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Educators of landscape architecture are always on the prowl for visually
seductive design books - those that might awaken sleepy-eyed students into the
realm of stimulating and provocative design. The wealth of recently published
books, well-photographed and designed, has been welcome and invigorating. These
books, however, typically represent the designed landscape as a completed
product, and while they begin to address the philosophical aspects of the
designer's ideas, little space is given to the process and problems met on the
way to construction of these spaces. The marriage of the completed design with
its construction process is not revealed. This is what Steven Cantor sets forth
to do with Innovative Design Solutions in Landscape Architecture. While the
intent of the author, a landscape architect as well as an educator, is promising,
it is difficult to get into the content of the book because of what might be
called its "graphically challenged" presentation.
The book surveys the work of 20 design organizations, small-scale and large,
as well as public and academic. The projects are a mix of the frequently
published and the rarely seen. Documenting their evolution from conception to
completion, Cantor cites several projects for their compelling processes and
highlights others for innovative construction detailing. In a final section, the
hazards and nuances of project management are discussed. |
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A glimpse of the potential of this book is found in a discussion of Byxbee and
Candlestick Parks by Hargreaves Associates. The description of the process,
although wordy and filled with unattributed quotes, reveals the happenstances
that often shape many projects. Most importantly, Hargreaves' grading plans are
significant drawings, especially for the educator, as they provide wonderful
examples for students of the sensual potential of site grading. They relay as
well the art of the drawing that is necessary in order to build. There is a
beauty and an esthetic to construction drawings that is rarely revealed or
celebrated. Lacking are the in-between drawings of design conceptualization.
Cantor should be credited for including groups such as the Abyssinian
Development Corporation and Boston Urban Gardeners (BUG). They represent an often
overlooked realm of the profession, the landscape architect as not-for-profit
organization, typically as the facilitator between civic groups in discussions
toward the creation of public place. The breadth of projects Cantor describes
also reveals that the most engaging, either for process or end result, are those
such as works by Alexis Smith, Mira Engler and Gina Crandell, and Martha Schwartz
that he places in the realm of art, whether designed by artist or landscape
architect.
What Cantor reveals is that the problems encountered during design execution
are often as interesting as the solutions. He reinforces the notion that the
design process is one of trial and error. It is the burps and fits of the design
process, the problems, not the solutions, which are more revealing and
educational. As a profession that is always searching for respect, the Rodney
Dangerfield of design, we should be vigilant that we employ other design
professionals, namely graphic designers and architectural photographers, in order
to record our creations.
Tinka Sack was formerly an assistant professor of landscape architecture at
Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. She and her students were building wetland
septic systems in Hale County, Alabama. She recently moved to Australia where she
is lecturer in landscape architecture at the University of Australia in
Perth. |
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