Showing posts with label Landscape Design. Show all posts
Glass Cobblestones
04 June 2008
This modern intervention in an old Geneva square (or actually... a trapezoid) by Swiss firm 2b Architectes is quite beautiful. The design manages to be completely modern, yet still evoke images of the past. Using traditional sandstone, as well as glass blocks or cobblestones in a random pattern, the architects are letting you in on a secret - a lake used to occupy this land. The closer you get to the location of the medieval lake, the closer the glass blocks are spaced. Its a fun design, that actually allows for some interaction and understanding of the context. To top it off, it looks great at night! Now, I just wonder what it looks like during the day....
Via Mimoa
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Seamless
22 May 2008
These projects by Blasen Landscape Architecture are amazing examples of a seamless blend of architecture and landscape. I'm really in love with the clean lines, simple use of materials, and plant selection (I'm not really into flowery designs)..
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A Killer Pool
15 April 2008
I kind of feel like I'm done with infinity edge pools... everybody wants one and everybody has one... so they've lost a lot of the allure for me. But, in the right place, an infinity edge pool is really worth all the extra detailing. This pool (and house) by Corona y P. Amaral Arquitectos is phenomenal. You don't feel like you're perched on the cliff... you actually feel like you're floating in the sky. Amazing.
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Via Materialicious
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Love These Planter
03 April 2008
I really love both of these planters, although they are both out of my price range. Still, perhaps C and I can cast something similar for the backyard/deck area.... but first we'll have to build it!.
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Like a Car Wreck, I Can't Look Away
18 March 2008
I find these headless cow benches by Julia Lohmann really disturbing and yet I can't stop looking at them. They'd be really interesting scattered in a large field or placed throughout city streets... kind of like the Chicago cows, but without heads (and yet somehow not as tacky)..
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Cinco Jardines
04 March 2008
I love these landscape designs by Spanish firm Alvaro de la Rosa. They manage to be quite modern and architectural, while still maintaining the organic nature of the plantings themselves. I particularly love the first image, which is inspiring me to make some plans for our backyard... Although I'd be very interested in knowing how long it took for these projects to grow to maturity. A big difference between architecture and landscape architecture is the end result... At the end of a project, the architecture is generally at its peak architecturally. The building has yet to be turned over to the public, the materials have yet to start showing their wear. Landscape architecture however, is just about the opposite... When the project is turned over to the owner, it is still yet to show its true colors. Often, it takes a few years for the landscaping to properly grow in and to be able to experience the design in its entirety. While these particular designs probably didn't take years to grow... more lush designs will certainly require more time..
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Walk On Water
18 January 2008
When you first look at these images, its almost as if they've been photoshopped to show different people standing in the middle of the lake. And that's obviously the idea....
I love this installation by Sung Jang and Shin Azumi. It was intended an alternative playground for the Vitra Workshop in Boisbuchet, France. Visitors could wander out to the middle of the lake and commune with nature without the burden of man-made interferences like boats or aircraft. While the clear underwater platform allows you to walk out on top of the water, granting you the illusion of walking on the surface of the water, its still just an illusion and you are obviously using a man-made device. Still, these photos create such marvelous imagery, that its hard not to believe in the concept. I can only imagine that visiting the lake was even more impressive.
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Linear Landscapes
02 December 2007
Wong Residence, Hillsborough, CA
Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA
Walden Road Studios, Geyserville, Ca
Ward Residence. Palo Alto, CA
Stone Edge Observatory and Spa, Sonoma, CaI think that these landscape designs by Andrea Cochran Landscape are fantastic. Not only do the landscapes have an architectural quality to the design, but they are seamlessly integrated into the architecture. Its difficult to imagine the buildings without the landscape, or the landscapes without structures. This in my opinion, is the mark of a great landscape design. Rather than compete with the architecture, it should enhance and communicate the overall design intent.
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Andrea Cochran's office has been published quite frequently... and its easy to see why. The designs by this California office are crisp and clean, while still providing the organic qualities desired in a landscape.
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I've been starting to plan the landscape design for our house... and I think I will be looking towards Andrea Cochran's office for inspiration.
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Makes You Want to Sit Outside
10 September 2007
For a relatively young firm (founded by James Corner in 1998), Field Operations has worked all over the world with an impressive list of architects including Gehry, Holl, Ten Arquitectos, Eisenman, Foster, Diller & Scofidio, and more... not to mention all of the work they have done on their own.
Field Operations' work encompasses a wide variety of scales and typologies, from small city gardens to large urban plans.
Field Operations' work encompasses a wide variety of scales and typologies, from small city gardens to large urban plans.
Rio Manzanares Park, Madrid
Beachfront Housing Development and Dune Preserve, Arveme
Chuncheon G5 Urban Plan and Botanical Garden, Korea
French Embassy Garden, New York
US Mexico Border
Royal Canal Linear Park, DublinI haven't actually had the opportunity to visit any of their projects, but the images they create make me want to jump right in. In landscape design, even more than architecture, I think its extremely important to convey the intended experience. These digital collages are so impressive at telling exactly the right story, you can completely understand the proposed sensory qualities of the projects. [And as we all know, I'm a sucker for collage work.]
Many of the projects have such fabulous graphic and linear expressions on paper... I really wish that I could visit the sites and understand these large moves at the human scale. Maybe I'll have to visit New York when the High Line is completed!
Many of the projects have such fabulous graphic and linear expressions on paper... I really wish that I could visit the sites and understand these large moves at the human scale. Maybe I'll have to visit New York when the High Line is completed!
Jardin Botanico Culiacan
11 August 2007
I've always had a thing for screen printed surfaces, so I guess its no surprise that I'm drawn to this image of the Culiacan Botanical Garden by Mexican architectural firm Tatiana Bilbao. This nighttime view is so romantic and appealing, without being too feminine in form....A Great Place for a Meeting
06 August 2007
Slovenian architects Sadar Vuga Arhitekti have successfully integrated a new meeting area into one of their prior projects (see upper left corner of elevation) by transforming the existing garden terrace into a meeting space complete with a garden stripe that can be used year round. The garden winds around the new spaces creating intimate areas while still maintaining a sense of open air that extends all the way to the sweeping views of Ljubljana.The greenery that winds its way throughout the space has also informed the structure... The skin is made up of a series of steel lamellas (a thin plate or scale of anything, as a thin scale growing from the petals of certain flowers) inspired by plant structure.
A Beautiful Bench
04 August 2007
I always have my eyes peeled for some great modern outdoor furniture... This Swilken Bench by Acronym Designs would be a sweet addition to the yard...Via Sub-Studio
Le paradis artificiel à Chaumont sur Loire
22 July 2007
My french is abysmal, so you'll have to pardon me if I incorrectly translated anything...
This temporary garden was designed by Sophie and François Delhay of French architecture and urban design firm Boskop. Designed for the 12 annual international garden festival, Boskop created a series of red arches that were integrated not just into the walkways, but also into the gardens themselves... acting as dividers between different types of planting. It a beautiful and simple solution for a landscape exhibition.
This temporary garden was designed by Sophie and François Delhay of French architecture and urban design firm Boskop. Designed for the 12 annual international garden festival, Boskop created a series of red arches that were integrated not just into the walkways, but also into the gardens themselves... acting as dividers between different types of planting. It a beautiful and simple solution for a landscape exhibition.
For the Backyard?
18 July 2007
Now that we finally have a backyard to call our own, I've been thinking about all the different design options we have... Most of the work will have to wait until later, but we are still going to need some outdoor lighting if we want to continue to enjoy the yard as the days get shorter. I think that the swing lamp by BCXSY would be quite lovely... an unexpected and dynamic source of light.Via Le Territoire Des Sens
Modern Garden Design
17 June 2007
C & I once again spent this weekend moving into our new house. Because we are downsizing, everything is taking longer than expected. Every box that we move first needs to be weeded through and sorted; then as we empty the boxes we need to properly locate everything to make sure that we have enough room. Its been an exhausting procedure, but well worth it... so far, we've thrown out over 5 boxes of unnecessary junk.While we are unpacking, my mind is constantly wandering to the different ways I can fix up the house. I've already sketched a few plans for the remodel, but I have yet settled on a master plan. The house has a decent sized back yard, and because the house itself is so small I think its important that the yard can become another usable and enjoyable space. Unfortunately, while I've got some ideas regarding the design, I don't actually know anything about plants. I will likely need to ask someone for help.
This design by X and L is just the kind of imagery I've been gravitating towards, and the sort of design I'd love to implement. XandL is usually known for spectacular modern interior designs, but in this case they have used their understanding of intimate space to create a lovely garden atmosphere. I love the combination of organic planting with architectural pavers and built structures. I only hope that we can create something so satisfying.
Via Bloesem