Buildings, bridges, promenades, architectural installations – where are they put? Into the landscape, of course. But not only into the one obviously recognised as such but also the one that is the setting for our daily life. Anything built always becomes part of the landscape; it does stand alongside, unconnected. That is what makes things exciting, as demonstrated by the variety and above all the aesthetics of the examples presented here.
Brochure: Urban Agriculture Casablanca - Design as an integrative factor of research
Topos 74 contains the insert “Urban Agriculture Casablanca – Design as an integrative factor of research”, research documentation from the Technische Universität Berlin (TUB). The 48-page brochure can be ordered for 7.50 Euro from TU Berlin, Christoph Kasper. For more information see: www.uac-m.org. Author: Technische Universität Berlin (TUB), School VI Planning Building Environment, Chair of Landscape Architecture/Open Space Planning, Professor Undine Giseke
Fogo Island Artists' Studios
Six studios are the basis for an artists’ residency program on Fogo Island, Newfoundland, Canada. The bold geometric structures starkly contrast, yet lie silently in the natural environment. The landscape, both rough and gentle, is not just a backdrop but everything for this project. Author: Saunders, Todd
Coastal Walk in Sydney
The Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk Extension is an elevated boardwalk with panoramic views along environmentally sensitive cliff tops in eastern Sydney. Author: Coles, Sacha
Rambla Punta Pite
The stone path “Rambla Punta Pite” is part of a network of streets in a residential complex on the marine terrace Punta Pite that connects to the seashore of the Pacific Ocean, between Papudo and Zapallar bays in Chile. Author: Rossetti, Fulvio
Reñaca Norte Promenade, Chile
A unique dune landscape characterises the Chilean Pacific coast in Concon. Comprised by settlement activities, the sensitive ecosystem called for conservation strategies. A raised footbridge limits circulations while presenting a sublime view. Author: Rüttimann Curtze, Carla
Bunker 599
The New Dutch Waterline, a former defence line in the Netherlands, has potential for contemporary functions. Bunker 599 is a pilot project to reveal the qualities of this military landscape and to make it publically accessible. Author: Rietveld, Ronald
Seljord and the Legends
Three site-specific installations and a viewing tower connect modern architecture and local traditions at Seljord Lake in Norway. The architectural interventions are part of a project about legends related to the lake and phenomena connected to the landscape. Author: Christenson, Gunn Marit, Telnes, Tone
A Romantic View of Scenic Landscapes
The national tourist route project in Norway maintains the old roads as picturesque routes. A more scenic travel experience is offered by way of selected detours, where outstanding views and natural monuments are combined with new architectural installations and landscape interventions. The character and quality of these interventions vary greatly from site to site. Author: Haukeland, Alf
Silent Garden
The “Silent Garden” project in Taipei, made by Patricia Meneses, is based on extracting the essence of poetry kept in nature. The project conformed by a natural pavement surrounding the white volume is thought to be a garden pavilion that houses the encounter of humans with nature. Author: Meneses, Patricia
Searching for “bagh”: Perceptions of Central Iran
Alain de Botton (2003) says, “if our lives are dominated by a search for happiness, then perhaps few activities reveal as much about the dynamics of this quest than our travels.” Here an Australian writer reflects on her visit to Iran in late 2010 and the impressions the landscape – built and otherwise – left on her. Author: Wintle, Sarah
The Day after Tomorrow
The American Photographer J Henry Fair documents the destruction of our planet in aerial views. His large-scale Photographs suggest abstract paintings of subtle beauty.. Author: Fair, J Henry
Towards Integrating Infrastructure and Landscape
In order to function, fit and be acceptable, infrastructure needs to enhance the quality of the landscape. Three major design approaches are overwhelmingly evident in a review of exemplary built projects from around the globe. Author: Smets, Marcel, Shannon, Kelly
Sigirino Depot
The largest artificial mound ever designed in Switzerland consists of excavation material from the Ceneri Base Tunnel. The huge depot must be integrated in the historic landscape of the Vedeggio Valley on the northern periphery of Lugano, Ticino. Advanced tools in 3-D topological modeling and visualizing helped to meet this task. Author: Girot, Christophe
The Estonian Road Museum
The Estonian Road Museum in Varbuse is carved into the landscape leaving the adjacent area virtually untouched. The exhibition spaces of various heights and widths are barely visible from the distance. Author: Ojari, Triin
New Wildlife Crossing Structures
In 2010 an international competition challenged design teams to conceptualise the next generation of wildlife crossing infrastructure for North America’s roadways. The project is sited at the Vail Pass on the I-70 highway in Vail, Colorado. Author: Lister, Nina-Marie E.
Towards a New Nordic Landscape Discourse
The exhibition “Manmade Environment” demonstrates how landscape architecture is about more than aesthetics. Through recent projects from the Nordic countries it highlights the important role of landscape architecture in sustainable urban development, large scale planning, infrastructural improvements and regional problem solving. Author: Wikstrøm, Kjerti
New Aesthetics for Modern Landscapes
Romantic images still prevail in society’s perception of nature and landscape, yet romantically determined concepts are nothing but reactionary today. Modern, engineered landscapes and process-oriented concepts need new aesthetics. Author: Bunge, Jan
CABE Space: The End of an Era
Since 2003, England’s CABE Space has promoted excellence in the design, management and maintenance of public spaces but the unit closed in March 2011 as a result of funding cuts by the new coalition government. A review of the work of the last eight years and of the impact it has had. Author: Church, Dominic
