2019 is coming to a close with numerous changes in the landscape architecture profession over the past decade including the increase in urgency in the need to address climate change, mass migration occurred due to conflict, increased urbanisation and the need for transport solutions, and a greater number of landscape architects leading projects.

Over the past few years, I have begun each year by publishing predictions of trends for the coming year and so therefore on this final day of the year, it is time to review the 2019 predictions.

Climate Change studies and new initiatives
Although there has been an increase in published work around climate change we are still in the initial stages of studying the impacts of the interventions to mitigate climate change and hope to see more studies being published soon.

New Infrastructure with Landscape Focus
There were a few infrastructure projects that sort to utilise landscape architecture as a tool to soften and mitigate the impact of infrastructure through the use of land bridges, integrating roads and shared-use paths, and creating nodes in undercrofts of road and train structures.

Old Infrastructure reuse, re-appropriation
There are more cities planning to utilise old infrastructure as public space as the impact of the Highline continues to filter through into cities across the world.

Neighborhood Improvement vs Gentrification
Gentrification is still occurring but with rising housing costs and with many cities relying on non-profits and private developers to supply social housing there will be areas that will still be gentrified rather than improved. This will come to a trigger point in the 2020’s.

Gender Equality
We have seen an increase in the focus of gender equality within the profession and the successful launch of WxLA and the continued work by associations and institutions to address gender equality.

Smart Cities
Still in its infancy in many cities with implementation of smart parking(signs & indicators), smart transportation (mobile apps), smart waste management (bins, light poles). There are still many improvements and initiatives that need to be implemented to fully realise the possibilities that smart cities technologies offer.

Machine Learning, Augmented Reality and Data Analysis
Many of these technologies are still in their infancy and it will be many years before practices start using these tools on a daily basis. The firms using these technologies when they are fit for purpose and clients are willing to pay for being on the leading edge.

The use of Machine Learning is mostly used by landscape firms to analyse imagery and video to improve libraries and analyse of movement. Augmented Reality is being used in the industry by a small percentage of landscape architecture firms but this will change over time with the ability to test designs onsite. Cities and private companies are collecting data through sharing economy and transports apps (bike, car, bus, etc) that provide data and the ability to analyse and learn about how cities, places and spaces are used.

We have seen the launch of the Climate Design Challenge which encourages landscape architects to use the app to “design for the future” and “be climate positive” through analysing the use of hard and soft surfaces to determine a what point (time) the project will have sequestered enough carbon to be climate positive.

Multi-modal transport

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10. The domino effect Interactive Installation Brightening Up Place des Festivals This Winter

9. Student Project | Restoring the “Urban” Wilderness | Maria Taffuri

8. Darling Harbour Public Realm | Sydney, Australia | HASSELL

7. LAVA and ASPECT Studios win Ho Chi Minh City Central Park design competition

6. Weiliu Wetland Park | Xianyang, China | Yifang Ecoscape

5. Sasaki’s design for Yangtze Riverfront Park leverages the river’s dynamic flooding to nurture a rich regional ecology

4. What is landscape architecture?

3. Landscape Architecture trends for 2019

2. 2019 WLA Awards winners announced

1. Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park – green infrastructure for the city of Bangkok

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The wild eastern coastline of Johor Malaysia has seen tourism development ebb and flow over time, so a more integrated destination zone was strategically planned. Within this plan, a premier site was identified for a unique boutique luxury resort, with bespoke club facilities and villas for discerning guests and residents. To realise this aspiration, we offered an overall landscape strategy that strongly advocated;

• Accentuating key landscape character; forest and coastline in spatial design, materiality and softscape
• Preserving and enhancing existing remnants of lowland forest, through careful site planning, and restoration planting,
• Enhancing landscape spaces with rustic contemporary finishes and robust indigenous species,
• Nestling amenity spaces within the forest and along the coastline to create a wide array of resident, guest and visitor experiences, and
• Achieve pleasant coastal micro-climate, with environmental qualities and enhanced bio-diversity values.

Reflecting natural character

The South China Sea sweeps along a scalloped coastline. Headlands of rough fragmented rock jut out between curved bays, smoothed by natural erosion. These shallow beaches, with rolling lowlands of sandy soils behind, still hosted remnants of the long lost old coastal forest.

Conceptually our design envisaged the resort landscape as a series of rhythmic green fingers reaching out from along the resort’s cloistered centre. Moving from the green courts and tranquil pools of the lobby and open reception, guest’s experiences would change when exploring, from quiet sequestered spas, to the wilds of the tangled forest surrounds.

These green fingers reach out as stone terraces amongst gnarled old trees and sinuous vines. From the resort’s heart, the landscape steps down through elegant manicured lawns and native forest ‘gardens’ with broad sweeping stairs right to the beach. Some courts are finished in local weathered rock, some with rustic textures of crushed gravel, others in soft ferns that draw guests out to ‘bath’ in the forest and gaze out to the ocean beyond. Along the resort frontage grand lawns provide lounging and event spaces, protected behind the stooping coastal trees. The green lawns transform from soft carpet grass at the centre, to coarse textured cowgrass meadows at the beach fringes.

To achieve this vision both the site topography and existing trees were carefully mapped and evaluated to establish the placement and levels of all the resort buildings and landscape spaces, with views out to the South China Sea.

Respecting the existing environment

Right from our earliest involvement, we aimed to protect, enhance and maximize the quality of the area’s remnant forest. Adjusting the siting and levels of buildings to preserve trees, replanting exposed forest fringes with natives, and establishing living green roofs as forest habitats we followed a rigorous strategy to preserve and express positive natural characteristics of the site.

Harsh monsoon winds batter the exposed coast, drying out the sandy terrain. So site microclimates were identified for planting zones with subtly different vegetation types prescribed to suit. The most exposed beach fringes and roofs were planted with tough perennials, shaded areas with local fern mixes and the trees were a mixture of forest and hardy coastal species including Barringtonia, Calophyllum, Tristaniopsis and Pouteria.

Rain-water is to be captured, filtered and collected to feed a dedicated irrigation system. Excess water will be drained into soak-away pits, located strategically to replenish the forest groundwater. Nevertheless plant species were carefully selected to endure short drought conditions, which in this locale occur annually. While some may view forests as static and timeless, individual species grow through their own lifecycle and die to be eventually succeeded, part of the living eco-system. So we planned for change, proposing ongoing forest management including regular tree checks, continued remedial pruning and planting of secondary species to support regeneration.

Preserving a forest home

Any construction within natural environments can cause significant change. So inevitably there were some unfortunate events during the build period. Storms, tree failures, over-excavation and some unauthorized clearance did cause damage. But, whilst some individual skirmishes were lost, overall considerable effort put in from the very beginning, careful site planning, coordinated design, local species selection and on-going monitoring we managed to rescue valuable coastal lowland forest remnants.

Forest margins and edges are starting to establish again, with hardy species growing along Johor’s tough eastern coast. Future visitors may not realise, but battles to save a forest have been won. For the enjoyment of future guests, for the environment, but most importantly a living growing habitat for an array of birds and animal species, to call this forest home.

Luxury Resort Desaru

Location: Johor Malaysia

Design Firm: ICN Design International
Collaborators
Architects: Kerry Hill Architects
Arborists: Rick Thomas & Rajesh Singh Gill

Text: Simon Morrison
Photography: Simon Morrison, ICN Design International, One & Only
Graphics: Simon Morrison, ICN Design International

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The old reform projects were all about dancing with shackles, while the wilderness transfer to a three-dimensional cultural park requires to have more flexibility in order to find freedom in the restrictions.

The sky-tree is an exploratory project to mix the location with the geographic context. What is distinctive about it is not the arrangement of traditional functions or the interests, but the communion between the “pattern” and “motion” based on the site. It is to create the first TOD complex in Wuxi. As the first project on the top of subway station in Wuxi,

Problems like earthworks, planting, drainage, load calculation and management, and the choice of plant materials all had significant limitations. We had to overcome the difficulties and also establish an emotional connection between the building and the site. We also had to answer the questions of how to balance the dual needs of building commercial and residential formats on intensive site?

At the beginning of the project design, We abandon the traditional design techniques and pay more attention to the site itself and the future uses. We desired to express the characteristics of the site and meet the demand of users.

We created a large open lake in the center of the site and it will also be the center stage which can hold various events. Combined with historical context to form a unique temperament, it fully activates the roof space and realizes the dialogue of time and space from ancient to now.

We try to inject uniqueness into the place. It is divided into the following parts: sky park, Liangxi cultural stage, vitality dwelling on the cloud, multi-level valley. We want to create a place which citizens can enjoy together, a stage for cultural performances, a healthy and vibrant community, a three-dimensional transportation metropolis. From the wilderness to the sky-tree park, after a series of dissection, combing and reconstruction, we finally let the land in the center of the city shine with bright light and infinite vitality again.

Designer | waterlily studio

Location | Wuxi, Jiangsu, P.R. China

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Spanning 46 acres, Sangha is the product of over five years of interdisciplinary research to create a viable model that its teams hope can inspire similar developments for 21st-century living. It is located on Yangcheng Lake, a UNESCO world heritage site, and is made up of single-family residences, townhouses, apartments, two hotels, a medical clinic, a learning and wellness centre, a children’s education centre, a food hall, conference and events spaces and a public plaza – thus embodying a truly holistic live-work-learn community. Sangha is a unique commercial development that also includes a strong social enterprise agenda featuring learning programs for all ages and a range of Eastern and Western medical and wellness services for its residents and visitors.

Design Idea

An abundant use of local natural materials, repurposed and reclaimed where possible, and the inclusion of specially commissioned craft elements give the landscape a human tactility. The landscape is also oriented not just to maximize views, but natural light and air circulation as well.

Innovation

– Repurposed Material

In line with the environmental importance of this location, special care will be taken to reuse material both from the existing site, and where available, from the surrounding area.

– Planting Strategy

The project will be enhanced by a planting strategy that is in harmony with the ecology of the lake, screens visual intrusions, creates privacy where needed, and opens up important views. The layers of planting will create seasonal moods that will add to the year-round ambience and improve the special quality of the lakeside.

Impact

One of the best and largest of wellness centres in China, it offers an eclectic selection of premium lifelong learning and wellness programs, ranging from spa packages to fully-serviced hotels and lakeside villas, with custom medical evaluation and services, body training, early education and a gourmet restaurant as part of the experience. 

With lifelong learning standing at the centre of the idea, Sangha exults in the serendipity and quietude it enjoys as an ex-urban resort. Here, within a surrealistically beautiful surrounding, people take a retreat from creating more prosperity in China, to enjoy a moment of calm and civility.

Landscape Architect | design land collaborative (DLC)

Project name: Sangha by Octave  

Site area: 180,000sq. metres

Landscape area: 40826 sq. metres 

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SWA/Balsley is designing Highline Plaza at Schuylkill Yards, a major mixed-use redevelopment adjacent to Philadelphia’s 30^th Street Station.  The new public plaza will transform an underutilized surface parking lot into a vibrant landscape of connection—one that celebrates the distinctive infrastructure of the CSX highline and adjacent railyards as well as creates a dynamic space between two new skyscrapers designed by PAU Architecture and HDR.

Part of an ambitious master plan to create a thriving new mixed-used district, the half-acre plaza will be highly programmed with active and passive elements including outdoor dining, pop-up retail, performances, and other public gatherings.  Design elements are inspired by the site’s rail legacy and industrial heritage, with a dynamic ground plane mimicking the geometries of a railyard, custom “track junction” benches, interpretive art installations, and a raised wood deck and perch that allow visitors to watch activity in the plaza and railyards beyond.

A canopy beneath the CSX highline will create a sheltered space for gatherings and activities while allowing the authentic materiality of the highline to shine. Highline Plaza will create an experiential junction and shared identity that grounds the two new towers at 3025 and 3001 JFK Boulevard connects them to the broader urban context including the future Woodland Walk terminus, Drexel Square, the Bulletin Building, and the 30th Street Station.

Highline Plaza is part of Schuylkill Yards’ first phase, which is scheduled to begin construction in 2020.

Highline Plaza – Schuylkill Yards

Landscape Architect | SWA / Balsley
Images | SWA / Balsley

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MVRDV, alongside Utrecht’s exhibition, event, and conference centre Jaarbeurs, are today releasing the design for a new, green-roof-topped Jaarbeurs venue, along with a masterplan for the surrounding neighbourhood. With a focus on sustainability and quality of life, the new venue represents a major change for an area currently dominated by logistics, cars, and parking spaces – with MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas describing the goal as “a garden in the city”, and Jaarbeurs CEO Albert Arp calling the proposal a “city oasis”.

Jaarbeurs came to MVRDV with a challenging question: how do you design a green, sustainable, and innovative venue while giving the surrounding neighbourhood an important boost? After a two-year process, the two companies are now launching their plan for a 120,000 m2 venue on the existing Jaarbeurs site to the west of Utrecht’s central station, forming the beating heart of a larger 600,000 m2 masterplan to transform the under-utilised area at the station’s rear.

The new Jaarbeurs will be a sustainable building that opens in all directions, with an accessible green roof that will descend to ground level via cascading terraces. On this green roof, a rooftop park is proposed, where it is hoped that a carpet of programmable ‘squares’ and gardens will offer space for urban nature, events, recreation, water storage, and energy generation. The rooftop of the new Jaarbeurs thus becomes an oasis in the city.

Alongside its event halls, the masterplan also shows the ground floor of Jaarbeurs hosting functions such as hospitality, shops, and offices. A car-free street, the “Jaarbeurs Boulevard”, cuts through the site, serving as the neighbourhood’s backbone. This boulevard will not only provide access to the Jaarbeurs venue, but also form a key route connecting the station to the areas beyond, including the Merwede Canal, which will be transformed into a vibrant waterfront area with restaurants and terraces. Here, residents of Utrecht, visitors to the Jaarbeurs, and tourists visiting the city will be able to enjoy a drink in the sun. Complementing this focus on quality of life is the project’s sustainability strategy, with the design pursuing BREEAM-Excellent certification.

“It is rare that a private party not only invests in its own building, but also includes the environment in its plans,” says Winy Maas. “This master plan shows that Jaarbeurs is passionate about the city and dares to think outside the box. This is desperately needed, because this underutilized area has the potential to become a fantastic neighbourhood with the venue as its core – an attractive green ‘hill’ in the city. The plan is also an opportunity to significantly improve the city and properly connect the centre, the station area, the Merwede Canal zone, and the Kanaleneiland.”

Winy Maas – MVRDV

The announcement of the plans begins the next phase in the development of Jaarbeurs. Working with the municipality of Utrecht, the plan will now be elaborated, with the inclusion of a participatory process consulting local residents, sports clubs, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders in the neighbourhood. The construction of Jaarbeurs exhibition, event, and conference centre is expected to start in 2023.

The masterplan for the Jaarbeursdistrict is developed in cooperation with SITE Urban Development.

Design Firm | MVRDV

Images | MVRDV

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SWA Group has designed Pacific Plaza, a new public park that transforms the experience of the central business district in downtown Dallas.  Pacific Plaza is the first of an ambitious four-park initiative spearheaded by Parks for Downtown Dallas in a public-private partnership with the City of Dallas. The 3.74-acre greenspace in the middle of downtown transforms a former industrial site into a lively, welcoming urban environment for the 21st century.

Surrounded by high-rise buildings, Pacific Plaza replaces a barren surface-level parking lot that was previously a site of railroad, auto and other industries, creating a much-needed outdoor amenity for downtown’s burgeoning population. The new park incorporates an adjacent stand of 23 mature live oak, introduces flexible space for a varied programming and intergenerational appeal, interprets local history, all woven together in a design of sophisticated and lyrical detail. 

Anchoring the park’s southwest corner is an iconic 95’ x 135’ elliptical pavilion designed by Heath May of HKS Architects’ Line Studio.  This dramatic stainless-steel structure expresses the site’s railroad history through perforated Morse code signatures for every stop along the Texas and Pacific Railroad between New Orleans and El Paso—resulting in an enchanting play of shaded patterns throughout the day.  From under the pavilion, visitors can look upon decades of Dallas’ urban architecture.

The park is 100% accessible by pathways and paving. Other design features include a multigenerational play environment featuring custom swings, seesaws and other play equipment; custom-designed “dog intercepts” – irrigated stations of decomposed granite—that are strategically located to welcome dogs and minimize their impact on the park’s horticulture; and native and regionally adapted low-water use vegetation.

With complimentary park programming through the efforts of Downtown Dallas, Inc., Pacific Plaza represents a significant step in the city’s commitment to providing diverse outdoor experiences that will be encountered from downtown all the way to the Katy Trail.

“The economic value of parks is well documented, but the social resiliency developed through people being together at places like Pacific Plaza has a profound impact on our community. I’m excited for Pacific Plaza to be a great place to be downtown that brings our community together,” adds Chuck McDaniel. 

Pacific Plaza Park

Location | Dallas, Texas, USA

Landscape Architect | SWA Group

Photography | Bill Tatham; courtesy SWA Group; David Lloyd, courtesy SWA

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Chemin des Carrières, the Quarries’ Track, is a lace undulating in the landscape, an invitation to travel as our ambition behind the reconquest of the Rosheim-St Nabor railway in Alsace, France. Ominous, sometimes hidden, the vestiges of the railway still mark the reading of the site. The desire to create a route to serve the quarries had to adapt to the undulating landscapes of the sub-Vosges hills and the very form of the tracing tells the history of the landscape and the men. The journey to discover forgotten landscapes or to take a different view on everyday landscapes is addressed to both local users and tourists. Like the old track that offered a dual function (industrial and passenger transport), the route has a double vocation where the functional must rub shoulders with the imaginary of travel. Along the 11km path goes a story, which the stops split into five chapters of different sequences of landscapes offering varied universes and highlighting remarkable sites. Unusual elements punctuate the way, aiming at awakening the visitor’s senses, and water is encountered repeatedly.

Rosheim tells the story of the past. Realized by intertwined circles in Corten steel, the pavilion has a labyrinthine character and play with irregular concave and convex interior, which the visitors are free to roam. The train tracks are conserved in that area, benches are built, and openings are created to open or close the sculpture to chosen views of the surrounding landscape allowing for viewing, seating – reflexion and contemplation.

Boersch tells the story of water. The river, which historically allowed connection to the world and tells about the true cleanliness of a place. It is a dynamic element in the landscape, running to the ocean. We enlarge the riverbed and build a large open space amphitheater to access the water.

Leonardsau tells the story of the land. After a long green tunnel, two large corten steel plates amplify the opening effect at the end of the forest corridor to the open landscape, embodying a gate and opening a perspective towards Mont St-Odile, which develops the idea of discovery. Ottrott tells the story of travel. Former train station, the stop materializes the history of the railway and highlight the presence of the heritage (balance, bridge, crane, pump…). In a fabric of housing buildings, the reservoir, symbolizing water, and concrete crossings connect housing to historical elements and landscape.

Saint-Nabor tells the story of luck. Closed for years and ongoing a “renaturalisation” process, the quarries symbolize the reconquest of the vegetation on a former industrial site. On one of the highest platform created by the machine, will the traveler discover the most spectacular work: a promontory in corten steel offering a wide view on the valley of Rosheim and the plain of Alsace. From this viewpoint inspired by a four-leaf clover, the visitor will feel lucky to enjoy the view of such a beautiful territory. 

Chemin des Carrières

Designer: Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter

Location: Rosheim, France
Program: Reconversion of a train track with cultural pavilions and installations
Client: Communauté de Communes des Portes de Rosheim
Size / value: 11 km / 4M€
Commission type: Invited competition (2016) in collaboration with Parenthèse Paysage

Photo credits: Florent Michel 11h45

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TETROMINOES is bespoke art installation located on Shanghai’s renowned cultural and historic high street, Yuyuan Road. For 10 months, TETROMINOES will play a part in a broader urban revitalization plan to renew the city’s former international concession.

Playing on the repolarization of 80s themes and iconic forms in pop culture, TETROMINOES immerses you into a digital world set in reality. TETROMINOES are geometric formations composed of varying arrangements of interconnected squares, these patterns are prevalent in the urban setting and are reinterpreted through the artwork. Blurring the boundaries between the virtual realm and reality, the fluorescent blocks appear to have fallen from the sky, landing on the bustling street-side plaza.

TETROMINOES transforms its context into a multidimensional stage for creative exploration and interaction. TETROMINOES is designed by multidisciplinary design studio, Gossamer, and fabricated by Nompoll. Each sculpture is carefully assembled using welded steel rods to form three-dimensional grids and powder-coated with fluorescent Pantones. Each piece weighs between 400 – 750 kilograms and is fastened to the lawn using ground screws.

Tetrominoes

Location: Intersection of Yuyuan & Anxi Roads, Shanghai, China
Year: 2019
Client: Art Yuyuan
Project Type: Art & Sculptures / Streetscape / Plazas
Lead Consultant: Gossamer
Collaborators: Nompoll (Fabrication)

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