20 % scope : a dictionary of landscape projects
DESCRIPTION
Dictionary of landscape projectsTRANSCRIPT
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSREFERENCES
INTRODUCTION
INFRASTRUCTURE
18th & 19th CenturyMystic Valley ParkwayPonte Veccho Bridge Wellington Railway Station
20th Century Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier City To Sea Bridge
21st Century BrtiomartVancouver LandbridgeTe Raya BypassAlicante Tram Stop
PPARKS
18th & 19th CenturyBirkenhead ParkOlmsted ParkWashington Square Park
20th CenturyHornsberg StrandparkWWaitangi Park
21st CenturyPiramma ParkBarry Curtis ParkNational Memorial Park. Silverstein Family Park
SQUARES
18th & 19th CenturyCatalonia SquarePlaza Mayor MichelAngelo Square
20th CenturyYYonge-Dundas Square Nathan Phillips Square Saint Patricks Square
21st Century Warrior Square Garden Garden Place
WATERFRONTS
18th & 19th Century18th & 19th CenturyVaranasi GhatsJardim Do Passeio Alegere – Alegere Stroll Garden
20th CenturyGateway Of IndiaSeattle Waterfront
21st CenturyOlympic Sculpture ParkOlympic Sculpture ParkNagasaki Seaside ParkTaranaki WharfSilo Park – Wynard Quarter Wellington Waterfront
this publication documents research projects by second year BLA students in the department of Landscape Architecture at Unitec New Zealand. Architecture at Unitec New Zealand. without the hard work of all the students and constant critiquing from Matthew, this publication would have never been possible.
we would like to thank:
Claire LieschingZoe Masters-WoodReuben McPeakTrish MorrisonRobert Nairn
Dexell AitaNicholas AndisenSupharada BoonchuenCarlos CharltonBrad CongdonNatalie CouchJonathan Epic CristalJonathan Epic CristalAndras DeliZhou FanMatt HendersonJason Kau
Dhara PatelSylvia PedersonJack PetersonTim RichardsonThomas SawbridgeSaja Yacoob
we would also like to thank senior lecturer Matthew Bradbury whose guidance and knowledge allowed us to produce such work.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
UNITEC LA.13
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSREFERENCES
INTRODUCTION
INFRASTRUCTURE
18th & 19th CenturyMystic Valley ParkwayPonte Veccho Bridge Wellington Railway Station
20th Century Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier City To Sea Bridge
21st Century BrtiomartVancouver LandbridgeTe Raya BypassAlicante Tram Stop
PPARKS
18th & 19th CenturyBirkenhead ParkOlmsted ParkWashington Square Park
20th CenturyHornsberg StrandparkWWaitangi Park
21st CenturyPiramma ParkBarry Curtis ParkNational Memorial Park. Silverstein Family Park
SQUARES
18th & 19th CenturyCatalonia SquarePlaza Mayor MichelAngelo Square
20th CenturyYYonge-Dundas Square Nathan Phillips Square Saint Patricks Square
21st Century Warrior Square Garden Garden Place
WATERFRONTS
18th & 19th Century18th & 19th CenturyVaranasi GhatsJardim Do Passeio Alegere – Alegere Stroll Garden
20th CenturyGateway Of IndiaSeattle Waterfront
21st CenturyOlympic Sculpture ParkOlympic Sculpture ParkNagasaki Seaside ParkTaranaki WharfSilo Park – Wynard Quarter Wellington Waterfront
PARKn. a large public green area used for recreation
PARKn. a large public green area used for recreation Birkenhead Park
18th Century English Park
CLAIRE LIESCHING
Birkenhead Park – Diagram
PROJECT: Birkenhead Park DESIGNER: Joseph Paxton DATE: 1847[1]
LOCATION: Birkenhead, England DIMENSIONS: Approximate dimensions are 1,275m x 625m. Actual total area = 50ha[2]
FUNCTION: The first government funded Public Park in Britain DESCRIPTION: Birkenhead Park was built on poor quality low-lying fields and marsh. The park catered to a diverse range of recreational activities, through meadows which have been designated for the different sporting and recreational activities. The main access to the park is through the Grand Entrance on the corner of Park Road North and Park Road East. This is the starting point of the park’s main pathway, a wide concrete path that loops around the entire park. Other smaller pathways intersect the main path and meander through the centre of the park, providing access to every feature. Directly left of the Grand Entrance are the Bowling Greens, and in front of the Entrance is the Lower Lake. The lake can be used for recreational activities like swimming or boating, and has a boathouse as well as the Swiss Bridge. To the south of the lake is the Night Pasture for farming, the Rockery and the Sunken Garden. To the west of the lake is Balaclava Field and the children’s play area. Finally, SW of the lake is the Lower Field, which has been divided into quarters by the smaller paths. This field is home to two cricket clubs. At this point, Ashville Rd crosses straight through the middle of the park, at a lower level. An innovation that was used by F.L Olmstead. On the other side of this road is the Upper Lake next to the Central Lodge. North of these areas is the Tennis Club and courts, while west of the lake is the Upper Park, used for sports, picnics, concerts etc, and NW of the lake is the Rugby Club and field. Around the perimeter of the entire park are several lodges including the Gothic Lodge, Italian Lodge, Castellated Lodge and Kemps House, and the Norman Lodges; these all mark entry points. The strength and flexibility of Paxton’s design has been revealed over the last century by the way the park has been able to satisfy the demands of it’s users. The combination of 19th century English park with the recreational requirement of the 19th century working class, used to design Birkenhead, is still a foundation for which parks all over the world are designed today. During the 19th century, Birkenhead Park became a major influence for American landscape architect F.L Olmsted and his design of Central Park in New York.[1] [1] "History of Birkenhead Park." Home. N.p., n.d. Retrieved on 19 Mar. 2013. http://www.friendsofbirkenheadpark.org.uk/history.html [2] "Birkenhead Park - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birkenhead_Park
Entry to the Swiss Bridge Image sourced from: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/287509
Meandering path through the park http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2864146
Swiss Bridge crossing the lake http://www.panoramio.com/photo/327874
The Grand Entrance http://www.yoliverpool.com/forum/showthread.php?59156-A-few-
Merseyside-Then-and-Now-style-shots
Olmsted Park 19th Century American Park
Olmsted Park – Aerial view
Olmsted Park – Diagram
Muddy River
Residential area
Residential area
Lake Jamaica
Lake Leverett
Ward’s Pond
Sports field
Sports field
PROJECT: Olmsted Park DESIGNER: Frederick Law Olmsted DATE: 1891 LOCATION: The border of Boston and Brookline, Massachusetts, United States DIMENSIONS: Approximately 1400m x 260m, 3.1 hectares FUNCTION: Linear park, used for recreation and filtration of water for the surrounding area DESCRIPTION: Olmsted Park was first named Leverett Park but was renamed in 1900 to honour the park’s designer, Frederick Law Olmsted. Located on the border of Boston and Brookline, it is one of the connected parks and parkways along the Emerald Necklace (From Malarial Swamp to Popular Green Space (2012)).When Olmsted first visited the swampy site, he thought it was very beautiful in its present state so he only made relatively minor changes to the landscape, compared to his Back Bay Fens and Riverway projects (Olmsted Park, City of Boston. (n.d.)).
The growing pollution in the brackish water of a small meandering creek in 1880 formed the boundary between the City of Boston and the town of Brookline. Frederick Law Olmsted was appointed to develop a plan to improve the conditions of this stream called the Muddy River. He developed a plan to increase the sanitation of the stream by changing the meandering course to a more regular one, planted many native trees and shrubs and also dredged out the malarial swamp at the northern end of the park to create Leverett Pond. Next, granite bridges pedestrian bridges, pathways and natural stone walls were built in the park. The swampy landscape was then converted into a linear park with the new altered Muddy River connecting three major ponds, all surrounded by dense woods to occlude the park from the busy traffic and noise created by the city around it (From Malarial Swamp to Popular Green Space, 2012).
Unfortunately, the waterways had become clogged with silt over the years and invasive vegetation had grown around the banks and in the shallow waters, this has caused flooding along the river. The Muddy River is currently undergoing a long term restoration project in order to improve the flood control and water quality. The plan to restore the parks and waterways along the Emerald Necklace was completed in 1989 and is still in progress (From Malarial Swamp to Popular Green Space, 2012).
1. Ward’s and Willow Pond Granite foot bridge. 2. Daisy Field. Originally designed as a large meadow, redesigned as sports field.
4. Leverett Pond. 3. Wards Pond.
Rousham Park
18th Century English Park
Rousham Park - Diagram
PROJECT: Rousham Park DESIGNER: William Kent DATE: 1738 LOCATION: Oxfordshire, England DIMENSIONS: 251.03M Width, 451.26m Length, 27 acres FUNCTION: Private Park Rousham Park is a defying park design that was first designed as a private garden for Rousham House by William Kent. Because of this fact this is a different type of park compared to usual public parks. Rousham was designed in the 18th century and had many of the at the time landscape architecture influences such as the Italian Renaissance, Roman and Augustan styles leading it to have statues such as the Roman god Apollo. A strong influence of this design was that at first it was to be a private garden for Rousham house and it was but became a public garden many later years without the design changing. Due to this the design has a private feel to it, walking on a path under dense trees above and passing statues and monuments such as the ‘Veil of Venus’. And although this is true, what it does share with other parks is how even though it is private you follow a path that opens the area in a way that you never feel to crowded by it all and the path you follow has been designed to open the odd area of park to seem as a free open space.3
3 - "Rousham House - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rousham_House
Venus’ Vale http://www.rousham.org
Front Lawn http://www.rousham.org
Arched Pathway http://www.rousham.org Venus’ Vale
http://www.rousham.org
Bibliography
• 1) "Cobblestone Park – Client feedback | WA | Landscape Architecture and Urban Design." WA | Landscape Architecture and Urban Design. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. http://waal.co.nz/cobblestone-park-client-feedback/.
• 2) "Victoria Park Public Domain by HASSELL « Landezine | Landscape Architecture Works." Landezine | Landscape Architecture Works. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. hQp://www.landezine.com/index.php/2013/02/victoria-‐park-‐public-‐domain-‐by-‐hassell/.
• 3) "Rousham House -‐ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. hQp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rousham_House.
Hornsbergs Strandpark Contemporary European Park
Hornsbergs Strandpark – Aerial view
Hornsbergs Strandpark – Plan
Hornsbergs Strandpark – Diagram
Ulvsundasjön
Disc Structure
Urban Structures
PROJECT: Hornsbergs Strandpark DESIGNER: Nyréns Architects through Bengt Isling (Project architect), Jacob Almberg, Ronny Brox, Magdalena Franciskovic, Cecilia Jarlöv. Ulrika Lilliehöök, Staffan Malm DATE: 2012 LOCATION: Kungsholmen, Stockholm, Sweden DIMENSIONS: Approximately 700m x 35m, 1.4 hectares FUNCTION: Coastal recreational park DESCRIPTION: Hornsbergs Strandpark is a linear park sitting between a new urban development of Stockholm and the water’s edge. The contemporary design and round organic shape adorns the city with a new curvy shoreline (Hornsbergs Strandpark, 2012).
The park faces west to Ulvsundasjön, as well as the evening sunset. Three long floating piers make visitors feel like they are floating into the light on the water (Ricardo, 2012). The park becomes a refuge for the surrounding residents and visitors during hot summer afternoons, when visitors come to barbecue, picnic and swim (Hornsbergs Strandpark, 2012).
The 700m long park is consisted of four main parts. The westernmost part is a jetty with wooden docks extending into the lake at different lengths, which can be used for sunbathing. East of the jetty is Kajpaterren, created to contrast the organic shapes of the Strandparken. The Strandparken is a marginally raised horizontal disc that leans towards the water slightly. The easternmost part of the park is an existing public space that was renovated to improve accessibility (Hornsbergs Strandpark, 2012).
The groups of trees in the park are mostly exotic including birch, handkerchief tree and Caucasian wingnut. In between the groups of trees are open spaces that can host different functions and events (Hornsbergs Strandpark, 2012).
The Hornsbergs Strandpark won the Sienapriset 2012, which is the most prestigious landscape award in Sweden.
3. One of the floating piers on the water.
2. Strandparken, the slightly raised disc structure.
4. The curvy shoreline of the park.
1. A bird’s eye view of the Hornsbergs Strandpark.
Waitangi Park
New Zealand Contemporary Park
Waitangi Park - Diagram
PROJECT: Waitangi Park DESIGNER: Megan Wraight of Wraight Athfield Landscape + Architecture DATE: 2002-2005 LOCATION: Wellington Waterfront, New Zealand DIMENSIONS: Approximate dimensions are 206m x 165m. Actual total area = 5.8 ha[1] FUNCTION: Urban park DESCRIPTION: Waitangi Park is a contemporary park located along the harbours edge in Te Aro, Wellington. The park was designed to re-integration the Waitangi Stream to its surroundings. The park’s function is to provide sustainability, re-connect the urban area of the city with the harbour-side area, and to offer the public a recreational park that can be accessed and used by all types of people living in the city. Waitangi Park is an open park, entry to Waitangi exists at all sides of the park in some form or another. If coming from Te Papa Museum (western side of the park) access is via a bridge that crosses the water storage pond. If coming along Oriental Parade (eastern side of the park) or Chaffers Dock/the car-park (north of the park) then access to the park is along two sides of the field. If coming from the city’s buildings directly across the road (south of the park) then entry is along the whole of Cable St, where you can walk into the park at any point along the road and follow one of several paths that lead through the activity zone, over the stream and straight onto the field. The activity zone is home to a diverse range of facilities which are aimed to interest all users of the park; these involve an open market garden space, skate-park, basketball court, petanque pitch and children’s playground. Paths then lead from the activity zone over the Waitangi Stream and its surrounding wetlands directly onto the field, which is seen as the focal point of the park due to its size. The field is meant to be flexible in its uses (again to satisfy a range of park-goers) and is currently used as a sports pitch, picnicking spot, and a venue for public performances or small concerts that are on show in Wellington, showing off a cultural side to the park. Along the western side of the field is a water storage pond and graving dock wetlands. Further north of the pond is a waka landing beach (cultural zone) and lying adjacent to the pond is a wind garden (all environmental sustainable features of the park). These features have been designed to appeal to the park-goers through the use of seating and pathways that lead over the pond and through the wind garden, making the features interactive but also beneficial to the environment. Bordering the field to the north are interior promenades that surround the Herd St Plaza, and beyond this building is the harbour edge which people can walk along to get to either Oriental Bay in one direction or the Waterfront in the opposite direction. [1]
[1] "Waitangi Park | WA | Landscape Architecture and Urban Design." WA | Landscape Architecture and Urban Design. N.p., n.d. Retrieved on 19 Mar. 2013. http://waal.co.nz/our-projects/waitangi-park/
View of the skate-park and beginning of the Field http://www.wellingtoncivictrust.org/awards
Wetland area and riparian planting Image sourced from: http://waal.co.nz/our-projects/waitangi-park/
Play-ground in the activity zone http://waal.co.nz/our-projects/waitangi-park/
Petanque pitch in the activity zone http://petanque.pbworks.com/w/page/16078811/WaitangiPark
Pirrama Park
Australian Contemporary Park
Pirrama Park - Plan Scale 1:1000
Pirrama Park - Diagram
PROJECT: Pirrama Park DESIGNER: ASPECT Studios DATE: 2009 – 2010 [1]
LOCATION: Sydney Waterfront, NSW Australia DIMENSIONS: Approximately 238m x 75m. Actual total area = 1.8 ha [1]
FUNCTION: Urban Public Park DESCRIPTION: Pirrama Park is in the sheltered Johnstons Bay harbour-side space in Pyrmont, beginning at the end of Harris St and running along Pyrmont Rd. The park was designed to incorporate environmentally sustainable features such as the wetland gardens that capture and reuse rain water, and the solar energy panels on the covered promenades. The overall structure of the park is defined by a series of ‘park rooms’ and different paths. Each park room has a different recreational feature/facility for the public to use eg.the ocean pool, playground, field, and café. The park is open, with entry available from all sides and access to the ocean. The car park leads directly to the large covered promenade that houses the park’s café and public toilets, and also provides some shade/shelter. From this promenade the park can be divided into two sections. The left hand section runs along the ocean to a wharf that follows the length of the park. If coming from the café/promenade there are concrete steps leading down towards the ocean inlet and the man-made pool in the water, with seating placed all along the wharf. Directly on from the pool is the field which is currently used for sports and picnicking. The right hand section runs along the road and is made up of wide avenues and grasslands that carry on in a strip until the end of the park where the field ends as well. These avenues are considered the activity zone of the park, and you wander along them on the several different path designs that flow between the playground and grasslands/rain gardens. These multiple paths also lead onto the field. The main axis of the park is along the waterfront promenade, and links up with the 14km network of open space that runs all the way to Rushcutter Bay. The location of the park and flow towards the water restores a direct historic relationship between Harris Street and the harbour, and creates a unique, multi-faceted public space. [1] [2] [1] "ASPECT Studios." Redirect. N.p., n.d. Retrieved on 19 Mar. 2013. http://www.aspect.net.au/wps/wcm/connect/web/w/projects/type+of+service/landscape+architecture/pirrama+park [2]"Pirrama Park - City of Sydney." Home - City of Sydney. N.p., n.d. Retrieved on 19 Mar. 2013. http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/explore/facilities/parks/major-parks/pirrama-park
Man-made ocean pool Image sourced from: http://www.aspect.net.au/wps/wcm/connect/web/w/projects/type+of+service/landscape+architecture/pirrama+park
Covered promenade and café http://www.indesignlive.com/articles/projects/pirrama-park-by-aspect-
studios#axzz2SgiiijdA
Different walkways in activity zone http://www.aspect.net.au/wps/wcm/connect/web/w/projects/type+of
+service/landscape+architecture/pirrama+park
Plan view of Pirrama Park http://www.aspect.net.au/wps/wcm/connect/web/w/projects/type+of
+service/landscape+architecture/pirrama+park
Barry Curtis Park Contemporary New Zealand Park
Barry Curtis Park – Aerial view
Barry Curtis Park – Diagram
Playground
Cultural Lawn
Proposed town centre
Sports field
Axis and direction of Promenade
PROJECT: Barry Curtis Park DESIGNER: Isthmus Group DATE: 2009 LOCATION: Manukau City, Auckland, New Zealand DIMENSIONS: Approximately 1600m x 600m, 9.4 hectares FUNCTION: Multi-use recreational park DESCRIPTION: Barry Curtis Park was named after Sir Barry Curtis, who was the mayor of Manukau City from 1983 to 2007. At 94 hectares, it is one of the largest parks in New Zealand. Since the establishment of the Auckland Domain’s in the 1840s, a park of this size has not been built. The park is only half finished as of 2012. Approximately $17 million has gone into landscaping and construction by the end of 2009. The park is estimated for completion in around 2022 (Magnusson, 2010).
Entering through the main northwestern entrance of the park, a large earth mound split in half by the concrete path can be seen. Continuing along the path, we arrive at the Promenade. In the center of the Promenade, there is a swale with kanuka and sedges planted inside. Along the edges of the swale are gabion baskets filled with rocks to retain the concrete paving. Timber and steel seats can be found all along the Promenade which are broken up by three large stage platforms. The large Cultural Lawn can be seen to the right (HEB Construction Limited, (n.d.)). Several winding paths can be taken at the end of the Promenade, walking left on the way to the playground, lying perpendicular to the path were stones from the Cryers Road wall that were built in the 1880s (Bowen, 2009). A large playground is located near the northeastern corner of the park which is almost always occupied by children and parents. A multi-role sports centre as well as sports fields are going to be added in the future.
The park received the 'Outstanding Award' of the New Zealand Recreation Association Awards, as well as one gold and two silver New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architecture awards for the Barry Curtis Park Wetland Playground, Barry Curtis Park Signature Areas design and Barry Curtis Park Project Management respectively (Manukau City Council, 2010).
1. The dammed off stream, the large earth mound and the path that leads to it.
2. The Promenade, seating, swale and gabions.
4. The stones from the Cryers Road wall. 3. Some of the aesthetic elements of the park. Portions of the playground can be seen in the rear.
Bibliography
• Olmsted Park | City of Boston. (n.d.). Welcome | City of Boston. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from http://www.cityofboston.gov/parks/emerald/Olmsted.asp
• Where We Live Blog Archive - Olmsted Parks - From Malarial Swamp to Popular Green Space. . (2012, October 11). self-reliance | homesteading | canning | backwoods | magazine. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/WhereWeLive/2012/10/11/olmsted-park-from-malarial-swamp-to-popular-green-space/
• Hornsbergs Strandpark / Nyréns Arkitektkontor . (2012, December 5). Arch Daily. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from www.archdaily.com/301967/hornsbergs-strandpark-nyrens-arkitektkontor/
• Ricardo, R. (2012, December 19). Sienapriset 2012: Hornsbergs Strandpark in Stockholm: Topos. TOPOS - International Review of Landscape Architecture and Urban Design: Topos. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from http://www.toposmagazine.com/blog/sienapriset-2012-hornsbergs-standpark-in-stockholm.html
• Magnusson, K. (2010, January). Green fingers create award-winning space for Manukau. New Zealand Recreational Association, 15-16.
• Barry Curtis Park. Manukau City Council. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from http://web.archive.org/web/20100330082205/http://www.manukau.govt.nz/EN/Yourcommunity/ParksWalksBeaches/FindAPark/Pages/BarryCurtisPark.aspx
• Bowen, M. (2009, April 8). Great park rocks. Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved March 19, 2012, from www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/eastern-courier/2320279/Great-park-rocks
• HEB Construction Limited - Civil Contracting with innovation and excellence. (n.d.). HEB Construction Limited - Civil Contracting with innovation and excellence. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from http://www.heb.co.nz/projects.asp?projectID=201&serviceID=20
Image References
Olmsted Park
• 1. http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/WhereWeLive/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/IMG_04871-450x300.jpg
• 2. http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/WhereWeLive/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/IMG_0569-450x300.jpg
• 3. http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/WhereWeLive/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/IMG_04861-450x334.jpg
• 4. http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/WhereWeLive/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/IMG_05671-450x300.jpg
Hornsbergs Strandpark
• 1. http://ad009cdnb.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/50bd3a73b3fc4b60b1000118_hornsbergs-strandpark-nyr-ns-arkitektkontor_vastra_kungsholmen_promenadenk6a7990-1000x666.jpg
• 2. http://www.toposmagazine.com/fileadmin/user_upload/topos/8604-028_full.jpg
• 3. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Hornsbergs_strandpark_2012e.jpg
• 4. http://www.toposmagazine.com/fileadmin/user_upload/topos/8604-034_full.jpg
Barry Curtis Park
• 1. http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8335/8108041189_c38c932a75_o.jpg
• 2. http://www.heb.co.nz/attachments/docs/barry-curtis-park-1.jpg
• 3. http://www.heb.co.nz/attachments/docs/barry-curtis-park-2.jpg
• 4. http://static2.stuff.co.nz/1239055305/289/2320289.jpg
Cobblestone Park
NZ Park
Cobblestone Park - Diagram
PROJECT: Cobblestone Park DESIGNER: Wraight and Associates DATE: 2010 LOCATION: Vivian St, Wellington, New Zealand DIMENSIONS: 21.6m Width, 63m Length, total area: 1360.8m2 FUNCTION: Public Space Cobblestone Park in Wellington is a small project which makes a big statement amongst the busy city of Wellington. It does this through the way the small space it is in, has been used in a big way. In this small space there is a brilliant high quality public space that consists of a decent size grassed areas that terrace down in a way that creates the feel of a bigger area. A path through the middle creates two halves with one side being under shade and the other out of shade. The terraced levels lead down past a small area of vegetation and then head to where they were able to fit a modern playground and basketball court. Access to this park is incredibly easy with pathways heading through at several angles that make the space seem that much more open. All these ideas together are what makes such a strong design that suits multiple users and at any time of the day. What influenced the park to be designed this way is how WA were only giving such a small space yet they used and squeezed everything out of the space as they could into a design that pleases the public strongly. Appealing to all ages of the public is also an influence of this design as can be seen through the involvement of a children’s playground, and teenagers to adults that can use the basketball court or just chill out in the sun. All aspects of this park are what make it so wildly stand out, how WA used a small space and turned it into a park that would seem 20x its size.1
1 - "Cobblestone Park – Client feedback | WA | Landscape Architecture and Urban Design." WA | Landscape Architecture and Urban Design. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. http://waal.co.nz/cobblestone-park-client-feedback/
Arial View of Park Image sourced from: http://waal.co.nz/our-projects/
cobblestone-park/
Paths through the Park http://waal.co.nz/our-projects/cobblestone-park/
Use of the Park http://waal.co.nz/our-projects/cobblestone-park/
Playground in Park http://waal.co.nz/our-projects/cobblestone-park/
Victoria Park Public Domain
Overseas Park
Victoria Park -‐ Diagram
PROJECT: Victoria Park Public Domain DESIGNER: HASSELL DATE: 2002 LOCATION: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia DIMENSIONS: 281.27m Width, 329.14m Length, total area: 22 acres FUNCTION: Community Park Before this project took place Victoria Park was nothing but a large wetland that was known as the Botany swamp. After being used as a racecourse and then attracting so many developers with it’s incredibly large land and vast supply of perfect quality ground water HASSELL came along and has now turned it into a 24hec multipurpose development. Used in their development are marketable retail facilities based in a public domain. HASSELL used four key principles in their design that relates to its place, these are: ‘a site-wide environmental strategy, interpretation of the natural wetland systems, site connectivity, and community development.’ Victoria Park provides a valuable recreation resource for the community, while also reestablishing the thriving ecosystems that once dominated. What also helps this site to be so outstanding is the way in which this public space that was nothing but wetland warding people off to now be an incredibly open design that has a strong public friendly feeling, open from all sides and there for all ages of the public to use. By setting the four main principles HASSELL were easily able to design Victoria Park in a way that strongly benefits the public while also benefiting the park it’s self.2
2 - "Victoria Park Public Domain by HASSELL « Landezine | Landscape Architecture Works." Landezine | Landscape Architecture Works. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. http://www.landezine.com/index.php/2013/02/victoria-park-public-domain-by-hassell/
Path Image sourced from: http://www.hassellstudio.com/en/cms-
projects/detail/victoria-park-public-domain/
Seated Area http://www.hassellstudio.com/en/cms-projects/detail/
victoria-park-public-domain/
Terraced Fountain http://www.hassellstudio.com/en/cms-projects/detail/victoria-park-
public-domain/
Seated Area showing shade structures http://www.hassellstudio.com/en/cms-projects/detail/
victoria-park-public-domain/
SQUAREn. an open area at the meeting of streets
SQUARE
Placa de Catalunya (Catalonia Square)
19th Century City Square, Spain
Placa de Catalunya– Plan
Scale 1:1000
Placa de Catalunya - Diagram
PROJECT: Placa de Catalunya (Catalonia Square) DESIGNER: Fransisco Nebot DATE: 1859 Ildefons Cerda (Redesigned in 1929) LOCATION: Central Barcelona, Spain DIMENSIONS: Approximately 5ha (Approximately 200m long and 150m wide) FUNCTION: As an open public space (hardscape) accommodating Barcelona’s community
DESCRIPTION: Catalonia Square is set in central Barcelona where the old city and the more modern (19th century built city) meet. The city’s most significant and well known streets meet at Catalonia Square and the overall size of the plaza is around 5 hectares. The centre of the square is a large, finely paved oval, with various monuments and sculptures surrounding it. The square is also a transportation hub and has the city’s main subway junction below it. There are large fountains to the north of the square which are surrounded by manicured lawns and gardens. Remnants of the original old city skirt the square, such as the large department mall to the North, as well as significant vegetation in and throughout the area. (1)
(1). SourcesPlaça de Catalunya, Barcelona. (n.d.). A View On Cities. Retrieved May 21, 2013, from http://www.aviewoncities.com/barcelona/
North facing, from the centre of the square
Catalonia Square was used for political protests 2011
Manicured gardens open to a large busy street
A finely paved oval is central to the square
Plaza Mayor
Renaissance Square
Plaza Mayor – Plan
Plaza Mayor – Diagram
PROJECT: Plaza Mayor DESIGNER: Juan des Herrera DATE: 1617 LOCATION: Madrid, Spain DIMENSIONS: 120 x 90 meters (1.08 ha) FUNCTION: Public city square. DESCRIPTION: Plaza Mayor is a large public square in Madrid, Spain. Historically the square has been a centre for fesVviVes, bull fights, royal coronaVons and execuVons, oYen aZended by up to 50,000 people. Today the square is mainly used for public celebraVons and casual, everyday use. The outside of the square is enclosed by mulV-‐story buildings. On the ground level, there are cafes that have tables and umbrellas that spill out into the square. There are four tall lights placed throughout the open space of the square. They are symmetrically place about half way between each corner and the centre statue. At the centre of the square there is a large bronze statue of King Philips III constructed by Giovanni de Bologna. The statue was origionally at Casa de Campo but was moved to Plaza Mayor in 1848.
Plaza Mayor at sunset. Statue of King Philips III.
Evening Shot Plaza Mayor lit up at night.
MichelAngelo Square
PROJECT: Michelangelo DESIGNER: Giuseppe Poggi DATE: 1869 LOCATION: Florence, Italy DIMENSIONS: 179m x 69m (Not including road) FUNCTION: Pedestrian square DESCRIPTION: MichealAngelo Square is a historical square located in Florence Italy. It was completely designed by Giuseppe Poggi who was an architect in Italy. The square overlooks the Florence city and is a popular tourist destination. The square is perked on a hillside overlooking the Florence City skyline. During the time of construction Florence was the capital of Italy and the city of Florence was part of the urban renewal which was aimed for the ‘rebirth’ of Florence’s middle class. On the right bank, the fourteenth-century walls were removed and turned into the Viali di Circonvallazione referencing the French "boulevard" design5. On the left bank winding up the hill of San Miniato the Viale dei Colli was built, a tree-lined street over 8 kilometers long ending at the Piazzale Michelangelo which was built as a terrace with a panoramic view of the city 1. The square was created in dedication to MichelAngelo who was an ‘Renaissance’ sculptor. At the center of the square stands the replica of his most famous statue named ‘The David’. The bronze statue is set on a large pedestal, decorated with replicas of allegorical statues depicting day, night, twilight and dawn. The square is essentially used for markets for selling souvenirs and as a tourist attraction. The square serves as a platform and borrows the outer landscape, and uses the statue as a focal point.5 5 Piazzale Michelangelo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved May 21, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazzale_Michelangelo
MichelAngelo Square– Plan
Scale 1:1000 (Google Earth)
‘The David’ statue in the centre of the MichelAngelo Square
Image sourced from: cimba7200.blogspot.com
Garden Beds & Entrance into smaller Square starseed91.deviantart.com
View out onto Florence City and Valley starseed91.deviantart.com
View over the Square starseed91.deviantart.com
MichelAngelo Square– Diagram
Yonge-‐Dundas Square
Modern Square
Yonge-Dundas Square – Diagram
Road Fountain
Building
Stage
PROJECT: Yonge-‐Dundas (YD) Square DESIGNER: Brown + Storey Architects DATE: 2002 LOCATION: Toronro, Canada DIMENSIONS: 0.404 ha FUNCTION: Public city square DESCRIPTION: YD Square is a modern city square that is one of the focal points of downtown Toronto. It is also the first public and privately owned square in Canada. Its design was modelled on New Yorks Times Square and Londons Picadilly Circus (All About the Square. (n.d.). This is evident with the numerous LED billboards surrounding the space. It is a very popular and busy square, used by approximately 100,000 pedestrians daily. It is widely used as a venue locaVon for concerts and public gatherings and exhibiVons. On the southern side of the square, there is a large building with LED billboards hung from it. Along the eastern side there is an entrance with a stage setup in the southeast corner. Runing along the northern side of the site, there is a large diagonally running canopy. The surface is mainly concrete and large granite Vles with a computerized water fountain at the centre.
Digital image of YD Square Fountains
Crowd gathers for a celebration YD Square at night
Nathan Phillips Square Modernist Urban Plaza,Vancouver
Nathan Phillips-Plan Scale 1:1000
Nathan Phillips Square - Diagram
PROJECT: Nathan Phillips Square DESIGNER: Shore Tilbe Irwin + Partners DATE: 1965 (Redesigned opened 2010) LOCATION: Queen Street and Bay Street intersection, Toronto, Canada DIMENSIONS: Approximately 150m wide and 175m in length FUNCTION: Central city square for the use of events and public use
DESCRIPTION: Nathan Phillips Square was first opened in 1965 and it was recently redesigned in 2010(1). The new design is based upon the idea of an agora, which is a place of both political and public exchange in ancient Greece (2). The square is paved around a body of water, which is open to the public for ice skating on in the winter months. The three beams above the pool have lights that allow people to skate in the evening. Nathan Phillips Square is situated alongside the Toronto Town Hall, making it an ideal place for events. In the middle of the square, there is a peace garden honouring the commitment of Torontonians to the principle of world peace (1).
Sources (1): Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization Creeps Towards Completion | Urban Toronto (n.d) news | Urban Toronto, Retrieved from http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2013/05/nathan-phillips-square-revitalization-creeps-towards-completion
Sources (2): In Progress: Theatre at Nathan Phillips Square (2013) Perkins+Will Retrieved from http://www.archdaily.com/281389/in-progress-theatre-at-nathan-phillips-square-perkinswill/
The pool is transformed to an ice skating rink in winter
The large and flat surface of the square suits as an ideal events venue
The square in summer months
View towards the Town Hall
Saint Patrick’s Square Modernist Square, Auckland
Saint Patrick's Square - Diagram
PROJECT: Saint Patrick’s Square DESIGNER: Boffa Miskell Firm DATE: 17th October 2009 LOCATION: Wyndham St, Central Auckland DIMENSIONS: Approximately 0.7ha (Approximately 70 x 100m in length) FUNCTION: An open public square as well as a thoroughfare
DESCRIPTION: Saint Patricks square is stated as a high quality finish of modern landscape works including a new terraced water feature, paving seating and planting. The main purpose of the redesign of this square was part of a 10 year CBD upgrade, to revitalise open spaces and reflect on heritage and cultural values. The new design respects and takes into account the dominance of the Catholic Church with distinctive paving connecting the square with outer areas. Circulation routes are clearly defined without breaking the square up into unusable spaces. What was once an under-utilised space has become an elegant and very popular urban oasis and the only significant area of green space between the mid-city and waterfront. Saint Patrick’s Square is an open area that provides both a transitional space between hard, man-made and natural materials for people to enjoy and relax within the CBD.
Sources (1): St Patrick's Square, (n.d) Boffa Miskell Limited Architecture News Retrieved 2013 www.worldarchitecturenews.com
Thoroughfare to the left side of the square
Illuminated water features at night Terraced regions providing an idea seating area
Incorporating greenery into an urbanised space
St. Patricks Square
Modern Square
St. Patricks Square – Diagram
Building Building
Water Feature
Cathedral
PROJECT: St. Patricks Square DESIGNER: Boffa Miskell DATE: 2009 LOCATION: Auckland, New Zealand DIMENSIONS: 40 x 60 meters (0.24 ha) FUNCTION: Public city square DESCRIPTION: St Patricks Square is located in downtown Auckland and is the backdrop to one of Aucklands historical buildings, St Patricks Cathedral. The design is simple and is said to “encorage social interacVon.” (Disciplines, C., Regions., Hapu/Iwi., & tags., K. W. (n.d.) The site slopes from the high point at the southern end by the cathedral, to the low point at the northern end. There is a flat grassey area followed by terraces and a water feature designed by Steve Woodward and Mary Louise Browne. The site then finishes in Swanson St.
Aerial view Terraced area looking back to the cathedral
Square on a busy day Square at night
Bibliography: Text from: All About the Square. (n.d.). YONGE-DUNDAS SQUARE. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from www.ydsquare.ca/web/index.php/about-yonge-dundas-square City of Toronto: Agencies, Boards, Commissions and Corporations (ABCCs), Yonge-Dundas Square Board of Management. (n.d.). toronto.ca | Official website for the City of Toronto. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from http://www.toronto.ca/abcc/sp-yonge-dundas-square.htm Disciplines, C., Regions., Hapu/Iwi., & tags., K. W. (n.d.). St Patrick's Square wins top Landscape Architects Award | The Big Idea | Te Aria Nui. The Big Idea | Te Aria Nui | New Zealand | online community | creative | news | jobs | careers | events | networking. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from http://www.thebigidea.co.nz/news/industry-news/2010/apr/68787-st-patricks-square-wins-top-landscape-architects-award Plaza Mayor, Madrid. (n.d.). A View On Cities. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from http://www.aviewoncities.com/madrid/plazamayor.htm Images From: Plaza Mayor: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Plaza_Mayor_de_Madrid_02.jpg http://www.gothereguide.com/Images/Spain/Madrid/Plaza_Mayor_madrid.jpg http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I-6eiV-92Qw/Saw6O_ZNRuI/AAAAAAAAAS4/l9wLMhos64U/s400/081010_Madrid+Plaza+Mayor+MAO1214.jpg http://isastudentblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/plaza-mayor-at-night.jpg
Yonge Dundas Square: http://karma-laboratory.com/petridish/img/urbanplaza_2.jpg http://nationalpostnews.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/yonge-dundas-1.jpg?w=620&h=465 http://www.blogto.com/upload/2012/04/20120420_smoke_out1.jpg http://ryersononyonge.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/5173748531_a04e3117a11.jpg St Patricks Square: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8182/7899611948_dcffed80e3_z.jpg http://www.thebigidea.co.nz/files/imagecache/display/images/Patricks%20Square.jpg http://www.designsource.co.nz/images/2011%20new%20images/ST%20PATS%20LARGE%20web.jpg
Warrior Square Gardens
PROJECT: Warrior Square Garden DESIGNER: Gillespies Landscape Architects DATE: 2011 LOCATION: Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK. DIMENSIONS: 100m x 30m FUNCTION: Urban Square. DESCRIPTION: Warrior Square Garden is in the heart of it’s surrounding shops and public amenities3. A green space which is vibrant and has the features of a typical English square with lawn, planting beds, seating, lighting, a focal point and boundaries but the difference is for contemporary use. In keeping with the square’s late-Victorian origins, The Landscape Architect also sought to capture the essence of South end's seaside spectacle and promenade – so the edge of the Gardens offers areas for street performers and gathering whilst at its heart there is a simple and flexible open lawn. A simple open lawn for all types of activities. The perimeter walks and views with a dominant line of Lime Trees, Cedar and Pine Trees. Access had being a major part of the design, features in the final design includes features such as localized dropped kerbs to facilitate wheeled links from the lime walk. The timber benches are warm to the touch with regular armrests. As a public garden access, safety and comfort were key factors in the concept of Warrior Square Garden.4 3. Phillip, C. (n.d.). Warrior Square Gardens / Gillespies. Arch Daily. Retrieved April 22, 2013, from www.archdaily.com/185567/warrior-square-gardens-gillespies/ 4 UK « World Landscape Architecture – landscape architecture webzine. (n.d.). World Landscape Architecture « World Landscape Architecture – landscape architecture webzine. Retrieved May 21, 2013, from http://worldlandscapearchitect.com/tag/uk/page/3/#.UZv60OjQIls
Warrior Square Garden – Concept Plan
Scale: 1:100
Large rows of trees cross paved area Image sourced from: http://www.archdaily.com/185567/warrior-square-gardens-
gillespies/ox-4540-stade-e-presentation-indd-2/
Long alley of benches across edge of square http://www.archdaily.com/185567/warrior-square-gardens-gillespies/
Garden beds across edge in between grass area and paved areas http://www.archdaily.com/185567/warrior-square-gardens-gillespies/ox-4540-
stade-e-presentation-indd-2/
Large green lawn in central area of square http://www.archdaily.com/185567/warrior-square-gardens-gillespies/
Warrior Square Garden – Diagram
Garden Place New Zealand Square
Garden Place – Plan
Scale 1:1000
Water feature which is located in the center of the square Image sourced from: http://ecnenglish.com/nzNews/3078
Shared space with shops surrounding square. Large paved straight paths http://ecnenglish.com/nzNews/3078
Main lawn area with seating area and existing trees http://ecnenglish.com/nzNews/3078
Raised lawn area with interesting stair design http://ecnenglish.com/nzNews/3078
Garden Place – Diagram
Union Square 18th Century Square
Union Square – Diagram
PROJECT: Union Square DESIGNER: Frederic Auguste Bartholdi DATE: 1882 LOCATION: Manhattan, New York City DIMENSIONS: 231m x 122m. Total Area = 3 hectares FUNCTION: Union Square is surrounded by 14th Street on the south and 17th Street on the North which help link together Broadway and Park Avenue South. It also helps connect the surrounding neighborhoods such as the Flatiron District, Chelsea, Greenwich Village and Gramercy. DESCRIPTION: Union Square is seen as a very important and historic intersection in Manhattan. Union square is noted for it’s impressive equestrian statue of U.S President George Washington which was unveiled in 1856. Other statues in the square include the Marquis de Lafayette, Abraham Lincoln and the James Fountain. In the early years of the park a fence surrounded the square's central oval planted with radiating walks lined with trees. In 1872, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux were called in to replant the square as an open glade with clumps of tress. In March 2008, an eighteen-month renovation began on the northern end of the park. Proponents of the plan describe it as the completion of a renovation of Union Square that began in the mid-1980s that will improve the park by increasing the amount and quality of playground space, improving the quality and function of the public plaza, rehabilitating the badly deteriorating band-shell structure, improving the working conditions for park employees, and maintaining the "eyes on the street" presence of a restaurant at the heart of the park
The James Fountain Image sourced from: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=262663
Union Square from above http://www.lhparch.com/project.aspx?cat=&id=21
Grass area for picnics, playing and general public activity
http://www.essential-new-york-city-guide.com/union-square-park.html
Pathway circulating the Square http://www.topsightseeing.com/usa/newyork/parks/unionsquarepark.htm
New Old Market Square 21st Century Square
New Old Market Square – Plan Scale 1:1000
New Old Market Square – Diagram
PROJECT: New Old Market Square DESIGNER: Gustafson Porter DATE: 2007 LOCATION: Nottingham, England DIMENSIONS: 138m x 68m (2.2 hectares) FUNCTION: To incorporate the organic topography of the original medieval square DESCRIPTION: New Old Market Square uses granite as the predominant material to reflect the importance of the area and provide longevity. Seating terraces of grey, black, white and beige granted blocks help define level changes and their tapering forms create rows of benches, whilst others form planters containing over 800 shrubs and 4,000 bulbs. Seven mature Gingko Biloba and six Quercus Palustris trees were also planted. The 4,400m2 water feature comprises a reflecting pool, a 1.8m waterfall, rills, 53 jets and a scrim, arranged as terraces. These can all be turned off which makes the space available as a temporary viewing area or a stage. Such things as lanterns and flag poles have been refurbished from the old square and integrated into the new scheme. Feature masts carry concealed lighting to benches, steps and handrails.
Planting in the Square http://www.architonic.com/aisht/old-market-square-
nottingham-gustafson-porter/5100108
View of the Square from above Image sourced from: http://www.spacesyntax.com/
project/nottingham-old-market-square/
The main water feature with Nottingham Council House in the background
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Market_Square
People using the terraced water feature http://www.spacesyntax.com/project/nottingham-old-market-square/
Takutai Square New Zealand Square
Takutai Square – Diagram
PROJECT: Takutai Square DESIGNER: John Pilton Walker DATE: 2010 LOCATION: Auckland, New Zealand DIMENSIONS: 56m x 47m FUNCTIONS: Downtown Auckland’s only public green space DESCRIPTION: Takutai Square is the main public space of the Britomart precinct. It has been the focus of many public and private events including music gigs, open air cinema screening, family activities and functions. The Square is bounded by Gore Street to the West and the Ernst & Young Building and Westpac on Takutai Square to the east. Walking Street Te Ara Tahuhu crosses the square and enters covered shopping and food gallery Atrium on Takutai. Takutai Square is partly occupied by a 22 x 22 metre square of grass informally known as Takutai Lawn. Furnished in the Summer with bean bags and oversized cushions, the lawn is a popular hangout and lunch spot. In the South – East corner of the square is the Pipi Beds sculpture and fountain installation.
The Square lit up at night http://www.peddlethorp.co.nz/projects/show/takutai-square/
Takutai Square during Summer http://unitecbla.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/landscape-architecture-awareness-
day-at-unitec/
View of Takutai from Gore Street http://www.peddlethorp.co.nz/projects/show/takutai-square/
Takutai Sqaure Image sourced from: http://www.biglittlecity.co.nz/attraction/takutai-square-
britomart
St. James's Square 17th Century English Square
St. James's Square Diagrams
PROJECT: St James's Square DESIGNER: William III and John Nash DATE: 1660 LOCATION: London, SW1 DIMENSIONS: Approximately 1.73ha (Approximately 131m x 132m) FUNCTION: Used as a connection to the London Library. DESCRIPTION: St James's Square was built in 1660, in London city of Westminster. When the square was first constructed, the residents of all the houses were not eligible to use the square at all. The central area was conceived as a piazza. The garden design water basin at the centre of the square was largely paved in Purbeck Stone. St James’s Square took many years to build and it was a private garden in the city centre next to the London Library. It is now open to public Mon-Fri 10AM-4.30PM. And it is now home to the headquarters of a number of well known businesses. The east, north and west sides of the square have the most desirable houses in London. At first, the houses were not built much differently from the other houses in the fashionable parts, but some of the houses had fine interiors. The houses on the southern side of the square was much more modest. The plots were just sixty feet deep and an average of 22 feet wide. The modern reconstructions have façades facing both the square and the street.
James Square in 1700 www.magnoliabox.com
West End at War www.westendatwar.org.uk
The London Library, St James's Square commons.wikimedia.org
Aerial View stock.jasonhawkes.com
Aotea Square Contemporary New Zealand Square
Aotea Square Plan Scale 1:1000
Aotea Square Diagrams
PROJECT: Aotea Square DESIGNER: Ted Smythe And Associates + Rod Barnett and Dr Dushko Bogunovich DATE: 1979 LOCATION: Auckland, New Zealand DIMENSIONS: 0.45ha FUNCTION: Connect to queen street, Auckland, New Zealand. DESCRIPTION: The square was created in 1979, with a large part of it being the former end of Greys Avenue, which used to connect directly to Queen Street. A large underground carpark with 930 spaces had been erected underneath in 1973. The Edwardian Auckland Town Hall is at the Queen Street entrance to the square. It has a main concert chamber with excellent acoustics, and was extensively restored and upgraded in 1994. To the south of the square are the Administration block of the Auckland City Council and the entry to Myers Park. On the western side of the square is Auckland’s main conference and theatre venue, the Aotea Centre. To the north of the square is a cinema/theatre complex including the 1929 Civic Theatre, in the atmospheric theatre style. The ceiling within the main chamber is illuminated with lights placed to correspond with constellations of the southern night sky. The Aotea Square was originally the location of a swamp fed and drained by the Waihorotiu Stream. The stream was turned into an open sewer canal and eventually bricked over and the swampy area drained. A three-story underground parking garage accesible from Mayoral Drive and Greys Avenue was constructed in the 1970s.
Edwardian Auckland Town Hall www.weeklykorea.net
The Civic Building houses Auckland City Council administration offices www.flickr.com
Aotea Centre http://www.aucklandnz.com
Queen Street IMAX Cinema/theatrecomplex www.panoramio.com
The Bertel Thorvaldsen Square
Contemporary European Square
The Bertel Thorvaldsen Square Plan Scale 1:1000
The Bertel Thorvaldsen Square Diagrams
PROJECT: Bertel Thorvaldsen Square DESIGNER: Schonherr. LOCATION: Copenhagen, Denmark DATE: 2002 DIMENSIONS: 0.35ha 88 x 36meters FUNCTION: Used as connect to museum, Slotsholmen and Christiansborg’s. DESCRIPTION: The square in front of The Museum of Thorvaldsen is part of the southern corner of Slotsholmen in the center of Copenhagen. Apart from the museum, Slotsholmen also presents Christiansborg’s chapel and different governmental museums as well as The Danish Parliament and is one of Denmark’s most significant and historical squares. The overall idea is to make the square a public space accessible and attractive to the public of Denmark. The square waxiest of a surface of paving stone, which stretches between the palace’s riding house, The Museum of Thorvaldsen and Vindelbrogade. On this surface a single tree has been preserved and the visual artist Jørn Larsen has created a new water sculpture. The water sculpture has been placed in the axis of Knabrostræde, which makes a tie to the Middle Age City. Schonherr Landscape has carried out the work for the project, including the water techniques for the water sculpture.
Bertel Thorvaldsens Plads in Copenhagen in front of Thorvaldsens Museum http://www.citytripplanner.com
Gammel Strand On the south side it borders on the Slotsholmens. http://www.citytripplanner.com
The Thorvaldsen Museum http://www.citytripplanner.com
The Bertel Thorvaldsen Square www.landezine.com
References • “Aotea square redevelopment proposed design features” Auckland City Council. August 2008. Archived from the
original on 15 October 2008 Retrieved 2008-10-06. • “Aotea Square” Panormic Earth. Retreved 2011-10-06 • Dasent, Arthur Irwin (1895). The history of St. James’s Square. New York: MacMillan and Co. P. 4. Retrieved July
24,2012. • Libyan embassy shots kill policewoman. BBC. 17 April 1984. • Landezine.com/index.php/2011/05/the-bertel-thorvaldsen-square-byschonherr/
Photo credits: Christina Capetillo (Thorvaldsen_01+02+03+07+09+10) Torben Eskerod (Thorvaldsen_04+06) and Schonherr A/S (Thorvaldsen_08)
Manukau Square Local Square
www.isthmus.co.nz, a view of the foot path going through the site.
www.urbika.com , Path walks going through the grass area.
www.landscapeonline.com -‐ a view of Manukau Square surrounded by large buildings.
www.isthmus.co.nz , different vegetaBon in the site.
NAME: Maunkau Square
LOCATION: Manukau, Auckland, New Zealand
AREA: approximately 2,500m2, 0.62 acres OR 0.25 hectares
DESIGNER: Dempsey Wood and Isthmus
FUNCTION: Entertainment, Concerts • Dempsey Wood was the main contractor, working with Isthmus Group as the designers, on this high-‐profile urban space
project that achieved the desired outcome of transforming the heart of Manukau’s city centre into a modern, aZracBve urban environment for public use. (Manukau Square Redevelopment. (n.d.). Welcome to Dempsey Wood. Retrieved June 5, 2013, from hZp://dempseywood.co.nz/projects/manukau-‐square-‐redevelopment)
• The Manukau Square is a very small open space, which is isolated with large buildings. There is a small green patch of grass in the middle of the square, with wooden benches for the public to socialize with each other and relax. (Isthmus. (n.d.). Isthmus. Retrieved June 5, 2013, from hZp://www.isthmus.co.nz/?acBon=project-‐detail&id=27)
• Key aspects of the scope of works include clay paving, Bmber plaforms and boardwalks, extension of the feeder road and installaBon of streetlights and furniture. (Manukau Square Redevelopment. (n.d.). Welcome to Dempsey Wood. Retrieved June 5, 2013, from hZp://dempseywood.co.nz/projects/manukau-‐square-‐redevelopment )
• This square is in the heart of Manukau City, its surrounded by high rise buildings and roads, so this puts it at the corner of Putney Way and Osterley Way.
• There are mulBple entries about to the square and its very accessible because its open and there are four different pedestrians that lead to the Square.
• In the site are benches for people to rest, the design of the square consists of grids and are on an axis but not the same axis as the buildings and the roads
Manukau Square -‐ Plan
SQUARE
GRASS
GRASS
BUILDING
BUILDINGS
BUILDING
Manukau Square -‐ Plan
Place Lazare Goujon Contemporary Square
www.mairie-‐villeurbanne.fr , a birds eye view of the square.
commons.wikimedia.org, one of the surrounding buildings around the square. www.flickr.com, a view of the water feature in the
middle of the site.
www.flowersway.com, water feature.
NAME: Place Lazare Goujon
LOCATION: Villeurbanne, France
AREA: 10 000m2, 2.47 acres OR 1 hectares
DATE: 1966
DESIGNER: In Situ
FUNCTION: Park, Entertainment
• The Place Lazare Goujou has a simple design of grids and straight axis, there are mulBple axis running through the site and they only run either verBcally or horizontally.
• Place Lazare Goujou was officially named aner the Mayor of Villeurbanne in 1966, aner having mulBple names before this from the early 1930’s unBl the late 1940’s.
• The Square is an open space with four different pedestrian access that leads to the square. Lazare Goujou is surrundded by high rise buildings. The open space has two roads on both sides, parallel to each other. Rue Michel Servet running on one side and Rue Paul Verlaine on the other. Also on opposite sides are two arches facing each other with vegetaBon growing on it.
• REFERENCES: 1-‐ hZp://www.landezine.com/index.php/2012/10/place-‐lazare-‐goujon-‐by-‐in-‐situ/
2-‐ hZp://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_Lazare-‐Goujon 3-‐ hZp://maps.google.co.nz/maps?hl=en&q=Place+Lazare+Goujon&bav
Place Lazare Goujon -‐ Plan
SQUARE
water water
Buildings
Buildings
Bui ldings
Bui ldings
Place Lazare Goujon -‐ diagram
Piazza della SanBssima Annunziata Historical Square
www.tripadvisor.com, a statue in the middle of the site, a focus point.
www.studyblue.com , an ancient drawing of the site and its statue features.
www.paesionline.it , a bird’s eye view of Annunziata Square.
blog.libero.it , the surrounding building of the square.
NAME: Piazza della SanBssima Annunziata
LOCATIONS: Florence, Italy
AREA: 3500m2, 0.86 acres OR 0.35 hectares
DESIGNER: Antonio da Sangallo the Elder, Giovanni Barsta Caccini
DATE: 1640 (final piece was added)
FUNCTION: Entertainment, Tourism • The Piazza Annunziata has a very simple design with jus an open space in the centre and is surrounded by massive buildings.
Piazza Annunziata is just along the main axis of surrounding building but is Blted just abit off the axis. The Square has a cramped design from a birds eye view as it looks isolated by the high building from the roads and vegetaBon around the area.(2)
• Piazza della SanBssima Annunziata was an on going project which had mulBple architects design the buildings, sculpted the statues and planed the square. The project started in the late 1500’s and was finished in 1640’s. (2)
• A rather small square tucked into the northeastern quadrant of the city near San Marco and the Accademia, Piazza SanBssima Annunziata is named aner the 13th century church of the same name. The piazza is parBcularly beauBful because both the SanBssima Annunziata church and the Ospedale degli InnocenB, a 15th century hospital/orphanage designed by Brunelleschi, are defined by harmonious arcades. The laZer, which today contains a small picture gallery on its upper floor, is also decorated with round terracoZa reliefs designed by Andrea della Robbia. In the center of the square is an equestrian statue of Grand Duke Ferdinand I by Giambologna and two fountains by Pietro Tacca.(3)
• REFERENCES: 1-‐ hZp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ospedale_degli_InnocenB 2 -‐ hZp://www.aviewonciBes.com/florence/piazzadellasanBssimaannunziata.htm 3-‐ hZp://goitaly.about.com/od/florenceaZracBons/tp/florence-‐squares.htm
INFRASTRUCTUREn. an underlying base or foundation for an organization or system
INFRASTRUCTURE
INFRASTRUCTUREn. an underlying base or foundation for an organization or system
INFRASTRUCTUREBack Bay Fens
1882, Wetland Park
PROJECT: Back Bay Fen’s (The Fens) DESIGNER: Frederick Law Olmsted DATE: 1882 LOCATION: Boston, MA 02215, United States DIMENSIONS: 28ha FUNCTION: Wetland public Park DESCRIPTION: “The Back Bay Fens is a large park that forms part of Boston's Emerald Necklace. It is an ancient saltwater marshland that has been surrounded by dry land, disconnected from the tides of the Atlantic Ocean, and transformed into a park. The park is also known as the Fens or the Fenway. The latter term can also refer to the surrounding neighborhood”(1). The designer has turned the old non inviting creek into a vegetated, revitalized landscape. Surrounded by universities, museums and the public in general, instead of avoiding this space he has made it more inviting to sit in, stroll through and connect with the sustainable nature, which the designer has created flood control, environmental improvements and historic preservation in a natural way. Aspects of cultural and natural ecologies are integrated for the site which is very important to the people and city. It brings the community together, introduces new beginnings providing for the people and the nature. Embracing the social-‐cultural and poli`cal-‐economic dynamics of landscape and also crea`ng new typologies of infrastructure which should be introduced.
New Vegetation along river Google images – Search ( Back Bay Fens) 1st page
Historic Rose Garden Google images – Search ( Back Bay Fens) 1st page
Bridges allowing people to cross river Google images – Search ( Back Bay Fens) 1st page
Orange Phragmites – Revitalizing and draining water
Google images – Search ( Back Bay Fens) 1st page
Back Bay Fens -‐ Diagram
Mystic Valley Parkway Historical Context
PROJECT: Mystic Valley Parkway DESIGNER: Charles Eliot, Olmsted Brothers DATE: 1894-1895 (Completed 1936) LOCATION: Massachusetts, United States DIMENSIONS: 7.5km x 50m FUNCTION: Modern Urban Road DESCRIPTION: Mystic Valley Parkway is an early form of roading infrastructure in Arlington, Medford, Somerville, and Winchester, Massachusetts. The parkway runs roughly north-south from the Middlesex Fells in Winchester, down the Aberjona River valley, and along the east side of the Mystic Lakes into Medford. This section follows the path of the old Middlesex Canal. It then crosses the Mystic River into Arlington (sharing a bridge with Massachusetts Route 60), and curves to follow the river as it runs east-west through Arlington. The terminology "parkway" to define this type of road was coined by Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted in their proposal to link city and suburban parks with 'pleasure roads'. Newer roads such as the Bidwell and Lincoln Parkways, the latter of which was completed in 199y, in Buffalo, New York were designed for automobiles and are broad and divided by large landscaped central medians. What I find interesting is that in this early stage of Landscape Architecture practice designers were, even with large infrastructure projects, grounding them within the field of landscape. This modern urban road of the time was linking to a large urban park, and was intertwined within the landscape elements to enhance it, not destroy and replace it.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Mystic_Valley_Parkway_-_General_Plan,_November_1895.jpg
http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/10541403.jpg http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4071/4540579297_f4a16b2b95_z.jpg
Mystic Valley Parkway - Diagram
CANAL
ROAD
PARK
PARK
PARK
LAKE
PLANTINGS
EXISTING ROADING
Ponte Vecchio Bridge
14th Century European Bridge
PROJECT: Ponte Vecchio Bridge DESIGNER: Taddeo Gaddi or Neri da Fioravante DATE: 1345 ( Built for the third time after being destroyed by floods) LOCATION: Florence, Italy DIMENSIONS: 0.25ha, 84x 30 m FUNCTION: A bridge that connects Florence over the Arno river. Shops and stalls cover the bridge. DESCRIPTION: The Ponte Vecchio bridge is a medieval, stone bridge with wooden planks which was originally built in 996 AD but was destroyed in a flood in 1117, and again in 1333. It has now been built for the third time and has stood at its site since 1345. It is not entirely certain who designed the bridge as it was so long ago, however it is believed that either a man called Taddeo Gaddi or Neri da Fioravante designed the bridge. Ponte Vecchio is the oldest of Florence’s six bridges, and is one of the most celebrated. The bridge is made up of three main arches, with the main Arch spanning 30 metres and the two side arches spanning 27 metres. Throughout its lifetime it has always had shops on top of the bridge, and at a time mostly butchers occupied the shops. Whereas now Jewellers and Souvenir shops are the main tenants at the moment. During WWII as the Germans retreated out of Florence, the Ponte Vecchio bridge was left standing, unlike all the other bridges in Florence, this was due to an apparent order from Hitler to keep the bridge standing.
Plan View
Diagram
Buildings
Buildings
Arno River
Arno River
2.. View of the bridge from a boat
3. View of the bridge from the bank beside the bridge 4. The shops and walk way that goes over the bridge
1. View of bridge from a bank
Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier International Context
PROJECT: Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier DESIGNER: West 8 DATE: 1990-1992 LOCATION: Netherlands DIMENSIONS: 500m2 FUNCTION: Storm Surge barrier and Road Infrastructure DESCRIPTION: The Dutch State Department for Roads and Waterways commissioned West 8 to create the installation beside the highway crossing Roggenplaat, one of several artificial islands used to construct the storm surge barrier. The Rotterdam-based landscape architecture firm shaped the island’s sand deposits into dunes and installed the shells. These plateaus were meant to work across scales and functions, providing habitat for sea birds with a pattern bold enough to impress passing drivers. 'The differing colors become a nesting habitat for birds with differing species preferring to nest on the colors best suited to their own as a form of protection, therefore in this project both ecology and infrastructure were both of equal importance'. It is an interesting and ironic fact that now this landscape is almost unrecognizable, due to the location and tidal nature of the design as well as the shell elements that made it up have drifted away leaving a different yet contrasting landscape.
http://www.west8.nl/images/dbase/850_large.jpg
http://landscapeurbanism.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/06_or_09_a http://www.west8.nl/images/dbase/854.jpg
http://www.west8.nl/images/dbase/849.jpg
Shell Project - Plan
Shell Project - Diagram
WATER
ROADING
LAND LAND LAND
SHELL STRUCTURE
City to Sea Bridge
Contemporary New Zealand Bridge
PROJECT: City to sea bridge DESIGNER: Para Matchitt, John Gray, Rewi Thompson DATE: 1994 LOCATION: Wellington, New Zealand DIMENSIONS: 30 m in length, width varies. (0.072 ha) FUNCTION: To connect the public spaces of the waterfront and civic square in the city DESCRIPTION: The city to sea bridge is a significant pedestrian bridge in Wellington as it basically connects two major public spaces together, one being the Wellington waterfront/lagoon and the other being the Civic Square. Opened in 1994, the bridge has become an icon in the city centre and a popular tourist attraction. It is constructed out of reinforced concrete and large slabs of timber. The bridge is covered in artwork, some being visible from Jervois Quay that runs under the bridge. The artwork and wooden sculptures have been carved out by the Maori artist/carver Paratene Matchitt. Most of the carvings are made from large rough slabs of timber. On one side of the bridge there are four main sculptures, two of which are Taniwha’s and other two of birds. Throughout the length of the bridge small pieces of artwork such as sculptures on metal poles are placed. The bridge is a significant access way that connects the waterfront and the city together.
Plan View
Lake by Waterfront
Edge of Civic Square!
Jervois Quay!
Jervois Quay!
Diagram
2. Image of how the bridge goes over the main road 1. View of the bridge from waterfront
3. View of what it looks like when you travel over the bridge 4. Artwork displayed on top of the bridge
Bibliography
Ponte Vecchio bridge images/ descrip;on links 1. http://www.destination360.com/europe/italy/florence/ponte-vecchio
2. http://www.swigga.com/2012/11/04/the-strangest-bridges-in-the-world-12-photos/ponte-vecchio/
3. http://www.schteingart.com/PonteVecchio.html
4. http://www.ossifiedonline.com/?p=866 hBp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponte_Vecchio hBp://www.visiFlorence.com/florence-‐monuments/ponte-‐vecchio.html
Vancouver land bridge images/ descrip;on links 1. http://highwayspace.wordpress.com/2009/06/21/land-bridge/
2. http://homeklondike.com/2012/05/31/unique-vancouver-land-bridge/#.UVFt-VdVY4h
3. http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=139642
4. http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/feb/27/land-bridge-a-link-to-areas-history/
hBp://www.confluenceproject.org/project-‐sites/vancouver-‐land-‐bridge/ hBp://columbiariverimages.com/Regions/Places/vancouver_land_bridge.html
City to Sea bridge image/ descrip;on links 1. http://www.hotspotznewzealand.com/New-Zealand-Stock-Photos/Wellington-Region-Images/WW-2-Wellington-Waterfront.html
2. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ReviewPhotos-g255115-d592230-r39727085-Civic_Square-Wellington_North_Island.html#21216843
3. http://thetravelingdragon.wordpress.com/2010/04/
4. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g255115-d592222-Reviews-City_to_Sea_Bridge-Wellington_North_Island.html
hBp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_to_Sea_Bridge
Vancouver Land Bridge
Contemporary Canadian Bridge
PROJECT: Vancouver Land Bridge DESIGNER: JohnPaul Jones DATE: 2010 LOCATION: Vancouver, WA, United States DIMENSIONS: 0.24ha, 200 x 12 m ( total length) 50 x 12 m over highway FUNCTION: To create a connection between open grass area to Columbia river waterfront. DESCRIPTION: The Vancouver land bridge is basically a pedestrian bridge that goes over a large freeway and connects Fort Vancouver with the existing Columbia river waterfront. The waterfront is slowly becoming unused by the public. One of the main ideas in the design of the bridge was to create a stronger bond to the environment and surrounding areas, as well as a symbol that acknowledges the native Americans contribution to the area. People can learn about the indigenous plants as they walk across the land bridge as they have been planted all over the bridge. The bridge was proposed in August 2008 with a budget of 12.25 million dollars and was completed in October 2010. The bridge has been especially designed to be as green as possible. The bridge is designed to be able to collect water when it rains and irrigate it through out its native plants on the bridge. Once over the bridge, a path way takes you parallel and under a set of train tracks and then out to the Columbia river Waterfront. The bridge accommodates both pedestrians and cyclists. This land bridge is essentially a gateway for pedestrians living in the Fort Vancouver area as it is the only main access route to the harbour.
Diagram
2. Almost an arial view of the bridge from a helicopter 1. View of completed bridge from a helicopter
3. Plan view of the bridge 4. The bridge is easy to access and easy to walk over.
Te Rapa Bypass New Zealand Context
Te Rapa Bypass - Plan
PROJECT: Te Rapa Bypass DESIGNER: Waikato Link Urban Design Team DATE: 2010-2012 LOCATION: Waikato, New Zealand DIMENSIONS: 6.5km x 50m (Built) FUNCTION: Bypass Road Infrastructure DESCRIPTION: The design for the Bypass was to achieve a linear green entrance to Hamilton City, creating a new approach from the north, which will supercede the current state Highway. It cuts through rolling farmland to the north of the city. To demonstrate the connection and character, the landscape and urban design goals set for the Te Rapa Bypass are: • Create a linear green entrance parkway to the north of Hamilton. • Be an integral part of the surrounding area. • Provide structure and opportunities for future land use change. • Provide a core green space which can spread out/within the wider community. • Improve connectivity and create an identity and ownership for the future direction of the city. • Complement the Waikato River landscape and local culture and enhance local biodiversity.
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/te-rapa/img/local-bridge-2.jpg http://www.explorecentralnorthislandnz.com
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/s720x720/555248_333180516754729_1717228360_n.jpg http://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/te-rapa/img/201212-fun-run-2.jpg
Te Rapa Bypass - Diagram
RURAL LAND
COMMERCIAL LAND
PARK
PARK
PARK
ROAD
PLANTINGS
REFERENCES
Mystic Valley Parkway. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystic_Valley_Parkway
Parkway http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkway.
Tepper, L. (2011). Infrastructure Adrift: West 8′s Shell Project. http://www.landscapeurbanism.com Landscape Design Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier. http://www.west8.nl
Landscape and Urban Design Master Plan – Te Rapa Bypass. http://www.nzta.govt.nz
Public Realm - Central Park
18th Century Bridge
Public Realm/Central Park - Plan Scale 1:1000
Public Realm/Central Park - Diagram
Buildings
Park
PROJECT: The Public Realm-Central Park DESIGNER: F.L. Olmsted Calvert Vaux DATE: 1850-1859
LOCATION: Manhattan-New York City DIMENSIONS: 843 acres (341 ha) (3.4 km²)
FUNCTION: Public Park DESCRIPTION: The park designers are Calvert Vaux and F.L. Olmsted. They sunk the cross roads below the level of the park and created a bridge that would cross to connect the park. It was a great idea because people didn’t notice that it was actually a bridge, because of all the trees that were planted along the two sides of the bridge which covers road. So the park became a continuing environment and the viewer would never notice there were crossover roads but you would move through the whole park freely.
Bridge that crosses the transverse roads http://nycarchitecture.columbia.edu/0244_3/slides/0244_3_103210.html
The transverse road were part of central park http://nycarchitecture.columbia.edu/0244_3/slides/0244_3_103205.html
The transverse roads crossed the park at streets that were not yet part of developed neighbourhood
http://nycarchitecture.columbia.edu/0244_3/slides/0244_3_103209.html
Four roads connecting east to west http://nycarchitecture.columbia.edu/0244_3/slides/0244_3_103209.html
Te Puru
New Zealand-Manukau
Te Puru - Plan Scale 1:1000
Te Puru - Diagram
River
Forest
Forest
Bridge
PROJECT: Te Puru DESIGNER: Fort Projects and Isthmus DATE: completed on October 2009 LOCATION: Manukau City-New Zealand DIMENSIONS: 45 m and it expands to 100m to boardwalk FUNCTION: public park DESCRIPTION: The project of Te Puru bridge has won a NZICA gold award. The coastal boardwalk connect Beachlands and Maraetai. Te Puru was a project to provide a recreational infrastructure to form the walkway that is used along the coastline.The design use old piles mixed with new. The piles stands free and directional timber is designed to develop the character. The bridge spans to 45m with another 100m of the walkway which links across to
foreshore.
View to the park http://www.ifla2013.com/landscape-architecture-projects/te-puru-bridge/
View from boardwalk as it leads up to start of bridge http://www.ifla2013.com/landscape-architecture-projects/te-puru-bridge/
Side on view of completed bridge http://www.ifla2013.com/landscape-architecture-projects/te-puru-bridge/
View of the bridge and the sea h/p://www.ifla2013.com/landscape-‐architecture-‐projects/te-‐puru-‐bridge/
Arganzuela Footbridge Spain Footbridge
Arganzuela Footbridge - Diagram
Road
City City Island River
Bridges
PROJECT: Arganzuela Footbridge DESIGNER: Julio Martinez Calzon DATE: 2010 LOCATION: Parque de la Arganzuela, Madrid, Spain DIMENSIONS: section1-150, section 2- 128m, length 5-12m wide (over 250m)
FUNCTION: Bridge DESCRIPTION: The footbridge is to connect or link the neighbourhoods from the right to the left banks river Arganzuela and Carabanchel. The idea of the Arganzuela footbridge is to allow the passengers to cross over one side of the park to the other while also providing direct access to the park below. The Arganzuela is footbridge used for both pedestrians and cyclists, it has two interlocking metal spirals, which is wrapped by a metallic ribbon.
Section 1 and 2 of the bridge h/p://www.arcspace.com/features/dominique-‐perrault/arganzuela-‐footbridge/
Overlook of the park and the bridge http://www.arcspace.com/features/dominique-perrault/arganzuela-footbridge/
How Section 1 and 2 connect h/p://www.arcspace.com/features/dominique-‐perrault/arganzuela-‐footbridge/ The bridge at night
h/p://www.arcspace.com/features/dominique-‐perrault/arganzuela-‐footbridge/
Holalokka
2004, Wetland
h#p://sqeen.dreiseitl.com/index.php?id=81&lang=en
Holalokka - Plan
h#p://maps.google.co.nz/maps?hl=en&q=holalokka&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.47008514,d.dGI&biw=1640&bih=912&um=1&ie=UTF-‐8&sa=N&tab=wl
PROJECT: Holalokka-Alna DESIGNER: Herbert Dreiseitl DATE: 2007 LOCATION: Oslo, Norway DIMENSIONS: 5acres FUNCTION: Wetland Park DESCRIPTION: In Oslo, Norway a beautiful water park opened in the fall of 2007. Atelier Dreiseitl, a waterscapes company located around the world, had created a plan for the phased restoration of Oslo’s biggest river, the Alna that is located between an industrial business park and a housing estate. The river Alna now flows in a naturally restored river bed after the combining of high ecological and hydrological criteria in the technical management of water system with an integration of appealing outdoor space with seating areas and the popular swimming pond which is being purified by a retaining wall of slits. In Holalokka Water Park, surface water is led from an industrial and traffic area through a wetland before being released into the Alna River. The new pool is purifying and protecting the Alna river from pollution also by preserving the old culvert, this project also prevents flooding. Re-opening streams and brooks are an important piece in Oslo Municipality’s environmental goal of strengthening the blue-green structure in the city while providing a revitalized calm and relaxing place for the community. A creation of an adapted design with environmental change that has not been predicted or controlled. Introducing a reengagement of culture and nature trying to pursue human ecological interaction. They have drawn on current ecological science and are a response to urbanizing landscapes.
Retaining wall of slits http://sqeen.dreiseitl.com/index.php?id=81&lang=en
Working and designing with the sustainable nature http://sqeen.dreiseitl.com/index.php?id=81&lang=en
Natural sustainable river http://sqeen.dreiseitl.com/index.php?id=81&lang=en
Purified swimming pond http://sqeen.dreiseitl.com/index.php?id=81&lang=en
Holalokka -‐ Diagram
Albany Lakes Civic Park
2010, Wetland park
PROJECT: Albany Lakes civic Park DESIGNER: Ian J Vincent/ SOUL environments ltd DATE: 2010 LOCATION: Civic Crescent, Albany, Auckland DIMENSIONS: 6.5ha FUNCTION: Wetland civic Park DESCRIPTION: The park is surrounded by infrastructure and built forms. Taking into account the dominance of the previous natural wetland this area features two large storm water lakes, a culturally inspired bridge, a water feature and a stage for outdoor events - that stage forms the hub for the Westfield Albany Lakes Summer Series. “Approximately 17,000 plants include the park's signature tree species, totara, complemented by cultivars used for weaving; edible fruits such as apples, plums and olives; and native food sources including karaka and kahikatea. Local wildlife settling in include dotterels and frogs”.(3) The park is good for the local environment. The trees edging the park are part of an innovative storm water treatment system. Rain fall in rain gardens or seeps through grassed areas to the holes in which the trees are planted. These holes are filled with a special soil, which filters the rainwater before the surplus is piped to the lakes, helping to keep the lake water pure. “The lakes perform as an important storm-water control and enhancement system holding and cleansing the water from the town centre and surrounding complex before it enters the ecologically important Lucas Creek. Stormwater detention ponds occupy approximately 60% of the site. Storm water is stored and moves through 3 separate ponds comprising of a forbay, an upper lake, and a lower lake. In Extreme events there is an extended detention ‘flood zone’.”(2) Revitalizing and creating space for people and species brings life back to the area which once was nothing but plain grassed fields.
Pathways around the lake http://attractions.nzherald.co.nz/venue/albany-lakes-civic-
park-albany
Culturally inspired bridge, water features http://attractions.nzherald.co.nz/venue/albany-lakes-civic-
park-albany
Views from all points around the lake http://attractions.nzherald.co.nz/venue/albany-lakes-civic-
park-albany
Wetland vegetation around the lake http://attractions.nzherald.co.nz/venue/albany-lakes-civic-
park-albany
Albany Civic Park Diagram
Bibliography 1. Frazer Baggaley Porfolio | Albany Lakes Civic Park -‐ NZ. (n.d.). Frazer Baggaley Por-olio | About.
Retrieved May 21, 2013, from h#p://frazerbaggaley.com/index.php?page=albany-‐lakes-‐civic-‐park 2. Back Bay Fens -‐ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved May
21, 2013, from h#p://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_Bay_Fens 3. Albany Lakes Civic Park. (n.d.). Wes-ield Albany Lakes Summer Series :: Fabulous Running in Auckland,
New Zealand. Retrieved May 21, 2013, from h#p://www.albanylakes.co.nz/default.asp?PageID=20691
State Highway 1 Northern Bus Way.
Auckland, New Zealand.
Auckland’s Northern Busway – Plan Scale 1:1000
Key:
Transition way
Key: Bus Route
Bus stations
Bridges
Bus specific Lane Auckland CBD
Watamata Harbour
Northern Busway - Diagram
PROJECT: State Highway Ones Northern bus link DESIGNER: Beca with Opus consultants DATE: 2005 LOCATION: Auckland, New Zealand DIMENSIONS: 8.74km Route FUNCTION: It provides a fast, efficient public transport to Auckland’s CBD DESCRIPTION: The 300 million Bus system includes a two way 6.24 km road specific for buses, five stations, 2.5 km of single bus lanes alongside the motorways and a quick trip over the Harbor Bridge to give a fast free of congestion run from the fringes of the shore into the city. The final station along the bus way is the Albany station which has the largest parking lot. The bus way runs from Albany to the Constellation, Sunnynook, Smales Farm, Akoranga into the city. There is bike lockups and improved facilities for cyclists and pedestrians which include covered walkways, bus shelters and bridges that cross over the heavily congested motorway and bus way system. There is a large amount of water catchment stations and ponds situated along the length of the Busway that catch water runoffs and filter polluted substances before distribution. http://www.nzta.govt.nz/network/projects/project.html?ID=15 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Busway,_Auckland http://www.aucklandtransport.govt.nz/improving-transport/completed-projects/RapidTransit/Pages/TheNorthernBusway.aspx
Bus Lane compared to congested traffic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Northern_Busway,_Auckland
Albany Station Parking plan Image sourced from: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/
network/projects/project.html?ID=15
Bus Stop Shelter http://www.aucklandtransport.govt.nz/improving-transport/
completed-projects/RapidTransit/Pages/TheNorthernBusway.aspx
Brisbane Bus way.
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Brisbane Busways – Plan Scale 1:1000
Key:
Transition way
Transition points
Waterways
Bus Route
Brisbane City
Key:
Brisbane Busways - Diagram
PROJECT: Brisbane Bus ways DESIGNER: Parsons Brinckerhoff DATE: 1996 LOCATION: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia DIMENSIONS: 75km Route FUNCTION: A transit project designed to provide rapid public transport systems to parts of Brisbane not already accessible by existing congested rail systems. DESCRIPTION: In 1996 a plan for a 75km, 65 station network was approved for the replacement of train ways as a more cost effective and accessible means of public transport. Elaborate bridges and crossovers were constructed to allow and create newer and les congested access ways for the bus systems. There is a number of transport link stops along the bus routes. he first section of the bus way travels from Roma Street in the CBD and Woolloongabba was opened in September 2000 for the Olympic games football tournament. The second section is a link between the northern and south east Bus way and runs underground central Brisbane with a new station underneath King George square. A further extension runs from Herston to Windsor and then to Kedron. The project so far has cost 2000 million dollars. The quality of the landscape that the infrastructure system has created is run off s systems and filtration ponds. Linking nature with landscapes and hydrology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busways_in_Brisban http://translink.com.au/about-translink/what-we-do/infrastructure-projects/busways http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Projects/Name/B/Busways.aspx
Aerial of vast construction Image sourced from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Busways_in_Brisban
Architect Model of bus station http://translink.com.au/about-translink/what-we-do/
infrastructure-projects/busways
Bus station http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Projects/Name/B/Busways.aspx
Le Tramway
Strasbourg, France. 1998
Strasbourg’s Le Tram System – Plan Scale 1:1000
Key:
Transition way
Key:
Tram Stops
Tram Routes
Note: Trams travel from point to point. E.g.. Red to red, blue to blue.
Lake
CBD
Le Tramways - Diagram
PROJECT: Le Tramway DESIGNER: RCP design global agency DATE: 1989 LOCATION: Strasbourg, France DIMENSIONS: 55km Route FUNCTION: A means of transport with a long standing modernized tradition, and restoration of pedestrian and public places within the city DESCRIPTION: The tramway is split into three sections consisting of different aspects to cover a range of alternate public spaces. The Huatepierre to Cronenbourg section has the trams running along grassed surfaces. Surrounding streets are paved and there is level crossings. The city center has a 2.8ha marked pedestrian sector (Place Kleber) with adjacent spaces. The tramway returned the identity of the gateway to the city. The southern tram route consists of urban façade buildings with two roadways separated by a central tramline and four rows of trees. Has 67 stations and 6 lines. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strasbourg_tramway http://www.publicspace.org/en/works/w009-le-tramway http://www.strasbourg-tramway.fr/
WATERFRONTn. an area or space that borders a body of water
WATERFRONT
Tram runs over public space Image sourced from: http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Strasbourg_tramway
Tram Station http://www.strasbourg-tramway.fr/
Avenue Colmar http://www.publicspace.org/en/works/w009-
le-tramway
WATERFRONTn. an area or space that borders a body of water
WATERFRONT
Varanasi Ghats India.
18th Century Waterfront.
River
Ghats
Buildings
Varanasi-‐diagram
Varanasi Ghats Project: Ghats
Designer: Various Date: 18th Century, up to 350 yrs old Location: River Ganga, Varanasi Dimensions: 7km long beween Assi in South to Varuna in the North. Function: Access between the city and the river for people, animals and boats. Open space area for bathing, prayers and devotional practises, cremating the dead, various trades, tourists, recreation and relaxation. Description: Pre-urban landscape of Varanasi had natural forest cover, the waters of the Ganga carved out a concave bank along river front. A photograph in the 1800’s shows orchards and trees on the Ghat, today green spaces have been largely reduced. Tributary streams run from the left hand side of the river into the city. A heirachy of streets in the town are organised around the access to the Ghats and the river 84 Ghats run the 7 km stretch along the river. Most of the Ghats were built when the city was under Maratha control. Each one adheres to its central purpose and adapts to its sloping topography. Ghats are a series of steps leading down to a water body, usually a holy river, lake, or pond. Most of the Ghats are used for bathing and daily rituals while two are used as cremation sites. Most of the Ghats are associated with legends or historical events, while some Ghats are privately owned. It is possible to walk along the Ghats from Assi in the south to the northern end at Varuna. Built under royal patronage, the majority of the ghats are named after Dieties. On the urban side, they are lined with shrines, temples, dormitories and former royal houses. Considered one of the holiest places in Varanasi it is an ultimate pilgrimage site for people and a valued attraction for tourists. On a normal day the Ghats becomes a river of people, colour, sound and activity.
Dasawamedh Ghat: more than 350yrs old this is one of the busiest and most important Ghats. One of the most visited Ghats. A large number of sadhus are seen here every day performing religious rites. Manikarnika Ghat: Also one of the oldest Ghats. Located near the center of Varanasi. Used for cremation. According to Hindu mythology being burnt here provides an instant gateway to liberation from the cycles of births and rebirths. Manikarnika Ghat symbolises both creation and destruction. Assi Ghat: clay-banked Ghat at southern most end where the Assi river meets the Ganga. Significant site for pilgrims to bathe before paying homage to Shiva. Assi Ghat is also the southern most end of Varanasi city. Scindia Ghat: Located next to Manikarnika in the north. The Shiva temple is partially submerged in the river as a result of excessive weight of the ghat’s construction about 150 years ago. Above the ghat several shrines are located. According to tradition, Agni, the Hindu God of Fire was born here. Raj Ghat: The important Raj Ghat is the northern most ghat. Located here is the Adi Keshava Vishnu Temple, which is located where the Varuna River flows into the Ganges. Lord Vishnu is said to have first put his feet here when he came to Varanasi.
Dasawamedh Ghat ref: http://goindia.about.com/od/
uttarpradesh/tp/Varanasi-Ghat-Guide.htm
Assi Ghat http://www.varanasicityonline.com/varanasi-ghat/varanasi-
assi-ghat.html
Manikarnika Ghat http://www.flickriver.com/photos/tags/cremationghat/
interesting/
Raj Ghat www.ghumakkar.com
Jardim do Passeio Alegre - Alegre Stroll Garden
Historic Waterfront
PROJECT: Jardim do Passeio Alegre – Alegre Stroll Garden DESIGNER: Emilio David DATE: 1888-92 LOCATION: Oporto, Portugal DIMENSIONS: 2.6ha (150m NS, 350m EW) FUNCTION: Relaxation; meditation, historical DESCRIPTION: Looking out across the mouth of the River Douro to the south and 19th Century architecture to the north, the Alegre Stroll Garden is primarily an unprogrammed garden space. Features include two grand obelisks at the park’s entrance, the ‘Girl & Foca’ statue, a granite baroque fountain, a Swiss chalet, a band rotunda, a miniature golf course and a toilet block renowned for its art nouveau tiling. This park is connected to the waterfront by way of a pedestrian crossing to the seaside-walkway. A paved viewing platform extends this space. The one-way street crossing delineating park from waterfront is lined on both sides with Phoenix palms. The riprap set in place to impede erosion deters the user from access to the water, keeping public separate from the unsafe environment of the river’s current and depths. Sources: 360Portugal.com. (n.d.). Passeio Alegre. Retrieved from
http://www.360portugal.com/Distritos.QTVR/Porto.VR/vilas.cidades/Porto/PortoAtlantico /PasseioAlegre.html Government of Portugal. (n.d.). Ride Zone Alegre. Retrieved from http://www.igespar.pt/pt/patrimonio/pesquisa/geral/patrimonioimovel/detail/74769/ Porto Tourism. (n.d.). Porto Alegre Garden. Retrieved from http://www.visitporto.travel/visitar/paginas/viagem/DetalhesPOI.aspx?POI=1027#.UVV6QxdTDHR
Jardim do Passeio Alegre – Diagram
Buildings
River
Grassed area
Visual of the park’s proximity to the bustling city and the Atlantic Ocean http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=810168
Riprap keeping erosion at bay http://www.portoxxi.com/album/ver_foto.php?id=105
Panorama of the park’s trees, lawns and relaxation spaces http://www.360portugal.com/Distritos.QTVR/Porto.VR/vilas.cidades/Porto/PortoAtlantico/PasseioAlegre.html
One of the 3 fountains on the park http://www.panoramio.com/photo/28203772
Olympic Sculpture Park
Contemporary Waterfront - International
Olympic Sculpture Park – Plan
Source: ©2013 Google
100m
PROJECT: Olympic Sculpture Park DESIGNER: Marion Weiss & Michael Manfredi DATE: 2007 LOCATION: Seattle, Washington, USA DIMENSIONS: 3.6ha (within a 250m x 185m block) FUNCTION: Connecting city to waterfront; recreation; exhibition DESCRIPTION: Before its creation, the site of the Olympic Sculpture Park was Seattle’s last undeveloped waterfront property. Previously the site of an oil transfer facility, over 100,000 tonnes of contaminated soil was removed in its construction. Train tracks and an arterial road slice through the site, separating the city from the beach. The Sculpture park design links the city to the waterfront by ways of overhead pedestrian bridges. The user descends 12m from top to bottom, zig-zagging from an extension of Seattle’s Art Museum down to the Elliot Bay. Features include an evergreen copse, a deciduous copse and a shoreline garden. This winning design from an international competition connects the user with views of the Olympic Mountains across Puget Sound, as well as with the waters. As an outdoor art park, contemporary art installations are brought into contact with the broader public that might not otherwise venture into museums or galleries. The park is one of the only green spaces in Downtown Seattle. Sources: Jodidio, P. (2012). Landscape - architecture now!. Cologne, Germany: Taschen.
Weiss/Manfredi. (n.d.). Seattle Art Museum: Olympic Sculpture Park. Retrieved from http://weissmanfredi.com/project/seattle-art-museum-olympic-sculpture-park
Olympic Sculpture Park – Diagram
Buildings
Ocean
Trees
Trees
Grassed area
The site pre- and post-construction Photo Source: http://weissmanfredi.com/project/seattle-art-museum-olympic-sculpture-park
View from the beach, also showing cycleway Photo Source: http://weissmanfredi.com/project/seattle-art-museum-olympic-sculpture-park
Entrance to the park and museum from Broad St Photo Source: http://weissmanfredi.com/project/seattle-art-museum-olympic-sculpture-park
Linking urban core to revitalised waterfront Photo Source: http://weissmanfredi.com/project/seattle-art-museum-olympic-sculpture-park
Nagasaki Seaside Park Japan 2004
Nagasaki Seaside Park-Plan 1:1000
Page 1
Page 4
Page 2
Page 5
Page 3
Page 6
Aqua Garden
Land Plaza Canal Promenade
Sea
Nagasaki Seaside Park Project: Nagasaki Seaside Park
Designer: Ryoko Ueyama Landscape Design Studio Date: 2004 Location: Nagasaki-shi, Nagasaki, Japan Dimensions: 6.5 Hectares2 Function: Reclaimed land in Nagasaki Bay. Organised by Nagasaki Urban Design committee - Nagasaki Governor, Genjiro Kaneko, and Shigero Ito, the Chairman. Once the sole port for foreign trade within Japan (during the National seclusion 1635-1853) the purpose for this project was to develop Nagasaki Harbour as a recreational park as well as a port for cultural exchange and foreign trade. Description: In the initial stages, Ryoko integrated 6 landscape design concepts to unify the overall land area. “Memory of the land” is utilized by creating theatre like spaces. “Cosmophillia: Love of the Cosmos”, acknowledges the connection between land and sky ; Land art is called for by the vistas onto the park of neighbouring Mt Inasa; “Biomimicry”- meaning childrens’ experiential learning from nature; 24seasons- the microclimate of the site influencing the landscape “scenes” ; and a 100yr vision-being the timelessness of the materials chosen. The three main areas each have subsequent themes that set a ‘stage’ for these design concepts. In the north facing the sea is the Land Plaza (2.5Hectares), towards the harbour in the South is the Aqua Garden (1.2 Hectares), and on the mountainside is the Canal Promenade (2.8 Hectares). The canal promenade is a linear park adjacent to the city and runs along the canal. The pathway named the “corridor of memories” meanders through Japanese trees (“The Forest Theatre’) and flowers that spur the memory (“The Flower Islet). A Restaurant also provides a social space.
In the Southern area is the Aqua Theatre. Water flows down from the mountains into a wooden tank and through a beautifully composed stone pathway that provides a learning play space for children. The Northern area is the Land Plaza. This is a sloping open area of lawn that leads down to the sea and is surrounded by native trees. The Land art spiral pathway leads you through to the trees to the center or along the axis line to a view of the Megami bridge and the harbour. Located at the center of the spiral is the Mai-mai theatre where visitors can “communicate with the cosmos.” Ueyama uses three axis to structure the design around, each axis linking to a significant landmark that relate to the “memory of the land”-these being The Axis of Megami Bridge, The Axis of Glover(house), and The Axis of Hollander Slope.
Canal Promenade http://www.ueyamalandscape.co.jp/
company_ru_e.html
Aqua Theatre http://www.ueyamalandscape.co.jp/
company_ru_e.html
Land Plaza http://
www.ueyamalandscape.co.jp/company_ru_e.html
Master Plan http://www.ueyamalandscape.co.jp/
company_ru_e.html
Taranaki Wharf Wellington 2010
Taranaki Wharf-Plan Scale 1:1000
Scale 1:3000
Taranaki Wharf-‐Diagram
Lagoon
Sea
Wharf
City
Taranaki Wharf
Project: Taranaki Wharf Precinct Upgrade Designer: Wraight and Associates Date: 2010 Location: Taranaki Wharf, Wellington. Between Frank Kitts Park and Whitianga Park. Dimensions: Function: Council initiative under Wellington Waterfront Ltd. (Wellington City Council). One of five wharf precinct upgrades along Wellington Waterfront. Described as a public recreation destination. Description: Reclaimed land. Traditionally the main dock facility in Wellington hence its strong industrial character. Characteristic of other 20th Century waterside city developments- where once vital commercial infrastructures are now being recognised as places to stop and spend time recreationally. The proximity to the water being the main attraction. The materials have been chosen carefully by Wraight to reflect the industrial and nautical character of the site e.g bitumen and timber sleepers, countersunk bolting, galvanised steel construction, and recycled wharf parts. A long promenade along the waters edge widens to become an open space that links to the city. Other spaces cross and intersect with the parallel flow of the promenade such as the crossing canal with the moving bridge. Wooden Posts are re-used in the “Timber Garden” that create a kind of a grid-like stage. These can be taken out and laid down for seating, or used to secure canopies, or flags for events and public activities. Other features include wharf cut outs that reveal what is underneath, light ball bollards, and landscaping around the new “Whare Waka”. The Whare Waka is a culturally significant move as it sees the re-establishment of a Maori presence on Taranaki Wharf notably absent on the waterfront since Te Aro Pa in 1880’s. The name “Taranaki” refers to the significance to descendants of Taranaki Iwi to this area.
Taranaki Wharf http://waal.co.nz/
Terraced Area http://waal.co.nz/
Stair design http://waal.co.nz/
Peer http://waal.co.nz/
References
• Hodson, Mike and Marvin, Simon; 2010 “Transcendant Eco-‐ciOes or Urban Ecological Security?”. • • • Danish Architecture Centre, 2012, “Dongtan: The World’s First Large-‐Scale Eco-‐City?” Retrieved from:
hWp://www.dac.dk/en/dac-‐ciOes/sustainable-‐ciOes-‐2/all-‐cases/energy/dongtan-‐the-‐worlds-‐first-‐large-‐scale-‐eco-‐city/?bbredirect=true • 20/04/2013. • • Dreiseitl, Holalokka: “Stream restoraOon combined with a stormwater management demonstraOon park.” Retrieved from:
hWp://www.dreiseitl.de/index.php?id=526&lang=en&choice=22&ansicht=text • 20/04/2013 • • Ulf Strohmayer, 2006, Urban design and civicspaces: nature at the Parc desBuWes-‐Chaumont in Paris. Pub. In “Cultural Geographies
13(2006) “ pg 557-‐576 Retrieved from hWp://cgj.sagepub.com/content/13/4/557.abstract on 20/04/2013 • • • Wellington City Council; Wellington Waterfront. “Waitangi Park IntroducOon: An exciOng Urban Park”, Retrieved from <
hWp://www.wellingtonwaterfront.co.nz/development/waitangi/waitangi_park_introducOon/> on 20/04/2013 • • Wraight, Megan: Waitangi Park, Retrieved from: < hWp://waal.co.nz/> on 20/04/2013
Silo Park, Wynyard Quarter
Contemporary Waterfront - New Zealand
PROJECT: Wynyard Quarter DESIGNER: Architectus DATE: 2010- LOCATION: Auckland, NZ DIMENSIONS: 2.5ha FUNCTION: Connecting city to waterfront; recreation; exhibition, programmable
community space DESCRIPTION: Wynyard Quarter is the name given to the greater 25-year transformation project across 37ha of Auckland CBD’s western waterfront. Much of this area is still the site of bulk petro-chemical storage. The existing park area has had over 30,000 tonnes of contaminated soil removed so far. The site remains a functioning wharf, and comprises 3 distinct parts: Silo Park, North Wharf and Karanga Plaza. Pedestrian and road traffic passes through the site. Users can also be brought to the site by bus. Silo Park is a destination that often features programmed activities such as festivals or Friday night markets. North Wharf is a strip of 10 bars/eateries with a harbour view, and Karanga Plaza is a relaxed open space capable of hosting a variety of programmes but it is rarely used. A nautical theme runs across all three zones and sculpture installations are placed throughout. Wynyard Quarter provides a much-needed link between the CBD and the waterfront, primarily occupied by commercial activity. Sources: Architectus. (2012). Wynyard Quarter. Retrieved from http://www.architectus.co.nz/projects/wynyard-quarter
Hawkins Construction. (2011). Hawkins Report – Winter 2011. Retrieved from http://hawkinsconstruction.co.nz/assets/Uploads/Hawkins-Report-Winter-2011-5.5mb2.pdf Waterfront Auckland. (n.d.). Wynyard Quarter. Retrieved from http://www.wynyard-quarter.co.nz/Wynyard- Quarter/About.aspx
Wynyard Quarter – Diagram
Ocean
Ocean Ocean
Buildings
Buildings
Grassed area
Silo Park is popular by day with adults and children alike Photo Source: http://www.silomarina.co.nz/Silo-Marina/home.aspx
North Wharf provides contemporary eateries Photo Source: http://www.northwharf.co.nz/North-Wharf/Home.aspx
Wynyard Playspace designed by Isthmus Photo Source: http://blogisthmus.wordpress.com/category/award/
Karanga Plaza showing the movable reclining platforms Photo Source: http://360urban.co.nz/lounge/2011/09/wynyard-quarter-on-the-auckland-waterfront/
Weston-Super-Mare Pier 19th Century English Pier
Grand Pier - Plan
pier
Build
ings
Grand Pier - Diagram
PROJECT: Grand pier (Pleasure pier)
DESIGNER: P.Munroe (Owner: Michelle & Kerry Michael)
DATE: 1904
LOCATION: Weston-Super-Mare,Somerset,England
DIMENTIONS: Total length:400 m Width: Promenade: 13 m Pavilion: 65 m
FUNCTION: For entertainment purposes
DESCRIPTION:
The Grand Pier in Weston-Super-Mare is a pleasure pier on the Bristol Channel. The Pier is approximately 29km southwest of Bristol, and is located in North Somerset along the town. Work began building the pier on the 7th of November 1903 and finally opened on the 11th of June 1904, P.Munroe acted as the constructor and engineer of the site. On 16th of May 1907 an extension measuring over 500 yards (1,5000ft) was built and opened, the intention was that the pier could then be used as a docking point for boats to Cardiff. Unfortunately, due to the dangerous currents in the bay, docking was made difficult and the extension had to be demolished. In 1930 and 2008 the pier was damaged by two fires. The 2008 fire completely destroyed the pavilion, the pier then had to be rebuilt costing over £39 million and reopened on the 23rd of October 2010. When the pier was first built at the end was a 2,000 seat theatre which was used as a music hall for opera, stage plays and ballet. The theatre was then destroyed by the fire that occurred in 1930, the building became undesirable and was put up for sale. Later, the building bought by Leonard Guy who opened a £60,000 new pavilion three years later. This second pavilion however housed a large undercover funfair rather than a theatre. The pier is privately owned by Michelle & Kerry Michael, and is one of three within the town. Work began dismantling the wreckage on 12 September 2008,and the Bristol architects Angus Meek won the contract to design the new pavilion on 15 October. North Somerset Council approved the plans, which also included a rotating observation tower 91 metres (299 ft) in height, on 12 March 2009.
Reference
h5p://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Pier,_Weston-‐super-‐Mare
Front Entrance to pier h5p://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/image_galleries/grand_pier_gallery.shtml
Games and acEviEes inside the pier h5p://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grand_Pier_amusements_-‐_geograph.org.uk_-‐_213172.jpg
Second fire that happened in 2008 h5p://staEc.guim.co.uk/sys-‐images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/07/28/pier1.jpg The pier today
h5p://media-‐cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-‐s/01/e3/b7/76/grand-‐pier.jpg
Dubai Waterfront (Palm and World Map Islands)
International Waterfront
Dubai Waterfront - Plan
The palm
The World
Crescent and star of Islam
Coastline and buildings
Dubai Waterfront - Diagram
PROJECT: Dubai Waterfront. (Palm and World Islands) DATE: February 2007 LOCATION: Dubai DIMENTIONS: 70km long, 140,000ha FUNCTIONS: To create a world-class destination for residents, visitors and businesses in the world's fastest growing city DESCRIPTION:
Dubai Waterfront was expected to become the largest waterfront and largest man-made development in the world. Waterfront is planned to add more than 70 kilometres to Dubai's coastline and encompass an area of 140,000 hectares with water and land developments. It is expected to house an estimated population of 1.5 million people. The waterfront was developed by Nakheel who is one of the largest privately held real estate developers.
The palm island also known as Jebel Ali was created to resemble the most widely recognized symbol of Islam, the star and crescent. It is the largest group of artificial islands (shaped like palm trees) in the world. However the construction of waterfront had to be stalled due to the global financial crisis and Dubai’s debt crisis in 2009. Nakheel was forced to restructure over $11bn of debt and scale back many of its projects. The project is a conglomeration of canals and artificial archipelagos, it would occupy the last remaining Persian Gulf coastline of Dubai. The Waterfront is located near Al Maktoum international airport and is a major tourist attraction, as the islands feature villas and high-end accomidation. The World islands are composed mainly of sand dredged from Dubai's shallow coastal waters, and are one of several artificial islands developments in Dubai.
The World Islands in the archipelago range from 14,000 to 42,000 square metres (150,000 to 450,000 sq ft) in area. Distances between islands average 100 metres (330 ft) they are constructed from 321 million cubic metres of sand and 31 million tons of rock.
Reference
h5p://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai_Waterfront
The view of all the waterfront h5p://kuusanmaki.com/blog/wp-‐content/uploads/2007/02/dubai_masterplan.jpg
The crescent h5p://www.funonthenet.in/images/stories/forwards/dubai%20projects/dubai%20waterfront.jpg
The palm h5p://www.greendiary.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/07/dubai_water_front_vzbgk.jpg
The world h5p://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTGXYFIk[A/RmfupSA6J5I/AAAAAAAACpo/8Oo95EkQjdI/s1600/theworld011.jpg
Hobsonville Point - The Landing Contemporary Waterfront, New Zealand
Hobsonville Point - The Landing - Plan
North shore
Wharf
Harbour
Hobsonville
The Landing
Hobsonville Point - The Landing - Diagram
PROJECT: The Landing- Hobsonville Point DESIGNER: Hobsonville Land Company, Architectus Group, Isthmus Group DATE: Currently being master planned (New ferry wharf opened in December 2012)
LOCATION: Hobsonville, Auckland, New Zealand DIMENSIONS: 2 hectares
FUNCTIONS: Used for ferry transportation to the north shore. DESCRIPTION:
The Landing will be the coastal gateway for the site, providing for a range of activities, including recreational facilities for the public, a ferry service to downtown Auckland and the launching of large boats built in the Marine Industry Precinct. The Landing is the existing concrete hardstand area and will become the gateway to Hobsonville Point. It includes a new ferry wharf from which a ferry service to the CBD. It will be a vibrant busy place, with cafes, restaurants, public spaces and community facilities. From The Landing, residents and visitors will be able to explore the Hobsonville Point coast via a 4km coastal walk and cycle way. Several of the air force buildings will be retained and given new uses. The Landing contains heritage buildings associated with the RNZAF (Royal New Zealand Air Force) seaplane fleet, hangars and workshop buildings, all of which will be retained. The Landing will provide a mixed use, waterfront ‘destination' with a range of new uses, marine and recreational infrastructure and working waterfront functions that will complement the peninsula's proposed new communities. The Landing is one of the first development areas that will act as a catalyst for regeneration and urban change for the peninsula by improving physical linkages and integrating the site with the coastal edge. One of the main reasons for constructing the new waterfront is to generate cultural activities and to create spaces that are community orientated for the people living in Hobsonville Point. It will be a welcoming and inclusive space which will also encourage public transport. The new ferry wharves at Hobsonville Point and Beach Haven are nearing completion. The Hobsonville terminal cost $3.20 million to construct, which includes a $900,000 contribution from the Hobsonville Land Company. The construction of Beach Haven cost another $1.2 million. The Hobsonville service is expected to provide an easy and pleasant link between the new major housing developments and the city. The Hobsonville service will be supported by a temporary Park and Ride car park. A bus stop with a permanent Park and Ride facility are planned for 2015. The wharf will be a significant structure featuring a large public deck where people can sit and enjoy the harbour with stunning views. The wharf will have a roof and side panels to provide protection from the weather. Reference
h5p://eyeonauckland.com/2013/01/the-‐landing
h5p://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/Pages/default.aspx
The whaf to catch the ferry h5p://eyeonauckland.com/wp-‐content/uploads/2013/01/THE-‐LANDING-‐4a.jpg
Persons view of the site h5p://www.architectus.com.au/sites/default/files/aa-‐mpl-‐Hobsonville-‐MP_6.jpg
View of the whole site h5p://www.architectus.com.au/sites/default/files/aa-‐mpl-‐Hobsonville-‐MP_6.jpg
View of the buildings and new café h5p://eyeonauckland.com/2013/01/the-‐landing
Bibliography • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Pier,_Weston-super-Mare
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/image_galleries/grand_pier_gallery.shtml
• http_-_geograph.org.uk_-_213172.jpg
• http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/07/28/pier1.jpg
• http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/e3/b7/76/grand-pier.jpg
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai_Waterfront
• http://kuusanmaki.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/dubai_masterplan.jpg
• http://www.greendiary.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/07/dubai_water_front_vzbgk.jpg
• http://www.funonthenet.in/images/stories/forwards/dubai%20projects/dubai%20waterfront.jpg
• http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTGXYFIkfkA/RmfupSA6J5I/AAAAAAAACpo/8Oo95EkQjdI/s1600/theworld011.jpg
• http://eyeonauckland.com/2013/01/the-landing
• http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/Pages/default.aspx
• http://eyeonauckland.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/THE-LANDING-4a.jpg
• http://www.architectus.com.au/sites/default/files/aa-mpl-Hobsonville-MP_6.jpg
• http://eyeonauckland.com/2013/01/the-landing
Essays
increase the flow of water and to re oxygenate water molecules. Several secondary channels are also de-signed to accommodate the water level rising during the year. Basically this proposal shows how changing the natural ecology of a polluted river, and creating a new man made ecology, and using the natural hydrology of the river can revitalise and improve the polluted structure of the river.
Why does ecology need to be used to fix polluted industrial spacesBasically the use of ecology helps to return the once polluted land back to a sustainable and functional condition. Ecology can be used in many ways to fix polluted areas. One way is using natural resourc-es such as soil and hardy plants that can absorb and filter the pollutants that cover the site. The use of hydrology can also be used to help flush away pollutants, but also at the same time create new ecologies that can help revitalise and future proof the new landscape from becoming polluted again (an example of this is the River + City + Life proposal). However in the case of large concrete and steel industrial brown-fields, one of the best solutions to fixing the pollution problem is landscraping (which is basically physi-cally removing all the nasty contaminants and starting a new design by scratch. Since contaminated sites are becoming more problematic, landscape designers must think of ways to reuse them so they don’t go to waste, and using ecology is a way twenty first century designers are us-ing. It is proof that returning contaminated sites back to a state where the public can return and explore areas they could never access before. Using ecology also comes under the way Landscape urbanism has changed. Incorporating the landscape into the city is the way designers are thinking these days. Incor-porating the natural landscape, such as using ecology into fixing industrial brownfields is something the public is embracing as well, as it creates new public spaces and a new fresh green look that contrasts with the history of the large steel industrial buildings.
Silo Park/ Wynyard Quarter
Wynyard quarter is a new part of Auckland’s waterfront that was recently opened in 2011. Before its opening, Wynyard quarter used to be disconnected with the city centre and was used mostly for the fishing industry. Since 2007, the council were deciding how they could bring back a revitalised fishing/ industrial hub by the harbour and connect it with the viaduct harbour and lower Quay street in Auck-land CBD. However before the council could start work on the site, especially at the far end of Wynyard quarter (where Silo Park is now) where the process of “landscraping” was used to clear away all the contaminated soils that have built up from the oils from the tank and industrial industries on the wharf. Around 30,000 tonnes of contaminated soil had to be removed in order for contractors to start work on the new design of the wharf. In order for a new public space to be fully functional, contaminated mate-rials is unhealthy and will just continue to contaminate the new development built on top of it. Wynyard quarter is an example of partly starting from scratch. The lower half of the quarter is based on restaurants and entertainment which is fully enclosed in the old fishing sheds, reusing the original history of the wharf and revitalising it. However at the Silo park end of the wharf, which was almost built from scratch, use simple forms of ecology to act as drainage and a natural water filter. A large swale like structure at the lowest point of the ground collects all the excess water that runs across the ground. Hardy grasses and reeds line the inside of the swale as well as small gabions of stones. These all help with absorbing the water and controlling the drainage, as well as filtering possible pollutants that still roam the area. Wynyard Quarter is a great example of opening up Auckland’s unused industrial waterfront space to the public. It also shows how even in our “100% pure New Zealand”, that we still have aspects of polluted industrial areas that have the potential to be developed into a smart and ecological public space and Wy-nyard quarter is a great example of that.
Olympic Sculpture Park
The Olympic sculpture park in Seattle is a new public space that opened in 2007 which consists of many sculptures being displayed all over the park. Before the park was developed, the original site the park is
Insurgent Ecologies (RE) Claiming Ground in Landscape Urbanism
by Tim Richardson
Reviewed Text:Lister, N. M. (2010). Insurgent ecologies: (re) claiming ground in landscape and urbanism. In: M. Mosta-favi with G. Doherty (eds.), Ecological Urbanism. Zurich, Switzerland: Lars Müller Publishers.
In the article, “Insurgent Ecologies” written by Nina Marie Lister, one of her main ideas is using the idea of ecology in landscape urbanism to transform old industrial infrastructure into revitalised public spaces that the public can rediscover. She also stresses how ecology has changed from being a biology topic, to a significant idea in the use of landscape urbanism and architecture in society today.
Landscape and urbanism
In Nina’s report, she states that city and the landscape as two separate ideas is insufficient and outdated. The design of the contemporary metropolitan landscape which is basically bringing the landscape out-side of the city, into the city, which is the main focus of the twenty first century urban designer. Incorpo-rating smart town planning, ecology and landscape architecture is essential to making a contemporary metropolitan work efficiently.
Using Ecology to revitalize polluted industrial brownfields
As cities grow, areas of the city that once used to be a significant economic and social powerhouse be-come outdated and unused by society as the years go by; quite often it is usually the cities old industrial and dockland areas that face this problem. Over time these areas become severely isolated and eventually become eye sores to society. The increased evolution of ecology is a way that landscape urbanism can transform unused sites like old industrial areas into world class public spaces which can not only restore the unused space, but to draw people into a space they may never have thought could be transformed into a smart public area. However in order to use ecology to revitalise polluted areas and brownfields, the first thing that designers and contractors need to address, is to completely clear and decontaminate all the polluted material that covers the site. This process has come from a man named James corner, who describes it as Landscraping, this is a smart tactic that has evolved that makes old industrial landscape design possible.The challenge after clearing the industrial brownfield is to create a future proofed, long term solution to the health of the new landscape that will revitalise the existing site. This means creating a landscape that is hardy and can recover from disturbances such as environmental change, and the possibility of pollu-tion entering the new landscape from the previous brownfield that used to occupy the site.
Throughout North America, there are lots of almost abandoned old industrial docklands that are close to the city that are just eroding and becoming more polluted every day. An example of this is in Toron-to, Canada. A large 40 hectare, post-industrial waterfront that has been unused for many years and has suffered from a large history of pollution and contamination. It lies at the edge of the Don River which is heavily polluted. The river is almost stagnant and suffers from a lack of oxygen running through it. As well as polluted, it is also full of debris. In order for the 40 hectare industrial area to be redeveloped and revitalised under the River + City + Life design proposal, the ecological structure of the polluted Don River is the main priority as it surrounds the old industrial waterfront and is also the main focal point in the design of this plan. In order to clean up the Don River, designers must reengineer the whole structure and ecology of the river. In order to do this a new river channel at the mouth of the river with several secondary channels must be made to
References
Lister, N. M. (2010). Insurgent ecologies: (re) claiming ground in landscape and urbanism. In: M. Mosta-favi with G. Doherty (eds.), Ecological Urbanism. Zurich, Switzerland: Lars Müller Publishers.
Mahoney, M. (n.d). Ecological revitalization turns contaminated properties into community assets. Re-trieved from http://www.epa.gov/superfund/accomp/news/ecological_revitalization.htm
Padilla, D. (2012). Brooklyn bridge park: a win-win for the people of Brooklyn and the environment. Retrieved from http://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/ecological_restoration/v030/30.1.pa-dilla.html
River + City + Life. (n.d.) A guide to renewing Toronto’s lower Don Lands. Retrieved from http://designobserver.com/media/pdf/RIVER+CITY+LIF_98.pdf
placed on used to be a highly contaminated industrial brownfield at the edge of the waterfront. The site was occupied by a large oil transfer facility where 100,000 tonnes of contaminated soil covered the sur-rounding area. In order to start work on the new Olympic sculpture park, the idea of “landscraping” (the same technique used to clean Wynyard quarter and the Toronto industrial area in the River + City + Life proposal) had to be used to remove all the contaminated soils and start building new foundations from scratch. Although the use of ecology isn’t a significant factor in the revitalisation of the industrial site, ecology has been used in the river next to the contaminated site. A three levelled underwater seawall was created with 50,000 tonnes of rip rap to help reduce erosion on the edge of the waterfront. The first level of the wall consists of large rocks that help to reduce the impact of waves hitting the edge of the water-front. The lower part of the wall consists of small rocks that encourage sea life such as salmon to return and create an ecological habitat again. Since the contaminated materials have been disposed from the site, the chance of polluted runoff entering the river is greatly reduced. By revitalising this unused industrial eye sore, the Olympic sculpture park has not only managed to reconnect the city of Seattle back to the edge of the waterfront, but hopefully in the future revitalised the ecosystem in the river again. The use of large pedestrian bridges and enticing green areas is another factor to why this park brings the city back to the waterfront as it is one of the only green areas that is located in downtown Seattle, making the connection to the city and water even more significant.
Brooklyn Bridge Park
The Brooklyn Bridge Park is a large scale 34 hectare project that began in 2008 and is still under con-struction. The park when complete will be one of the largest parks developed in recent history for New York, as put into context, it is around the same size, if not a little bigger than the Unitec campus. The idea of the project is to basically revitalise the old industrial waterfront of Brooklyn and turn it into a large public park. The majority of the site will be public space, however around 10% will become residential areas. As well as a public space, some old industrial buildings will be demolished and turned into func-tioning salt marshes and tidal areas that are accessible for people to explore. The idea of the designers was to bring back the natural world for people living in the area, as the natural world for people living in New York are large concrete skyscrapers and dirty side streets. Creating natural ecological areas in old industrial areas is a refreshing way to try and revitalise shorelines, it also creates social benefits for people experiencing the park. The use of ecology brings back the idea of how landscape urbanism is trying to bring back the landscape into the city.As well as ecology being brought back into the park, the use of hydrology is also being used to create a smart irrigation system. Storm water is collected after heavy downpours and is stored in large tubes bur-ied in the ground. Once the water is collected, the water is slowly released throughout the park.The Brooklyn bridge park is a great example of bringing the landscape back to the city. It proves how much of a positive impact ecology can have in a concrete dominated landscape. As well as revitalising an industrial landscape, it is also a refreshing alternative to landscape design.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the use of ecologies being used in Brownfield and industrial landscapes is a smart and re-freshing aspect for twenty first century landscape urbanism. Ecology can revitalise areas into world class public spaces that the council and public abandoned and left to decay. However what the ecology cannot fix itself, the use of “landscraping” is a way in which polluted and harmfully contaminated sites can be scrapped clean by removing the polluted soil and building new foundation from scratch. Once the new foundations are created, new types of ecologies can be created to freshen up the industrial site. The idea of using ecology to freshen up polluted industrial areas is still relatively new, however sites such as Wynyard quarter, Olympic sculpture park and the Brooklyn Bridge park who have incorporated ecol-ogy into their landscapes will give inspiration to other urban designers for future industrial areas.
their exclusive environments and consider the large scale context in which the buildings reside when designing for the future.Envisions such as the Supersurface 5 from the Florentine group Superstudio and Instant City from the British group Archigram were early inspirations to architect and urbanist Rem Koolhaas and the Rot-terdam group, Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). Flexibility and changeability were main design principles for the two projects above. Rem Koolhaas and his colleagues, being fully aware of the impermanence and unpredictability of the contemporary metropolis, have used many ways to push the concept of program in a more flexible and productive way. Program, in this case is viewed as “the engine of the project, driving the logic of form and organisation while responding to the changing demands of society” (Wall, 1999, p.237).
One of the first and boldest of the Grand Projets by François Mitterand was the Parc de la Villette. It was also one of the first times designers were faced with such a problem in dealing with large scale expanses of abandoned land in the city, which is made more difficult by the ambitious and uncertain goals of the commissioning agency. The 121 acres of land once occupied by a slaughterhouse complex created many logistical problems, largely due to reclamation of land and the modernisation of services. Baffling client demands along with uncertain development plans made the situation even more complicated than it already was.Strategic organisation of objects were of higher priority than the concern for visual stylisation and rep-resentation in this design. The site had to be outfitted and arranged in a way that has the capacity and flexibility to cater to any number of changing demands and programs from the urbanites that would be using the site. OMA conjured up a plan with the overlapping of four strategic layers for organising dif-ferent parts of the program. They are the “east-west strips” made of many differing natural and artificial surfaces, the “confetti grid” contains a number of both large and small kiosks and service points, the net-work of “circulation paths” and the “large objects” like round and linear forests. The designers depicted their multi-layered projects as a “landscape of social instruments”, with the strengths of the project lying in its ability to be responsive and adaptable to a wide range of uses as desires change.In 1987, Koolhaas and OMA proposed a plan for a new town in France known as Sénart (formerly Melun-Sénart). Instead of focusing the design on the planning and positioning of buildings, a multitude of programmed voids or islands were depicted. Deriving from the careful investigation of a range of ex-isting conditions, these islands set up a framework for which future buildings and sites can be built upon. Much like Parc de la Villette, the designing of Sénart is a tactical strategy expecting the developments of an uncertain future.
The design and integration of transport infrastructures are vital for the city’s performance. As a very visi-ble and effective instrument, it collects, links and creates relationships between locations around the city.The second beltway of Barcelona in Spain was constructed for the 1992 Olympic Games. The northern arc that connects Diagonal Avenue (northwest) and Trinitat Park (northeast), known as the Ronda de Dalt was designed by a team of architects and engineers lead by Bernardo de Sola. It was created to “achieve not the highest through-capacity of vehicles but the highest capacity of collection and distribu-tion among local and regional and local transportation networks” (Wall, 1999, p.239). This design strat-egy stimulates new growth of programs and open spaces at the interchanges. This is helped by having faster lanes in the center with slower lanes on the outside that connect new buildings to suburban streets. The Ronda de Dalt links high-volume structures like sport stadiums with parks and recreational areas to previously isolated housing suburbs, thus displaying the use of forgotten parkways from the 1920s as connective tissues in contemporary terms.
Large-scale infrastructure designs like the Ronda de Dalt helps to create new conditions for new types of urban surfaces like the Vall d’Hebron Park in Barcelona. The Vall d’Hebron is a 26 hectare park in the inner suburbs designed by Eduard Bru. The land was previous occupied by a multitude of post-war social housing and the designer believed that connecting recreational facilities to the beltway is the best way to serve the citizens of Barcelona. The park is a mosaic of park amenities, sports surfaces and routes. Bru designed the park to accommodate the changing demands of users and he represented it through the use
Programming the Urban Surface
by Zhou Fan
Reviewed Text:Wall, A. (1999). Programming the urban surface. In: Recovering landscape: essays in contemporary land-scape architecture. Ed. James Corner. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999. 233-249.
Essay
In 2008, for the first time in history, more than half of the population of the world will be residing in cities and towns. This means more housing, more public spaces and better transport infrastructures are all to be taken into consideration for the future planning of cities. In the article “Programming the Urban Surface” by Alex Wall, the author discusses the rise of new urban landscapes and the drives behind their designs.
Many urban projects conceived in Europe in the 1990s have crossed the boundaries of both landscape and urbanism. These works indicate a change of focus from the designing of exclusive and enclosed individual objects to inclusive designs and modifications of urban surfaces at a larger scale. The functions of the designs are also more emphasised instead of designing mainly for aesthetic purposes. In terms of urban surfaces, Wall refers to landscapes as the “extensive and inclusive ground-plane of the city” (Wall, 1999, p.233) instead of limiting the term to just open spaces that are not occupied by buildings such as parking lots, squares or parks. The urban surface supports all of those things, including buildings, roads and much more. As the base for a wide variety of static and dynamic activities in the city, the urban sur-face must adapt and respond to the unpredictable circumstances and demands of the citizens who utilise it.
The traditional idea of a city as a hub of culture and history surrounded by suburbs and then open countryside has been mostly displaced by a more polycentric sprawl in all directions, giving rise to the regional metropolis. With more people living in the cities, more vehicles, more goods and more informa-tion require support from the networks of transportation and electronic communication infrastructures implemented within the urban surface. All of this has had a large influence on the changing emphases of design by landscape and urbanism practices.The many complex effects of urbanism can be summarised into three main variants. Firstly is the rise of a kind of new urban site, often called peripheral sites, which are the vague areas in between large nodes of growth that are not clearly defined, yet they constitute a large portion of the characterised environment where many urbanites reside. This in turn makes the city centres more geared towards a focus on enter-tainment and attracting tourists. Secondly is the increase in access and mobility due to many factors like the rise in population density and the changing economy. This is not limited to just private and public transportation systems, it also includes many utilities and communication infrastructures which citizens require day in and day out. Thirdly is the shift in design emphasis from stylisation and representation to a much more instrumental approach, which is a result of the previous two effects. Infrastructures and network flows have become somewhat more significant and more useful than the conventional types of landscapes of parks, squares or districts.
Consequently, designers and planners must now take a different approach to creating new urban pro-jects. Cities now require a greater focus on infrastructure, services and mobility, along with public spaces with flexible and multifunctional purposes. The urban landscape is being transformed into “a living, connective tissue between increasingly disparate fragments of unforeseen programs” (Wall, 1999, p.235).A recent history to these shifts began in the 1950s when architects and planners were thinking about the large scale urban environments due to the rapid expansion of cities that blended the differences of city and countryside as well as the dissimilarities between places. At the Aspen Design Conference in 1955, architect and planner Victor Gruen urged other architects to look beyond the limits of buildings with
Overnight, demands and desires could change but the administrators of the city must have the capa-bility to respond in a punctual fashion without commencing a complete overhaul of large areas of land. The OMA projects located in la Villette and Sénart are both cautiously designed landscapes that are also frameworks with the ability to accommodate the future requirements citizens may desire without de-grading the integrities of the original design.Movement. In today’s culture, the automobile and the roads are the most widely used instruments and spaces of mobility and access. Transport infrastructures connect a string of urban sites together while bringing vitality and experience to the urban surface. This makes them of equal importance as what the town hall or square used to be. The designer conceived the Ronda de Dalt as a site to be a new type of urban corridor to connect, collect and distribute a large number of people to wide variety of destina-tions. Wall believes that one of the most important aspects of urban design in the twenty-first century is strengthening the infrastructures of movement and viewing them as new domains of collective and public life.
In Alex Wall’s article, he regards landscapes as a continuous horizontal surfaces that should be designed not only for its aesthetic value but also to have flexible and adaptive functions. With more and more peo-ple living in cities, function and connectivity are more vital than ever before. Space is limited and design-ers must utilise the amount of space they have with the highest form of efficiency.
Yonge-Dundas Square – Toronto, Canada
The Yonge-Dundas square is a commercial joint and public square situated in downtown Toronto. It was initially envisioned as a part of a revitalising project for the intersection of Yonge Street and Dundas Street East. Since its completion in 2002, it has hosted a number of public events, performances and art displays, thus making itself an attractive landmark and a major tourist magnet. (Yonge-Dundas Square. (n.d.))Thickening. With large granite slabs covering most of the square’s 0.4 hectares, drainage is aided by the slightly inclined topography of the space. The incline also simulates the feeling of being on a theatrical stage. The space is illuminated by surrounding multimedia towers but lighting masts on the southern edge of the space can also be used if additional illumination is required.Nonprogrammed use. The space can be modified to incorporate seating for up to 1,000 people and tem-porary structures can be erected to host indoor events for up to 12,000 people.Movement. Universal accessibility is ensured by the Dundas subway station and 250-space parking facili-ty beneath the square.
Saint Patrick’s Square – Auckland, New Zealand
At 0.24 hectares, Saint Patrick’s square is the setting for the spiritual centre of Catholicism in the heart of the Auckland city. It is an important place of commemoration and social gathering. Designed to cater to the demands of the users, the landscape architects at Boffa Miskell had the idea of an attractive, safe and high quality space that “invites and encourages social interaction” (Disciplines, C. (2010, April 23)).New materials. Tiles, grass, concrete and water are all parts what makes up the surface materials for Saint Patrick’s Square.Nonprogrammed use. The square is a great place for local residents, families with children come to the space to play, workers can enjoy lunch there and it is a great social meeting spot.
Plaça de Catalunya (Catalonia Square) – Barcelona, Spain
The 5 hectare square is regarded as Barcelona’s city centre. It is where the old city meets the more mod-ern 19th century district. Some of the most important streets and avenues converge at the square. The fountains, statues and the fact that the space neighbours some of the other popular attractions in central Barcelona makes the square a beloved piece of landscape architecture (Plaça de Catalunya, Barcelona. (n.d.)).
of a wide range of materials on the surface of the park such as grass, wood, metal, concrete, asphalt and recycled rubber tyres in new and bizarre ways to promote a diversity of functions. The custom of citizens “driving to a super-market car park, and spending Sunday with the car door open, listening to the radio while the children play in the park” (Wall, 1999, p.241) are seen as very respectable, because they can calmly spend their Sunday surrounded by things most dear to them: the car, the children and the radio.
Adriaan Geuze is a Dutch landscape architect and founder of the urban design and landscape architec-ture firm, West 8. The works of West 8 clearly demonstrates that landscape architects have the ability to blend urban design into a new synthetic practice of landscape urbanism. With Geuze’s thinking geared towards large-scale strategic plans, he has contributed to creating sites that have accommodated a diverse range of purposes and perceptions over time. Geuze prefers “emptiness” to over programming and de-bates that urbanites are fully capable of creating, adapting and imagining anything they want to. For the unpredictable futures, he believes that new urban consumers should create their own sub-cultures in the environments which they live in and make the place their own.As seen in Schouwburgplein, a contemporary Binnenrotte market square conceived by West 8 in 1996, the surfaces on the square are composed of lightweight wood and metal. It appears very simple, yet it is also very versatile. It is designed to accommodate a wide range of events at any given time. The square is fitted with fence and tent-post holes, below the surface are many utilities and services. A Milky Way of fluorescent lights light up the square at night. The main attraction of the square though, are the 35-me-tre-high crane-like lighting masts that can be moved up or down by citizens at will if they were to drop-ping a coin into the machine.
The International Port Terminal in the Japanese city of Yokohama, designed by the London based studio, Foreign Office Architects in 1996 produces a continuous surface composed of differing materials and topographies. The folding and rolling floors of the pier are constructed with a building technology that allows for continuously convex and concave floors, which attempts to bring together the many differing dimensions of the program together, such as the differences between “land and sea, natives and foreign-ers, city and harbour and public and private.” (Wall, 1999, p.244).
The author, Alex Wall, mentions that the projects mentioned previously are the instruments, or agents of realising new urban landscapes. They were designed for function and structuring potential and not so much for aesthetics and stylisation. The main productive principles can be condensed into 6 main design principles. They are:Thickening. As seen in Schouwburgplein, though it appears to be a single surface, it solves problems from structure, drainage, as well as utilities. The surface is thickened, multi-layered, dynamic and contin-uous.Folding. The interior and exterior spaces can be linked together into a single continuous surface by cut-ting, warping and folding of the topographies. Yokohama International Port Terminal is a clear demon-stration of this principle, with warping floors that flow into one another. This shows the potential for connecting the flow of people and goods as well as creating a more fluid and interactive connection of different zones.New materials. In the Vall d’Hebron, Eduard Bru’s use of asphalt, rubber, wood, grass and metal pro-motes new activities for pedestrians. The graffiti, skateboarders and boom boxes often seen used by park-goers does not necessarily degrade the park in anyway, but instead, it helps to recognise the certain trends present in contemporary youth culture, while, at the same time, extends the variety of uses linked with this particular park. Nonprogrammed use. Surfaces of parks and other public spaces with amenities that are controllable, to some degree, by the users of the space clearly demonstrates the diverse and flexible forms the space can take. Instead of having fixed structures that can serve only a single purpose, possessing modifiable amen-ities makes the space more economical and versatile, as well as an improvement of the users’ relation-ships with the space. Schouwburgplein by Adriaan Geuze and Vall d’Hebron by Eduard Bru are prime examples of public spaces with nonprogrammed uses.Impermanence. Programs and functions are one of the most changeable facets of any urban centre.
Insurgent Ecologies:(Re)Claiming Ground in Landscape and Urbanism
by Patricia Morrison
Reviewed Text:Lister, N. M. (2010). Insurgent ecologies: (re) claiming ground in landscape and urbanism. In: M. Mosta-favi with G. Doherty (eds.), Ecological Urbanism. Zurich, Switzerland: Lars Müller Publishers.
Introduction
Only today do we realize how important ecology is to us. The organisms and their environments give us health, freedom and a different outlook on landscapes. Today we start to rethink landscape design in cities and instead of cancelling out the natural sustainable landscape you begin with and build on top of because of social-cultural to political-economic reasons which then gives us globalization, decentralization and post-industrialization, we are now considering these factors and looking more broadly, to an ecological urbanism, finally realizing the real metaphorical context of ecology, reengaging culture and nature, and building within it.
Summary of Authors Argument
The author explains Cartesian influenced order, prediction and control in the industrial era, over isolat-ing our cities, country and landscapes. Learning that this is an issue and now understanding the mean-ing of ecology has challenged the assumptions of predictability and control of living systems. This will decrease our chances of more post-industrial landscapes and give us new urbanism.
“Landscape urbanism is a multiscaled and multilayered urbanism involving cultural, social, political, economic, infrastructural, and ecological conditions that are layered, tangled, and mutually depend-ent”(Nina-Marie Lister-text).Metropolitan landscapes are being created into these beautiful and thrilling ground’s that have been forgotten, and have learnt to design around something that is engaging with the history and culture or ignoring it.
Taking advantage of the landscape either scraping it clean or not, the culture and nature emerges from forgotten landscapes. Creating new contemporary urban spaces brings the community together, intro-duces new beginnings providing for the people and the nature. Creating a new palette for designers, aspects of culture and nature are woven together throughout the metropolitan landscape embracing the social-cultural and political-economic dynamics of landscape and also creating new typologies of infra-structure.
The author suggests designing effectively, meaningfully and responsibly. Landscape projects will trans-form and recalibrate to adaptive design once underscoring contemporary strategies.Human-ecological interactions are created without prediction and control, which the author is trying to put out; we need to create a whole new habitat without these actions of ‘control’. Putting nature in more of our designs and environments letting them grow and develop over time, normally, without the con-cern or ‘prediction’.We are able to provide adaptive ecological design that brings “current ecological science and is a response to urbanizing landscapes that are under pressure from competing resource demands and land uses”(Ni-na-Marie Lister-text).
New materials. The center of Catalonia Square is paved in an elliptical shape with seats, grass and a row of trees surrounding it. To the northwest of the ellipse are two large fountains.Nonprogrammed use. Catalonia Square is often seen crowded with people and was also the location for the anti-government protests and sit-ins in May 2011.Movement. The square functions as Barcelona’s public transport hub as buses, taxis and the main subway station beneath the square can practically take residents anywhere in the city.
References
Disciplines, C. (2010, April 23). St Patrick’s Square wins top Landscape Architects Award | The Big Idea | Te Aria Nui. The Big Idea | Te Aria Nui | New Zealand | online community | creative | news | jobs | careers | events | networking. Retrieved from http://www.thebigidea.co.nz/news/industry-news/2010/apr/68787-st-patricks-square-wins-top-landscape-architects-award
Plaça de Catalunya, Barcelona. (n.d.). A View On Cities. Retrieved from http://www.aviewoncities.com/barcelona/placadecatalunya.htm
Wall, A. (1999). Programming the urban surface. In: Recovering landscape: essays in contemporary land-scape architecture. Ed. James Corner. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999. 233-249.
Who designed the Square? (All about the Design) | All About the Square | Yonge-Dundas Square. (n.d.). Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto Ontario. Retrieved from http://www.ydsquare.ca/all-about-the-square/who-designed-the-square-all-about-the-design.html
urban oasis.
Holalokka Summary
In Oslo, Norway a beautiful water park opened in the fall of 2004.Atelier Dreiseitl, a waterscapes company located around the world, had created a plan for the phased res-toration of Oslo’s biggest river, the Alna that is located between an industrial business park and a housing estate.The river Alna now flows in a naturally restored river bed after the combining of high ecological and hy-drological criteria in the technical management of water system with an integration of appealing outdoor space with seating areas and the popular swimming pond which is being purified by a retaining wall of slits. One of the important parts of the project was to divide sedimentation, retention and infiltration.In Holalokka Water Park, surface water is led from an industrial and traffic area through a wetland before being released into the Alna River. The new pool is purifying and protecting the Alna river from pollution also by preserving the old culvert, this project also prevents flooding. Re-opening streams and brooks are an important piece in Oslo Municipality’s environmental goal of strengthening the blue-green structure in the city while providing a revitalized calm and relaxing place for the community.
Atelier Dreiseitl states that ‘as a city park, the park is relatively little used. There are no organized activi-ties in the park, but it is well suited to walking and to sit in. The respondents were most dissatisfied with the fact that it was wild and unkempt in the park, it was too much algae in the water and that there are no ordinary park furniture’.
In reflection, Atelier Dreiseitl is introducing a new breed of urbanism. They are less concerned with pre-diction and control and have moved towards a more organic, adaptive and flexible planning, design and management strategies.A creation of an adapted design with environmental change that has not been predicted or controlled. Introducing a reengagement of culture and nature trying to pursue human ecological interaction.They have drawn on current ecological science and are a response to urbanizing landscapes.
Vancouver Land Bridge Summary
In 2010 John Paul Jones introduced the Vancouver Land Bridge to Vancouver, Washington.A bridge for pedestrians, that goes over a large freeway creating a connection between open grass farm land to the Columbia river waterfront, which was becoming unused by the public. The initial design ide-as of this bridge were to connect the environment and surrounding areas.This stunning bridge is a symbol of the Native Americans contributing to the area. Including indigenous plants planted throughout the bridge. The main idea of the design was to make it green as possible, work-ing with the nature and creating ways to collect water when it rains and irrigate it through out its native plants.The bridge is a gateway mainly for people living in the Fort Vancouver area, as it is the only main access route to the harbor.
From what I gathered this unique bridge is grounded by science and inferred in speculation and rep-resentation that is a medium of construction beyond the ground plane, embracing the social-cultural to
In reflection, real sustainable design has been adapted into these landscapes with spaces created for constant human interaction with other species demands, including economic and ecological health and cultural vitality. Our wish of organic, adaptive, and flexible planning, design, and management strategies are all brought into one. With discussion and negotiation instead of prediction and control we learn to keep on top of mother nature and work with it, community appropriate, before things become irreversi-ble and non adaptive (post-industrial brownfields).
How do we design effectively, meaningfully, and responsibly in the dynamic context of an ecological urbanism?
What might adaptive ecological design look like, in the context of an ecological urbanism?
River + City + Life
This was a proposal design led by Stoss Landscape Urbanism for Toronto’s Lower Don Lands. “One of the finalists in an international design competition to remediate and revitalize 40 hectares of post-industrial Toronto waterfront” (Nina-Marie Lister-text).The Don is characteristic of many post-industrial waterfront sites, another forgotten place that could be turned into an urban and ecological landscape. They first dealt with significantly degraded land here and a river in Canada’s largest city that strongly suffers from oxygen depletion, high turbidity, poor flow and seasonal contamination by sewage effluent, reengineering the floodplain and creating a new urban edge to the city with integrated cultural and natu-ral ecologies for the site.
From what I gathered, they really focused on reversing the convention of the last century and a half and also by hinging the design on renewal rather than restoration, layering habitats and Eco tones. They pulled their ecology through the brownfield creating an urban space, pulling new cultures and na-ture through this new non-isolated space, connecting people with the water and doing something for the next generation.
Evergreen Brick Works
Upstream of the Lower Don Lands is an emerging example of the intersection of ecology, landscape and urbanism. This site is located on an arterial road off a major expressway, and is a designated cultural and natural heritage site. “A Canadian national charity created a master plan to transform this post-industrial site into an international showcase for urban sustainability and ecological design, strongly focused on the reclamation and reinterpretation of the quarry and former brick works” (Nina-Marie Lister-text).
The quarry was abandoned and was urging the community to rethink its space. It was filled in and re-stored as a wetland and as a natural heritage conservation site. They redeveloped the industrial buildings while discovering and protecting archaeological, industrial and natural heritage that provides opportuni-ties for learning through native plant recognition, gardening, green design and local habitats.They then created a deep connection between nature, culture and community together in the city. You find sustainable green buildings; native plant nurseries and community events that are held in this space. “Innovation and discovery are showcasing innovative technologies and programming to help citizens integrate sustainability into their lives” (Nina-Marie Lister-text).
I’ve learnt that the site offers a wide range of contemporary interpretations of ecologies in the context of landscape and urbanism. Adaptive reuse and revitalization of an old brownfield, drawing out new possibilities and a sense of place, this has now opened up the imagination of what is possible in transforming a post-industrial site into an
References
Atelier Dreseitl. (2013). Retreived from http://www.dreiseitl.com/index.php?lang=en
Lister, N. M. (2010). Insurgent ecologies: (re) claiming ground in landscape and urbanism. In: M. Mosta-favi with G. Doherty (eds.), Ecological Urbanism. Zurich, Switzerland: Lars Müller Publishers.
River + City + Life. (n.d.) A guide to renewing Toronto’s lower Don Lands. Retrieved from http://designobserver.com/media/pdf/RIVER+CITY+LIF_98.pdf
Weiss/Manfredi. (n.d.). Seattle Art Museum: Olympic Sculpture Park. Retrieved from http://weissman-fredi.com/project/seattle-art-museum-olympic-sculpture-park
political-economic values. We see integrated points from country to city with cultural and natural ecolo-gies for the site. Introducing a new breed of urbanism and adaptive design that is thriving.
Olympic Sculpture Park Summary
This contemporary waterfront green space is located in Seattle, Washington, USA. Two designers called Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi introduced this design that was completed in 2007. The designers had created a zigzagging overhead of bridges for pedestrians over a previous site which contained an oil transfer facility which then 100,000 tones of contaminated soil was removed in its con-struction. Before the design was proposed the site had separated the city from the beach. Now this winning inter-national design links the city and beach together as well as connecting the community and Seattle’s Art Museum down to the Elliot Bay with features that include an evergreen copse, a deciduous copse and a shoreline garden.As you walk along the only green space in Downtown Seattle, you get views of the Olympic Mountains across Puget Sound.You feel a connection with the water and the contemporary art installations, as you might not otherwise wonder into museums or galleries.
What I think about this open and vibrant green space of art is that it gives human relationships with everything that surround it, experience of art culture in an outdoor setting, while enjoying the incredible views and beauty of the land. They have repurposed, transformed and recalibrated the site by the use of ecology, culture and infrastructure to connect the city to the sea creating this new urban landscape living field.
In Conclusion
Authors such as Nina is challenging landscape architects to design with the new and existing ecology with the understanding of place- of scale, context and history. Nina-Marie quotes ‘Ecology is now central to the vocabulary and language of the contemporary landscape’.Industrial areas are now created into urban spaces that create the quality of life. From Nina’s text and my three projects, the landscape architects have shown more organic alternatives to cleansing water, natu-ralizing the environment, they are addressing the issues of water that improves the quality of a city and beautifies it. Their designs are relevant to living systems; they have found alternatives to keep culture and history on site by planting, revitalizing, and creating space and place of which brings the community together.Bringing the country back into the city is an evolution into an ecological urbanism.
People need to learn that you cannot solve complex ecological problems that occur at multiple scales. We need community to engage to the design and ecological science, as that is natural and adaptive. Nature needs all its natural organisms and land to survive, because without these things and no people to influ-ence it and sustain it, there is no life but stone hard buildings and post-industrial sites that would sur-round us.
Auckland is a very green country, we are learning to integrate ecological urbanism into our cities, we are keeping on top of nature and extending it into our metropolitan cities, which is now preventing from post-industrial sites to happen. I think it is a good idea to extend these theories and for them to be reached out to every landscape architect and student for a future of more habitats and eco systems amongst our urban cities.
No one body of knowledge can effectively analyse cities as once might have been considered apt. Berg-er suggests that the time has come for designers to pursue more ambitious approaches of challenging urbanisation. A deliberate shift in thinking to remedy present inefficacies brought about by this industry division is proposed, with a focus on the more contemporary concept of landscape urbanism, albeit with bounding parameters less defined. This reconceptualisation recognises the urban future as being under a perpetual state of construction, and requires a step back to take into account the greater site in place and time.
Deindustrialisation of today’s urban centres will continue, and so too the opportunities presented by the ensuing drosscape. Focusing on how this drosscape can be succinctly and functionally reintegrated into the urban landscape should, according to Berger, be at landscape urbanism’s central line of sight.
Drosscape Applied
While being coined and brought to the forefront of thought by Berger, the concept of drosscape and the encompassing approach of landscape urbanism has been demonstrated without Berger’s explicit exami-nation.
Olympic Sculpture Park - Seattle, WA, USA
Aesthetics, efficiency and functionality in Seattle’s Olympic Sculpture Park have successfully incorporat-ed the drosscape concept and elements therein. As the site of a oil-transfer facility from 1910 through 1975, a subsequent 32 year period passed before the park was presented to the people of Seattle in its re-cycled glory (Seattle Art Museum, n.d.). Weiss and Manfredi (n.d.) have designed the space with obvious testament to landscape urbanism thinking.
Functions of transition as well as destination have been injected into the site, ensuring the site is no longer fragmented by present infrastructure. The site’s plane has been raised and the rail and arterial road lowered. This has resulted in the reconnection of Seattle’s urban core to the revitalised waterfront, the park bridging previous barriers to passage. The park itself accommodates an exhibition pavilion as an extension of the Seattle Art Museum. This social magnet also brings sculpture outside of the pavilion walls, connecting the museum with the wider site, and highlighting the park for its destination value as a community active space.
The appeal of this site for the user stands in clear contrast to the ethos of parks of old. Olympic Sculpture Park achieves not an isolation from the city and its busy character, but a complimenting integration with-in the city, and a reaching out of the city into the waters by way of access, and beyond Puget Sound to the Olympic Mountains by way of vista.
While the site’s development was without decontamination-oriented subsidy, Olympic Sculpture Park was supported by the Parks for People Initiative from The Trust for Public Land (Market + Main, 2011). This assistance cannot be ignored in recognising the contribution of the development to the region’s in-crease in land asset value. Holtzman (2007, as cited in Gies, 2009, p. 7) discusses elevated condominium prices in advance of the park’s opening, as well as local restaurants anticipating new business from the predicted 600,000 annual visitors to the site.
Pirrama Park – Sydney, Australia
Most recently a base for the area’s water police, Pirrama Park has been created out of a history of industry and trade. While utilised until development to its present state, the site was very much under-utilised, with its wider expanse being fenced-off hard surface and rubble. The celebration of this drosscape being given permission to move forward in the consumption/waste cycle has led to Aspect Studio, in collab-oration with Hill Thalis Architecture and CAB Consulting, merging a focus on the area’s history with
Drosscape: A Review of Waste Landscape, Urbanism and Future Direction
by Reuben McPeak
Reviewed Text:Berger, A. (2006). Drosscape: wasting land in urban America. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.
From the historical core of each city the world over, development pushes out like the growth rings of a tree. Hinterland turns to farmland, and successively industry, residence and commerce occupy the land-scape. This horizontal urbanisation is occurring at a greater rate than at any other time, and with it, the amount of terrain transitional in use. As evidence of any growing city, transitional spaces appear as scars on the landscape, paying tribute to what was and providing opportunity for what might be. None more so than the legacy of industry where fixtures, machinery, toxins and buildings no longer of use pause time while intimidating the potential developer.
These inevitable waste landscapes, also referred to by Alan Berger (2006) as drosscapes, represent an im-portant opportunity for not only siting new design and development, but also for rethinking the concept of urban waste space and analysing anew landscape’s relationship to urbanisation. Berger suggests that a comprehension of landscape as well as urbanisation will best position the future’s designers to adaptively reuse these waste landscapes.
Berger’s Key Points
Berger expresses his concern over the use of the term “waste-landscape”, seeing it as a mindset of the cup being half empty, a focus on fixing that which is broken, and leading to interventions that simply make do. This perception relegates the site to the position of a by-product of its past – a discarded item of processes no longer operating. Berger (2008) pushes the point that “we can no longer afford to think of designing with altered terrain as a ‘dirty’ alternative to high or boutique design”, believing that a new conceptualisation must be encountered before effectively addressing the redesign challenge.
In landscaping of the past, greenspaces were created as a retreat for the soul; an escape from the bus-tling and congested city and the inherent industry symptoms of the times. The City Beautiful movement (Avenna, n.d.) brought focus away from poor and run-down areas of the city by creating spaces of beauty and magnificence, while Le Corbusier’s proposed Radiant City (Highways of the Mind, n.d.) created vast distinction between green space, residence and business in an effort to eradicate perceived failures of the urban realm. These views are in contrast to the acknowledgement of the greater consumption/waste cycle, in which processes of societal development innately integrate waste into the urban world as an important ingredient for moving forward. Berger (2006) likens system processes of the cityscape to those of a living ecosystem, where waste is inevitable and an indicator of healthy progression, providing the building blocks for further growth and development.
Across the developed world, tax subsidies and other financial incentives are being instigated for decon-tamination and development on ex-industrial brownfield sites. Paccagnan and Turvani (2007) record France, The Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom as having federal initiatives, while Berger notes similar strategies in place in the USA. This has led much development to favour these opportune sites for reason of the high offsetting of required investment.
Drosscape Encapsulated
Berger believes the status quo of design and urban construction to demonstrate a fragmentation of the four primary influencing disciplines: architecture, landscape architecture, planning and urban design.
Drosscape and Landscape Urbanism in Auckland
Berger (2006) discusses the importance of the key disciplines coming together for more holistic and en-compassing thought to best inform design. The City Centre Masterplan (Auckland Council, n.d.(a)) has been developed to take into scope the longer term for the inner city. The development of Wynyard Quar-ter herein is a small part of a more widely connected and conceived intention, where architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, and politics come together in contribution. Architectus were recently awarded a Sustainability Award of Excellence (New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects [NZILA], 2013) for the Daldy Street Linear Park, a conceptualised linkage running from Wynyard Quarter to Victoria Park. Again, factors of recreation, wider connection and ecology unite in seeing this drosscape utilised and cycled back into the system processes of Auckland’s urbanity.
Auckland’s vision to be the world’s most liveable city has brought about planning that presents itself as the product of contemporary thinking; the kind Berger describes as landscape urbanism. The Auckland Plan (Auckland Council, n.d.(b)) effectively considers transport and connectivity, environmental sen-sitivities and development planning among other issues relevant to horizontal urbanisation across the wider city.
New Zealand has yet to reach a point of incentivising the clean-up of post-industrial sites. It might be suggested that the nation’s relatively short history of colonisation has given little chance for industry to impart much damage to the environment. Alternatively, it is possible the government has neither con-ceived of nor had the suggestion passed across its desk for the possibility to subsidise such reparation efforts.
Whether at the scale of the site or the city, collaborative design within Auckland public spaces shows to reintegrate the city’s drosscapes into beauty, function and efficiency. What has to this point in time been known as landscape architecture is evolving to have its definition blurred even further. This collaborative approach can only be maintained with continued accountability and consultation with allied disciplines. Similarly, it would be anticipated that the defining boundaries of the other key disciplines might also be blurring to ensure better design, planning and implementation approaches across the board through wider consultation, more measured steps and a desire to bring about Auckland as the world’s most livea-ble city.
References
Architectus. (2012). Wynyard Quarter. Retrieved from http://www.architectus.co.nz/projects/wyn-yard-quarter
Aspect Studios. (n.d.). Pirrama Park. Retrieved from http://www.aspect.net.au/wps/wcm/connect/web/w/projects/type+of+service/landscape+architecture/pirrama+park
Auckland Council. (n.d.). City centre masterplan. Retrieved from http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/planspoliciesprojects/plansstrategies/ccmp/Pages/home.aspx#ad-image-0
Auckland Council. (n.d.). The Auckland plan. Retrieved from http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/planspoliciesprojects/plansstrategies/theaucklandplan/Pages/theaucklandplan.aspx
Avenna, C. (n.d.). City beautiful movement in the progressive age. Retrieved from the Fordham Univer-sity web site: http://www.fordham.edu/academics/colleges__graduate_s/undergraduate_colleg/fordham_
the core objective of restoring the relationship of city to water for the local community (Holmes, 2012). “Drosscape,” clarifies Berger (2006), “far from marking failure, testifies to previous success and the design challenge for its continuance.”
Historic elements of vegetation cover, quarrying, land reclamation and maritime associations have all fed into Pirrama Park’s features, impressing upon the user the site’s timeframe as much greater than their own, and giving a sense of location to the park as a suitable intervention. The wider physical space is also tied into the site’s design, exhibiting landscape urbanism in Pirrama Park’s design conception. No attempt is made to hide the park’s surrounds. Buildings, land and water are utilised as an important backdrop, ensuring the site is integrated into the wider urban landscape. The eastern border of the site is hard evidence of the sandstone quarrying history, while northward and westward views stretch across Johnstons Bay to wider Sydney. Across the immediate waters of the park, The Elizabeth apartments stand with the building’s original facade, testament to its history as a high-pressure boiler house dating back to the late 19th century. The park also provides an important link in the now 14km network of open space running between Glebe and Rushcutters Bay (Aspect Studios, n.d.), pushing out the bounds of the park even further.
Berger (2006) proposes design of spaces that can adapt to changing circumstance “without falling to better organised schemes in the future”. Pirrama Park as a destination supports a range of self-directed community activity, as well as providing a small playground for younger children. Its network of paths and open grassed spaces also enable the accommodating of a range of public events such as festivals, markets and meetings appropriate to the changing urban culture of the area. This demonstrates further the site as an example of efficient and flexible contemporary design
Wynyard Quarter – Auckland, New Zealand
The development of Wynyard Quarter, while still in its initial stages, has already ticked off many boxes that confirm not only the site’s integration into Auckland’s urban setting and culture, but also begin to reinstate the CBD’s much lacking connection to the Waitemata Harbour. The waterfront site comes from an industrial history of petro-chemical storage as well as supporting a functioning wharf. As designers, Architectus have embraced both of these elements, maintaining the genius loci of the site. As outlined by Architectus (2012), the four objectives in designing the site are as follows: a highly connected public space; acknowledging the site’s marine and industrial heritage; a prioritising of waterfront access; and maintaining the space as generously open.
Wynyard Quarter is a popular walking distance from the city’s hub. Pedestrian connectivity is primarily across as single east-west axis, though future plans will see a north-south axis added to link in Victoria Park and the planned Headland Park. Visibility of the wider city from the park also creates a sense of connection and belonging, looking inland to the Sky Tower, outward to the Harbour Bridge, and stretch-ing eastward down the pedestrian axis.
The park has been designed with a nautical theme, incorporating dross from parts of the wharf. Buoys are sunken into the turf, piles previously submerged in waters beneath the wharf are integrated in retain-ing walls, and rail lines formerly used in transporting goods to and from ships have attention brought to them once more by lighting accentuating their linear arrangement. Large silos no longer in use now stand as monuments to the site’s history, providing structural furniture on the western wing while also functioning as a canvas on which movies are cast weekly through the summer.
The greater Wynyard Quarter plan incorporates public recreation, retail, commerce and residential de-velopment, all projected as the successive step from this drosscape that is industry’s past. Berger (2006) idealises landscape urbanism as “improving regional landscape deficiencies of the urban realm”, and this site – both in present and anticipated future form – takes into account the relationship between land and urbanism itself.
Transcendant Eco-cities or Urban Ecological Security?
by Natalie Couch
Reviewed Text:Hodson, M & Marvin, S 2010 ‘Eco-urbanism: Transcendent Eco-Cities or Urban Ecological Security?’, in: Mostafavi, M & Doherty, G (eds.), Ecological Urbanism, Lars Muller Publishers, Cambridge, MA, USA.
In this article the authors begin by expressing concern in the new trend in city planning; the transforma-tion of cities so that they can overcome environmental resource constraints to allow them to continue economic growth. Following this, Hodson and Marvin pose the question, does this new movement aim to create closed gate communities, or can it contribute to developing more inclusive plans that consider the protection of all communities facing environmental constraints?.
The tone of this argument is that there are wider issues that need to be considered when trying to address environmental imbalance. The authors state that it is important to widen the discussion to consider the long-term consequences of our decisions for urban renewal and its ecological effects on communities world wide. They mention that there is little dialogue addressing who controls these systems and tech-nologies and how this will work.
The authors then discuss how this new wave of ecological-urbanism has gone mainstream with examples of eco-planning that is being realized across a network of various cities around the globe. Certain pro-jects are being seen as “blueprints” that can be used as examples (e.g Dongtan in China2), these projects promise high productivity with low impact. The authors comment on how governments have already begun supporting eco-city developments financially without having substantial experience in knowing whether the plans are achievable.
The term “Integrated (Quasi) Autonomous Eco-tectonics” is used referring to the closed loop systems that attempt to be self reliant in terms of energy and resources utilized within a community or city. The model of reduse reuse, recycle is mentioned here, but also the new concepts of neutrality, including wa-ter, waste and carbon neutrality. This means that any resource used is dealt with in a way that it can have minimal or no effects on the environment. The important point made here is that the energy or resource that is used, and the amount used is still determined by the market. With this in mind, it is noted that there is not much discussion or focus on social or institutional control on these technologies ie I believe there is potential for incentives to change the way we think about what we are consuming and why.
The authors then discuss how these new eco urban centers aim to utilize new technologies and market frameworks to ensure that present lifestyle and production levels continue as usual under the precedent that all production and resource use will be neutralized. This, they state, will continue despite what has previously been viewed as natural limitations and thus resource constraints.
The authors suggest that there is a stark contrast to the movement in the 70’s. During the 70’s it used to be non-governmental and environmental groups critiquing corporate and governmental ventures, now it is these corporate agencies that are working together with the environmental groups to create and fund such developments. The authors explain how global urbanism has become a merging of ecology with economy, and technology. The new projects need the financial support of corporate and Governmental leadership as there is a level of expertise needed to set up the new sustainable technologies.
One aspect of the present dilemma is the increasing population growth within the urban centers, and their reliance on outside resources to maintain the circulation and consumption of commodities.
college_at_l/special_programs/honors_program/hudsonfulton_celebra/homepage/progressive_move-ment/
Berger, A. (2006). Drosscape: wasting land in urban America. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.
Berger, A. (Ed.). (2008). Designing the reclaimed landscape. Oxford, UK: Taylor & Francis.Gies, E. (2009). Conservation: an investment that pays – the economic benefits of parks and open space. California, USA: The Trust for Public Land.
Highways of the Mind. (n.d.). Specters of urban architecture. Retrieved from http://highwaysofthemind.com/futurama/bychapter/futuc/futuc3note2.html
Holmes, D. (2012, September 5). Pirrama park. Retrieved from http://worldlandscapearchitect.com/pir-rama-park-sydney-australia-aspect-studios/#.UXzCVaJTDHQ
Jacksons Landing Community Association. (2012). History of Jacksons Landing. Retrieved from http://www.jacksonslanding.net.au/history/category/locations/elizabethMarket + Main. (May 2011). Tenth Street area redevelopment plan. West Point, Georgia, USA: Market + Main.
NZILA. (2013). Sustainability Award of Excellence 3 2013. Retrieved from http://www.nzila.co.nz/pro-jects/projects-list/sustainability-award-of-excellence-3-2013.aspx
Paccagnan, V. & Turvani, M. (2007). Public policies for the reuse of urban brownfields in Europe: a law and economics analysis. In Società Italiana di Diritto ed Economia - Italian Society of Law and Econom-ics, Proceedings of the Third Annual Conference of SIDE-ISLE, Milan, 9-10 November 2007. Venice, Italy: Department of Planning, IUAV University of Venice.
Seattle Art Museum. (n.d.). Olympic sculpture park: history of the park. Retrieved from http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/visit/osp/AboutOSP/history.asp
Weiss/Manfredi. (n.d.). Seattle Art Museum: Olympic Sculpture Park. Retrieved from http://weissman-fredi.com/project/seattle-art-museum-olympic-sculpture-park
real and visible, the only immediate way around this is to deal with the consequences. New concepts of neutrality appears to me to help justify continued production of commodities and material wealth.
The question that the authors pose is very valid- who will benefit and who will be disadvantaged. With the new technologies being developed there is a substantial amount of complexity that needs support on various levels. So while some cities will have access to these “eco-technologies” some will not. The com-munities that are not included will still be affected by these environmental “emergencies”. There seems to be no discussion on how the wealthier, or more powerful states can support these smaller communities.
Ultimately, the arguments posed within the article encourage a broader exploration of other models or examples that could work in a more inclusive manner. In these paradigms equality and collaboration would be the fundamental agents for change.
3 projects that link to the article:
1. Holalokka, Onslo, Norway.
Supported by Onslo city council. 2ha. Completed in 2007. River Alna is released from its concrete pipe and its natural slopes and banks are restored. Storm water management and recreation areas are trans-formed which combines river and hence habitat restoration within an urban park setting. Water outputs from surrounding industrial buildings are cleansed by plantings and water cleansing banks and ponds. River quality is restored so that people can bathe again in the ponds and at the beach.
“Dreiseitl’s philosophy is exhibited in his projects. Water is life and the motivating factor in everything he does. “Water is selfless, extremely transformable, full of surprises both quiet and powerful, and yet re-mains the reliable carrier of life for all organisms. Its untarnished beauty and elementary power is regard-ed with respect in many cultures, admired and revered in religions and mythologies. Today we rediscover its fundamental value, an essential role in the environment, climate and life of this planet”. Dreiseitl, inspired by water, seeks to awaken a new understanding of sustainability, using public art intrinsically within overall landscape planning solutions, bringing universal themes of ecology and well-being to light.
Dreiseiti’s projects amalgamate hydrology, ecology and recreation within urban settings. He has a back-ground in the arts and has had 30 years experience working in the field of landscape architecture and water sculpture. The company has offices in Singapore, Beijing, America, and Germany where collabora-tion with artists, designers, architects, engineers and planners work closely with communities to restore and construct environments, mostly urban, and centered around the aim of transforming water infra-structure. While Dreiseiti has a vision to re awaken a new understanding of sustainability, I question whether smaller, poorer communities would have access to the expertise and skill of this company to revitalize their environments, and to recreate natural ecosystems combined with attractive, culturally appropriate urban recreational parks. Infrastructures such as concrete drainage channels that have had damaging ef-fects on biodiversity are now being transform by companies such as Atelier Dreiseitl either back into the natural river state (as in the project Holalokka) or bioengineered into natural habitats. People in these cities can enjoy the restorative effects of these new green urban spaces.Urban River restoration, watershed masterplans, water sensitive urban design, ecological infrastructure, Resource productive landscapes, building integrated systems, holistic water concepts are all aspects of Dreisetls design projects. The work involves new solutions and knowledge pertaining to new eco-tech-nologies developed in response to the present eco emergencies. 3
As this company works across various countries and hence cultures, the question that the authors pose around who is funding them is relevant. I question the amount of control that these companies will have on the direction of the project, and how culturally appropriate the new designs will be. There is a risk
This dependency on global markets outside of these cities and the destructive environmental footprint that cities leave is, the authors state, “the core reason for global ecological decline.”
The authors mentioned that if cities within countries like America who control and use proportionally large amounts of the earths natural resources had to depend on what was available to them locally they would be far less destructive or expansive. I think this is true, but another factor in this to consider are the communities who are not being included in this network who are dependent on support from the market in the United States. In light of this I think that there is potential for a more integrated approach.
This new view on urbanism seems to presume that contemporary life can be maintained in the “pro-duction of global ecological change.” With the merging of economic processes and artificial ecologies the authors state that the current way of thinking is that the use of sustainable technology can overcome environmental constraints- without enough consideration around how 3rd world nations who are still reliant on outside systems will adjust to the major changes in atmosphere, biodiversity, decline in natu-ral resources, and artificial landscapes. The authors argue that there is insufficient thinking or concern around the deeper critical environmental issues and the bigger picture of how these rapid advancements will effect developing communities in the future.
With the new standards around how to constrain the access and use that certain cities have to resources, waste disposal and protection from flooding it is necessary that 1st world countries develop strategies to deal with this. By developing closed loop systems, they secure the ability to continue material growth. My question here is, how does this secure quality of life for those communities not included.
Governments are prioritizing the issue of “ecological security” on their agenda through concern and fears around constraints and the effect this will have on economic and social development. The authors focus on the fact that most of the changes and decisions are being driven by economic issues and concern around social welfare rather than ecological welfare as the initial reason and ground for change.
Finally the authors discuss examples of urban infrastructural changes within the bigger cities which will put developed countries in a privileged position. Measures including protection from risks such as flood-ing and temperature change, self sufficiency in water and energy use, transportation and waste manage-ment, and green infrastructure.
The authors conclude with five key questions:1. Should a new network of cities be set up with new self-reliant systems and infrastructure that bypass the existing ones?2. What will this mean for the communities that are not included in this network?3. Who will benefit from these new constructs and who will be disadvantaged, and then what will the visible consequences be?4. Who will fund the material links between these countries, corporate or government depart-ments?5. What are the other options? Are there other examples to look at that have more concern for equality in access and equal distribution of outcomes.
In reflection to what is discussed in the article, I think the term “eco security” denotes a new wave of eco urbanism that will grow out of fear of having constraints on natural resource use. Leaders of privileged cities that use a large amount of resources and create outputs that are destructive to the environment appear to want to continue economic growth. The changes that they want to make do not seem to be in-itiated because they see a need for planetary health. It appears that they want security of existing systems in order to continue producing. The fact that climate change and other such issues have become very
harvested for irrigation, and urban storm water run off is cleaned reducing pollution in the surrounding waterways. Native plants are used and renewable wind and solar energy systems help to reduce green-house gases. Waitangi Park is part of the wider precinct of Wellington Wharf initiated and managed by the city council.
Like the other examples, this water front upgrade was funded by local government and involved a team of specialists in its revitalization. It addresses issues of pollution and water quality and transforms a commercial area into an attractive recreational site connected to the city. The technologies and sustaina-ble infrastructure employed in this project are increasingly utilized in NZ landscape architecture and link in with eco technologies worldwide. It begins to address environmental problems while still being incor-porated into recreational inner city design plan. The improvements of this site add value to Wellington cities economic and social welfare.6
This NZ example is similar to the other projects in the way that it links in with the article as it takes a certain amount of financial backing and specialized knowledge to design and implement.
Areas of “prime real estate” that are being sold off to overseas investors –including many ancestral lands connected with Maori communities who are going through treaty claim processes, waterways that are extremely polluted largely due to destructive agricultural practices notably the largest sector of tradea-ble economy within NZ, Climate change, protection for our marine environment, and natural heritage, I pose the question, how can the major cities such as Auckland support NZ as a whole to move towards national ecological welfare where all communities are considered. Also, when we ask, is there another way? Perhaps we can look to the root of the problem, and think critically about our value systems, the way we have structured notions of wealth around commodity and technological advancement. What are the alternatives? Looking beyond contemporary Western culture to traditional and indigenous cultures we find that traditionally cultural values stem from an intrinsic connection to the earth, and that because of this, physical limitations were acknowledged and respected.
While there are examples in the Auckland master plan and landscape design practice that address global environmental issues, it can be linked in with the discussion in the article where the authors question whether there any consideration for smaller cities not included in the plans? I pose the question -how can we channel our resources to offer support to other communities throughout NZ so that ecological welfare encompasses the country as a whole. Could our city recognize resource limitations implemented by institutional management so that other rural communities and smaller urban centers in NZ are less effected by our lifestyles and economy? This could perhaps be actualized by the local council incentives for change and educational programmes alongside use of renewable energy, waste reduction/manage-ment and sustainable resource management.
When asking the question finally posed in the article “what are the alternatives; and where do we look for other forms of innovation driven by approaches more concerned with fair shares and equality of access” we can look to proverbs within Maori cultural beliefs such as: ‘Te toto o te tangata, he kai; te oranga o te tangata, he whenua’ – ‘While food provides the blood in our veins, our health is drawn from the land’. In this view, Maori consider the importance of the land as paramount and interconnected with lifestyle and hence economic choices and development. I believe landscape practice in Auckland can benefit signifi-cantly from establishing relationships with tangata whenua so that reciprocal learning and expertise can be experienced in a more holistic and inclusive approach.
References
Hodson, M & Marvin, S 2010 ‘Eco-urbanism: Transcendent Eco-Cities or Urban Ecological Security?’, in: Mostafavi, M & Doherty, G (eds.), Ecological Urbanism, Lars Muller Publishers, Cambridge, MA, USA.
of having a blanket approach where a new sustainable design aesthetic may blanket over unique cultur-al and ecological diversity and sense of place. A possible visible consequence could be that the cities included in this new design network will have an overall similar aesthetic of eco urban design, differen-tiating them from those left out of the loop. I think this will also have an impact on economic growth within eco cities creating more problems for those not considered.
2. Parc des Buttes Chaumont
24.7 hectares, it has over 5 km of trails and paths. Located in NorthEast Paris. Was opened in 1867 under Emperor Napoleon III, and was built by engineer, Jean-Charles Alphand. It took only three years to make. Historically it has been a site for execution, a refuse dump, and a place for sewage. It also had a period as a quarry mining gypsum and lime. Hence it was devoid of water or anything green, con-taminated physically and psychologically and looked at adversely by the Parisian community. The park was transformed by extensive earth works to terrace and reshape the land, including the formation of a large man made lake in the center. Hydraulic pumps lifted water from the Ourcq River to create a waterfall. Then horticulturalist, Jean-Pierre Barillet-Deschamps carried out extensive plantings and architect Gabriel Davioud designed several buildings. The park was opened in 1867 at the same time as the opening of the Paris Universal Exposition. This park was part of a wider plan for the city at this time to transform a largely medieval city into a modern metropolise by creating flows to improve the circula-tion of people, commodities, and capital. This was done by establishing boulevards, new railway stations, getting rid of slum areas, and displacing a large segment of the working class by implementing modern technologies. Only a twentieth the size of the Bois de Boulogne (another large park in Paris), the park cost the city twice as much. The purpose for the revitalization of the park was to liberate the local com-munity who were mainly working class –they thought that by re-introducing natural areas a lot of social problems could be settled. Improving the living conditions of those living in proximity to the Buttes was thus as important as improving society as a whole. 4
Although all visible signs of its construction are now long gone, the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont is an example of how much labour and technology is needed to create and maintain a natural landscape such as this on a large scale. There is a lot of energy, money, and technological expertise needed to recreate an environment, or to revitalize an area that has been degraded by industry and contamination. This links in to the arguments posed in the article as it poses a question of accessibility. There are a lot of places in the world who are experiencing the outcomes and long term effects of industrialization yet it takes a lot of energy to restore the green spaces that have been desecrated. Some communities don’t have access to the specialist knowledge and financial backing needed to rehabilitate land. The purpose and intentions for the parks and revitalization in Paris in the 18th Century seems to me to be very similar to those of governments and corporate bodies now. Improvement of social welfare is sought through the access and availability of natural resources and green environments to nourish people. This supports the argument in the article that there is very little discussion around land restoration in recognition that our present lifestyles and systems have limitations, and that those limitations are there for a purpose. I think the countries and cities in the world who have created the global environmental issues need to be account-able, and need to take responsibility for the countries and communities who are being affected the most and who are being largely left out of this global eco urbanism network. The present trend will result in those cities benefitting from over-consumption now, will also benefit from the new “sustainable” quality of life in the future.5
3. Waitangi Park.
Landscape architects: Megan Wraight and Associates. 2002-2005. Wellington waterfront. 5.8 Hectares. This waterfront project connects the city with the waterfront serving the community as a park and recre-ational space. A promenade around the boarder links the play ground and activity areas, a field, and en-vironmental infrastructure. It has a focus on water conservation and sustainability with riparian planting and wetland areas which aid in cleaning the water of the Waitangi Stream. Storm water is collected and
examines cities of the past. Through densification, stratification and redevelopment, the typical European city was constantly changing with very minimal horizontal expansion. For this type of city to succeed, great emphasis would have to be placed on periurban agriculture “(Cultivated terrain around and be-tween cities)”. The emphasis must not be on development alone, but Boeri states that creating a “land-scape that is capable of hosting many crops, promoting biodiversity” is just as crucial. These periurban landscapes also have the opportunity of creating another means of employment and a healthier and more controlled food supply.
The third policy is Nature and Control and can be summarized as nature, and how much we control we have over it. It evokes a change in mentality, to not be so selfish and arrogant but rather “accepting a rela-tionship with nature on equal term in cities.” This can be achieved by creating spaces for nature to thrive; a place that is “not controlled, toned down, or made artificial.” Boeri references the French landscape de-signer Gilles Clement and his idea of a “third landscape, areas in which nature has gradually reconquered abandoned buildings or infrastructure.” This idea could be applied to some of the derelict buildings and infrastructure that would be a result of Policy Two. What I find intriguing about this is that it is the only policy that is not targeted specifically at the designer and lawmakers but the entire population.
Policy Four, named Compact and Discard, is quite closely related to Policy Two as it also is dealing with horizontal expansion. The specific issue addressed here is the atrophy of the low-density suburban and commercial areas that surround our cities. Densification provides a possible solution by not condensing the whole populated area; rather “selective densification in nodes” so that public transport can be max-imized as a deterrent for private vehicles. Boeri even suggests how the architecture of these nodes can contribute the quality of life and give residents the same green space, as they were accustomed in the suburbs. He uses the example of the Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) in Milan. This type of building is not meant to “substitute the presence of parks in the city” rather to reinvigorate the city with the amount of plants and forest that has been consumed by its construction.
If the first four policies are directed at designers, builders and the environmentally conscious, the Fifth Policy, Desertification and Subsidiarity, is aimed at central government, local councils and the private sector. Why do our current cities continue to extend the boundaries when there are desolate, uninhab-ited areas within the already conceived boundaries? “We can no longer afford to overlook this self ev-ident paradox.” Boeri states that if the desertification issue is resolved it could rectify numerous social problems that are plaguing many cities such as the shortage in affordable housing, employment in the construction sector, and provide businesses with cheap office space. The resolution that Boeri offers is the governments and councils need to provide incentives for people to develop these areas, limiting the amount of expansion that is taking place, provide a stable real estate market and move away from the “political shortsightedness” and start preparing for the future.
These large-scale urban policies that Stefano Boeri states in his article Five Ecological Challenges for the Contemporary city are inspiring and refreshing yet the topics are relatively recurrent. His use of language and style of writing is very engaging and thought provoking. These policies relate heavily to New Zea-land, especially Auckland and our love of horizontal expansion and I think this article should be read by all of the people working on Auckland’s current model. Creating this sort of sustainable city would mean most New Zealanders would have to change their lifestyle to suit but doing so would create cheaper and better living conditions for the entire population and help ensure New Zealand stays green for the future. Personally think that his ideas would profoundly benefit our cities, the only question I have, is would people be willing to change?
Stonefields, Mt Wellington, Auckland, New Zealand
The Stonefields development at the old Mt Wellington quarry is a very good start to making Boeris vision a reality. It incorporates numerous principles derived from his text and has a very similar goal.
Five Ecological Challenges for the Contemporary City
by Matt Henderson
Reviewed Text:Boeri, S. (2010). Five Ecological Challenges for the Contemporary City. Ecological Urbanism (pp. 444-453). Cambridge: Lars Muller.
Review
Begin by sitting back and peering into the future. What do you see? What direction has mankind taken? Are we working harmoniously with the earth, or still scraping to keep our heads above the ever-rising sea level? Stefano Boeri proposes the first option, a contemporary city that “stops exploiting the earth indiscriminately and enters into harmony with nature.” He is looking into the future to find a city that he thinks would be superlative, not only for the environment, but for mankind. He examines the various issues that would hinder the creation of this city and proposes some solutions to these problems by estab-lishing “five large-scale urban policies that not only propose a new idea of urban ecology but also present and innovative model of urban economic development.”
The first policy is titled Sustainability and Democracy. It looks directly at the current model of urban construction whilst discussing its faults and possible solutions. In Boeris view, our current cities envi-ronmental condition is so extreme that our current forms of governance are inefficient and ineffective in solving the rapidly growing problems we are facing. Boeris solution is to move away from the “top-down centralized policies.” This would mean distributing the control of power away from the central govern-ment and providing local councils with more power to delegate necessary resources to areas that specifi-cally require them. My view is that this would provide swifter action and more site-specific resolutions to some of the problems facing the modern city.
The Sustainability aspect of this policy is considerably more important to Boeri and is therefore dis-cussed in a greater detail. He begins by suggesting an alternate viewpoint; instead of thinking that the large corporations/buildings are the source of the majority of CO2 emissions, pollution, and oxygen con-sumption, we must face the reality that it is the seemingly endless suburban and fringe areas that are just as much to blame. For his solution to this problem, Boeri has taken inspiration from Jeremy Rifkin, an American philosopher who’s call for “architects and builders to commit to the realization that-in addition to consuming less energy-are able to collect and produce more energy than they need, thereby contrib-uting to local energy networks.” This text ties the two ideas of Sustainability and Democracy together as Boeri contends that the problems encountered in this policy must be faced “by a molecular and dem-ocratic revolution.” From this standpoint, Boeri states that the concept of collector buildings (that will contribute rather than deplete energy) is not a new one; however the technological advancements that are being made make this a viable option for sustainable living. Boeri says this will lead to a new style of architecture, that will encompass new technology such as photovoltaic panels (solar), wind blades and similar technologies but also “vegetable surfaces -meadows, cultivated fields, trees- to envelop the roofs and vertical walls” that will enable our cities to become cheaper and considerably more environmentally efficient.
Boeris second policy is named Agriculture and Ground Consumption and is discussed as one singular problem. After a brief example of how Italian economic decline and horizontal expansion contradicted that of other European countries over the past three decades, Boeri comes to the conclusion that we need to “find a development model no longer linked to perpetual horizontal expansion”. This stance is taken as horizontal expansion “has not only devoured vast quantities of agricultural land … but also the living space of animals and plants” For this policy, Boeri does not search for new ways to resolve the issue, he
Olmsted Park, Massachusetts, USA
Olmsted Park is a large park on the edge of Boston and Brooklyn. It was built in 1891 and was initially aimed at improving the condition of the stream that ran through it. When designed, Olmsted placed retaining walls and bridges in certain areas that turned the site from a bog into a park. Once workable, he then placed some axial paths, but other than a sports field (originally designed as a large meadow) he planted native bush. Olmsted seems to have been very careful about how much ‘design’ he put into the park. It is almost as though he is letting nature control the space.
In Boeri’s Third Policy Nature and Control, he talks about exactly this. In the contemporary city, everything is controlled by man, whether it is what goes where or even how big something grows. Boeri states that for the future city to be sustainable, there has to be a better balance between man and nature. Olmsted Park is located in one of the most densely populated areas on earth and to have such a large area that has been almost given back to nature is a very rare thing.
Another similarity between Olmsted Park and Boeri’s article is how Boeri talks about the “third land-scape,” areas where nature has regained control over industrial buildings and infrastructure. Although Olmsted Park was never an industrial building or infrastructure, Olmsted did change the site by building the retaining walls and bridges. He then planted the native bush and let it grow.
An argument could be made that Olmsted Park is not like Policy Two at all as nature is not in control. And yes nature is not in total control as it is trimmed away from paths and the lawns nicely manicured but the fact that the paths take up a small portion of the parks total size means that there is still a large quantity that has been given back to nature.
In My View…
I find Stefano Boeri’s text to be highly relatable to Auckland and I would not be surprised if the designers of The Auckland Plan (Auckland’s 30 year plan) have read or even based parts of it on this text.
With Aucklands view to be The Worlds Most Livable City, we must face all of the issues brought up in this text. This would drastically change the way Aucklander’s live as we would not all be able to have a house and section, the typical Kiwi dream, but would have to live in larger communities, in closer prox-imity to one another and as the population grows I’m sure that these issues will become even greater. I think these points will be essential to improving our cities as well as humanity in the not too distant future.
References
Boeri, S. (2010). Five Ecological Challenges for the Contemporary City. Ecological Urbanism (pp. 444-453). Cambridge: Lars Muller.
The Stonefields site is an ex-quarry that is to be redeveloped into a new style of urban development. High-quality, high-density residential housing will become one of the primary goals. This will be achieved through creating apartment living surrounded by terraced housing, whilst at the same time redeveloping an existing piece of land. This resonates very highly with Boeris Second Policy, Agriculture and Ground Control, as he proposes densification, stratification and redevelopment as a way of reduc-ing the horizontal expansion of our cities. This is achieved by developing some of the living spaces into apartments so more people would be able to live in a much smaller area thus increasing density and min-imizing horizontal expansion. The terraced houses do not utilize stratification but they still have a higher density than normal housing and would be a good stepping-stone into this type of living.
Stonefields proposes this apartment living to be situated along the main thoroughfares and the terraced housing to be in the quieter areas. This sounds very similar to Boeri’s Fourth Policy Compact and Dis-card as by positioning the stratified living areas along main routes, it is creating a “selective densification node” and maximizing the use of public transport. This is a very good proposal as it makes the apart-ments much more enticing to the buyer as it is closer to the transport hub. This could potentially make more people interested in living in apartments outside of the main city area.
Although aspects of this development are closely relates to Boeris Five Principles, there are still a few simple things that could be done to make it more sustainable and conscientious. It could possibly have a collector building or two, some photovoltaic panels, maybe some planted walls and roofs but it is a good start to solving the problems of a contemporary city.
It may not be perfect, but it could be Boeris vision on a New Zealand scale.
Ponte Vecchio Bridge, Florence Italy
Ponte Vecchio Bridge was originally built in AD 996 but has twice been destroyed by floods. The last re-build was in 1345 and has stood ever since. It is a very good example of Boeris Second and Fourth Policy.
It is stated in the Second Policy that the typical European city has lasted hundreds of years with minimal horizontal expansion. Due to densification, stratification and redevelopment, the cities were still able to change and grow with the needs of the people. This bridge represents exactly how this Policy works and shows how beneficial it can be.
By increasing the population density of the bridge, more people are able to live closer to the city center and provides another area for businesses to open without having to build a whole new street. This is made possible by stratification. Instead of just having a bridge with a single road on it, new floor levels can be added to create the extra living space. By looking at the colors and shapes of the buildings, the bridge also looks to have been redeveloped or added to several times as the needs of the people changed.
By having housing, workplace, and infrastructure all in one location, the contemporary city could see this as a “selective densification node” as there would be very minimal horizontal expansion. This model would greatly suit the contemporary city, as it would reduce the need for private vehicles, reducing CO2 emissions and also saving the average person money, as they wouldn’t have cars and by having more apartment style housing like this, would also increase insulation, saving them more.
This is a very extreme example of this Policy and would not be suitable for New Zealand as we do not have the population to require such drastic densification but it does show that Boeri’s principals have worked in cities for hundreds of years, and history could be a good place to look for ideas for tomorrow.
