Cities are cultural constructs by definition, created to fulfil the vital functions of society. This issue is concerned with new projects that add something to the city. In Oslo an opera house has given a new impetus to a neighbourhood and created a new category of urban space. Culturescapes can take the form of a square, like in a multifunctional space in Innsbruck, or a park in Copenhagen, where the aim was to facilitate multicultural connections. Culturescapes can also be in the form of a master plan for a new district in Singapore, which proposes ecological engineering measures to transform nature into city culture.
Cities are cultural constructs by definition, created to fulfil the vital functions of society. This issue is concerned with new projects that add something to the city. In Oslo an opera house has given a new impetus to a neighbourhood and created a new category of urban space. Culturescapes can take the form of a square, like in a multifunctional space in Innsbruck, or a park in Copenhagen, where the aim was to facilitate multicultural connections. Culturescapes can also be in the form of a master plan for a new district in Singapore, which proposes ecological engineering measures to transform nature into city culture.
New Nordic Culturescapes
In northern societies culture plays an important role. Most recently, concert halls and theatres have been developed at the best inner-city locations in all capitals. They act as magnets for public life and are promoted by modest but highly functional open spaces. Author: Guja Dögg Hauksdóttir.
Irwell River Park: The Rediscovery of Manchester’s Lost River
The image of a city is very much represented by the relationship of the urban fabric and its river. The industrial decline in Greater Manchester led to the almost complete isolation of the River Irwell. The vision for the Irwell River Park aims to transform the river from a backwater into a spine and focal point at the heart of the city. Authors: Eddy Fox, Peter Fink
A sculptured square
Innsbruck’s newly designed Landhausplatz in the Tyrolean Alps of Austria, has swiftly become a vibrant and popular place in the city. The sinuous topography and light surface create a homogenous space which is structured into distinct areas and accommodates four memorials. Author: Peter Zöch
Culture Riot: Copenhagen’s Superkilen
Multicultural issues play out in public space. Superkilen is evidence of the pressing need to examine our aesthetic and cultural assumptions in the 21st century city. The space is a riot of cultural references, knit together by a wildly modified ground-plane. Author: Jessica Bridger
Maxlab IV Landscape
A high-performance synchrotron radiation laboratory is laid out on 19 hectares of productive land in the traditional landscape outside of Lund in southern Sweden. The highly sensitive equipment of Maxlab IV necessitated a landscape strategy that buffers the lab from its surroundings. Author: Jenny B. Osuldsen
High-rise and Furnace
In the district of Belval Ouest in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, on the grounds of a former steelworks, the design of a new square is inspired by the industrial past. Author: Erik Meinharter
Unsightly Sights to See
On the transformation of old industrial sites through post-industrial design
Authors: Wolfram Höfer, Vera Vicenzotti
Walk this Way to the Time of Your Life
The slogan for the Cape Town Fan Walk reveals the ambitious hope and scope of the project. As the host of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, South Africa’s Cape Town was the site of many revitalization and development projects. Author: Tamsin Faragher
Reciprocal Acts: Reviving Larger Ambitions, Incrementally
Two recent projects by Reed Hilderbrand Associates in Boston, Massachusetts, reveal a sensibility about the city’s new urban fabric. Boston’s reconnected waterfront allows for new civic designs and now we can begin to assess their efficacy.
Author: Gary R. Hilderbrand
San Francisco’s High-Profile Living Roof
The green roof at the California Academy of Sciences has become internationally famous. The roof and surrounding gardens in the context of Golden Gate Park resonate strongly with the public. Author: Judith Stilgenbauer
A Bunker for Salvador Dalí
In Florida, on the southern end of St. Petersburg’s waterfront promenade, a hurricane-safe museum was erected for an important collection of the Catalan painter Salvador Dalí. Author: Constance Price
Mosaico Vallarta, Mexico
The new Malecón of Puerto Vallarta brings the genius loci to life through a narrative paving pattern, widened pedestrian paths and places to linger. The new promenade promises a renewed connection between the city and the ocean – a public amenity. Author: Daniel Vasini
Supertropical
Gardens by the Bay is the largest landscape architecture project in Singapore’s history. Innovative elements are combined with lush tropical vegetation in the first of three parks. Author: Bianca Maria Rinaldi
Vocabulary for the Landscape
Dieter Kienast’s formal style made him renowned far beyond Europe’s borders. His work embodies an era in which the profession of landscape architecture underwent a phase of reorientation. A doctoral thesis was embarked upon in order to investigate the reasons for this new orientation, and the resulting publication throws light on the cultural context of postmodernism as understood by Kienast. Author: Anette Freytag
