson, Howard Zahniser and notably, earth-day founder David Brower - along with a number of official organizations that continued and expanded the fight for wilderness across the country. While the New Deal worked for progress, proponents such as Marshall looked at the inevitable issues facing a wilderness ethic. Quoted in 1935, Marshall concluded: "What makes wilderness areas most susceptible to annihilation, is that the arguments in favor of roads are direct and concrete, while those against them are subtle and difficult to express." (p.204)

The Echo Park Dam became the new fight in the mid-1900s - centered around part of the Colorado River Storage Project which would dam multiple wilderness areas, including the Dinosaur National Monument, a significant area of fossil concentrations. This again became the touchstone of the movement, with references to Leopold. MacKaye referred "...to Leopold's notion that wild country provided 'an exhibit of normal ecologic process.' Dinosaur National Monument and other wildernesses... constitute 'a reservoir of store experiences in the ways of life before man.'"


:: Dinosaur National Monument - image via National Parks Traveler

The Echo Park Dam was deafeated, which was a new rallying call after the defeat at Hetch Hetchy earlier in the century, and language was added to preclude National Park lands from water system projects for the Colorado River Storage Project. Those areas not so lucky were outside of the boundaries, and including the famous Glen Canyon Dam - which always makes me thing of Edward Abbey for obvious reasons. The next target was a big one as well - and much more known... dams within the Grand Canyon.

For the Grand Canyon the stakes were definitely high, and the national prominence of this feature made it easier to win the hearts of the public. The rhetoric changed somwhat, but continued to include the spiritual, the historical, and most important, the health and wellness of our society. Zanhiser, quoted in 1964 - summed up beautifully the position: "Out of the winderness has come the substance of our culture, and with a living wilderness... we shall also have a vibrant, vital culture, an enduring civilization of healthful, happy people who... perpetually renew themselves in contact with the earth." (p.233)


:: image via Wikipedia

These references back to Thoreau, Muir, and Olmsted were used often and continued to carry weight in the fight for wilderness, and was ultimately successful in removing dams from the Grand Canyon. Although thousands of acres of other wilderness were flooded in the search for water in the west, the victory was a big one for the Wilderness movement, and has influenced the environmental ethics of our modern society.

Another aspect of the book references some of the counterculture ideas of wilderness as we grappled with our desire to inhabit metropolitan areas, our love of the pastoral middle ground, and the desire to visit wild nature - all in conflict with one another. MacKaye folds this idea into the idea of our evolution, in three centuries, from "...the implantation in human nature, especially that of Americans, of a desire to be simultaneously "the pioneer, the husbandman, [and] the townsman." He further this into the field of environmental planning, showing that it "...must permit man to indulge the 'three sides of [his] inward nature.'" (p.243)

The idea of biophilia continued to be used as a reason for wilderness protection - with pyschologists lauding the stress-relieving qualities of interaction with nature. As our cities continued to expand, this tenet in which Olmsted based much of his work continued to be included as a vital aspect of our burgeoning urbanism. Another aspect that continually was used and gained additional rigor was the idea of ecology. "Wilderness played an important role in, and was a major beneficiary of, this new ecology-oriented conservvation. In the first place, the concept of wilderness was a pointed reminder of man's biological origins, his kinship with all life, and his continued membership in the biotic community." (p.253)


:: Forest Park (Portland, OR) - image via Travel Portland

The made it more difficult to rationalize our long-standing idea of the dominance of nature for many reasons - as we had become folded into the idea of wilderness - not removed from it with economics, religion, or politics. "From this perspective of dependency on the environment came a view of man 'as part of the system of nature, not demigods above or outside it.' This idea of a continuous web that includes man was, of course, the essence of the ecological perspective." (p.253)

The final section of the book, the Epilogue entitled 'The Irony of Victory' is another interesting historical evolution of wilderness. The sum of this chapter is that the success of wilderness protection and education has created such increased visitation to our National Parks and other areas that they have essentially been 'loved to death.' Gear, guided trips, and information made it possible for many to access these areas - seen by many as our rights due to their inclusion in the public trust. This parks-for-people vs. loving-to-death is something we still grapple with, and its interesting to see this in the context of the late 60s... roadless areas, hotels, viewsheds, and other issues that continue to threaten our parks - even airborne pollution and poor fire management - all degrade the idea of wilderness and public access.

Ecology again proved vital, in determining the 'carrying capacity' and the ability for wilderness to handle the impacts by visitors, and what was the threshold where ecosystems would collapse. Half of this was functional, as the impacts degraded wildlife and ecological function - but the social aspect was just as important - how many people can inhabit 'wild' lands before it ceases to be wilderness.


:: image via Picassa

So is it quotas, more area, better education, more services...? None of these is the silver bullet - but looking at the rich and varied history of the American experience of wilderness gives us something to apply to both urban and wild nature - and continually look to this history to see what mistakes we've made and avoid repeating it over and over. I'm curious to see how Nash has modernized the text, and hope to read the new material to see how it fits into our modern world - but as it's own piece of work - the 60s era version of 'Wilderness and the American Mind' is necessary reading for anyone claiming to have a green bone in their body.

Read Part I: Reading List: Wilderness and the American Mind

Reading List: Wilderness & The American Mind

Taking a break from the computer and the endless array of blog posts gives one an opportunity to reconnect with the written word in a different way. (For full disclosure, I hate reading on the computer - so really have to slog through text heavy posts and articles...) A couple of interesting books that I've worked through in the past month couldn't be more different - but somehow, in the very Gaian way, are related. The first - which I picked up after hearing the amazing Paul Stamets speak, is his great book Mycelium Running. Second, which I picked up for a steal in a used bookstore on a recent trip to Mt. Shasta, is 'Wilderness and the American Mind' by Roderick Nash.


:: image via Yale Univ. Press

While my copy was not the much sexier and updated 4th edition seen above, it is sometimes nice to read the original, being able to place the thought in the context of publication - in this case the 1967 version. While not necessarily breaking any new ground, this is one of the most comprehensive studies of the history of our relationship with Wilderness from the uniquely American perspective, and offers insight into our cultural baggage that influences our relationship with nature and the world even today.

Encompassing an arc of history from the early settlers to the 1960s, it's fascinating to see the linear narrative of Wilderness and our shift of ideology from fear, to celebration, to exploitation, and finally to our current state of tension that still exists today. Starting with our European ideas of wilderness expressed by early settlers - the fear of the dark primeval forest and it's dangerous denizens is shaped by an utter lack of true Wilderness that these people had to experience in settled Europe. This is contrasted by Nash in the views of Eastern cultures that had a more subtle and less binary view of wilderness.

The shift from pilgrim fear to pioneering domination shaped the next era, as wilderness was meant to be dominated as an expression of our growth and western expansion. Civilization was countered with a desire for escape to the surrounding pastoral areas. The western push opened up a view of untouched scenery that amazed the viewers with it's rugged beauty and became a defining element of the 'American' wilderness as like none other in the world.

Following such writers and explorers such as the transcendentalits Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, the explorer and wilderness fighter John Muir, wildlife watchers such as John James Audubon, and also the defining guidance of Frederick Law Olmsted in his support of the protection of Yosemite in the 1860s. Building on the work of urban parks as places of the respite in cities to restore the health and vigor of residents, the large parks provided a national analog in being able to provide a counterpoint to development and need protection from the mental stress that results from our industrious society. His report on Yosemite in 1865 included the declaration that: "the enjoyment of scenery employs the mind without fatigue and yet enlivens it; and thus, through the influence of the mind over the body, gives the effect of refreshing rest and reinvigoration to the whole system." (p.106)

:: Yosemite - image via PD Photos

The continual wilderness preservation movement followed Yosemite and included Yellowstone, spawning the National Park movement and a serious approach to significant protection of large areas of land that had both regional and national significance. With Muir at the helm, a rampant public movement was instilled in the American social experiment with a tangible value of the places within our growing country. A duality emerged: "The schism ran between those who defined conservation as the wise us or planned development of resources and those who have been termed preservations, with their rejection of utilitarianism and advocacy of nature unaltered by man." (p.129)

This 'schism' created some of the polarity of wilderness vs. development that persists to this day. While it is inevitable that the pendulum of wilderness protection would swing towards the 'cult-like', this binary approach to wilderness protection, while providing a strong movement for protection, created an equal and vibrant opposition in the form of those who put people and progress above nature in all aspects. Again, Olmsted comes out of the fray as a mediator (like a good landscape architect), straddling both the preservation ethic as well as lobbying for more parks and wilderness areas in and near cities. Olmsted and fellow landscape architect Charles Eliot: "... proposed that in additon city parks patches of 'wild forest' be preserved close to metropolitan areas... Olmsted felt the current surge of interest in natural landscapes was the result of many Americans' perceiving that 'we grow more and more artificial day by day.'" (p.155)

:: Central Park - image via NYC Architecture

The polar struggle came to a head in the early 20th Century in the form of Hetch Hetchy which pitted a wilderness area against the damming of rivers for the water supply and hydroelectric power for the growing San Francisco metropolitan area. In addition to a media debate, this was a strongly fought political one as well - with the US Government grappling with the difficult task of determining which is more important - the wild lands or the services to our urban dwellers. While one side of the debate argued for progress at any cost, others argued that the value of wilderness was incalcuable in monetary terms. Muir, always the hyperbolist - made it a fight of biblical proportions. "Hetch Hetchy became a sanctuary or temple in the eyes of the defenders. John Muir, for one, believed so strongly in the divinity of wild nature that he was convinced he was doing the Lord's battle in resisting the reservoir." (p.167)

:: Before and After - Hetch Hetchy - images via Wikipedia

Hetch Hetchy, and the eventual crushing blow to the wilderness movement by the passage of the bill in 1913 authorizing the dam and effectively destroying the wilderness in the name of progress. While there were a number of lesser battles, such as the preservation of Muir Woods, this provided a deciding battle for the country. Muir died shortly after in 1914 - and his shoes were left to be filled by a new breed of Wilderness advocate. The one to step up to this was Aldo Leopold.

Read Part II: Wilderness, Continued...

Bad Idea of the Week

This interesting product appeared last week from Inhabitat, consisting of small squares of grass for your desk or home. "These grass squares were designed at the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, Israel, in 2009 as a way to combine nature and architecture." While a laudable concept in theory, the idea of bring in grass as a landscape component into buildings as a way to combine 'nature' into the environment is pretty misguided and downright funny to me.


:: image via Inhabitat

There's a very vital way to include nature in buildings - called indoor plants, which actually provide benefits well beyond our monocultural lawn counterpart such as increased humidity, purification and removal of pollutants, and are much more beautiful than lawn. Plus, where does it end, when you end up having to buy a small lawnmower and trimmer, then continually spend weekends watering, fertilizing, and applying herbicide to keep your desk neat and groomed to stay within cultural expectations of care. :)

Bad Timing? Pig City

MVRDV's proposal from a few years back (2001) for 'Pig City', a set of towers with pigs raised in the ultimate high density strikes a more recent chord with our current fascination with all things urban gardening and vertical farming - and perhaps a dischord in the recent Swine Flu pandemic. While the tongue-in-cheek nature of this project is obvious, with anything semi-satirical, there's a mountain of opportunity hidden in the folds of this proposal. So as the chicken coop at our urban homestead begins to transform from idea to reality - it makes me think of the pros and cons of urban animals in the cycle of civic ecology, as well as tapping into rooftops and buildings - complemented by open space and vacant lands not just for vegetable, but animal production. Now about the smell...


:: image via City Farmer News

Some text on the idea, via Inhabitat: "In 2000, pork was the most consumed form of meat at 80 billion kg per year. Recent animal diseases such as Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth disease are raising serious questions about pork production and consumption. Two opposing reactions can be imagined. Either we change our consumption pattern and become instant vegetarians [unfathomable!!] or we change the production methods and demand biological farming."


:: image via Inhabitat


:: image via City Farmer News

Crown, King of the Streets

A comment from Desmond to the post on SEA streets led me to a great 'country lane' prototype in Vancouver, BC - located on Crown Street.


:: image via City of Vancouver

From the site: "This stormwater management and traffic calming project was completed in February 2006. Instead of the standard curb and gutter, this residential street was constructed with natural drainage courses that allow stormwater to infiltrate rather than be carried away in the sewer system. The ecological benefits include stabilizing the base flows in nearby creeks, filtering of pollutants from stormwater and placing less demand on the stormwater system. The roadway was constructed as a meandering, narrow street to slow and calm traffic, and is bordered by structural grass and planted swales."

A few more pics from the site - which also links to some additional info:




:: images via City of Vancouver

A little digging found some additional info from Waterbucket, a site focused on sustainable water management - and some additional pics and info from the project, including some context: "“This section of Crown Street is located in an eco-sensitive and historically important setting, containing a wetland and two of the few remaining salmon spawning streams in the City of Vancouver,” said Mayor Campbell. “This project meets the City of Vancouver’s objective of incorporating enhanced sustainability into city operations by providing an innovative model of best practices for street design. It also gives us an opportunity to greatly improve salmon habitat in Cutthroat and Musqueam Creeks.”




:: images via Waterbucket

How to Grow Fresh Air

Check out this short video from TED talks by Kamal Meattle... on the purification potential of indoor plants... not a new idea, but some new attention and some good fodder for discussion.

From TED: "With its air-filtering plants and sustainable architecture, Kamal Meattle's office park in New Delhi is a model of green business. Meattle himself is a longtime activist for cleaning up India's air." The three plants mentioned in this short video include the Areca Palm, Mother-in-law's Tongue, and Money Plant - which offer a range of beneficial CO2 conversion. These are not the only ones, but it's interesting how Meattle's project quantifies the amount of plants to create air quality per person... plus all of that indoor planting and other benefits (i.e. views of green plants) can't be bad as well.

Some more info from a previous post - making the case for indoor living walls.

Fungi Perfecti

Greetings... after a short pause from posting due to conference presentations and work (both paid and yard) - a breather to drop a few lines as a retrospective on the Soak it Up conference from last week. More to post in coming days, but a chance to rave about a pioneer and his book related to a vital and unseen aspect of sustainability. Paul Stamets, founder of Fungi Perfecti finished a fantastic conference with an engaging two-hour presentation on his work regarding the mycelia...


:: image via Fungi Perfecti

Now one might wonder how you may keep a restless conference audience gaping and engaged for two hours to discuss the humble mushroom, but the complexity and scope of the mycelial web that permeates the entire globe is some fascinating stuff. It helps that Mr. Stamets is a witty and talented speaker as well.




:: mushroom/mycelium - images via Fungi Perfecti

And I would be remiss without mentioning the book Mycelium Running, which I am currently devouring and savoring (say like some hand-picked chanterelles)...


:: image via Fungi Perfecti

I'm particularly enamored with the section on mycotechnologies - using mushroom cultures for curing some of our land and water ills, including:

:: Mycofiltration: the filtration of biological and chemical pathogens as well as controlling erosion.
:: Mycoforestry and mycogardening: the use of mycelium for companion cultivation for the benefit and protection of plants.
:: Mycoremediation: the use of mycelium for decomposing toxic wastes and pollutants.
:: Mycopesticides: the use of mycelium for attracting and controlling insect populations.

:: images via Fungi Perfecti

I will post more about the conference and the book as I get ramped up for more regular posting... as a prelude, see for yourself with this video of Stamets from TED... good stuff:

Info from TED: "Entrepreneurial mycologist Paul Stamets seeks to rescue the study of mushrooms from forest gourmets and psychedelic warlords. The focus of Stamets' research is the Northwest's native fungal genome, mycelium, but along the way he has filed 22 patents for mushroom-related technologies, including pesticidal fungi that trick insects into eating them, and mushrooms that can break down the neurotoxins used in nerve gas. ... There are cosmic implications as well. Stamets believes we could terraform other worlds in our galaxy by sowing a mix of fungal spores and other seeds to create an ecological footprint on a new planet."

Soak it Up

I'm currently working away on an upcoming presentation for a conference happening next week down at the beautiful Oregon Garden. Sponsored by Sprout (Sustainable Plant Research and Outreach), the conference "Soak It Up: Phytotechnology Solutions for Water Challenges" focuses on some fo the functional aspects of plants as vital components in addressing small and large-scale site issues.

Monday, March 30, 2009 - Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Location: The Oregon Garden Resort, Silverton, Oregon


:: image via Colorado State

From the conference site:
"The conference will raise awareness and provide education about plant based solutions for wastewater and stormwater challenges. The conference will provide practical information about implementing the latest technologies and designs such as constructed wetlands, greenroofs, and rain gardens that will enhance ecology in our managed landscapes. Scientists and engineers will present research and case studies of real problems and solutions. By facilitating conversation and connection across industries we are providing the opportunity to stay at the leading edge of learning and research in this dynamic and growing field. Come help us put plants to work for environmental sustainability and economic development."

The conference will feature leaders in the fields of phytoremediation, using plants to treat a range of issues - with a focus on water. Highlights include Gerould Wilhelm, PhD and Principal Botanist/Ecologist from Conservation Design Inc.; Eli Cohen, Founder and Principal Engineer of Ayala Water and Ecology; Dave Maciolek, Principal Engineer from Worrell Water Technologies; and Paul Stamets, Founder and President of Fungi Perfecti, LLC.

Two days of presentations will be followed by a day of workshops and tours of local facilities.

:: Living Machine - image via Worrell Water Technologies

I am honored to be giving a talk on Monday entitled: "Connecting Landscape Function to Ecological Function Through Design" which will look broadly at the concept of expanding the potential for science to better inform design solutions, as well as the need to frame ecological solutions within aesthetic and cultural expectations... and my presentation is right before the cocktail hour... convenient.

If you are in the region, it's an event worth checking out.

Freshkills Park Blog

A recent discovery via blog linking, the Freshkills Park Blog, offers some insight into the workings of the major large-scale and long-term landscape urbanist project of North America.

"Freshkills Park Blog is compiled by members of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation team working to develop Freshkills Park. Blog entries represent the interests and views of just a few individuals, and should not be taken to represent positions or opinions of the agency or City of New York as a whole. Mostly, we just think that Freshkills Park is a fascinating and inspiring project that weaves together a series of unusual issues and disciplines: waste management systems, ecology, landfill infrastructure, urban planning and landscape architecture, public art, land reclamation, sustainability, renewable energy, New York City history. The list goes on."


:: image via Freshkills Park blog

One juicy tidbit was a link to Popular Science, with a graphic exposition of the transformation of Freshkills from landfill to park. Having just finished The Watchmen graphic novel, the art is a bit minimal, but the story is just as compelling. Check out the full spread for the whole story.


:: image via Popular Science

Also, for some ongoing images of the park, check out the Freshkills Park flickr photos here.

Malcolm Wells: Infra Structures

Subtitled "Life support for the nation's circulatory system", the 1994 book Infra Structures by Malcolm Wells offers a chance to revisit the integration of our architecture and infrastructural systems - appropriate for our new found interest in the workings of our society and urbanity. The the juxtaposed pipe/greenery on the cover, the thrust of this book is quite specific from the get-go.


:: image via Malcolm Wells

Wells has a cult following as a purveyor of early ecological design, particularly his notable installations and visuals of underground architecture. The interesting thing about the book is not so much another treatise regarding massive projects and the myriad ways architecture can influence these, but rather how they MUST exert influence to infrastructure in a positive way. The separation of the word into the separates of 'infra' (below) and 'structure' (something constructed) alludes to this architectural dualism.

:: something constructed below - images via Infra Structures

:: Subterranean Shopping Mall - image via Infra Structures


:: green covered boat house - image via Infra Structures

The 'story', if you will, leads us on a tour of future buildings and structures that exist in the not-too-distant-future, strangely enough more a contemporary vision of the early 21st Century. Based on the preponderance of veg.itecture in the world, Wells may have been somewhat prophetic (p.23):

"... I hesitate to make any but the most general of predictions for even the next 50 years. With everyting changing at an ever-faster rate it would be silly to stick my neck out too far. The only thing to do is try to make our buildings adaptable to greatly changed, rapidly changing occupancies. ... Animals and plants will continue to need the out-of-doors in life on earth to be sustained. That means underground architecture for the human species."

Although the words aren't half bad, my favorite aspect of Wells' book is the visuals - a throwback to an era that could've existed anywhere between the 1960s and today - but with a simple pen/ink/watercolor combo that is both illustrative and evocative. While some may bristle at the dated 'look' of the graphics, they are successful in their goal - communicate intent, form, and materials. Call it graphics for veg.itectural non-form. A common theme is ubiquitous infrastructure - such as the highway... snaking through virtually everywhere, the linear path that severs can be re-imagined into habitat corridors and earth sheltered bridges.






:: land bridge - images via Infra Structures

The books' author offers some fun with the text, resorting to comic-book like thought bubbles to illustrate the point, as below (p.21): "It would be nice if animals - as well as plants - could make use of the land-to-land connection bridges offer human travelers. And the all-weather aspect of covered roadways does have a lot of appeal... But an earth-covered bridge? Come on. Next thing you know he'll be proposing underground airports."


:: elements of graphic novel - image via Infra Structures

And there is plenty of infrastructure, including highways, bridges, wastewater treatment, sports stadiums, and the aforementioned underground airport... looking much like a storyboard from The Empire Strikes Back zooming over the mood of Endor.


:: underground airport


:: sub-surface sports complex


:: ferry terminal with under greenery parking


:: city-scale living machine for waste treatment - images via Infra Structures

So what can we learn from looking back at some of the work and visuals of Malcolm Wells? While again we can see the vision of this man who looked at infrastructure as both a design problem and environmental solution - leading the way to what could literally be the emergence of figuratively and literally green architecture. Perhaps it's a nudge to pull out your sketchbook and envision a reality beyond what's sitting on your desk, in your computer, or outside your window, but what could be. Finally, it's a call to arms for architecture (and more broadly the allied arts) to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. From Infra Structures, p. 29:

"What a structure does, that is, how it acts upon the world around it, is far more important that how it looks. That would seem to go without saying, but it appears never to have concerned those of us who have built over our rich America land. ...If a building, a bridge, a dock, or a road destroys land, it's simply not doing its job. A handsome structure that kills land is an enemy, and we are only now slowly coming to realize it. If, on the other hand, the structure is kind to the land, chances are that it will be its very appropriateness be both appealing and beautiful."


:: image via Infra Structures

Veg.itecture: VIA Roofs

As the dialogue around green roofs shows that we've come a long way in vision and implementation. There seems a veritable cornucopia of projects and thinking on the subject. Read this interview with green roof plant expert Ed Snodgrass via Skygardens, and some more reinforcement of habitat potential for rooftops via Treehugger for some applied knowledge. Haven Kiers and Linda Velasquez offer some green roof hot ideas for 2009 - which are compelling but lacking in great detail... as a complement to my 2009 predictions as well.

As for projects, Treehugger swoops in with the obvious that green roofs are not new - stating that Europe has been vegetating rooftops for centuries... so yeah, there is a difference between these older models and the modern equivalents. Utterly shocking :)


:: image via Urban Greenery

They go on to point out a wonderful example from the 1950s by architect Richard Neutra for this sod-rooftopped, mid-century modern gem in Bozeman, Montana.




:: images via SpaceInvading

A Daily Dose of Architecture offers a variation on the theme, with earth-sheltered bunkers tucked into the hillsides or laced with subterranean tunnels, which has also been making quite a resurgence in our terror-prone times. A couple of cooler examples.


:: Federal Reserve Communications and Records Center - image via Archidose


:: Library of Congress - Packard Campus - image via Archidose

And the partially earth-sheltered, for instance this Mies van der Rohe Award finalist for this green roofed Multimodal Centre in Nice, France.


:: image via Bustler

Urban Greenery has been hard at work with some images of older green roof projects in North America, including these pioneering varieties:


:: LDS Convention Center, Salt Lake City - image credit American Hydrotech


:: Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Reseach Center, Connecticut - image credit American Hydrotech


:: Library Square Building, Vancouver, BC - image credit American Hydrotech

And another project that is reminiscent of Mountain Dwellings by BIG, which was recently awarded a Forum AID Award) for Architect... is an older project from Tadao Ando for the Awaji Yumebutai Conference Centre in Japan.




:: images via SpaceInvading

Finally, another shot or two of these infamous Mountain Dwellings a few weeks back I made the distinction, similar to Edouard Francois' Eden Bio building - the the reality left us feeling a bit, lacking. Follow-up, here's some other angles that show the brief emergence of green and a bit of redemption in this author's mind... still a ways to go, but heading in the right direction.




:: images via Arch Daily


:: image via Bustler