Garden Design Travels

A ‘VINE LINE’ VISION FOR HIGHWAY Laurence Tamaccio lives near...

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 13:44:00 -0500

A ‘VINE LINE’ VISION FOR HIGHWAY

Laurence Tamaccio lives near the West Side Highway, the part that exposes its aged, rusty underbelly and concrete legs, held high above Riverside Park South. In his view, it’s an eyesore – and he wants to cover it with vines and waterfalls.

“Seeing it on a daily basis, it started to sort of wear me down aesthetically,” he said.

Tamaccio, an architect who describes his job as “making things that look awful look better,” posted slides of his High Line-esque vision on YouTube. Trellises and ivy cover the highway’s pillars from 61st Street to 72nd street in the digital image of Tamaccio’s dream.

In Kanazawa, Japan, Ancient Beauty Fuses With Modern Art

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:56:00 -0500

In Kanazawa, Japan, Ancient Beauty Fuses With Modern Art

Buenos Aires Argentina Charles Thays The vast area of Palermo,...

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:33:00 -0400

Buenos Aires Argentina Charles Thays

The vast area of Palermo, the largest neighborhood in Buenos Aires, encompasses many different boroughs such as:Bosques de Palermo, Palermo Chico, Palermo Viejo (Hollywood/Soho), and Verde(Green).

More than a century and a half ago, all these lands (called estancia in Argentina) belonged to Juan M. de Rosas, the “caudillo”, or leading force and governor within the province of Buenos Aires. After Rosas´ fall this “estancia” was partitioned into several sub divisions.

By the second half of 1800, during Sarmiento’s presidency the area developed rapidly and the French landscaper and architect, Charles Thays designed all gardens, according to Paris’s Bois de Boulogne’s and London’s Hyde Park.

This new area, known as Parque Tres de Febrero is commonly called Bosques de Palermo (Palermo Woods), and is the most vast and open green area of Buenos Aires. It contains a huge variety of typical argentine trees, such as lapachos, palos borrachos, jacarandaes. These beautiful decorated gardens, the three artificial lakes, the important and historical monuments are the paradise for visitors to rest and spend leisure time outside. Locals enjoy picnicking, bike riding and jogging during the sunny week-ends. Pedal and row boats can also be hired in the nearby lakes.

São Paulo, Brazil Gardens South America’s largest city, São...

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 11:29:24 -0400

São Paulo, Brazil Gardens

South America’s largest city, São Paulo has evolved into a hotbed for some of the most innovative landscape designs in the country — and the world

Muralist, painter, ecologist and naturalist Roberto Burle Marx (1909-1994) has been referred to as the spontaneous explosion who launched modernist landscape architecture in Brazil. Like his design for Rio’s Copacabana, this 1980s rooftop winter garden for the Safra bank headquarters in São Paulo composes an abstract mural when seen from above.

gardendesigntravels: One evening in Delhi, we visited Lodhi...

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 17:21:41 -0400

gardendesigntravels:

One evening in Delhi, we visited Lodhi Gardens, which were large, green, and peaceful. Many people had come after school or work to enjoy the evening. We sat on the lawns and sketched the tomb of a Lodhi ruler of Delhi. An hour into our sketching, it suddenly became very cold and our watercolors refused to dry on the paper. We left in a hurry because our hands had become too numb to paint.

Lodi Gardens are one of the pleasantest green spaces in Delhi - with some labelled trees to help visitors from overseas become familiar with the Indian flora. The area was used as a burial for Delhi’s (pre-Mughal) Sayyid and Lodi rulers. Mohammad Shar’s tomb (1450) can be seen as a predecessor for architecture of Humayun’s tomb and Sikander Lodi’s tomb (1571) is set within a walled enclosure and clearly related to Humayun’s tomb garden. The domed mausoleums appear to have been sited in an open landscape, rather as the Ancient Greeks placed temples. The building of monumental tombs runs against the principles of Islam and it is probable that Delhi’s Turkish Sultans brought the idea from Persia to India. Lodi Gardens are therefore a good place to reflect on the origins of Mughal garden design. By the nineteenth century the tombs were occupied by squatters. After the land passed into the ownership of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) the squatters were moved, with some acrimony, and the land was treated as a public park. Possibly because the tombs have a formal kinship to Palladian temples, this treatment seems visually appropriate - at least to European eyes.

Barrakka Gardens Valletta Malta One can really spend hours...

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 12:56:00 -0400

Barrakka Gardens Valletta Malta

One can really spend hours here, just savoring the views. Situated near Castille Place, the gardens date back to 1661 when they were essentially private gardens of the Italian Knights. Their auberges lie nearby.

In 1824, the Upper Barrakka Gardens were opened to the public.

The gardens are quite small. However, they’re very popular with both locals and visitors. They provide a perfect refuge from the busy Valletta streets and of course a spectacular view of the magnificent Grand Harbour!

Now Valletta is not exactly a hectic place, but should you feel the need to find a (more) tranquil location in the city, then the Barrakka Gardens are where you should be heading. It’s a small little park on the far right of Valletta when you enter via the main gate, and it’s well worth strolling up there. Sit on one of the benches, take photos of the sculptures and most of all check out the fantastic views of the Grand Harbour from this, the highest point of the city walls.

The gardens are actually divided into two parts, the Upper Barrakka andLower Barrakka. The Upper Barrakka part being the most popular.

The gardens also have numerous statues and monuments.Worthy of a mention is one dedicated to Winston Churchill and another to Sir Alexander Ball which is located right at the centre of the Lower Barrakka gardens.

From the gardens (or from Triq il-Batterija) you can access the Saluting Battery.

E’terra Samara is an Amazing Treehouse Retreat Designed for the...

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 19:11:11 -0400

E’terra Samara is an Amazing Treehouse Retreat Designed for the Forests of Canada

Designed by the Farrow Partnership studio, E’terra Samara is a five-star eco-resort that consists of twelve treehouse villas sensitively nestled into a Canadian Forest.

Dragon-inspired Sity by Sonik Module Bulgarian firm Sonik Module...

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 22:47:00 -0400

Dragon-inspired Sity by Sonik Module

Bulgarian firm Sonik Module has designed this unusual structure for Shanghai’s city center as part of its design entry in the Re-Thinking Shanghai 2012 competition. The project was considered for the redevelopment of an area along the Suzhou Creek in Shanghai. The structure traverses over an artificially created river and park system

Sod Roof Building in Historic Tinganes District, City of...

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 19:07:00 -0400

Sod Roof Building in Historic Tinganes District, City of Torshavn, Faroe Islands

Situated in the heart of the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic at 62°00’N, the Faroe Islands lie northwest of Scotland and halfway between Iceland and Norway.

This is reportedly the smallest capital in the world. The town has a laid back old world charm, it’s fun just wandering around the small sod roof buildings, many of which are government offices. The Faroese are extremely friendly, wanting to tell the visitors all about their little country.

Jarlshof Prehistoric and Norse Settlement A 4,500 year old time...

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 19:58:00 -0400

Jarlshof Prehistoric and Norse Settlement

A 4,500 year old time capsule in Scotland

Often described as one of the most remarkable sites to have been excavated in the British Isles, Jarlshof appears to have been inhabited continuously for about 4,000 years. The earliest remains are those of Neolithic houses, and the most recent a 16th century manor house. For anyone visiting the Shetlands, this is a site not to miss.

Jarlshof provides an insight into the way of life of the inhabitants at particularly interesting periods – the late Bronze Age, Iron Age, Pictish era, Norse era and the Middle Ages.

It includes oval-shaped Bronze Age houses, Iron Age broch and wheelhouses, Viking long houses, medieval farmstead and 16th century laird’s house.

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2012 Designed by Herzog & de...

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 20:37:00 -0400

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2012
Designed by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei

Kensington Gardens in London
The 2012 Serpentine Gallery summer pavilion is situated in Kensington Gardens in London and designed by Ai Weiwei and Herzog & de Meuron, as a landscape in cork.

This year’s Serpentine Gallery pavilion has a floating platform roof which collects water and becomes a mirror.

Cork seats inside the pavilion, designed by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron.

Architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron are seated at the launch of the pavilion.

On August 23, 2012, the State of New Jersey reversed its...

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 16:56:00 -0400

On August 23, 2012, the State of New Jersey reversed its decision to demolish Green Acres, a site-specific installation by Athena Tacha created in 1985 in honor of the State’s similarly named land protection program.

The City Dune SEB Bank by SLA Landscape Architecture Copenhagen...

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 09:31:00 -0400

The City Dune SEB Bank by SLA Landscape Architecture Copenhagen Denmark

The harbor front of Copenhagen has through the years been widely criticized for being the site of low quality office buildings, introvert shopping malls, bad infrastructure, and few, if any, public spaces worth using.

Here, above an underground car park on the corner of two traffic-heavy streets, the Swedish SEB Bank chose to erect its Scandinavian headquarters. SLA got the assignment to create an urban space that could tie the new headquarter together with the surrounding area, the harbor, and the rest of Copenhagen.

An open space in front of a bank does not necessarily need to be anonymous, grey, and void of people. On the contrary, SLA designed the area as a green and welcoming ‘open foyer’ for the public and employees of the bank alike.

The result is a sustainable and fully accessible urban space covering an area of 7.300 m2. Like a giant dune of sand or snow it slips in between the buildings, thereby creating a spatial coherence in the design. Simultaneously, the urban space, elevated 7 meters above the surroundings, ensures the mobility of pedestrians and cyclists, leading from SEB and the harbor past The Danish National Archives and on to the Tivoli Congress Center.

Passeig García Faria by Ravetllat Ribas Arquitectura Barcelona...

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:16:00 -0400

Passeig García Faria by Ravetllat Ribas Arquitectura Barcelona Spain

NPS Podium Roof Garden / PLANT Architect & Perkins+Will...

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 09:05:00 -0400

NPS Podium Roof Garden / PLANT Architect & Perkins+Will Canada

The Podium Roof Garden is the first transformation in the competition-winning scheme “Agora Theatre” – the Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization. This 3-acre upper-level component of Viljo Revell’s 1965 iconic and visionary City Hall and multi-level public square in Toronto was originally conceived as a ceremonial public space, reached via a giant sculptural ramp. The space was never successful at attracting the public – it was a grim, empty, three acres of concrete that has been closed for well over a decade. The Podium Roof Garden re-conceives this upper level as a public park integrated with the elevated walkway system, and while respecting the complex’s heritage status, reopening it to the public as a truly engaging 21st Century space.

jill anholt studio: ‘line of work’ Line of Work...

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 18:39:43 -0400

jill anholt studio: ‘line of work’

Line of Work transforms everyday building materials into a powerful yet protecting wave-form that reaches out to the sea. Individual occupations carved into the wood reflect the growing diversity of workers’ specific skills. Each piece tells its own story, yet together they become the story of British Columbia, marking shifts in the evolution of the province and the aspirations of its workforce from industries of the past, to trades of today, to the unfathomable future. Line of work is integrated into the folded green roof of the new Vancouver Convention Centre juxtaposing notions of ascension, aspiration and progress with those of shelter and protection.

Location: new Vancouver Convention Centre
Status: Completed Sept 2009

Mien Ruys Gardens Netherlands Mien Ruys is one of the names...

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 08:51:00 -0400

Mien Ruys Gardens Netherlands

Mien Ruys is one of the names within garden design that has always caught the interests and admiration of many designers. Her gardens have such a refined sense of place and strong form, always combined with sensitive planting schemes and great plant associations. In many of her designs, she used the architectural and sculptural forms of squares, rectangles and circles, and overlaid then her plans with soft and rich plantings, often in bold drifts and well defined blocks.

Garden at a roof in Berlin Germany in Keithsstrasse

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 21:31:00 -0400

Garden at a roof in Berlin Germany in Keithsstrasse

Imperial Hotel Rooftop Garden Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel added a...

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 21:26:42 -0400

Imperial Hotel Rooftop Garden

Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel added a rooftop garden and ‘pond’ of solar panels to help combat the urban heat island effect and keep temperatures down in Tokyo.

Monaco Rooftop Garden

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 11:07:11 -0400

Monaco Rooftop Garden