This designed environment, the Piazza Gae Aulenti in Milan, Italy, creates visual interest and attraction around passive ventilation measures for the sub-surface parking area below it.

Out of all the design professions that focus on our physical environment, landscape architecture holds a particularly unique position, being charged with reconfiguring areas of the Earth’s surface to form everything from regional parks and campuses, to city plazas. Given the strained condition of many of our planet’s environmental and social systems, this is an undertaking which clearly should not be taken lightly. Yet up until recent years landscape architecture has often been seen as little more than a means to beautify our surroundings – by both the profession and patrons alike. This attitude has roots in the Land Art movement of the 1970s and 80s, when areas of the Earth’s surface were seen as canvases on to which a designer-sculptor was free to do their will. These creations often showed little regard for the environmental systems into which they were inserted and had limited function other than as a piece of art. If these were apps, prospective users would be initially attracted by the interface graphics only to discover they had no function, and thus would be doomed to receive a series of 1 star ratings.

This designed environment along the waterfront at Blackpool, UK, welcomes people directly to the beach for the first time in over a century while using dune-shaped forms to protect the city from rising tides. 

The virtual environments that apps create are often criticised for drawing people away from interacting with the physical world. Another way of looking at this is that the undeniable success of these digital infrastructures can be seen as an invaluable benchmark against which equally compelling, problem solving physical spaces can be designed. With the advent of climate change and rapid population growth, there are a host of issues that our built environments need to solve for, from sea level rise and storm water management, to healthy food provision, to passive heating and cooling. With the majority of people now living in cities, the interface with these elements is also key, not only creating engineered solutions but compelling places for people. Here we can learn from the most successful of apps, melding enticing user experiences with an underlying focus on solving for real world issues and desires, building physical infrastructure that forms unique urban places. These physical spaces should be thought of as apps in the truest sense, based on sound engineered principals and integrated into the urban fabric to form environments that are greater than the sum of their parts – ‘app-scapes’.

This theoretical environment makes urban food production (and consumption) the source of wonder and delight.

James Haig Streeter (james.haigstreeter@archtam.com) is a principal in ArchTam’s global Landscape Architecture practice. He led the design of the Piazza Gae Aulenti, the development of the Urban Food Jungle concept, and was co-designer of the Blackpool Coastal Defenses.

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Ever gone to a party where you know no one and found yourself standing close to a wall, leaning against a doorway or hanging out around the kitchen counter? This is what environmental psychologists call ‘the edge effect’ and is a behaviour that is deeply rooted in our psyche for good reason. Way back in our evolution, when saber-toothed tigers still prowled the earth, standing out in the open for too long could have meant falling prey to a whole series of ferocious beasts. Staying close to the edge of a forest or a pile of rocks gave refuge during time of attack and a sense of security when exploring new territories.  This instinctive behaviour has stayed with us. Today an understanding of the edge effect can be harnessed for other uses, even bringing street life to our city centres and aiding the success of commercial developments.

Milan’s Piazza Gae Aulenti is a good case in point. Opening at the end of 2012 to rave reviews from Italian national newspapers, which called it “the piazza of the future,” this on-structure plaza bridges two pieces of urban fabric that were separated by train tracks and are now encircled by a mixed-use commercial development. One of the key challenges was how to create a welcoming human scale for a large space surrounded by high-rise buildings while respecting the Italian tradition for open piazzas with few vertical elements. This was compounded by a need to naturally ventilate the parking levels below, which resulted in the need for huge openings in the plaza surface.

Just enough verticality to establish the human-scaled edge while still respecting a tradition for flat open space. Photo by Cannon Ivers.

The solution has been to flood the plaza with a thin skin of water, surrounded by continuous seating. Pathways following key desire lines cut across the water’s surface, carefully positioned far enough from the ventilation holes so the parking cannot be seen. The buildings’ reflections enliven the space by day and night, and areas of the water skin can be drained to accommodate large events. Even when little activity is taking place people seem quite comfortable hanging out by themselves, helping to create a welcoming atmosphere which the surrounding businesses then benefit from – a phenomenon seen in other successful developments such as Westfield London.

The edge effect in action. Photo by Cannon Ivers.

This has been achieved by paying close attention to the edge effect. The seating that wraps around the central water feature also runs parallel to a series of cafes and retail stores, which enclose the ground level of this semi-circular space, leaving room for pedestrian flow and outdoor dining. The edge that the seating creates has been intentionally designed to form a variety of opportunities for people to sit and linger, activating the piazza with life and encouraging people to spend more time in the area to shop or frequent the outdoor dining.

Offering people a chance to relax, free from their vestigial fear of saber-tooth tigers. Photo by Cannon Ivers.

On the one hand the seating can be seen as an elegant piece of sculpture, its sensual curves mirroring those of the catwalk models who display the latest creations from Milan’s famous fashion houses. At the same time it is also a pragmatically generated element, the form being an extrusion of the series of seating elements, from a seat with a back to a double bench facing the water – all carefully orchestrated to harness the powers of the edge effect.

Enjoying the water skin’s cooling effect. Photo by Cannon Ivers.

A place to be productive in public. Photo by ArchTam.

James Haig Streeter (james.haigstreeter@archtam.com) is a principal in ArchTam’s global Landscape Architecture practice and led the design of the Piazza Gae Aulenti.

The post Harnessing the edge effect appeared first on Blog.

The concept behind biomimicry is really quite simple. Our planet’s biological and environmental systems are the result of an ongoing 3.8-billion-year ‘research and development’ process. This has resulted in some amazing solutions to problems that human society faces as well — all tuned to work within our planet’s constraints and therefore “sustainable.” So why not learn from them?

This may seem like common sense, but we as humans have a legacy of often working against natural systems, rather than with them. This is no truer than with our relationship to the coastline. This is a place of dichotomies, often highly populated and seen as desirable by many, yet at the mercy of shifting coastal dynamics and oceans with immense power to erode land over time and destroy human developments in an instant. The response has often been to construct  high seawalls, built in an  attempt to do battle with the sea. But in a time of rising sea levels and increased frequency of major storms, the long-term resilience of such an approach is starting to be questioned, as even the largest of manmade structures are starting to fail.

By contrast, biological coastline protection often shows surprising resilience to ocean forces. From the mangroves of the Asiatic Pacific to the sand dune grasses of the north Atlantic, these landscapes shield the hinterland through a more responsive give and take while maintaining their system’s overall integrity. The UK’s sand dunes are a great example of this, able to take the full force of the north Atlantic’s winter storms.   The extensive root systems of the Marram Grass trap sand blown by the wind, gradually building high mounds over time. During storm events the broad sloped surfaces of the dunes help dissipate wave energy in a far more effective way than a vertical wall would do, spreading the impact across a wide, shallow area rather than concentrating it at one point.

Battling against coastal dynamics.  Blackpool’s old Victorian seawall at low tide and being overtopped during a winter storm.

The resort town of Blackpool on the UK’s northwest coast is a classic example of what can go wrong when you work against natural coastline dynamics. It was built on a sand dune, which, as the town expanded, the Victorians replaced with a monumental 10-meter/30-foot-high seawall. This severed the town from its main asset, its beach, and as competition grew from continental European destinations, Blackpool fell into economic decline. To make matters worse, by the early 2000s the seawall was failing to hold back increasingly stormy winter seas, which began to flood the town.

The solution has been to learn from the dunes. The high wall has been replaced with a gently sloping set of steps stretching the length of the town, mimicking the incline of sand dunes to dissipate wave energy. Each step aids in this process, acting as a mini wave wall to break up the force of the waves incrementally. Unlike a conventional approach it intentionally allows a degree of inundation during severe winter storms. During these events the promenade at the top of the stairs becomes flooded. The floodwaters are contained by a low wall sculpted to serve as public seating at all other times. This approach has allowed the structure as a whole to be lower, enabling strong connections between town and beach during summer months.

The synthetic dune.  Merging coastal dynamics, beach access and the town’s protection needs. Copyright ArchTam photo by Dixi Carrillo.

For the first time in a century, tourists can walk directly from the promenade into the sea, with the steps colored to match the famous golden sand. The design was informed by extensive wave tank modeling to understand local coastal dynamics and  most effectively mold the final form of the serpentine steps. Today sand can be seen migrating up and down the steps during the course of a year, following seasonal coastal dynamics, the town now protected by its monumental,  synthetic dune. What can also be seen is the functional, aesthetic, and economic value of designing in harmony with nature.

James Haig Streeter (james.haigstreeter@archtam.com) is a principal in ArchTam’s global Landscape Architecture practice and co-led the design of Blackpool’s coastal protection.

The post Coastal resilience through biomimicry appeared first on Blog.

The concept behind biomimicry is really quite simple. Our planet’s biological and environmental systems are the result of an ongoing 3.8-billion-year ‘research and development’ process. This has resulted in some amazing solutions to problems that human society faces as well — all tuned to work within our planet’s constraints and therefore “sustainable.” So why not learn from them?

This may seem like common sense, but we as humans have a legacy of often working against natural systems, rather than with them. This is no truer than with our relationship to the coastline. This is a place of dichotomies, often highly populated and seen as desirable by many, yet at the mercy of shifting coastal dynamics and oceans with immense power to erode land over time and destroy human developments in an instant. The response has often been to construct  high seawalls, built in an  attempt to do battle with the sea. But in a time of rising sea levels and increased frequency of major storms, the long-term resilience of such an approach is starting to be questioned, as even the largest of manmade structures are starting to fail.

By contrast, biological coastline protection often shows surprising resilience to ocean forces. From the mangroves of the Asiatic Pacific to the sand dune grasses of the north Atlantic, these landscapes shield the hinterland through a more responsive give and take while maintaining their system’s overall integrity. The UK’s sand dunes are a great example of this, able to take the full force of the north Atlantic’s winter storms.   The extensive root systems of the Marram Grass trap sand blown by the wind, gradually building high mounds over time. During storm events the broad sloped surfaces of the dunes help dissipate wave energy in a far more effective way than a vertical wall would do, spreading the impact across a wide, shallow area rather than concentrating it at one point.

Battling against coastal dynamics.  Blackpool’s old Victorian seawall at low tide and being overtopped during a winter storm.

The resort town of Blackpool on the UK’s northwest coast is a classic example of what can go wrong when you work against natural coastline dynamics. It was built on a sand dune, which, as the town expanded, the Victorians replaced with a monumental 10-meter/30-foot-high seawall. This severed the town from its main asset, its beach, and as competition grew from continental European destinations, Blackpool fell into economic decline. To make matters worse, by the early 2000s the seawall was failing to hold back increasingly stormy winter seas, which began to flood the town.

The solution has been to learn from the dunes. The high wall has been replaced with a gently sloping set of steps stretching the length of the town, mimicking the incline of sand dunes to dissipate wave energy. Each step aids in this process, acting as a mini wave wall to break up the force of the waves incrementally. Unlike a conventional approach it intentionally allows a degree of inundation during severe winter storms. During these events the promenade at the top of the stairs becomes flooded. The floodwaters are contained by a low wall sculpted to serve as public seating at all other times. This approach has allowed the structure as a whole to be lower, enabling strong connections between town and beach during summer months.

The synthetic dune.  Merging coastal dynamics, beach access and the town’s protection needs. Copyright ArchTam photo by Dixi Carrillo.

For the first time in a century, tourists can walk directly from the promenade into the sea, with the steps colored to match the famous golden sand. The design was informed by extensive wave tank modeling to understand local coastal dynamics and  most effectively mold the final form of the serpentine steps. Today sand can be seen migrating up and down the steps during the course of a year, following seasonal coastal dynamics, the town now protected by its monumental,  synthetic dune. What can also be seen is the functional, aesthetic, and economic value of designing in harmony with nature.

James Haig Streeter (james.haigstreeter@archtam.com) is a principal in ArchTam’s global Landscape Architecture practice and co-led the design of Blackpool’s coastal protection.

The post Coastal resilience through biomimicry appeared first on Blog.

There has been a lot of hype surrounding green or living walls in recent years, using plants to create verdant building facades or interior atriums. Increasingly, blank walls and building are being transformed into vertical landscapes, turning dense urban areas from grey to green.  Like all new technologies, however, there have also been spectacular failures, with some unfortunate buildings turning from green to brown as their plants fail and die.  This has led to skepticism among some or the use of expensive custom systems, both responses slowing the uptake of an integrated landscape approach that has huge potential.

Westfield London’s monumental 170 meter / 560 foot long living wall, located in one of Europe’s largest shopping and entertainment complexes, is an example of how when done right these can bring great success to significant commercial developments.  Speaking on the project’s fifth anniversary, the client said: “[The] green wall and landscape are all in excellent and rude health and remain one of the icons of the scheme – a lesson to invest in quality.” This is located on a north-facing wall that receives no direct sun, a tough environment for many plants to grow. Furthermore it leads patrons to the development’s front door, so there was little room for failure. The problem was overcome through the careful selection of native woodland species, which has not only resulted in horticultural success but created an area of wildlife habitat in a very unexpected location.

A fast and simple installation, using pre-planted clip-in panels. Photo by the author.

But the living wall does so much more. From the developer’s perspective it creates a dramatic backdrop for an extensive outdoor dining terrace that has thrived during a time of global economic decline. Its seating and water feature also forms a place for people to relax, encouraging shoppers to stay in the development longer. The evapo-transpiration of the living wall also cools the surrounding micro-climate during summer months – a kind of biological air conditioning system. And from the perspective of existing residents living on its opposite side, the plants and their growing media form a pleasing visual and acoustic barrier to the activity beyond.

Enjoying the cooling effects of the living wall. © ArchTam photo by David Lloyd.

With all this success the question is then “what’s next?” Can living walls do even more? The advent of living walls is fascinating in its own right, with buildings integrating and hosting a piece of nature within their skin. A logical next step is to take full advantage of the potential symbiotic relationships between nature, architecture, and its occupants. Not only learning from nature as is the case with biomimicry but directly using plants to perform some of the services typically undertaken by mechanical systems. Air quality is an example, with NASA research demonstrating the filtration abilities of plants in removing toxins from our built environments. This has the potential to dramatically reduce the energy demands arising from conventional air filtration systems in climates where buildings have either high air heating or cooling loads. It should also not be forgotten that building inhabitants need to eat. With the integration of plants comes the choice of what species to grow, with there being no reason why fruit and vegetable varieties could not be used – air filtration that’s good enough to eat.

James Haig Streeter (james.haigstreeter@archtam.com) is a principal in ArchTam’s global Landscape Architecture practice and led the design of Westfield London’s living wall and public realm.

The post What’s next for the living wall? appeared first on Blog.

There has been a lot of hype surrounding green or living walls in recent years, using plants to create verdant building facades or interior atriums. Increasingly, blank walls and building are being transformed into vertical landscapes, turning dense urban areas from grey to green.  Like all new technologies, however, there have also been spectacular failures, with some unfortunate buildings turning from green to brown as their plants fail and die.  This has led to skepticism among some or the use of expensive custom systems, both responses slowing the uptake of an integrated landscape approach that has huge potential.

Westfield London’s monumental 170 meter / 560 foot long living wall, located in one of Europe’s largest shopping and entertainment complexes, is an example of how when done right these can bring great success to significant commercial developments.  Speaking on the project’s fifth anniversary, the client said: “[The] green wall and landscape are all in excellent and rude health and remain one of the icons of the scheme – a lesson to invest in quality.” This is located on a north-facing wall that receives no direct sun, a tough environment for many plants to grow. Furthermore it leads patrons to the development’s front door, so there was little room for failure. The problem was overcome through the careful selection of native woodland species, which has not only resulted in horticultural success but created an area of wildlife habitat in a very unexpected location.

A fast and simple installation, using pre-planted clip-in panels. Photo by the author.

But the living wall does so much more. From the developer’s perspective it creates a dramatic backdrop for an extensive outdoor dining terrace that has thrived during a time of global economic decline. Its seating and water feature also forms a place for people to relax, encouraging shoppers to stay in the development longer. The evapo-transpiration of the living wall also cools the surrounding micro-climate during summer months – a kind of biological air conditioning system. And from the perspective of existing residents living on its opposite side, the plants and their growing media form a pleasing visual and acoustic barrier to the activity beyond.

Enjoying the cooling effects of the living wall. © ArchTam photo by David Lloyd.

With all this success the question is then “what’s next?” Can living walls do even more? The advent of living walls is fascinating in its own right, with buildings integrating and hosting a piece of nature within their skin. A logical next step is to take full advantage of the potential symbiotic relationships between nature, architecture, and its occupants. Not only learning from nature as is the case with biomimicry but directly using plants to perform some of the services typically undertaken by mechanical systems. Air quality is an example, with NASA research demonstrating the filtration abilities of plants in removing toxins from our built environments. This has the potential to dramatically reduce the energy demands arising from conventional air filtration systems in climates where buildings have either high air heating or cooling loads. It should also not be forgotten that building inhabitants need to eat. With the integration of plants comes the choice of what species to grow, with there being no reason why fruit and vegetable varieties could not be used – air filtration that’s good enough to eat.

James Haig Streeter (james.haigstreeter@archtam.com) is a principal in ArchTam’s global Landscape Architecture practice and led the design of Westfield London’s living wall and public realm.

The post What’s next for the living wall? appeared first on Blog.

Eagle Street Rooftop Farm, Brooklyn. Image courtesy of Harvard University

In a rapidly urbanizing world, we are faced with a very real challenge — supporting a larger population with fewer resources. The United Nations predicts that by 2050 the global population will reach nine billion, with over six billion people living in urban areas. This is uncharted territory for our civilization, and could require an increase in food production by as much as 70 percent.

Our current food system is already showing the strain. Disconnecting the farm from the city has enabled food production at an industrial scale but is reliant on significant infrastructure to process food and transport it to the city’s hungry mouths. It is here that many issues and questions arise.

• Health: Food items are often produced for maximum shelf-life and transportability, not nutrition. Worldwide, 1.6 billion people are now overweight, with significant medical and financial implications. Could short food chains with more localized food production make people healthier?
• Waste: Globally over one-third of all produce is spoiled before reaching the consumer. What would it mean to future food requirements if this number could be reduced significantly? What if the food that did still spoil could be fed directly into a city’s nutrient cycle?
• Oil: Industrial food production is reliant on fossil fuels at all stages of the process, from fertilizer and pesticide, to farm machinery operations, to transportation. What happens when the oil runs out?
• Energy: In the U.S. food system, an individual’s daily share of energy consumption is eight times the minimum required to support a healthy diet. As energy costs increase, how will this affect what we eat and how we grow it? Could urban farms harness waste energy from surrounding buildings?
• Water: Both water shortages and flooding are symptoms of climate change that threaten food security. Population growth will exacerbate this threat. What if food production used 90 percent less water and was shielded from climatic extremes by the urban fabric, using techniques like aquaponics?
• Community: Many urbanites have become so divorced from the food system that a child may grow up on a diet of French fries but have no idea what a potato looks like. What if the process was once more made visible, becoming a focus for education and community building?

Just at the point when we become a civilization of urbanites, the food foundation on which cities rely is faltering. This can be seen as a time of great opportunity. While it is easy to view the city as a thing in stasis, the reality is quite different — adapting to market demands and external pressures. The way that cars changed cities in the middle of the twentieth century illustrates this well. Now the great car city of Detroit, already home to some of the largest urban farms, is illustrating a new and potentially equally transformative trend. Farming the city is no longer a hobby for the few but an answer to some very real global challenges.

The post Why farm the city? appeared first on Blog.