Shift into 'Slow' Gear

The Slow Food Movement has long been active in European countries, with it's ubiquitous snail-mascot and new vocabulary (i.e. eco-gastronomy) making us stop (almost) and enjoy the concepts of local, fair, environmentally friendly food, and the idea of reconnecting to the pleasures of eating.


:: logo via Slow Food International

The concept is terribly European, and for Americans sitting in their cars, eating fast food, and listening to NPR, this is a little harder sell. But food awareness, in the form of organics, csas, community gardens, and locavorism - is becoming more global, with Slow Food USA, amonst a variety of other organizations cropping up to meet this demand.


:: image via Adbusters

Recently, this trend has expanding to other realms, including an intriguing concept of Slow Design in a variety of forms. Envisioned as a means of emphasizing (from the NYT) '...slowness in the creation and consumption of products as a corrective to the frenetic pace of 21st-century life...' there is a natural place for this in design. A recent New York Times article 'The Slow Life Picks Up Speed', applies this to design thinking with topics ranging from fashion, product, and home design - as well as shopping, travel, or anything.

An early pioneer of the idea, Carl Honoré, authored a book 'In Praise of Slow: Challenging the Cult of Speed' and runs a popular website on the subject as well. Some groups include SlowLab, a consultancy in NYC that is focusing on 'slow' in it's many forms. Other examples expand this beyond mere 'green' (which is slower) to eschew mass-production. The article mentioned the example of Christien Meindertsma, from a Dutch company named Flocks, uses wool only from the fleece of sheep she's actually met. That... is slow.


:: image via The New York Times

Shifting towards building, architect John Brown's site The Slow Home offers options for a "...movement devoted to bringing good design into real life." From the NYT article, Brown offers the following thought:

"A cookie cutter house in a new development is like a Big Mac and fries,” he said the other day. Not only are you undernourished by awkward spaces and huge houses, he said, but far-away developments require lots of driving, stealing your time and your health. Mr. Brown’s hope is to raise awareness “about resources and options,” he said. “If you learn about materials, think about where your house comes from, you’re going to be more involved with the culture of the house, rather than just engaging with it as a financial instrument.”

So what does this mean for landscape and urbanism? Perhaps it picks up on threads from earlier posts regarding both plantings and materials. Continuing this weeks obsession, Piet Oudolf could be considered a 'Slow' designer because of his desire to understand and know the materials and their innate life cycles, and apply this to the creation of spaces.


:: image via GAP Photos

Often, in the day-to-day race to create billable work, meet deadlines, and provide more and innovative services, we forget that this understanding of the craft is vital. Decisions may not be thought through completely, and while the immediate goal (short-term completion) is met - the ultimate goal (long-term success) is often lost. The profession is growing, in size and visibility. This is a key time to take stock and think about how we approach design, sustainably, ethically, and with quality. Making money and sustaining business is obviously vital. But how do we do this, as well as differentiate from related disciplines, or establish the same credibility as our peers?

The answer: By doing things better. This means, perhaps taking a moment, and doing them a bit slower too.

Veg.itecture: Super Sized

The next in a continual series of Vegetated Architecture, including some large scale examples from Pittsburgh, Singapore, Moscow, and Paris.

From Inhabitat: "Architect Vincent Callebaut’s latest project balances public galleries, meeting rooms and gathering spaces over canals and abandoned railroad tracks in the 19th Parisian district. The prototype uses green technologies and techniques but is more than just an example of sustainable design. Callebaut’s ‘Anti Smog: An Innovation Centre in Sustainable Development’ is a catalyst for cleaner air."




:: images via Inhabitat

This touches of one of the main themes of Vegetated Architecture, that the plantings are not merely for decoration, but allow for specific functions, in this case smog reduction. Is that the focus? Nope. The plants are merely rooftop greening. The main hero in this story is technology: "The exterior is fitted with 250 square meters of solar photovoltaic panels and coated in titanium dioxide (TiO2). The PV system produces on-site electrical energy while the TiO2 coating works with ultraviolet radiation to interact with particulates in the air, break down organics and reduce air born pollutants and contaminants."

Second, from Architecture.MNP, the low-down on the new Pittsburgh RiverPark by Behnisch Architekten. This high-density waterfront development is aimed at infusing housing into the downtown core. A mixed-use development with a bevy of green strategies, there is actually some use of green spaces to regulate microclimates (and some very well done graphics): "The micro-climate within the RiverPark was also reimagined with the use of green roofs and landscaping and water features"




:: images via architecture.MNP

OMA has released images for a 1,000 unit apartment complex in Singapore, which consists of a massive interlocking complex of hexagonal spaces with what I imagine look like a thin icing of vegetated roof gardens on the tops. The plan is pretty interesting and seems to generate some interesting interstitial zones (under, over, and in between the buildings) but something about this rendering looks lifeless and brutal, much more than could be mitigated with any vegetation or facade articulation. Then again, it's also a concept, so not much detail to go by.


:: image via Dezeen

From late 2007, a variety of sources ran the announcement (most often paired with a 'wow' or an 'ugh') for the Crystal Island in Moscow by Foster + Partners. Dubbed the world's biggest building, it rises 450m tall, and has a floor area of over 2.5million square meters (that's 8.2 million square feet, for the metrically challenged - or around 190 acres for the LAs). Not just a big building, and it is BIG, but a big park as well:

"The building’s spiraling form emerges majestically from a newly landscaped park, rising in converse directions to form a diagonal grid. This distinctive geometry extends throughout the project into the park. The result is that the scheme is seamlessly integrated into a new park landscape, which provides a range of activities throughout the year, including cross country skiing and ice skating in the winter."


:: image via dezeen

What to conclude from the grandiose schemes? Well, most of them are just schemes, but they show ways that landscape provides a range benefits paired with buildings and larger scale plans. Whether it is providing a context, as in the parkland surrounding Crystal Island, what is assured to be a grandiose to the extreme version of excess - this mitigates the size and scope as well as immersing the project in nature. Same concept, but not as strong, is the OMA designed residential complex, but the building forms overshadow the minimal rooftop landscaping (and the surrounding landscape as well).

The functional use in building application seems to resonate in Pittsburgh, where the microclimatic use of plants on ecoroofs and site landscape is a viable strategy that also aids in form-making. In Paris, the form is extremely compelling, and plantings + smog-reduction seem a natural pairing. But why go to the trouble to intricately weave green around the structure, if it is mere decoration?

Profession on the Rise: Landscapes at Risk

There is a significant wealth of historic works of landscape architecture around the world. While the profession has a mere 150 years of 'official' standing, and based on recent Occupational Employment Statistics survey results, it is well on the rise (growth of 59% in employees). What this means, at least by extrapolation, is that more landscape architects equals more works of landscape architecture. Ok, it could mean more people looking for less jobs, but i'm thinking positively.


:: image via Archinect

The fact is, that the profession has been, and will continue to be, prolific in producing a vast quantity of notable work. As this works ages, it will continue to be potentially threatened by development or redevelopment based on the shifting sands of stylistic preference. The mantle of awareness and protection of The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) gives me faith that this issue will not be lost in the shuffle, but will get the attention it deserves.

The organization is: "...dedicated to increasing the public’s awareness of the importance and irreplaceable legacy of cultural landscapes. Through education, technical assistance, and outreach, the Cultural Landscape Foundation broadens the support and understanding for cultural landscapes nationwide in hopes of saving our priceless heritage for future generations."

There are a number of programs, including profiles and oral histories of Landscape Legends, such as Richard Haag, Carol R. Johnson, and Lawrence Halprin. Also, there are profiles of significant cultural landscapes that offer significant value to society, and encourage protection of these resources through the Cultural Landscapes as Classrooms program. Some specific notable national projects are included below:

The Donnell Garden - Thomas Church


:: image via ASLA

:: image via Bard Graduate Center

Columbus Park - Jens Jensen


:: image from TCLF


:: image from 1935 via Jens Jensen Legacy Project

Mt. Auburn Cemetery




:: images via Wikepedia

The 2008 Landslide/Landscapes of Risk call for projects is entitled 'Marvels of Modernism' shifting this to more modernist examples of culturally significant landscapes. This Dwell interview with Charles Birnbaum makes the case for preservation and protection of landscapes in the same vein as buildings. From Dwell's modern vantage point, particular works of modern landscape architecture deserve this added protection, but rightly so, this net could be cast upon any significant works.


:: image via TCLF

As we create more work, we offer more potential treasures that deserve protection... our success as a profession, and it's legacy, will depend on continuing to provide, as well as protect, our amazing cultural landscapes.