LANscapes

As we build taller, we are confronted with a small window into the aspirations of a societies' people. From the cathedrals of Europe, to the Pyramids of Giza, fast forward to today's modern day steel structures such as the Empire State and Taipei 101 buildings. We have arrived at an era where cultural landmarks 'of the people' are now 'for the people' - cathedrals of commerce and private opulence that are in a perpetual state of skyward-reach. The impending arrival of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai equals - perhaps supersedes other modern marvels - epitomizing the stunning achievements of structural design and material advancement. Erected as an impressive series of rotations toward the heavens, the newly built structure - now the worlds tallest - was made entirely of reinforced concrete. More than simply an aesthetic obsession with concrete, it is of particular interest (to me) that over the past centuries, buildings have made a significant shift from vernacul...

As a glimmering exodus of people emerge from their homes the evidence of a thawing winter abounds. Like memorial monuments arranged in homage to an historical event, the remains of snowmen dot the Oval Lawn at Central Park - reconvening themselves to a place within the hydrological cycle of the living landscape. While standing proud and defying even the most casual observer, the landscape architect's eye is particularly obsessed with such banal details of everyday life. Decay, death, and their inherent acknowledgement of the passing of time all manifest an environmental patina of change that measures our engagement with the built and natural environment. Embracing, enhancing, and simply revealing these changes remains our biggest challenge and our greatest achievement. Central Park is, perhaps, one of these more fundamental and momentous achievements - a place before and of it's time. The gloriously colourful passing of seasonal time is manifest in the manmade arrangement o...