Gardens and Walkways in the University of Chicago’s Main Quad
Last week we received the great news that our work at the University of Chicago will be given a Design Excellence Award by the Society of College and University Planners (SCUP) at their national conference this year. The award commends several projects we completed within the University’s Main quad that illustrate both how horticultural diversity can create a distinctive sense of place and how thoughtful design can contribute sustainable solutions… Read More >
Family Courtyard on the Lake
This week, Architectural Record profiled a pair of family residences in Michigan’s Harbor Country for which we designed the landscape. Not surprisingly, the feature highlights photographs of the architecture, designed by Margaret McCurry, more than the landscape design, so I thought I’d show a few images of the landscape element that links the two homes. This portion of the site sits within a 6-acre landscape originally designed by Jens Jensen. As… Read More >
Landcapes in Time-lapse
As I’ve arranged for projects both old and new to be photographed this season, I’ve been thinking a lot about how time is a critical component in landscape design. My experience of a landscape in Spring is vastly different from Fall, and my experience of a park in its first year of growth will be drastically different when I return 20 years later, as along as it was maintained well… Read More >
World Food Prize Hall of Laureates Garden Blooms
It’s Spring in Des Moines, Iowa. Last autumn, Nick Fobes posted a bit on what it took to complete the World Food Prize garden. Last weekend, we sent a photographer back to capture what it looks like in a new season. photo Jack Coyier The Hall of Laureates, which underwent an extensive renovation, is due to open to the public for tours beginning in May… Read More >
Cycling through an Urban Landscape
I’m a bit of a bike enthusiast, so I might be a bit biased, but I think that seeing a city by bike is the best way to experience an urban landscape. I have found this to be especially true when visiting a new city. When landscape architects and architects are designing in an urban context, we are designing an experience people will have while moving through the space. People… Read More >
A Spring Like No Other on Michigan Avenue
I know this Spring is different from all other Springs, with five consecutive days at 80 degrees or higher here in Chicago alone, but nothing illustrates this to me quite as concretely as what’s happening on Michigan Avenue. Exactly one year ago, we posted a ‘Never Fear, Tulips are Nearly Here’ post about the tulips emerging oh-so-cautiously along Michigan Avenue. On March 29, 2011, this is what you could see… Read More >
Patterned Landscapes
Patterns on unexpected surfaces fascinate me endlessly. On a visit to the Lincoln Park Conservatory last week my biologist friend wowed me in the fern room by showing me a beautiful pattern of dots on the underside of a fern leaf. The sori, which looked like brown spots of rust, are groupings of spores that help the fern reproduce. My biology recap ended there, though, because after she told me… Read More >
Garden Design, Runway Sublime: Photographic Landscape in Fashion
“This world is but a canvas to our imaginations.” – Henry David Thoreau, American Poet and Philosopher (1817-1862) Like all designers, I am always looking for new sources of creative inspiration and while reliable mainstays continue to be film, photography, travel and fashion, I particularly enjoy finding examples of creative expression that involve innovative takes on classic conventions. As such, a visual stand-out for me this season has been one… Read More >
Urban Agriculture: Concerns and Larger Considerations
Urban agriculture is generally painted with one of two brushes. It is either the most amazing thing that will save the world or it is a health risk that is detrimental to our urban areas and needs policy enacted to keep it out of our cities. I think both sides are a bit extreme. I am a strong supporter of urban agriculture because it has so many social and ecological… Read More >
Urban Garden Design for a Historic Home
We’re very pleased that the Illinois Chapter of the ASLA will give an honor award next month to the redesigned garden at a historic urban property in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. As a five-parcel lot, this property could easily have become over-programmed with dozens of vogue landscape amenities like a pool, play area, and sport court. Instead, simple but theatrical design elements accentuate dramatic assets of a historic house. … Read More >