On Wednesday 21st February, Hal Moggridge lectured to the London Branch of the Landscape Institute on the theme of his 2017 book Slow Growth: On the Art of Landscape Architecture. A Wikipedia article explains that Slow Food is ‘an organization…
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Hal Moggridge lecture: Slow Growth: On the Art of Landscape Architecture
Posted in landscape architecture
Ian McHarg’s boyhood in Glasgow, Clydebank and Craigallian Loch
Ian McHarg was born on Clydeside and became the most famous landscape architect of the 20th century. The importance of Clydebank in the development of his Design with Nature philosophy is explained in McHarg’s last book: A Quest for Life: An…
Posted in landscape architecture
Which is the older art: Landscape or Architecture?
Short history of the word ‘landscape’ The word ‘landscape’ was formed by adding ‘-scape’ (or ‘-skip’ or ‘-ship’) to the noun ‘land’. This made it an abstract noun. When it came into English, from Anglo-Saxon, the word ‘landscape’ had a…
Posted in landscape architecture
IS landscape architecture one of the ten most important professions?
Is landscape architecture one of the world’s most important professions? Yes. There is an immense public demand for good urban and rural landscapes. We want to live in them. We want to visit them. We want them to exist. So…
Posted in landscape architecture
The brilliant landscape architecture of Edinburgh New Town
Was Edinburgh’s new town planned by a landscape architect? Yes. One could argue that the term ‘landscape architect’ was not invented until 1828 and could not apply to a competition design submitted in 1766. But the term ‘architect’ did not…
Bad landscape architecture 1: Creekside non-village in Deptford, London
Inspired by James Kunstler’s Ted talk How bad architecture wrecked cities (video above) I am planning some blog posts on Bad landscape architecture. Much of it, of course, is designed or commissioned by architects. But you can’t blame them. They have no…
Posted in landscape architecture
You’ve got to hand it to the Grand Canal in Venice
‘Giant Hands’ at the Ca’ Sagredo Hotel on the Grand Canal during Venice Biennale 2017. The sculpture Support is by Lorenzo Quinn (an Italian and a son of actor Anthony Quinn). The hands were modelled in resin-coated polyurethane foam and based on…
Posted in flood prevention, landscape architecture
Save Victoria Tower Gardens from London’s Second Holocaust Memorial
However good the design, Victoria Tower Gardens is the wrong place for London’s Second Holocaust Memorial: It is a classic London park, made before sport became a dominant aspect of park design. It was designed for local residents to…
A day in the life of Regent’s Park
Regent’s Park is a brilliant work of landscape composition. On what must have been an unremarkable site, buildings, land, water, trees, wildlife and gardens have been composed into a place that should by on many London visitors’ bucket lists. It…
Posted in landscape architecture, public parks
The landscape architecture of healthy cities
Great to hear a landscape architect speaking about health, urban design, ecology and new towns. Graham Marshall sees essential connections between people & places are bonded mental health & physical health are inter-dependent He rightly criticises James Stirling’s now-demolished Southgate Estate…
Posted in landscape architecture, urban design
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