Turf Design Studio wins the Australian Good Design Award in the category Best in Class Architecture & Urban Design with the design for the Central Park Public Domain.
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In 2007, Turf Design Studio together with Jeppe Aagaard Andersen was commissioned by Frasers Property to redesign the public area of the Carlton United Brewery site. Within the framework of collaborative design workshops in Sydney, London and Paris, TURF conceived an expanded and interconnected network of new places – streets, lanes, parks and plazas.
The terrain offered immense possibilities: In the centre was the former C&U brewery, surrounded by a built fabric of some of Sydney’s oldest worker’s cottages, terraces and warehouses. Turf Studio’s aim was to reinterpret and expand the history of the site while creating a new site in Sydney.
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Central Park’s public domain exemplifies how a well-considered and legible public domain framework can both unite a site and restitch a city. At the heart of the site is Chippendale Green; a north-facing park of terraced, sun drenched lawns tucked away from the frenetic pace of the city.
A large public park was always central to the masterplan intent. Orientating the park’s long axis with the frontage of existing Chippendale terraces proved vital in creating a place of meaning and connectedness for the community.
Since its opening in 2012, Central Park has quickly become a popular innovation in city life. From daily walks with dogs or yoga classes, to hosting two-month markets, to numerous major annual events, Central Park has been adopted by the community at all levels.
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“Urban design that is effecting and directing social fabric of the community.“
The jury comments on its decision as follows: “An impressive icon of urban design that has added much to the urban architecture, setting new benchmarks in central urban design and positively effecting and directing social fabric of the community.“
Sustainability principles
Just as good to know: Sustainability was and is at the heart of the Central Park mission, including minimum Five Green Star Certification and the achievement of carbon and water neutrality throughout the project. It was critical that each phase of the development process embraces these sustainability principles and strives for innovation and measurable performance in sustainability.
The “better shelter”, Ikea’s emergency shelter kit, received the London Design Museum award for “Architecture Design of the Year 2016.” So far, 16,000 kits have been delivered to refugee camps in Africa, Asia, the middle East, and Europe.
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The modular shelters are an innovative contribution to the field of humanitarian architecture and social design. They were developed within a cooperation between a nonprofit organization, the Ikea Foundation, and UNHCR. The “better shelters” are intended to improve the situation of individuals who experience forced migration due to environmental disaster or conflict. Early prototypes were tested six years ago in Ethiopia and Iraq, and serial production began in June 2015.
Humanitarian architecture
The “better shelters” resemble tiny houses. Covering 17 square meters and one storey tall, they feature a pitched roof and a front door that can be locked. The load-bearing frame construction consists of steel profiles and is clad in opaque panels made of polypropylene, set vertically between the frame posts. The panels are either closed or feature small openable windows. Solar collectors provide electricity for lighting and a USB port charger.
The tiny structures are capable of housing different functions. They can either be used as an emergency dwelling, a school, a clinic, or as a warehouse. Their projected life cycle spans three years. After that, the polypropylene panels begin to show signs of decay. The frame can, however, be re-clad with local materials. At $1,250, the unit price for the “better shelters” equals twice the cost of a typical emergency tent, which are limited in their use, also due to their short, six-month life span.
Tiny, multifunctional houses
The Ikea flat pack includes two crates that contain all required shelter components as well as the company’s typical, illustrated instruction brochure and all necessary tools. A “better shelter” can be assembled by four individuals within four hours. The CEO of the Ikea Foundation, Per Heggenes, compares the system to Lego blocks.
The “better shelters” display advantages that also reflect the dilemma of refugee camps across the globe: occupancy can last longer than expected, even a generation or more. Do the shelter kits “normalize” the refugee experience? In any case, they offer improved protection from violence and harsh climate. By doing so, they contribute to the security of their inhabitants. However, cooking is not permitted inside a “better shelter.” Fire regulations were also the reason that they weren’t deployed for instance in Switzerland. This indicates important differences between the requirements placed on humanitarian architecture and the safety standards of construction practice in developed countries.
In the urban heart of Jinhua, a city with a population of over one million, one last piece of natural riparian wetland of more than 64 acres remains undeveloped. Located where the Wuyi River and Yiwu River converge to form Jinhua River, this wetland is called Yanweizhou, meaning “the sparrow tail”. The three rivers divide the densely populated communities in the region. As a result of this inaccessibility, the cultural facilities, including the opera house and the green spaces adjacent to the Yanweizhou, were underutilized. Most of the riparian wetland has been fragmented or destroyed by sand quarries and is now covered with secondary growth.
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Due to its monsoon climate, Jinhua suffers from annual flooding. Hard high walls have been built, or were planned to be built, to protect the last patch of riparian wetland (Yanweizhou) from the 20-year and 200-year floods. These floodwalls would create dry parkland above the water, but destroy the lush and dynamic wetland ecosystem. Therefore, we devised a contrasting solution and convinced the city authorities to stop the construction of the concrete floodwall as well as demolish others. Instead, the Yanweizhou Park project “makes friends” with flooding by using a cut-and-fill strategy to balance earthwork and by creating a water-resilient, terraced river embankment that is covered with flood-adapted native vegetation. Floodable pedestrian paths and pavilions are integrated with the planting terraces, which will be closed to the public during the short period of flooding. The floods bring fertile silt that is deposited over the terraces and enriches the growing condition for the tall grasses that are native to the riparian habitat. The terraced embankment will also remediate and filtrate the stormwater from the pavement above. The Yanweizhou Park project showcases a replicable and resilient ecological solution to large-scale flood management.
In addition to the terraced river embankment, the inland area is entirely permeable in order to create a water-resilient landscape through the extensive use of gravel that is re-used material from the site. The gravel is used for the pedestrian areas; the circular bio-swales are integrated with tree planters; and permeable concrete pavement is used for vehicular access routes and parking lots. The inner pond on the inland is designed to encourage river water to infiltrate through gravel layers. This mechanically and biologically improves the water quality to make the water swimmable.
A pedestrian bridge snakes across the rivers, linking the parks along the riverbanks in both the southern and northern city districts, and connecting the city with Yanweizhou Park within the river. The bridge design was inspired by the local tradition of dragon dancing during the Spring Festival. For this celebration, many families bind their wooden benches together to create a long and colorful dragon that winds through the fields and along narrow dirt paths. The Bench Dragon is flexible in length and form as people join or leave the celebration. Like the Bench Dragon during the annual festival, the Bench Dragon Bridge symbolizes not only a form of celebration practiced in the Jinhua area, but is a bond that strengthens a cultural and social identity unique to this region. As water-resilient infrastructure, the new bridge is elevated above the 200-year flood level, while the ramps connecting the riparian wetland park can be submerged during the 20-year and larger floods. The bridge also hovers above the preserved patch of riparian wetland and allows visitors an intimate connection to nature. The many ramps to the bridge create flexible and easy access for residents from various locations of the city in adaptation to the flow of people. Reaching a total length of 2.300 feet, the bridge is composed of a steel structure with fiberglass handrails and bamboo paving. It is truly a resilient bridge that is adaptive to river currents and the flows of people, while binding city and nature, future and past. […]
After the park opened in May 2014, an average of 40.000 visitors used the park and the bridge each day. It was recently awarded the World Landscape of the Year 2015.
Read the full article in Topos 90 – Resilient Cities and Landscapes.
The Royal Institute of British Architects announced Zaha Hadid as the winner oft he Royal Gold Medal 2016. Since 1848 the award is given to personalities that render outstanding services in architecture. Hadid is the first female laureate.
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The jury recognized Zaha Hadid’s lifelong advancement of the field of architecture without following trends or fashion. Peter Cook, member of the jury: ‘If Paul Klee took a line for a walk, then Zaha took the surfaces that were driven by that line out for a virtual dance and then deftly folded them over and then took them out for a journey into space. (…) Of course, in our culture of circumspection and modesty her work is certainly not modest, and she herself is the opposite of modest. Indeed her vociferous criticism of poor work or stupidity (…) is surely characteristic of the seriousness with which she takes the whole business. (…) Such self-confidence is easily accepted in film-makers and football managers, but causes some architects to feel uncomfortable, maybe they’re secretly jealous of her unquestionable talent. Let’s face it, we might have awarded the medal to a worthy, comfortable character. We didn’t, we awarded it to Zaha: larger than life, bold as brass, and certainly on the case. Our Heroine. How lucky we are to have her in London.’
Zaha Hadid was born 1950 in Baghdad and studied first mathematics in Beirut, then architecture under Elia Zenghelis and Rem Koolhaas in London. Afterwards she worked at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) in Rotterdam, where she became a partner shortly after. 1979 Zaha Hadid Architects was founded in London. Again and again she gives lectures at Harvard and Yale University and the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, just to name a few.
Pritzker Prize and Stirling Prize (also RIBA) are just a few of the awards Hadid has already received. UNESCO named her “Artist for Peace”, the Queen honored her as a Dame in 2012 and Forbes Magazine counts her as one of the “World’s Most Powerful Women”.
Zaha Hadid on the award: „I am very proud to be awarded the Royal Gold Medal, in particular, to be the first woman to receive the honour in her own right. I would like to thank Peter Cook, Louisa Hutton and David Chipperfield for the nomination and Jane Duncan and the Honours Committee for their support. We now see more established female architects all the time. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Sometimes the challenges are immense. There has been tremendous change over recent years and we will continue this progress. This recognition is an honour for me and my practice, but equally, for all our clients. It is always exciting to collaborate with those who have great civic pride and vision. Part of architecture’s job is to make people feel good in the spaces where we live, go to school or where we work – so we must be committed to raising standards. Housing, schools and other vital public buildings have always been based on the concept of minimal existence – that shouldn’t be the case today. Architects now have the skills and tools to address these critical issues.”
Big names of architecture such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Sir Norman Foster and David Chipperfield were awarded the Royal Gold Medal in the Past. The official ceremony will be held in early 2016.
The Dyck Castle Trust and the European Garden Heritage Network (EGHN) awarded the 6. European Garden Prize to four gardens and parks in France, Germany and Sweden.
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The Herrenhäuser Gärten in Hannover, Germany, won in the category “Best Development of a historic Park or Garden”. The jury recognized the effort of linking the landscape architecture of the baroque complex with events and exhibitions, just as in the days of electress Sophia (1630-1714), who had the gardens created. The concept doubled the number of visitors within a short period of time.
The category “Temporary Park or Garden” was won by the Martin Luther King Park in Paris, France. The former train and storage space was transformed into an ecological yet exciting park for visitors. A sustainable water system enabled a wetland in the park, the energy for the water pumps is provided by wind energy plants.
The Award for “Large-Scale Green Networks and Development Concepts” went to “Green Malmö”. Since the regional economic crisis in the 1980s the city developed the landscape of the city, to encourage the citizens of the city. Historic parks were reconditioned, several playgrounds made the city more child-friendly. Skate-arenas gave teenagers their own space. The concept worked, Malmö is now one of the most popular regions in Sweden.
The Hermannshof in Weinheim, Germany, won a special award. The garden is open to the public and one of the best examples for the “New German Style”, that uses perennial plants and grass and arranges them in a natural way. “To win this award as a small garden with competitors as well-known as these is a special honor. I hope the European Garden Prize will put the spotlight back on which plants are used and why, because that has nearly vanished from landscape architecture”, says Cassian Schmidt.
The EGHN was founded in 2003 and is working with 170 partners in 12 countries. The European Garden Prize is awarded to projects with a pioneer spirit.
6. European Garden Prize: Finalists and winners
Best Development of a historic Park or Garden: Herrenhäuser Gärten Hannover, Germany (Winner), Parco Gardino Sigurtà, Valeggio sul Mincio, Italy (Finalist), Painshill Park, Cobham, Great Britain (Finalist)
Temporary Park or Garden: Martin Luther King Park Paris, France (Winner), Bosco della Ragnaia, San Giovanni d’Asso, Italy (Finalist), Etar de Alcântra, Lisbon, Portugal (Finalist)
Large-Scale Green Networks and Development Concepts: Green Malmö, Sweden
Special Award: Schau- und Sichtungsgarten Hermannshof Weinheim, Germany
Mario Schjetnan has been selected as the winner of the IFLA – Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award 2015, the premier award for landscape architecture. He was born in Mexico City, Mexico, and studied architecture at the National University of Mexico, graduating in 1968. From 1968 to 1970, he studied landscape architecture with an emphasis in Urban Design at the University of California, Berkeley. His mentors during this period were well-known figures such as Garret Eckbo, Donald Appleyard and Robert Twiss. In 1984, he received the Loeb Fellowship in Advanced Environmental Studies at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University. In 1995, the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo Léon awarded him an Honorary PhD in Architecture.
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As Chief of Urban Design and Housing at the National Institute of Housing for Workers (INFONAVIT) in Mexico (1972-1977), he worked on the development of national design policies in urban design and low income housing developments. In 1977 -Schjetnan founded the office Grupo de Diseño Urbano (GDU) in which he has been involved ever since. The most representative projects comprise Tezozomac Park, which was completed in 1982, Xochimilco Ecological Park in 1993, and the Rehabilitation of Chapultepec Park, all in Mexico City. His most recent award-winning work in Mexico City is the Natural Garden at the Bicentennial Park in 2010. El Cedazo Recreational and Cultural Park in Aguascalientes, Mexico was completed in 1995. Schjetnan also worked on the Malinalco Golf Club in 1993, the Museum of Northern Cultures of Mexico in Chihuahua in 1995, as well as several projects in the USA such as Union Point Park in Oakland, California in 2005, and the Small Tribute to Immigrant Workers at the -Cornerstone Festival of Gardens in Sonoma, California in 2004.
Schjetnan is Professor and Guest Speaker at many universities and other institutions in Mexico and around the world. In addition to his professional and academic prowess, he has been actively involved in promoting the profession of landscape -architecture. He was a founding member of The Mexican Society of Landscape Architects in 1972, and President in 1985-1986.
Maredolce-La Favara in Palermo, Italy, has been awarded the International Carlo Scarpa Prize for Gardens 2015. It is the 26th in the series of annual awards made by the Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche. Maredolce-La Favara lies at the heart of the Brancaccio District of Palermo, in an area that has come to be known as the Conca d’Oro, and which stands as a tangible reminder of landscape in the Arab and Norman civilisations in Sicily. Today the area is a vast depression, but in the past it was a huge reservoir with an irregularly shaped island at its centre and a magnificent palace standing on its edge. It now has ranks of recently-built houses on two sides. Within the hollow an area covering about twenty-five hectares contains a complex system of structures, hydraulic devices and an enormous citrus orchard, as well as the Norman palace.
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The palace stood guard over Palermo, intercepting anyone who came in from the sea or by land from the Tyrrhenian Coast. It acquired the name Favara in the 10th century, an Arabic word for spring water, which is abundant in the neighborhood.
In the 14th century it became Maredolce, in celebration of the extraordinary “lake” that was so large it bore comparison with the nearby sea. The area was settled by the Romans, the Arabs and the Normans, and was kept fertile by irrigation techniques that combine the hydraulic expertise of the Romans with the innovations of the Arab agricultural revolution. Gardens full of palms and citrus trees, extensive plantations of sugar cane, vineyards and olive groves were all irrigated from a huge reservoir, with an island at its centre, whose wonders were celebrated by poets and travellers. On the island there was a royal residence that Ruggero II referred to as his sollazo. By this he meant not only the pleasure he derived from its gardens, but -also the experience the palace offered as a meeting point for different cultures – Byzantine, Arab and Norman – in its architecture, life styles and landscape, and in the exchange of ideas with the scholars and thinkers of the age. All this is in Palermo, on the island of Sicily at the centre of the Mediterranean, a confluence of the biological and cultural diversities of three continents.
As the title of the Olmsted Medal suggests, this annual honor of the American Society of Landscape Architects is named in honor of the father of modern landscape architecture, Frederick Law Olmsted. Given Olmsted’s well-loved stature in the landscape architecture community, the honor is unsurprisingly reserved for those who have had an extraordinary impact on the environment through leadership, vision, and stewardship.
This year’s winner is Adrian Benepe, Hon. ASLA, reflecting his long career in the service of public spaces, currently with The Trust for Public Land as the Director of City Park Development and previously with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, including 11 years as the Commissioner. In full disclosure, I have had the privilege of serving with Mr. Benepe in both of these organizations, and know first-hand of his depth of knowledge, commitment to urban public space, and advocacy for the role of landscape architects.
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Mr. Benepe oversaw New York’s greatest era of park investment since the WPA (the Works Progress Administration, the largest American New Deal agency), with millions annually dedicated to park expansion and improvement. The period spans now-famous landscapes like the High Line and Brooklyn Bridge Park, but also enhancement of many neighborhood parks across the borough. As commissioner, Mr. Benepe pushed for more innovation, sustainable design, beauty and creativity in the work of the Parks Department, reflected in the many award-winning designs that were built during his tenure. While he is quick to distribute credit across the many partners and staff involved in this work, he provided cohesive leadership and advocacy to sustain and expand the quality of this work.
While the scale of the New York Parks Department is immense, his current purview has broadened to the entire country, in his work with the Trust for Public Land. Working with staff across many offices, his role allows him to push advancements and new approaches to expand and improve urban parks around the country. His emphasis on pushing for best practices in the realm of urban parks expands the understanding among communities and local leaders on what parks can provide: community pride and cohesion, improved public health, resilience to a changing climate, delight and beauty where it is most needed, and simply a place to play. While these considerations may be obvious to readers here, there remains much work to be done to convince city leaders and residents that parks are not a second-tier priority for cities; parks provide benefits towards the solving of many city first-tier issues.
On a personal note, I have seen how Mr. Benepe has gone to great lengths to tout the value and skills of landscape architects to all who may ask. While not trained as such, he has a keen sense of our view of the world, and how we can make cities better. It has been a wonderful experience to be part of the many initiatives and projects that have helped to shape New York and beyond, and his leadership and advocacy has been crucial in pushing them forward.
