Design Issues

A glimpse about the current issues for the last three years- Landscape Architecture:

1. What are the Elements that a Landscape Designer should include while designing an Outdoor Space for prisoners?

Source1:

            - Article: A Garden Behind Bars by Dan Jost, ASLA

            - Magazine: Landscape Architecture Magazine, ASLA - November 2013 - Page 50 to 52

Source2:

            - Article: Can Prison Landscape be Secure, Restorative, and Ecologically Sustainable?   by Amy Lindmuth, ASLA

            - http://www.asla.org/ppn/Article.aspx?id=32237

Summary:

            A Garden behind bars is an article that talks about landscape architecture students who participated in designing and building a prison landscape. The case study shows how students had to be careful designing the elements for the garden. For example, the walls and the benches were built from Limestone but this design was rejected by builders. After that while designing with stone, the builders put "each stone carefully anchored in place to make sure it can't be used as a weapon". The students had also to meet and interview the offenders, guards, and other prison officials to create the master plan.

In my opinion, I found this is really an interesting article, the way to let student to participate in designing and building a prison ;landscape is great. When I got my bachelors degree in Architecture, , one of my Egyptian friends asked me to participate in designing and building a prison, I refused because of the regulation the 1000 thousand paper that I had to sign. This article shows how it is really hard to design and participate in designing a prison.

2. Climate Change & Landscape Architecture: Landscape Architecture as an Art for Survival

Source:

            - Article: Good Fights by Bradford Mckee

            - Magazine: Landscape Architecture Magazine, ASLA - November 2013 - Page 30

Summary:

            The Article talks about how Landscape Architects could design and adapting Climate Change. Moreover, how landscape architects can convince people to learn to adapt climate change in the landscapes around them. The article also shows a few case studies.

            In my opinion, every designer has his own philosophy and a way of thinking. There is a need to re-evaluate our role as a Landscape Architects because we  are responsible for shaping our cities; moreover, there is a need to stress on the real meaning of landscape architecture. While designing we have to look at different social, culture, and environment aspects. We have to think globally and act locally. We have to think how our design will look after 25 years or 50 years. The is a need to think carefully before applying any idea or concept. We created our new man-made steel and concrete forests by separating art and science from each other. We have to study Landscape Architecture as an Art for Survival.

3. How Can Landscape Architecture Change Over Time?

Source:

            -Article: Landscapes Over Time by Michael Van Valkenburgh and William S. Saunders

            -Magazine: Landscape Architecture Magazine, ASLA - March 2013 - Page 107 to 114

Summary and Opinion:

            I do not agree with Michael at the beginning of his article he mentioned that "Unlike Architecture, Landscape Architecture evolves (and almost always improves)through time). For me the building is like a body. The building has an age, if we do not take care of it, the Building can age very fast. Our mission as an architects and landscape architects is to make our aging designs more sustainable ( Indoors or outdoors designs). The buildings should speak and interact together as landscapes and outdoor spaces.

            In my opinion, it is true that landscape architecture change over time. Designers should design for different seasons, day , and night. As mentioned in the article, sometimes the designers should understand the soil conditions, water, surrounding plants, amounts of sunlight, weather, and other environmental aspects. Thats why landscape architects should create management plans for their designs and how their project will look in 5 years or 10 years or maybe 50 years.

4. Why landscape architecture students have less knowledge about many well known landscape architects?

Summary and Opinion:

            I found that many students had less information about many well known landscape architects such as Garrett Eckbo, Anne Whiston Spirn, Ian Mcharg, William Whyte, Luis Barragan and many other. I think that we should study our history clearly and read about these landscape architects and read their books. I had the opportunity to be introduced to their books while writing my thesis . Looking at the way that Garrett Eckbo design with less is more, and how he can create a space with composition is outstanding, or looking at how Luis Barragan design with colors. In my opinion there are many more landscape architects in the world that students should know about, it can helps them to design and create places for people.

5. Is it true that Landscape Architects are taking over the world?

Source:

            - Article: Man Bites Dinosaur by Bradford Mckee

            - Magazine: Landscape Architecture Magazine, ASLA - September 2010 - Page 29

Summary:

            In this article, Mckee talks about Andres Duany opinion about landscape architects that are taking over the world. He mentioned that Duany had the opportunity to speak about this issue in front of the congress for the New Urbanism. In his opinion, Duany says that "Landscape Architecture has always been the support profession of the architects". I may agree with Duany in some of his opinion, however, I think that landscape architects still did not take their opportunity. The media plays a big role for architects, who thinks that they can create indoor and outdoor spaces. Architects always have been playing the role of landscape architects, urban planners, interior designers, and many other roles.

In my opinion, there is a need to have another approach on creating and shaping our cities. Architects, Landscape Architects, Urban Planners, Interior Designers, Engineers should rework their ethical values and play one role, they have to stress on the real meaning of creating indoors and outdoors spaces for people. They have a big role and its creating and shaping their own comfortable cities.