A Trio of Landscape Sites

These may not be new to everyone, but a few new links added to the sidebar under 'Blog Check'. As landscape architecture gains more visibility on the web, it's exciting to see more sites pop up to offer information and criticism around the profession. This builds on the solid work of sites such as Pruned and the 'landscape futures' information from BLDGBLOG, as well as the ASLA blog, The Dirt. There are a bunch of related urbanism and planning sites that have a cross-over, but very few than specifically focus on landscape issues as well as separating themselves from the myriad of gardening blogs out there.

Garden Porn definitely wins for the best name, as well as 'irreverent' commentary from landscape designer Michelle Derviss - along with a variety more refined imagery and ideas.


:: image via Garden Porn

Playscapes is related to a subset of landscape architecture (and one of those lost arts) - playground design in the public realm - from Arcady, that same gardenhistorygirl...


:: Hula Hoop Dome - image via Playscapes

With People in Mind definitely gets my vote for most earnest startup (the reference on the opening page to L+U doesn't hurt either :) is subtitled 'Landscape Architecture at its Best'... sounds pretty good, and I'm looking forward to more posts.


:: image via With People in Mind

As always, anyone knows of landscape architecture specific blogs (aside from those particular to firms and such) please pass them my way. I think soon, looking at the extensive list on the Blog Check, that these may get subdivided a bit for easier access - so stay tuned to that.

New Landscape Architecture

It seems that urban agriculture, veg.itecture, and ecoplanning take a good bit of the attention span of myself, this blog, and the media. I forget sometimes to feature that bastion of landscape and urbanist principles rolled out in one neat package - quality urban landscape projects. There are many, from the recent ASLA national award winners, including the fantastic Lurie Garden in Chicago's Millenium Park by Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd. and the Fountain Promenade at Chapultepec Park in Mexico City by Grupo De Diseño Urbano SC which both blend park beauty and urban density with impeccable landscape detailing.


:: Lurie Garden - image via ASLA


:: Fountain Promenade - image via ASLA

There are also a steady stream coming from competitions and commissions world-wide. Another great old project from Pruned (thank god - a post like the old days), investigates a project winner from the Envisioning Gateway competition by Ashley Kelly and Rikako Wakabayashi entitled Mapping the Ecotone. Perhaps the idea of ecotone - perhaps the use of time as a design elements that works with, rather than ignoring, climate change. Trevi's analysis is in fine form, check it out:






:: images via Pruned

Another competition winner, one I first spotted in the great book Urban Landscape - and recently on Coolboom is the City Lounge by Carlos Martinez and Pipilotti Rist in St. Gallen, Switzerland. I'm usually not a fan of blatantly avant-garde landscape design that is lacking in landscape, but there's something about this design I like - perhaps that it seems like a safe fall surfaced adult playground for the city.




:: images via Coolboom

Perhaps more art that landscape architecture, Designboom features the installation 'Landmark Route' by Ronald Hernandez, Marcelo Valdes, Osvaldo Veliz uses wood clad boxes for resting and information along a rural route in Chile.




:: images via Designboom

Patel Taylor's Eastside City Park in Birmingham, London (via BDonline) is a thin ribbon of activity measuring 40m x 800m, acting as a catalyst for development along the way. The graphics depict water features, a variety of spatial arrangements, and large metal 'gateways' to frame the vistas.




:: images via BDonline

And finally, the Brooklyn Bridge Park is nearing construction, via a post in World Architecture News. The plan doesn't tell much other than the interconnected gems along the waterfront spine, but the renderings are a bit more evocative.






:: images via WAN

Until this last one, that wins the award for throw-away digital image of the day - a placeless, formless farmer's market on gravel that could take place virtually anywhere. Someone must have needed some filler on a board or been at the end of a long day. :)


:: image via WAN

Landscape Criticism from the Hipster Writer Crowd

To preface the following, may I say I heart and cherish my tomes stack in an end table of McSweeney's Quarterly - each with a different style and shape and format... some impenetrable, some trite - all amazing and wonderful literature. I love Dave Eggers work (with the exception of the 'let's be serious' for a bit 'What is the What.') and devour each issue with relish. I will also add that when looking for criticism of landscape architecture works - I do look to the NY Times, but perhaps from now on will skip the op-ed contributions of McSweeney's editors (or just those at-large).


:: image via Curbed

Sean Wilsey penned the Op-Ed on July 9.2008 regarding his underwhelming take on the High Line designs - and while I don't agree with every design move on the project, the criticism rang a bit hollow. While I respect one's right to voice their opinion on the merits of public space, park design, or frankly anything - one must also understand the topic to a degree that warrants attention. All said, I'm going to assume it was satire, and skip any negative feelings that would make me dislike McSweeney's...


:: image via Curbed

Some of the ideas are good - and part of the scheme, such as adding vibrant retail under the high-line, ala the Promenade Plantee in Paris or adding art exhibition space - making the open space a true public space with a cultural relevance as wedl. It's not going to be just 'grass and sumac' - but includes a variety of plantings led by Piet Oudolf - whom is pretty far from banal in terms of planting design. I also agree it's pretty cool in it's present form. But a pasture with farm animals, snow-making machinery, roller coasters, slides from office windows however, are just cute throwaways (and Wilsey admits it, with a grain of longing) - or just plain silly. Anyway, it's a disservice to characterize this as 'middlebrow design'... in any sense. Look around the world (or the US to be exact) and find a million examples of true middlebrow design. This is not one of them.


:: image via Curbed

Will it be the best piece of landscape architecture... maybe. But perhaps one of the most restrained and innovative designs out there... due to the fact that it lacks the bullshit, PPS, placemaking ephemera that people equate with good design. It's space, to use, enjoy, travel, and look upon. So, Sean... keep up the good work... love the McSweeney's and whatever the editor at large does I'm sure is really great - but let's leave the space and placemaking to the professionals... shall we? Once it's done, we can see the glory of it all - and if it sucks, make fun of it all we want.