A selection of some of the most major cities in the world that will inspire any landscape architecture student.
One needs to be clear about one thing. There is no city a Landscape Architecture Student should not visit. Intriguing Landscapes are everywhere. However, There are some basic destinations for students that could become valuable lessons.
Cities a Landscape Architecture Student Should Visit
• Tivoli, Paris and London, in that order
The great Italian Villas have had the most extraordinary gardens. The Villa d’ Este in Tivoli by the Italian Landscape Architect Pirro Lingorio is the best known example. A clear geometry, sense of perspective and the element of illusion are the important characteristics of this landscape masterpiece.
Paris has to contribute to a landscape architecture student’s quest the Versailles gardens. Designed by André Le Nôtre for Louis XIV. The design approach reveals a vast scale intervention created with order and symmetry. Built volumes have been integrated in the general composition. One can observe the unique way water has been used as a landscape element.
The Gardens of Versailles; credit: shutterstock.com
After getting familiar with the previous projects that are close to the perception of architecture as a building process, the timing is perfect for traveling to London and questioning that notion.
Hyde Park, London. Credit: Leonard Bentley, CC 2.0
English Parks, like St James Park and Hyde Park designs have been perceived to conceal the artificial elements into the natural context. There is more a process of transformation in what you see, rather than construction. The landscape is picturesque, with a strong sense of romanticism and dreamlike views. Geometry has succumbed to organic form. The element of heterogeneity becomes a feature rather than a defect.
English landscape design demonstrates that the creative process is not only about drawings. It requires a wider sense of visualizing space.
One could not omit visiting amazing projects of contemporary landscape architecture that are located in those cities. However, the concept is to come into contact with fundamental principles and then proceed with the latest design.
• Barcelona. Mediterranean Landscape Perception
Barcelona is a relatively new “entry” on the Landscape Architecture Map. It is a city that has reinvented its’ image on an international level. Changing the perception about contemporary landscape architecture in the Mediterranean Basin.
The 1992 Olympic Games organized in Barcelona, have been crucial for the city’s public space and landscape. A number of Parks and facilities have been built to accommodate the Games. This development has continued to evolve with numerous landscape projects over the following years.
Jardin Botanique de Barcelone. Credit: Rosier, GNU Free Documentation License
Parc de Diagonal Mar, Barcelona. Credit: Ardfern, CC 3.0
Projects worth visiting in Barcelona are Park Diagonal Mar by Enric Miralles & Benedetta Tagliabue, Parc Central de Nou Barris by Arriola & Fiol and El Jardín Botánico de Barcelona by Bet Figueras, Carlos Ferrater and Josep Lluís Canosa.
• New York, classical and contemporary design in direct comparison
High Line Park, built on an existing, elevated railway line within a certain context and boundaries. It has a certain geometry and structure that do not resemble a natural landscape. The project has managed to integrate itself in the city life and change the given character of the surrounding area. It has become a landmark and a crucial factor only a few years after the inauguration in 2009.
uando imaginamos um jardim pessoal, vamos criar uma paisagem idealizada que nos comova e atinja todos os nossos sentidos. Desde a antiguidade, ele sempre foi um espaço de lazer e prazer mesclando um paradigma de sonho e realidade.
