It is hard to move through San Francisco without coming into contact with a [Lawrence] Halprin landscape, said Charles Birnbaum, president and chief executive of The Cultural Landscape Foundation(TCLF).

Born in New York, Halprin moved to the Bay Area in the mid-1940s and established his own practice in San Francisco in 1949. His initial work focused on residential properties, but by the 1950s, he was working on larger campuses and transitioning to the public realm.

Now, TCLF is hosting a photography exhibit on view at the Palace of Fine Arts that celebrates Halprin's life and legacy. The exhibition also highlights the risk of losing the landscapes Halprin created in San Francisco and beyond.

His work and design concepts broadly affected the infrastructure of the city during his lifetime, Birnbaum told Hoodline.

Some of Halprin's earliest urban designs include Ghirardelli Square (1962-1968). According to Birnbaum, the square was one of the first efforts to recycle a historic building.

While he was working on Ghirardelli Square, Halprin also spent a decade working on Embarcadero Plaza, since named after Justin Herman.

The landscape architect was also responsible for the design of United Nations Plaza, Levis Plaza, Washington Square, the Lucas Studio campus in the Presidio, and even the layout of Market Street between the Embarcadero and the Castro.

Plans for the three-mile stretch also included Hallidie Plaza around the Powell Street Muni/BART, down to the various sizes and shapes of brick pavers and decorative lamp posts, an homage to San Francisco's City Beautiful movement.

At the end of his life and career, Halprin designedStern Grove, which today hosts summer Sunday concerts in its one-of-a-kind amphitheater.

Halprin viewed cities as theaters and designed urban landscapes that directed how people should interact with his spaces, Birnbaum said. He wanted people to play in his fountains, and used a variety of surfaces and structures to change the pace of people moving through his landscapes.

But many of his works are at risk of disappearing, due to the lack of maintenance and neglect. For example, United Nations Plaza was at risk a few years ago, with a chain link fence erected around a dry fountain.

Although the fountain is working again, there are still challenges in the plaza, and going forward, it is not clear whether the city intends to maintain the design as Halprin intended, Birnbaum told us.

For the most part, Halprin was always looking forward to the next project, but he lived long enough to be saddened by the sight of his projects moving away from his original intent or coping with a lack of maintenance.

In many cases, his landscape design was blamed for the social challenges associated with that neglect, rather than the stewards. According to Birnbaum, Halprin once related his frustration with spending ten to 20 years trying to get a project built, only to spend the next two decades fighting to keep it from being torn down.

TCLF is trying to raise awareness of Halprins legacy to prevent such loss, through the photography exhibit and its ongoing Landslide program. The program and the photography exhibit were launched last year to celebrate what would have been Halprins 100th birthday.

Through September 4th, visitors can see the 56 newly-commissioned photos of his work and learn more about his legacy at the Palace of Fine Arts.

The Palace of Fine Arts is located at 3601 Lyon St. and is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-5pm.

More:
Exhibition Highlights Landscape Architect's Impact On San Francisco - Hoodline

By MEGHAN PIERCEUnion Leader CorrespondentAugust 20. 2017 11:16PM

Judith Reeve and Kelly Dent of the Sustainable Hanover Committee have donated their services in designing the landscape for a new to park to showcase sustainable landscaping techniques.(Courtesy photo)

The School Street Park will be located on an empty town-owned lot between School Street and the municipal parking lot behind Hanover Town Hall.

The Sustainable Hanover Committee spearheaded the project as a way to inspire and educate the public on how to create sustainable landscapes, said committee member Larry Litten.

Fundraising for the project is underway, Litten said, but a recent a donation from the Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation of $50,000 has taken a big chunk out of the expected $88,400 overall cost of the project.

A landscape architect and a landscape designer sitting on the committee have donated their talents to the project, saving on costs. The city-owned land has been a vacant lot for many years, but once had a house on it used by the town as a community center Litten said.

We hope construction will start next spring, he said.

One of the bigger features to be highlighted in the park will be a rain garden that will capture stormwater runoff.

We hope to actually drain the stormwater out of a large section of a parking lot, preventing it from going straight back into the Connecticut River, Litten said.

The park will also feature the use of native plants, ways to reduce lawn space, a pollinator habitat and edible landscaping.

The park also will include play areas for children and a sitting area.

We also think that we just need to promote the concept of people slowing down and enjoying nature, Litten said.

A website will also be created as an accompanying resource for the public, he said.

EnvironmentLocal and County GovernmentHanover

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Proposed Hanover park receives $50000 donation - The Union Leader

Renowned landscape architect Hank White, founder of New York City-based HM White, has designed residential, civic and, commercial outdoor spaces, including the Madison Square Park public urban space, the garden court and sky garden at The New York Times building, and the courtyard and common roof gardens at the celebrity-heavy 443 Greenwich condo development.

We caught up with Mr. White to talk about the importance of architectural integrity, his grave concerns about climate change and why he thinks fringe areas surrounding urban cores offer the best real estate opportunities

Mansion Global: Describe your dream property.

Hank White: Anything that has access toand relentless views ofbeautiful landscapes. Thats what does it for me personally, but if you think about high-quality and high-value urban space in general, waterfront, park views and park visibility are all important. That applies to suburban and rural space as well.

More:For the Obamas Former White House Designer, Bigger Isnt Always Better

MG: Do you have a real estate property that got away?

HW: When we were looking to move out of the city because of our expanding family, in that classic cliche, we found an ideal Cotswalds cottage in the neighborhood we wanted to be in, but they wanted to close right away. And we just werent ready to pull the trigger.

And theres another house, that we looked at before we had children. I introduced my wife to a summer community in Rhode Island that I grew up in.

We saw a house on a knoll with amazing waterfront views that needed a lot of work and was 150 years old. I couldnt get the capital to buy it, but I was planning on putting about $300,000 into it to transform it and preserve it, and then flip it. We could have gotten it for about $700,000 in the latter part of the 90s. If the house was on the market in a fine condition now, it could ask $9 million.

MG: What does luxury mean to you?

HW: Primarily, its quality of space, quality of materials, abundance of natural light and refinement of architecture and detailed expressions. Its how materials are put together and how theyre crafted. Whether in a modernist palette or in an accurate historic palette, it has to have design integrity and intelligence.

More:Spains Market is Surprisingly Hot, Says Brokerage Co-Founder

MG: What area do you think is the next hub for luxury properties?

HW: Its about the overall demographic shift toward millennials, and how much technology is transforming our world. Over 75% of the world will be living in an urban area in the next five years or so. That number used to be much, much lower.

The next hubs are probably neighborhoods on the fringes of high-valued urban neighborhoods.

The big news is surrounding population growth as well as climate change. Sea level rising is a big issue. Places by the water need to be reinvented, and dealt with.

And I think places all need a form of public access. Youre likely going to see denser developments around train stations.

MG: Whats the biggest surprise in the luxury real estate market now?

HW: You see these over $10,000-per-square-foot apartments on the 80th floor of sliver towers. Those prices are driven by emotion not a quantitative, or realistic, economic model. These places are so ego driven, that its hard to price them.

Plus, they slap on the word luxury to everything, and you walk in and its a 500-square-feet one-bedroom. It may have a Miele appliance, but does that make it luxury?

More:Sothebys Executive Says Consumer Confidence Is Strong Across the Globe

MG: Where are the best luxury homes in the world and why?

HW: I just came back from Italy and Greece, and every time I travel, what Im drawn to are places where the architectural history and heritage has been preserved, valued and nurtured. Its not only about the built environment, but the surrounding open space, and natural-world qualities that give it so much of its character.

Those are the places I find to have the biggest impact, and thats what lifts my spirits, because of the awe of the antiquity. Its humbling to be in a place where so many other people have inhabited it before you, and so many generations have respected that history.

As you drive into these European towns you feel the difference. In America, a great deal of the country is sprawl. We have to go through the commercial crud to get through to something we see as charming or beautiful.

MG: Whats your favorite part of your home?

HW: My house is an 1874 Victorian. My favorite view is looking up the stairs. It has something of a spiral quality to it. When you stand on the bottom floor looking up, its the core of the house. It speaks to the quality of the architectural design.

Also, I love sitting outside on a terrace enclosed by vegetation, looking onto my gardens, and reading a book. As a landscape architect, Im in the business of creating outdoor rooms, and this is one of my outdoor rooms.

More:Treat Your Home Like a Crush, French Designer Says

MG: What best describes the theme to your home and why?

HW: Its warmth. A friend told us, whenever I come here, I feel very calm. Because its a Victorian, there are a lot of rooms, and its not loft-like, but we removed a lot of doors so the openings were maintained. The large openings between the rooms means that the flow is great, and it creates warmth, and a sense a movement.

Because theres a lot of historic millwork and casing around the moulding, and high ceilings, we literally stripped the interior clean of all clutter so you can see that. We introduced a lot of warm colors too.

My friend said its like being in a spa lounge. Lighting is a big part of that. Furniture selection and decluttering is really important too.

MG: Whats the most valuable thing in your home?

HW: The millwork. Otherwise, a collection of paintings. What we try to do when we travel is dig into as much of the local art scene as we can. We have a piece from a young artist in Barcelona, and one from Quebec City. The art acknowledges memorable occasions in our lives; we were captivated by the beauty and art and the representation of that special time.

More:Chicago-Based Interior Designer Says Nothing Beats a Killer View

MG: Whats the most valuable amenity to have in a home right now?

HW: Creating a nexus where people want to gather. Kitchens are now big social centers, but it didnt used to be that way at all.

MG: Whats your best piece of real estate advice?

HW: Look at the edges of high-valued districts and neighborhoods. And the other thing to look out for are access to beautiful, open space, conservation land or waterfront.

One warning: Being mindful of our global climate, trends, and the vulnerability of waterfront property at this point. Your real estate dreams may be wiped out.

Its alarming whats happening and the speed in which its occurring. I see it in the waterfront community I grew up inthe tides are higher.

More:Beautiful Homes Pop Up in Some of the Most Unexpected Places, Says Daniel Libeskind

MG: Whats going on in the news that will have the biggest impact on the luxury real estate market?

HW: Global warming, and a lot of developers are already pursuing low-carbon emission buildings. Hopefully more and more will start supporting that kind of thing. New York City is doing what it can with changes to building code. In part, the private sector may need to lead the way.

Our European colleagues are much more ahead of the game.

MG: What is the best area now for investing in luxury properties?

HW: Islands, like Manhattan. Any place that has sustainable value and resources but physical limitations in terms of space, is always where people will want to be.

The challenge will be how to accommodate more and more people in a confined area in a way that improves livability and increases the value. Thats part of our job, working with so many developers, were taking a sows ear and making it into a silk purse.

More:Click to Read More Luxury Real Estate Professionals Share Their Insights

MG: If you had a choice of living in a new development or a prime resale property, which would you choose and why?

HW: Im attracted to history, so it would always be resale. Im of the mind that while we need to respect our past, with technology theres an opportunity to reinvent the past and make it relevant to how we live today. Its important to do that without erasing that past, that heritage, and keeping an eye on the environment footprint.

MG: What area currently has the best resale value?

HW: Places that have architectural integrity, whether thats modern or historic. It has to be authentic to whatever period of architectural style or expression it is. And it helps when its in a place where neighbors have been concerned with preservation and care.

The same is true for the landscape as much as the building. When sprawl development is resisted and care is given to an open landscape, thats how you uphold resale value.

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It May Be Up to Private Sector to Confront Climate Change, Says Landscape Architect - Mansion Global

Accounting

Dingus, Zarecor & Associates PLLC, a Spokane Valley accounting firm, has hired Molly Rupp and Kaylea Passmore. Rupp is a document production specialist. Passmore has been hired as a staff accountant.

Bernardo|Wills Architects has hired Licia LeGrant, architect; Philip Ward, landscape architect; and Saul Rip Hansen, BIM/CAD technician. LeGrant is working on the Catalyst Project in Spokanes University District and a manufacturing facility for Katerra Inc. in the Spokane Valley. She has 16 years experience in architecture. Ward is working on landscape and irrigation modifications for Mission Park as well as projects at Farragut State Park and The Club at Rock Creek near Coeur dAlene. He has 36 years of landscape architecture experience. Hansen is drafting, designing and providing construction support for improvements to the North Idaho Dermatology medical office building and a tenant improvement for Kootenai Healths medical office building.

Jeff Jurgensen has been promoted to regional director of OAC Eastern Washington. Jurgensen has 26 years of project and construction manager experience and will lead strategic development in the district, manage OACs Spokane office and contribute as a service provider to clients. OAC is a construction management, forensic architecture and engineering firm headquartered in Seattle with offices in Olympia, Spokane and Silicon Valley.

STCU has hired Jeff Stone as business banking manager. Stone has 25 years of banking experience and comes to STCU from US Bank. The credit union has also announced four promotions. Amy Butler has been promoted to manager of the Crossroads Branch in Coeur dAlene. Janell Pavlica, who has been with STCU for 20 years, has been promoted to manager of the Indian Trail branch. Tanya Yost has been promoted from assistant manager to manager of STCUs Silver Lake branch in Dalton Gardens. Brandy Stern has been promoted to manager of the U-District branch after serving as the assistant manager at the Cheney location.

The National League for Nursing has named the Washington State University College of Nursing a Center of Excellence. The college was given the honor under the category enhancing student learning and professional development and is one of 15 universities or health care organizations in the nation to receive the Center of Excellence award.

Washington State University chemistry professor Aurora Clark has been named a Fellow of the American Chemical Society. Clark received the award for her research and service in nuclear/inorganic and computational chemistry. With 157,000 members, the American Chemical Society is the worlds largest scientific society. Fellows make up less than 0.7 percent of the societys membership.

Selkirk Wealth Advisors LLC has hired Todd Koyama as a wealth adviser. He has worked in the industry in Spokane since 1999.

Dr. Richard Burt, DDS, will open a new Aspen Dental office in Coeur dAlene on Monday. The office is at 223 Ironwood Drive.

The Spokane County Public Works Department has hired Cathy Westby as training and performance manager. She will focus on employee development and performance measures.

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Garden and landscaping books are a dime a dozen, but critics took special notice of Thomas Rainers 2015 book Planting in a Post-Wild World. The book, which he co-wrote with Claudia West, was called groundbreaking, masterful and as practical as it is poetic.

Rainer, a landscape architect who has designed plantings for the U.S. Capitol grounds and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, recently spoke at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Some listeners were moved almost to tears by his talk on the importance of creating ecologically responsible gardens that bring the wild back into an increasingly urban world.

Yet Rainer isnt a pedant. Theres room for fun in his landscapes, and his own yard in Virginia has old-fashioned annuals and a patch of lawn where he can toss a ball with his son. Our gardens should bring us pleasure, he says, and if we look to nature for guidance, we will have less work and enjoy our yards more.

Rainer, who blogs at thomasrainer.com, took a few minutes to talk about his work, the urgency of urban gardening and Americans obsession with mulch:

Q: You say wildness matters more now. Why?

A: Half of the worlds population lives in cities. Were urbanizing at a pace unprecedented in human history. That increases desire for experiences of the wild moments of sunset, moments of seeing grasses backlit, watching a caterpillar emerge from a chrysalis. All of these things are things our grandparents experienced on a daily basis. Now these are things I show my 6-year-old son on YouTube.

As we urbanize, having our memory of the wild tickled will be more pleasurable. I think this is why the High Line in Manhattan (an abandoned elevated rail line that is now a park with prairie plants) is the most visited site in all of New York City. What does it say that what urban dwellers want to see more than anything else is the imitation of a meadow?

Q: Yet you dont argue for using only native plants in landscapes.

A: Conservation and restoration dont make any sense on the highly disturbed urban sites I deal with every day. Theres pressure for them to be beautiful; theres pressure for them to be ecologically functional, and theres pressure to look good in four seasons. To combat environmental problems, we need to start looking at the places around us the parking-lot islands, the drainage ditches, the sides of the road, the backyards as places where nature can be.

Nature is not apart from us, nature is us. And it means working with some of the invasives we have that we wont be able to totally eradicate. The goal is to get as much native biodiversity as possible, but we have to make compromises when resources arent endless.

Q: What does that mean for gardeners?

A: There is a huge opportunity in looking at gardens and finding places to add more native biodiversity, and thats possible to do without having to rip out your foundation plants, without having to abolish your lawn.

We have this particular American habit of adding 2 to 4 inches of mulch in our yards, which you dont see in Europe or Asia. When you see their gardens, they are chock full of plants. What you see in our gardens are plants swimming in a sea of mulch.

So for us the big shift is to think of plants not as individual objects but as dynamic systems. Gardeners can look at their existing plantings, find the places where there is bare mulch, and add plants. Because if you look at how plants grow in the wild, plants cover soil. Plants want to be green mulch. As you replace mulch with native groundcovers, you can include lots of flowering plants. The labor goes way, way down, and biodiversity goes up. And I think the look is better, too.

Q: You speak of going from maintenance to management.

A: When you think about plants as individual objects, maintenance needs to be individualized. Certain plants need to be staked, need to be deadheaded; some need more water, others need less. When you start planting as a community, you do everything at once.

Plants are social creatures. Most of a plants shape and behavior is a reaction to growing among other plants. Butterfly weed is exactly the same height as surrounding grasses; it helps the pollinators find it. The fact that it has almost no leaves is a way for it to move through that matrix. It has a taproot to drill through the fibrous roots of grasses.

We understand a plant best when we understand how it has evolved to grow among its companions.

Q: Yet native plants are still underused in landscapes.

A: We think the aesthetics of natives have not been fully tapped. The best North American native plant gardens are in Europe. And thats because the Dutch and the Germans and the English are geeked out on our native flora, not because theyre good for bees and pollinators but because they think our flora is some of the most gorgeous flora anywhere in the world.

A state like Minnesota probably has five times the native plant diversity of the whole British Isles. Were spoiled for choice. But the nursery trade does not propagate enough of the right plants, and were not understanding how to combine them for the best aesthetic effect.

We believe in natives but you have to think about plant performance and maximizing bloom. A well-behaved exotic may increase ornamental value and can make plantings more acceptable.

Q: Is our idea of what makes a garden too rigid?

A: I think so. If you look at the American suburban yard, theyre not landscapes of pleasure, theyre landscapes of labor. The pruning, the lawns we do these things because we want things that are low-maintenance and we dont want to tick off our neighbors. We dont typically have gardens we love.

But for me, as a gardener, what I want to communicate is the pleasure. The most pleasurable part of the garden is to go out and watch not only seasonal change, but change day by day. Watch the pollinators, watch the plants. To watch life day by day.

Q: What about gardeners who love peonies or roses?

A: Keep those beloved garden plants. But intermingle them with beautiful salvias and low blue sedges or put them in combinations so their ornamental qualities are amplified. Layering compatible plants is really useful, just as we do in container arrangements.

The thing we want to do more than anything else is to encourage people to get pleasure out of their plantings. It is not about plants being good or bad. Were trying to talk about how to get more tools based on the way plants grow. Its a tool for lower maintenance, more biodiversity, more pleasure and squeezing more color out of small spaces.

Mary Jane Smetanka is a Minneapolis freelance writer, a Hennepin County master gardener and a tree care adviser.

More:
Call of the wild: Look to nature for garden guidance - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Paolo Pejrone remembers the moment when his life took an irrevocable turn. It was January 8, 1970, at around four oclock in the afternoon, and Pejronethen an architect in his late 20swas visiting the Turin home of Gianni and Marella Agnelli. The couple were family acquaintances, and though he didnt know them personally, the eager young aesthete had accepted a teatime invitation in the hope of being introduced to Marella and her houseguest, legendary British landscape designer Russell Page. I met them both at the same moment, recalls Pejrone, still pinching himself over having encountered his greatest patron and his greatest teacher in a single afternoon. That conversation changed my life.

Over the past half-century, Pejrone has done anything but squander his good fortune. Now 76 and an esteemed landscape designer himself, hes created some 800 gardens across Europe for clients ranging from the Agnellis to Valentino and Giancarlo Giammetti to Prince Sadruddin Aga Khaneven, he reveals, for the joy of Pope Benedict. His new book Private Italian Gardens (Mondadori Electa) highlights this illustrious past, but it can barely hint at the future: Pejrone is busier than ever, tending to a grand estate on Capri, a Renzo Pianodesigned hospital in Bologna, and a historic plot near Piazza San Marco in Venice.

Page remains a touchstone because Pejrone apprenticed alongside him for 18 fruitful months in England, Ireland, and Italy. Russell made me a gardener, Pejrone says by phone from Bramafam, his own Arcadian retreat in Piedmont. He was a huge school for mein simplicity most of all. I learned that little and big things can be at the same level of importance. How to arrange and grow plants, how to think about space. They are different languages, but the same story. Following his time under Page, Pejrone traveled to study gardens his mentor had admired and later collaborated with Marella Agnelli on the grounds of Alzipratu and Villar Perosa, her homes in Corsica and outside Turin. The latter was Pages masterwork. I believe he was the only real disciple Russell ever had, she told House & Garden in 2004.

The syllabus Page had prepared stopped short of South America, and in 1972 Pejrone decamped for Brazil to visit the landscapes of Roberto Burle Marx. For six formative months, he studied with Burle Marx and drank in the ecological precepts of Rio de Janeiros visionary artist/plantsman. Russell was the best of the past, he observes, but Roberto was the future. In 60 years of gardening, Ive moved from Page to Burle Marx. Gardening now is coming not from my eyes or hands but from the heart.

For all its diversity, Pejrones work is distinguished by a profound sensitivity to site. Many of his gardens hover on the edge of steep banks that he tames through skillful terracing; sun-drenched areas are often enlisted as olive groves because, as he explains, the superfluous alone will not bring harmony. And the designer is a true conjurer of shade, coaxing it into being in subtle and myriad ways that range from jewel-toned passages, where roses tumble over lofty pergolas, to penumbral glades that move across cool lawns like love notes slipped under a door.

Penelope roses cover an arbor at a hillside estate in Porano, Italy.

Dario Fusaro/Private Italian Gardens, by Paolo Pejrone, Mondadori electa, 2017

A pragmatist as well as a romantic, Pejrone sings the praises of happy landscapes arrived at through hard work and great effort, no doubt, but without making too much noise. A garden thats too elaborate, too sophisticated, too neat will eventually become a nightmare. Potagers are often the heart of his schemes, and clients enjoy their eggplants and strawberries knowing thatat Pejrones urginglukewarm water, heated by the sun, has been used to irrigate them. If that sounds a bit silver-spade, he doesnt think that way; hes simply invested the time to learn what plants need and what they dont. Too much peat and too much water in the garden can wreak more damage than one can even imagine, he warns, slipping into the tone he perfected as a longtime garden columnist for two of Italys biggest daily newspapers, La Repubblica and La Stampa.

His national popularity comes as no surprise. He tolerates weeds, shuns fertilizer, and turns a blind eye to the small creatures who, he insists, have as much right to the landscape as he does. (Perhaps the Italians have never met Pietro Rabbit?) A true child of the 1960s, Pejrone writes of his own garden, All the plants and I want is to be happy without any hang-ups.

These days, Pejrone is the mentor, turning out solidly trained graduates every year at a horticultural school outside Turin. We are making real gardeners, with their hands, hearts, and heads, the designer insists. Not dreaming, but really effective. Plants are in the heart and the heavens. The gardeners have to be in the middle. For Pejrone, the middle is no doubt a ravishing place.

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Walk Through Landscape Designer Paolo Pejrone's Happy Gardens - Architectural Digest

Historic preservation stories always stir up a conversation: What parts of American architectural history should be preserved? What doesnt need saving? Since our last coverage of 2016s top historic preservation articles,many new buildings have become imperiled or found respite from demolition.As we celebrate America on July 4, heres an updated list that includes a unique Brutalist building in Southern Floridaunder threat, a recently-saved Frank Lloyd Wright home, and

As we celebrate America on July 4, heres an updated list that includes a unique Brutalist building in Southern Floridaunder threat, a recently-saved Frank Lloyd Wright home, and many more.

Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture gifted a new home in Phoenix. (Courtesy Andrew Pielage)

Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architectures latest additionWithout homebuilding entrepreneur Zach Rawlings, this 2,500-square-foot Frank Lloyd Wrightdesigned concrete home would have succumbed to developers who wanted to bulldoze it and replace it with more profitable housing. But Rawlings, along with architect Wallace Cunningham,saved the David and Gladys Wright home. Now its being transferred to theFrank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture; students will have the opportunity to engage with the building and its renovation process in a design studio specifically designed for the site.

Landmarks cites nonexistent permits for iconic Citicorp plaza. Pictured here: Citicorp Center in 1978. St. Peters, left, faces the sunken plaza along Lexington Avenue. (Norman McGrath)

New Yorks landmarked Citicorp Center Plazademolished

Designed by Sasaki Associates in 1973, the Citicorp Centers plaza and fountain werejust recently demolished, despite their landmarked status.The opaque and irregular approvals process deprived the public of the opportunity to weigh in on highly visible changes to the iconic plaza. It was eventually revealed toThe Architects Newspaperthat Boston Properties, the owner proposing the changes, had received permits from the Department of Building (DOB) just four days before the site was landmarked, which technically allowed the changes to be made.

Iconic Kenneth Treisterdesigned modernist Miami tower threatened. (Courtesy The BIG BUBBLE)

Fate of iconic Kenneth Treister-designed Miami towerunclear

A building that heralds back to Miamis Tropical Brutalism era, this Brutalist tower known as Office in the Grove is threatened with demolition if it is not saved and landmarked. Designed by Floridas modernist architect Kenneth Treister in 1973,it is among the first buildings to be constructed of post-tensioned concrete slabs and a completely prefabricated concrete facade. While Brutalism may be hard for the public to appreciate,the concrete style intended to create openness in public buildings while responding architecturally to the climate. According to Docomomo US/Florida, this was Miamis first office building to give the community an eye-level, landscaped grass berm as its facade. The hearing for the buildings landmark status will be held on September 5.

A controversial master plan for a historic site in Alamo, TX, has support from architects, but not the public. (Courtesy Texas General Land Office)

New master plan proposal for The Alamo in San Antonio raises debate

A $450 million plan for The Alamo Mission, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, wants to declutter its plaza, which involves relocating an historic cenotaph. Architects have expressed tentative approval of the plan, but have also voiced concerns that the current proposalwhich includes glass walls separating the Alamo grounds from the rest of the cityinhibits the use of space for the public. The public was also skeptical of the glass walls, raising questions about a modern design in San Antonios historic downtown.

Philip Johnsons New York State Pavilion all set for $14 million revamp. (Courtesy NYC Parks Department)

Philip Johnsons New York State Pavilion revamp

A modernist icon, the New York State Pavilion was originally designed by architect Philip Johnson for the 1964 Worlds Fair. Its listedon the National Register of Historic Places, but years of neglect have left the structure in abandoned, despite a new coat of paint in 2015. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, preservation group People for the Pavilion, and New York City government began soliciting ideas for a bold new take on the structure, ultimately selecting the design Hanging Meadows last August. Meanwhile, a separate $14.25 million renovationis underway to re-open the Pavilion to the public in the fall of 2019.

Often considered the first glass house, the House of Tomorrow was state of the art when it was built in 1933. (Courtesy Indiana Landmarks)

Americas first glass house, a National Treasure, will be restored

Its often referred to as Americas First Glass House. Now, the House of Tomorrow (a remnant from the 1933 Chicago Century of Progress Worlds Fair) by Chicago architect George Fred Keck is set to receive an update from a team of Chicago firms. There was a $2.5 million campaign to restore the house last year led by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Indiana Landmarks. The buildings design features glass curtain walls for passive solar heating (coming well beforePhilip Johnsons1949 Glass House and Mies van der Rohes 1951 Farnsworth House), an iceless refrigerator, and the first-ever General Electric dishwasher. The restoration plan includes removing deteriorated surfaces, replacing the current glass walls with modern glass, and the revealingcantilevered steel girders that give the house its open floor plan.

Gordon Bunshafts 1962 addition to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York. (Courtesy Buffalo as an Architectural Museum)

Gordon Bunshaftdesigned addition toAlbright-Knox Art Gallery threatened

While he was at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Buffalo native Gordon Bunshaft created this addition to the original 1905 Albright-Knox museum; it included an auditorium with jet-black windows (seen above), galleries, and a courtyard that extends between the addition and the original building. Now, as part of a plan put forth by OMAs New York office, its courtyard and galleries would be demolished while the auditorium would remain. OMA contends that the courtyard divides the park in which the museum sits; removing it and the galleries will restore circulation to the site while making way for bigger exhibition spaces. The Albright-Knox Art Gallery still needs $20 million for the expansion, though groundbreaking is planned forApril2019.

Architects arent happy about plans to remodel this Manhattan park. (Courtesy Machado Silvetti)

The City of New York wants to razeWagner Park

One of the best places to see Lady Liberty is Wagner Park, a small green slice ofBattery Park Cityon the lower edge of Manhattan. Two decades ago Boston-basedMachado Silvetti, in collaboration with landscape architects atOLIN, unveiled the park, an open space that ushers people towardsthe waters edge with sweeping views of New York Harbor and that famous freedom statue. Now, in response to the specter ofHurricane Sandyand the threat of rising seas, the agency that oversees the area is planning a total park overhaul. The Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) is set to replace the existing landscape that architects and residents love with a park it says will align better with new resiliency measures that are reshaping the Manhattan waterfront.

Illinois Governor ransoms Thompson Center for public school money. Seen here: James R. Thompson Center. (Photo Rainer Viertlboeck Courtesy of JAHN)

Illinois Governor ransoms Thompson Center for public school money

In an act of political wrangling that typifies the relationship between the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner announced that if the city would allow the sale of the Helmut Jahndesigned James R. Thompson Center, he would provide the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) with additional funding. Last week Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said that he would block the sale of the postmodern building out of fear of having to replace the large CTA subway station beneath it.

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Saving our heritage: top historic preservation stories from across the US - The Architect's Newspaper

Last year saw one of the biggest and most publicized mueum openings in recent memory: the SmithsoniansNational Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). While it obviously made the cut on our list of top new museums and monuments, highlighted below are a few other opened or soon-to-be-open buildings and memorial that honor our countrys history and cultural heritage.

Hweler+Yoon debuts memorial for slaves that helped build The University of Virginia. (Courtesy Hweler+Yoon)

Memorial for slaves that helped build the University of Virginia

Amemorial honoring the estimated 5,000 enslaved people who helped build the University of Virginia (UVA) will be built on the universitys grounds. Designed by Boston-based architects Hweler+Yoon, along with Mabel O. Wilson, Gregg Bleam Landscape Architect, and Dr. Frank Dukes, the granite, circular memorial will reference The Rotunda at UVA, which was planned by Thomas Jefferson two centuries ago. The Memorial is a facet of the Universitys commemorative project that involves many people and initiatives, we envision this memorial to embody the ideals of the University which, as Jefferson defined to be, to follow truth wherever it may lead, said Meejin Yoon of Hweler+Yoon in a press release.

View over liberty island. (Courtesy FXFowle)

FXFowle designs new Statue of Liberty Museum

Visitors looking to get up close and personal with the Statue of Liberty will soon get a chance to do so when New Yorkbased FXFowlesnew museum opens in 2019. The 26,000-square-foot building is designed to accommodate the rush of tourists from the ferries, which bring over 4.3 million people a year. Inside, the statues original torch will be displayed and 15,000 square feet of space will be dedicated to showcasing the monuments history, legacy, and construction details. The museums defining gesture is the lifting of the park itself, extending vistas rather than ending them, and creating a new, naturalized habitat in place of a traditional building, said FXFowle on its website.

(Courtesy Darren Bradley)

National Museum of African American History and Culture opens in Washington, D.C.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), which opened recently in September 2016, is the latest addition to the monumental architecture on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The tiered structure, designed by David Adjaye and lead architect Philip Freelon, together with Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup, is clad in 3,600 bronze-painted aluminum panels and inspired by Yoruban art from West Africa, a region where many slaves were taken into bondage.

Jackie Robinson Museum finally starts construction after a decade-long wait. (Courtesy the Jackie Robinson Foundation)

After a decade, the Jackie Robinson Museum finally begins construction

A museum that has been a long time coming (it was originally slated to open in 2009), the Jackie Robinson Museum by Genslers New York office will open in 2019. Honoring the Brooklyn Dodgers legend, the 18,500-square-foot museum will showcase Robinsons achievements from 1919 to present, including his participation in the civil rights movement. The Jackie Robinson Museum is an opportunity to bring an important cultural landmark to NYCone that challenges visitors to think about the history of social and cultural change and tolerance, according to Joseph Plumeri, chairman of the Jackie Robinson Foundation National Legacy Campaign.

Dallas Holocaust Museum inches toward construction. (Courtesy Omniplan Architects)

Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum one step closer to reality

A proposed new Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum could be made into realityif the final portion of its $61 million budget is fulfilled. Currently, over two-thirds of the funding is secured for the 50,000-square-foot, Omniplan Architectsdesigned building, which will honor the victims of the Holocaust while extending the dialogue of human rights in modern America. We need a place that allows us to have a discussion about what human rights, diversity, and respect for others mean for our city today, said Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings during the announcement of the capital campaign. AIA Dallas awarded the building an Unbuilt Design Award in 2015.

United States Marshals Museum moves closer to construction. (Courtesy Cambridge Seven Associates)

United States Marshal Museum construction faces fundraising challenges

While the proposed United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas, is still in the funding stage, its set opening date is September 24, 2019, to coincide with the 230th anniversary of the U.S Marshals Service. The star-shaped design is reflective of the badges worn by marshals in earlier years, and the buildings location overlooking the Arkansas River is a nod to history: the river used to serve asthe U.S.s border when the service was founded in 1789. The estimated cost of the project is $35.9 million, but the agencys low profile has been posing problems for the fundraising campaign.

(Courtesy Equal Justice Initiative)

Memorial to Peace and Justice honors victims of lynching

A museum and memorial to victims of lynching is set to open sometime this year in Montgomery, Alabama. Founded by nonprofit Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) and designed by Boston-based MASS Design Group, the Memorial to Peace and Justice resembles a gallows, including hundreds of hanging stone slabs with the names of lynching victims inscribed in them. Between 1877 and 1950, there were more than 4,000 victims of lynching, according to EJI. The accompanying museum will focus on both the history of slavery as well as contemporary issues related to racial inequality.

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Seven of America's top new museums and monuments - The Architect's Newspaper

THE winner of this years Young Landscape Architect Award, Siti Maisarah Salahudin, hopes to be a role model and inspire young landscape architects, especially women, to further contribute to the profession and the community.

The award was presented to Siti Maisarah, 35, at the 9th Malaysia Landscape Architecture Awards organised by the Institute of Landscape Architects Malaysia (ILAM) in April in conjunction with World Landscape Architecture month.

Im passionate about landscape architecture because it is all about engaging people with spaces. I want to change the common perception that landscape architecture is about planting trees, and that landscape architects are glorified gardeners.

I find this offensive, because our scope is beyond that.

As stewards of the land, we design the landscape by taking into consideration all aspects to create a conducive living environment, which strikes the right balance between the natural and built environment for the people, said Siti Maisarah, who is an associate with Walrus Designs Sdn Bhd.

ILAM is Malaysias national professional association for landscape architects.

It aims to raise the visibility of the profession to larger audiences and promote the role of landscape architects in the outdoor built environment, through activities, seminars, conferences, awards and public awareness campaigns.

Siti Maisarah received her degree in Landscape Architecture from Universiti Putra Malaya (UPM) in 2006. She has 10 years of work experience with a range of landscape companies under her belt, including Walrus Design Sdn Bhd and Tropicana Corporation Berhad.

She has been involved in high-end projects, including hotels, townships, commercial, institutional and residential projects and parks.

As president of UPMs Alumni Club of the Faculty of Design and Architecture (Kasel), she spearheaded the publication of a book, titled 35 Landscape Architects Entrepreneurs to showcase the alumnis achievements and inspire other landscape architects.

To be a career woman, wife and mother of two, is no easy task. My early career was the toughest for me. There were never-ending deadlines, work and family responsibilities which consumed a lot of time.

I still regret not having spent enough time with my late father because I was too busy working, and seldom had time to balik kampung.

It is important to strike the right balance between your personal and work life.

Never ever give up, and strive to do your best. Before you step into the reality of working life, you need to be mentally prepared for whatever challenges you might face in the future.

Remember, every profession has its own challenges.

Another landscape architect, Nurulhuda Hayati Ibrahim, 52, said there were more women architects today than before.

To be successful in this field, you must have the right mindset and work attitude.

If you are eager to work hard and are receptive to learning on the job while working on projects, you will improve greatly on other skills and techniques that textbooks cannot teach you.

The hands-on experience of working in a team will allow you to interact better with different parties, involved in the execution of a project, she said.

The principal landscape architect and owner of Landskap has been in the industry for 21 years and has been involved in many landscape architectural projects, in the public and private sectors.

They include Taman Putra Perdana, Putrajaya, Commonwealth Hill Park at Kompleks Sukan Negara and Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

When she first started out as a landscape architect in the early 1990s, Malaysia was recovering from the 1988 recession and the landscape architecture industry was in its infancy.

After completing my masters and bachelors degrees in landscape architecture in Harvard Graduate School of Design and Utah State University in 1990 and 1988, I asked a friend how the job situation was at home.

She told me to be prepared to knock on doors for employment.

I was lucky that I didnt have to wait long before a company offered me a job.

My first pay cheque was for RM1,400.

I considered myself lucky because some graduates were forced to work for RM900 just to earn an income.

But by 1993, things had started to pick up.

After working for a year with her employer, some colleagues invited her to join them to start their own company.

It was a steep learning curve; something I wouldnt advise a newly-qualified person to do in a hurry.

Take at least three or four years to work for a mentor, because when you first start out, you will be making so many mistakes along the way.

Learn from the mistakes before starting your own firm.

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'Landscape architects are not glorified gardeners' - New Straits Times Online

MILFORD, Pa. A unique look at the early 20th century landscape design and vision at Grey Towers National Historic Site, Milford, Pa., will be the focus of a free lecture and walk on July 8, beginning at 4 p.m.

Reservations are suggested as seating is limited.

Author and landscape architect Bibi Gaston will present the lecture "Cornelia Pinchots Farm to Table: Birds, Bees and Guernseys." She will include a discussion of various landscape features on the estate grounds, including apiaries, plantings, stonework, cows and game birds. The lecture will begin at 4 p.m. in the tented Pool Terrace behind the mansion.

At 5:30 p.m. Gaston will lead a brief walk about the grounds, pointing out some of the landscape features that will be discussed in her program.

Complimentary refreshments will be provided by the Grey Towers Heritage Association and there will be an opportunity to meet with Gaston. Dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes for uneven terrain.

Cornelia Pinchot began making changes to the landscape surrounding the Grey Towers mansion after 1914, when she married Gifford Pinchot, conservationist and two-term governor of Pennsylvania. Today some of her landscape designs are the most popular features at the National Historic Site.

For more information or to make a reservation, call 570-296-9625 or send an email to info@greytowers.org.

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Farm to Table: Explore the landscape at Grey Towers - Times Herald-Record