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Archive for December, 2009

Copenhagen: Step Forward or Failure?

Posted in Climate Change, Policy and Regulation on 12/23/2009 | 1 Comment »

The Copenhagen UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) discussions ended last weekend after more than two weeks of negotiations, including a last-minute intervention by President Obama. While the final text calls for limiting the warming of the earth by two degrees celsius, there was no binding committment to this increase or greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets. The meeting resulted in a short [...]

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Toronto Music Garden: Interpreting Bach with Nature

Posted in Gardens, Public Spaces, Urban Design on 12/23/2009 | 1 Comment »

Yo-Yo Ma, world-renowned cellist, partnered with landscape designer, Julie Moir Messervy, to create a three-acre public garden based on the First Suite for Unaccompanied Cello by J.S. Bach. According to the city of Toronto, the garden includes six “rooms” – each an interpretation of the traditional dance forms featured in the cello suite’s six movements. The [...]

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Sustainable Residential Design: Using Low-Impact Materials

Posted in Residential Design, Sustainable Design, Sustainable Materials, Waste, Water Management on 12/23/2009 | Leave a Comment »

ASLA created a new online resource guide on using low-impact materials in sustainable residential landscape architecture. The guide contains lists of organizations, research, concepts and projects related to plants and sustainable landscape architecture, and includes sections on: permeable materials, certified woods, reclaimed and recycled local materials, recycled content, reflective materials, and adhesives, paints, coatings and sealants. Developed for students and professionals, the [...]

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To Create Sustainable Community, Town Returns to 1895 Olmsted Plan

Posted in Landscape Architecture, Public Spaces, Smart Growth on 12/22/2009 | 1 Comment »

In 1895, Vandergrift, a western Pennsylvanian town, was created by a steel magnate who wanted a place where his steel workers could “work, play and live.” The steel company owner hired Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of New York City’s central park and master landscape architect, to make this vision a reality and create a ”livable community.” Now, more than 110 years later, [...]

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The Living Building Challenge

Posted in Green Buildings, Sustainable Design, Sustainable Materials, Waste, Water Management on 12/18/2009 | Leave a Comment »

Metropolis magazine wrote about the Omega Institute of Sustainable Living in Rhinebeck, New York, one of the world’s greenest buildings. According to Metropolis, the institute creates its own energy through on-site geothermal and solar systems, and uses local, non-toxic materials – “there’s virtually no PVC, lead, or mercury to speak of.” The building was created using the International Living Building Institute‘s [...]

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International Design Competition: Rethinking Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway

Posted in Opportunities, Sustainable Transportation, Urban Design, Urban Revitalization on 12/18/2009 | 1 Comment »

Waterfront Toronto and the City of Toronto announced a new design competition calling for new concepts for Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway. The goal of the competition is to create a “bold solution or series of bold solutions that can generate broad consensus on the best way forward for the eastern portion of the elevated Gardiner Expressway.” According to Waterfront Toronto, [...]

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Urban Agriculture Ideas Competition

Posted in Agriculture, Opportunities, Urban Design, Urban Revitalization on 12/17/2009 | 1 Comment »

Brooklyn-based architecture collective Terreform ONE announces its first annual One Prize, which will award $10,000 to the most innovative urban agriculture concept. The theme of the prize is “Mowing to Growing: A Design Competition for Creating Productive Green Space in Cities.” Terreform ONE writes: “In a country that squanders some seven billion gallons of water every day watering [...]

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Copenhagen UNFCCC Meeting: U.S. Offers Multi-Billion Contribution to Global Climate Fund

Posted in Climate Change, Policy and Regulation on 12/17/2009 | Leave a Comment »

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN FCCC) negotiations entered their second week in Copenhagen. Previously stalled negotiations on a political agreement were resuscitated by U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s announcement that the U.S. government would participate in a proposed $100 billion a year fund (starting 2020) to support developing countries in their effort [...]

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Sustainable Residential Design: Maximizing the Benefits of Plants

Posted in Gardens, Landscape Architecture, Residential Design, Sustainable Design on 12/16/2009 | Leave a Comment »

ASLA created a new online resource guide on maximizing the benefits of plants through sustainable residential landscape architecture. The guide contains lists of organizations, research, concepts and projects related to plants and sustainable landscape architecture, and includes sections on: native plants, residential agriculture, residential wildlife habitat, indoor plants and residential composting. Developed for students and professionals, the resource guide contains [...]

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Separating Program from Design

Posted in Landscape Architecture, Public Spaces, Urban Design on 12/16/2009 | 9 Comments »

Should programming and design be two separate disciplines carved out by separate professionals? Are there certain benefits or disadvantages to this approach? A number of people involved with Houston’s Discovery Green shared their thoughts with Landscape Architecture magazine. Fred Kent, Project for Public Spaces (PPS): “You need a lot of skills to make a project work. In [...]

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