landscape architecture - DG2 Design

Apr 11 2017

ENVIRONMENTAL ART: THE WORK OF GOLDSWORTHY + CHRISTO

By Brad Priest, Designer at DG2 Design

Implemented in many different ways and in a variety of media, Environmental Art in the most rudimentary sense can be any work of art that interacts with its immediate surroundings. While it can have deep meaning – often pointing to historic, political or cultural references – some of the most intriguing works of Environmental Art are simply meant to reveal the beauty in nature or our built environments. Two accomplished artists using such basic motivations in their creations are British artist Andy Goldsworthy and the Bulgarian-born Christo. These artists each use quite different techniques, however they share in the objective of using art to highlight the subtle beauty of our environment.

Andy Goldsworthy’s work is focused on using natural materials to create intricate sculptural forms, which are often built in-place in their natural settings; leaves, twigs, stones and flowers are his paints while the forest floor, meadow and stream is his canvas. Meticulously detailed and elegantly crafted, his art requires the viewer to spend time in examination to fully appreciate its significance. One of the most interesting aspects of his work lies in the fact that his use of found natural materials necessitates that his creative process be somewhat spontaneous and improvised. In an excerpt from a 2015 interview with NPR, Goldsworthy commented on why his art is typically not “designed” in normal sense of the word:

“Design implies a sense of mapping something out, and then you follow the plan; [but] these things grow, and the process of making it parallels that of growth. So in the making of a work — layer by layer, stone by stone, branch by branch, leaf by leaf, petal by petal, one being added to the next — something grows in front of you. And the process of growth is obviously critical to my understanding of the land and myself. … It’s a lot more unpredictable, the process is far more unpredictable, and with far more compromises with the day, the weather, the material.”

Sycamore Leaves + Sycamore Tree, 2013, Scotland

Twig Ripples in Stream, Unknown Year, Scotland

In contrast, Christo’s art (in collaboration with his wife, Jeanne-Claude) uses a more planned-out, avant-garde approach to create bold visual impacts that force viewers to see their environments from new perspectives. Exaggerating this visual impact is the typically massive scale of each project. Brightly colored swaths of fabric are draped over buildings and across landscapes in mind-boggling quantities, creating a contrast that calls attention to the forms and topographies of environments that may have otherwise been taken for granted. As such, his methods have been characterized as providing “revelation through concealment” (Bourdon, David: “Christo”, Harry N. Abrams Publishers, Inc., New York City, 1970.). Despite their apparent simplicity, the technicalities required for the execution of many of Christo’s works are immensely complex. Most take years or even decades to plan, and once built are only on display for a week or two. In an interview with Interview Magazine in 2014, Christo summed up his process:

“I always say all our projects have the two distinct periods: the software period and the hardware period. The software period is where the work exists in the mind of the thousand people who try to stop us and the thousand people who try to help us. And this is the period when the work exists only in the mind and in the drawings. And then there is the hardware period, where the project gets built.”

“Wrapped Trees” by Christo + Jeanne-Claude, Installed in 1998 in Bazel, Switzerland (after 32 years of planning).

Regardless of technique or style, Environmental Art can present its viewers with experiences not typically found in other popular art forms. By calling attention to the character of natural and built environments, whether it be at the scale of a pebble or an entire city block, this type of art offers new perspectives on the physical world and how we interact with it. As Landscape Architects we often have the same goal in mind with our projects. We combine our knowledge of the land with our engineering and design capabilities to create outdoor spaces that invoke reverence for the environment in their users. We look to artists like Goldsworthy and Christo for inspiration and strive to inspire others through our work every day.

Apr 05 2017

A Review of Stamford’s Mill River Park

By: Jordan Wilkinson, PLA, Landscape Architect at DG2 Design Landscape Architecture

Mill River Park in Stamford, CT is a shining example of how a Park Collaborative can guide a City’s vision for a new park space and enhance an urban downtown area. The Mill River Park Collaborative is partially funded by the City of Stamford, and works to oversee and maintain the new design for this transformed park in the center of Stamford. OLIN worked as the lead designer with a team of environmental specialists and engineers to create a solution that not only restores the Rippowam River, but creates a vital connection to nature while providing valuable park space for events. As a former resident of Stamford’s Cove Neighborhood I was able to experience the park shortly after it opened in 2013.

River Improvements: Among the most critical design challenges facing the team of professionals was the polluted and channelized lower section of the Rippowam River that cuts through downtown Stamford before emptying into the Long Island Sound at Stamford Harbor. The urban river has been dammed and channelized for many years, creating a flood risk to a densely-populated area. The new design began with a huge cleanup effort and culminated in a new river alignment that lays back vegetated and stabilized banks. The team worked with hydrologists to determine the best width and depth for the stream, and considered every aspect of the riparian corridor from the flood-tolerant native species to the formation of strategic pools and riffles in the water to provide habitat and flood mitigation. Overall 100 year flood elevations actually dropped 3 feet as a reflection of the improved stream conditions.

An asset to Stamford: The park design gives users direct access to the water by a handful of graceful connections, including one with stepping stones across the river. The great lawn and plaza areas provide a great opportunity for public events of all sizes, and have already provided a spark for new economic development in the downtown area. Future project phases are planned to expand trail and greenway connections further south, as well as the development of a Discovery Center building to provide event space connected to the park. A fountain that can be converted to an ice skating rink is planned as a focal point in the central park space. This vast program of uses has already proved successful in bringing the community outside and creating a sense of pride in this beautiful park space.

Figure 2: The Rippowam River ©Carly Bergey via Landezine.com

A Hybrid Plant Palette: OLIN developed a planting plan that not only compliments the improvements to the Rippowam River, but also integrates into the urban downtown area of Stamford. Resiliant urban tree species such as Quercus rubra (Northern Red Oak) and Cladastris kentukea (Kentucky Yellowwood) were used to line walkways and surrounding streetscapes. Careful thought and coordination was achieved to specify and place flood-tolerant plants that will encourage native habitat growth. “In the case of restoring Mill River to allow it to function as it once did, it took a nuanced understanding of how plant choices could revitalize aquatic and terrestrial habitats, reduce flooding, weather storm events, and create a beautiful and accessible landscape for humans all at the same time” – OLIN’s Judy Venonsky, ASLA in LAM Dec 2015 issue. As icing on the cake, the project team was able to salvage and replant numerous mature flowering cherry trees on the site to create what the Mill River Park Collaborative proudly touts as the largest cherry tree grove in New England.

Figure 3: Event Space ©OLIN via Landezine.com

Project stats:

Landscape Architecture: OLIN
Location: Stamford, CT
Designed: 2007-2012
Constructed: 2012-2013
Size: 33 Acres
Budget: $11.8M

Sources:

Landezine: http://www.landezine.com/index.php/2014/01/mill-river-park-and-greenway-by-olin/
Mill River Park Collaborative: http://www.millriverpark.org/
Landscape Architecture Magazine; Volume 105 Number 12; December 2015; Change The Channel, By: William S. Saunders
Mill River Park and Greenway Master Plan, By: Olin Partnership, July 2007

Mar 28 2017

Design Guidelines: Exterior Stairs

By: Brad Priest, Designer at DG2 Design Landscape Architecture

DESIGNING SAFE AND FUNCTIONAL OUTDOOR STAIRS

(source)

Exterior stairs require a set of design guidelines that differs from typical interior stairs. They must function in all types of environmental conditions and provide safe routes for users to navigate comfortably in ways that are unique to the outdoors. One of the most important considerations in designing safe, functional exterior stairs is PROPORTION.

PROPORTION

Stairs in an outdoor setting should allow for users to move up and down them at a quicker speed than what is required indoors. With this in mind, the proportion of each stair as well as the overall staircase must be planned accordingly.

STAIR WIDTH

The overall width of a set of outdoor stairs should be a minimum of 4 feet in a private setting, and 5 feet in a public space. However, wider stairs are typically more inviting and can feel safer for users, particularly in crowded public spaces.

RISERS

Perhaps more important than overall stair width are the proportions of each individual stair (all stairs within a single staircase should be uniform in dimension, of course). Risers – the vertical faces of each step – should be 6” whenever possible under typical conditions, as this dimension provides the most ergonomic function. In order to eliminate tripping hazards, the dimension of a Riser should always be a minimum of 4” and a maximum of 7”.

TREADS

Treads – the horizontal faces of each step – should be sized depending on the dimension of the Risers. The standard acceptable range of dimensions for exterior Treads is 11 to 18 inches. In order to provide the most ergonomic flow, Tread length should be determined based on the following formula whenever possible:

(2x Riser Height) + Tread Length = 24 to 26”

LANDINGS

A few other important aspects to planning a safe, functional set of stairs are landing height, landing length and landing frequency. Landings are the flat breaks between stairs that allow users to navigate up and down more easily. Topography plays a major role in the layout of landings within a run of stairs, but a few rules of thumb include:

Landings should always be separated by ~5 feet vertically at the most, so that users can see each landing as they ascend the stairs.
Landing length should be 5 feet, or multiples of 5 feet, to allow for smooth user movement.
Landing frequency should be every 9 to 11 steps if possible, to ease the exertion required to navigate the stairs.

Mar 21 2017

Designing Parks for Today

By Jordan Wilkinson, Landscape Architect at DG2 Design

Designing parks can be one of the most exciting and challenging parts of a Landscape Architect’s job. Many parks (at least well-designed ones) can be a direct reflection of society’s ever-changing state of mind. A good designer will respond to a multitude of design influences including everything from physical site features to cultural trends. One of the most alarming cultural trends of our society for the past several decades has been a decline in the amount of time we spend outdoors.

Recently Dan Perrault, a Play Advocate for Playworld, came in to our offices at DG2 Design and gave us a presentation titled Making Play More Relevant II. Over sub sandwiches and potato chips, we learned about ways to design parks and playgrounds to encourage more outdoor activity. The main concepts I’m talking about here are a summary of what was addressed in Dan’s presentation to us.

First and foremost, we must recognize that our society has really become one which lives, works, and plays almost entirely indoors. There have been several American and British studies conducted addressing the amount of time that people of all ages spend outdoors, and the findings overall are alarming. This can be attributed to many causes, but among those are a decline in youth sports, fewer jobs outdoors, and lower costs for air-conditioning. It is estimated that the current generation of children spends around half as much time outdoors as their parent did when they were growing up. In certain study groups it was found that prisoners (yes inmates who typically have their outdoor time monitored and limited) could be spending more time outdoors than modern children.

After understanding this trend of a decline in time spent outdoors, how can we as designers respond in an effective manner? Dan’s presentation went on to address a few major groups of our society that are more likely to spend time outdoors than others. Those include millennials, seniors, and ‘motivated families’. I found this particularly interesting as a millennial, and started to think about ways to design spaces that accommodate millennial needs and experiences. It may sound silly, but features as small as charging stations for cell phones and tablets may be enough to create a desirable space for any generation. Along with living in our digital age comes a different frame of mind and an increased desire for ‘photo-opportunities’ and that search for a “bucket-list” experience that we can capture on our smartphones and post online instantly. I was recently at the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Garden Glow exhibit and noticed that they are aware to this trend and have literally designed spaces and large picture frames into their winter light exhibit for guests to stop and pose for a selfie. I might think twice about designing a giant picture frame into one of my projects, but this made me think about ways to implement iconic and memorable features that might inspire someone to stop and enjoy the space, even if that means snapping a selfie.

There are many reasons to encourage people to go outside and use their parks and playgrounds. A walk in the park can be therapeutic, and some doctors now are even prescribing outdoor time for their patients to unwind. Outdoor spaces also encourage exercise, physical challenges, and learning from nature. As designers, we must be able to respond to modern trends and needs while at the same time being able to produce designs that are timelessly efficient and responsible to our environment.

Mar 15 2017

Congratulations!

Congratulations to our team member Jordan Wilkinson for recently obtaining his license in Landscape Architecture in the state of Missouri.

The landscape architects are regulated through licensure to recognize the impact of the landscape architect profession on public health, safety and welfare. It is a big act of achievement and DG2 is proud of our newest landscape architect.

Learn more about Jordan on his profile at our DG2 Design website.

Congratulations again Jordan!

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