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LandscapeArchitect Quarterly
10/ DeconstructionDrawing onChina
14/ FeaturesRiding the Asian Express
Spring 2008Publication # 40026106
Contents Masthead
04/ Up FrontInformation on the Ground
10/ DeconstructionDrawing on China
Going Global:
14/ Riding the Asian Express
18/ From the Shores of Tripoli
22/ Round Table Ontario Landscape Architects and International Practice
26/ NotesA Miscellany of News and Events
42/ ArtifactReferencing Culture
EditorLorraine Johnson
Copy EditorPaulina Carbonaro
OALA Editorial BoardAndrew B. Anderson
Paulina Carbonaro
Victoria Carley
Heather Heagle
Lorraine Johnson (chair)
Fung Lee
Domenic Lunardo
Daria Nardone
Mike Palmer
Helen Powers
Lisa Shkut
Netami Stuart
Yvonne Yeung
Art Direction/Designtypotherapy+design inc.
Advertising SalesHeather Heagle
416.231.4181
CoverDrawing courtesy of Guy Walter,
from his series Drawing on China
Ground: Landscape Architect
Quarterly is published four times a
year by the Ontario Association of
Landscape Architects.
Ontario Association of
Landscape Architects
3 Church Street, Suite 407
Toronto, Ontario M5E 1M2
416.231.4181 www.oala.ca
Copyright © 2008 by the Ontario
Association of Landscape Architects.
All rights reserved.
ISSN: 0847-3080
Publication # 40026106
2008 OALAGoverning Council
PresidentArnis Budrevics
Vice PresidentLawrence Stasiuk
TreasurerGlenn O'Connor
SecretaryJoanne Moran
Past PresidentLinda Irvine
CouncillorsAndrew B. Anderson
Tom Ridout
Fiona Rintoul
Lay CouncillorLorraine Johnson
University of Guelph Appointed EducatorSean Kelly
University of Toronto Appointed EducatorJohn Danahy
Associate Councillor-SeniorSarah Culp
Associate CouncillorSandra Cooke
University of Guelph Student RepresentativeJohn Duthie
University of Toronto Student RepresentativesTonya Crawford
Fionn Bryne
OALA Staff
Executive DirectorHeather Heagle
Registrar & MembershipCoordinatorKaren Savoie
Spring 2008Issue 02
OALA
About Welcome to Ground: Landscape Architect
Quarterly, published by the Ontario Association
of Landscape Architects.
Ground: Landscape Architect Quarterly provides an open
forum for the exchange of ideas and information related
to the profession of landscape architecture.
Letters to the editor, article proposals, and feedback are
encouraged. Contact us at [email protected].
We reserve the right to edit all submissions.
The views expressed in the magazine are those of the
writers and are not necessarily the views of the OALA
and its Governing Council.
Message from the EditorIn December, the Editorial Board conducted a readership
survey, sending an e-mail questionnaire to all OALA
members. Not surprisingly, responses were varied, but
one of the most consistent messages was that many
members were interested in writing for the magazine.
“No time right now, but maybe later I can contribute,”
was a recurring theme. We appreciated the realistic
time-management assessment, and we appreciated
the willingness to get involved.
I’d like to thank the many people who have contributed
to Ground, all of them as volunteers, by writing and
editing articles and providing images. From members
who have shared their experiences, to the many Editorial
Board volunteers who have taken on double-duty (coming
up with article ideas and then also writing them), to the
scores of people who have answered questions, agreed
to be interviewed, or offered advice, this magazine
would not be possible without their efforts.
There are numerous ways to contribute to Ground.
Send us your ideas on distribution, on stories we should
be covering, on products that offer something new, and
on landscape architecture-related issues you want to
see debated or discussed.
This forum for the exchange of ideas and
information is ready, willing, and open.
LORRAINE JOHNSONCHAIR, OALA EDITORIAL [email protected]
Editorial
About the OALAThe Ontario Association of Landscape Architects works
to promote and advance the profession of landscape
architecture and maintain standards of professional
practice consistent with the public interest. The OALA
promotes public understanding of the profession and the
advancement of the practice of landscape architecture.
In support of the improvement and/or conservation of
the natural, cultural, social and built environments, the
OALA undertakes activities including promotion to gov-
ernments, professionals and developers of the stan-
dards and benefits of landscape architecture.
Formed in 1968, the OALA celebrates its 40th
anniversary in 2008.
.02
Messages 03.02
Letters to the EditorCongratulations to the entire editorial team—the magazine is
fantastic! The group has done a truly spectacular job—it looks
good and has great content. After being a member for twenty-
plus years, I am finally keeping my copy of the magazine!
DONNA HINDEOALA, CSLATHE PLANNING PARTNERSHIPTORONTO
The magazine as a whole looks great and is very
interesting—I read it from cover to cover. The editorial team
should be very proud.
SCOTT TORRANCEOALA, CSLASCOTT TORRANCE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT INC.TORONTO
Congratulations to all involved in putting out such a
beautiful publication. Worth the wait! Keep up the promise!
BRAD JOHNSONOALA (EMERITUS), FCSLA, RCABRAD JOHNSON + ASSOCIATES LIMITEDCHAFFEY
I love the new look, it really feels like a “design magazine.”
I am not only pleased to hear that the OALA is using recycled
paper, I am proud that the OALA has pushed the envelope and
gone beyond Forest Stewardship Council Certification.
SCOTT MASON, LANDSCAPE DESIGNERCORUSH, SUNDERLAND, WRIGHT LTD.OTTAWA
Congratulations—what a fine job on the new format. This will not
only engage the membership but look good on the profession.
JOHN WRIGHTOALA, CSLA, MCIP, RPP, PRINCIPALCORUSH SUNDERLAND WRIGHT LIMITEDOTTAWA
What a huge upgrade from the old days! Stunning really. My only
negative comments: I hate that fiddly folding thing at the front and
the ink really stinks, it smells like window putty.
TOM RIDOUTOALA, CSLAFLEISHER RIDOUT PARTNERSHIPTORONTO
Congratulations on Ground. Speaking as a reader (and not a
landscape architect, by the way), I found it exciting and interesting.
Speaking as an advertiser, I am happy to support a publication
that makes such an effort to communicate new ideas through
pictures, words, and drawings. Very much in tune with our objective,
which is to bring new ideas to the attention of your audience.
DOUG CARTERDURISOL INC.HAMILTON
President’s MessageThe OALA’s 40th anniversary conference and AGM, Realizing the
Dream, was a great success. Our special thanks go to Lawrence
Stasiuk, Conference Chair, and his Conference Team, who creat-
ed, produced, and presented a wonderful conference in celebra-
tion of the OALA’s 40th Anniversary. This was a job well done!
The Recognition Awards Luncheon attendees included our
full members, associates, Honorary and Emeritus members,
award winners, and leaders of both municipal governments of
Waterloo and Kitchener who were recognized by the OALA for
their outstanding contributions to sustainable design. The
Conference Gala Presentation paid tribute to OALA past
presidents and honoured Robert N. Allsopp with the esteemed
OALA Pinnacle Award. The summer issue of Ground will feature
coverage of these awards.
At the conference, keynote speakers included Dr. Eugene Tsiu
from California, a published architect whose thought-provoking
address opened our minds to the global environmental crises and
presented his ecological design and architectural solutions. Robert
Gibbs, an urban planner from Michigan, captured our attention
with his presentation on the theories of retail marketing and
advertising. Each keynote speaker challenged us to think
outside the box and look for design solutions beyond our
normal experiences.
This past season has provided many opportunities to promote
the work of our members and the profession. Several landscape
architects received design awards at the 2008 Canada Blooms
Show and the OALA gained greater recognition with our new
information booth featured in the main garden area of the show.
OALA actively participated in World Landscape Architecture Month
by accepting the challenge from the CSLA, to See the Future,
Be the Future.
During this 40th anniversary year, I challenge you to envision our
next 40 years—and strive to ensure that the OALA remains at the
forefront of landscape architecture in Ontario. Together we can
make this happen.
ARNIS BUDREVICS, OALA [email protected]
Up Front 04.02
Up Front:Informationon theGround
There’s a buzz in Guelph and it has every-
thing to do with insects. Plans are under-
way to create the world’s first pollination
park, a place specifically designed to pro-
vide habitat for pollinators. “As far as we
know, this is a first,” says Karen Landman,
a professor of landscape architecture at
the University of Guelph and one of the
driving forces behind the project. Last fall,
Landman organized a design charrette for
first-year MLA students at the University of
Guelph, who toured the site—a decom-
missioned landfill—participated in a work-
shop, developed concepts, and presented
their plans to city staff and Guelph
Councillors. “Eight weeks into the program
and the students had a real client,” says
Landman. “It was quite a boost.”
Jyoti Pathak, OALA, CSLA, a parks planner
with the City of Guelph, is responsible for
overseeing the project. The landscape
architecture firm Schollen & Company was
recently hired to proceed with a concept
design for Pollinators’ Park and to run a
public process in order to develop a mas-
ter plan. “This is an excellent opportunity to
increase public awareness and provide
environmental stewardship,” says Pathak.
“We’re looking for something that will
serve as a model worldwide—turning
this scarred landscape, what used to be
a garbage dump, into a bloom-filled
haven for butterflies, birds, and other
pollinating insects.”
The 200-acre site (100 acres of which will
be an active community park, the other
100 acres for the pollination park) presents
a number of unique challenges. There
are 60 gas extraction wells that collect
methane on site, and these will need to
be protected. As well, any planting will
need to be done with species that don’t
compromise the integrity of the clay cap
covering the landfill. And ongoing mainte-
nance and management are a concern:
“Where we have large, naturalized park-
01 PARKS
designing for pollinatorslands in Guelph, we don’t have the
resources to do maintenance,” says
Pathak, noting that the pollination park,
with its array of meadow plants, will
require ongoing management to keep
invasive weeds in check. As Landman puts
it, referring to the need to weed out any
plants that might root deeper than the clay
cap, “The maintenance level will be more
like that of a garden.”
All agree, however, that the end result
will be worth the effort. “The public is very
much on side,” says Landman. “People
are calling to see how they can
get involved.”
Bent silver cutlery re-purposed into perch-
es, holding seeds for indigo buntings.
Discarded take-out coffee lids and stir
sticks shaped into a plausible pine cone,
home for pine warblers. An upside-down
plastic water bottle wrapped in wire mesh,
enticement for boreal chickadees.
Definitely not your regular bird feeders.
The twenty-five creations swaying in the
Scotts Wild Bird Habitat garden at Canada
Blooms were the result of an unusual
design brief: the “clients” were birds, the
02 BIRDS
habitats and homes
0A
Up Front 05.02
It was a grisly tableau: hundreds of dead
birds lined up in depressing rows, dis-
played at Toronto’s Metro Hall in an effort
to raise awareness of the dangers migra-
tory birds face in the urban environment.
This stark lesson, however, was also
intended to publicize more encouraging
news: Toronto is now one of the few cities
in North America to develop “Bird-Friendly
Development Guidelines.” Released in
March 2007 as part of Toronto’s “Green
Development Standard,” the guidelines
suggest ways that designers and man-
agers of buildings and landscapes can
mitigate the threats to birds migrating
north in the spring and south in the fall.
During their biannual flyovers, birds
become confused by the combination of
light pollution and the effects of glass in
the urban environment, which results in
significant numbers of birds colliding with
buildings. (Birds, like humans, do not per-
ceive clear glass as a solid object.) In
North America, millions of migratory birds
are killed every year due to these prevent-
able collisions; in Toronto, the non-profit
group FLAP (Fatal Light Awareness Project)
has documented 158 different bird
03 GUIDELINES
bird-friendly design
0A/ Bird habitat
IMAGE/ Shawn Gallaugher 0B/ Birds killed by
collisions with buildings
IMAGE/ City of Toronto0C/ Bird-friendly design
IMAGE/ City of Toronto
designers were youths and students
(youths from the Evergreen Mission, and
students from Ryerson University’s first-
year Architectural Science program and
Landscape Design Certificate students
from the Chang School of Continuing
Education), and the goal was to transform
everyday discarded materials into one-of-
a-kind bird habitats. Margery Winkler,
OALA, and Shawn Gallaugher, Associate
Member, OALA, were team members in
the collaborative exercise, which paired
homeless youths from the Yonge Street
Mission with students for an intense week
of design work, culminating in the bird
feeders on display at Canada Blooms.
“Architects design buildings. The Yonge
Street Mission dreams of habitat.
Together, they made habitats for birds,”
says Gallaugher, connecting the
metaphoric threads of this unique project.
Though clearly pleased that the garden
won an award at Canada Blooms (an
OALA “Up and Coming Award”),
Gallaugher measures the project’s suc-
cess in different terms: “One of the Yonge
Street Mission participants has enrolled in
school and is going back to study photog-
raphy. This project made a real difference
in her life.”
species, many of them rare or in decline,
that have died in this way. Relatively sim-
ple design adjustments, however, can
help. For landscape architects, four sec-
tions of the bird-friendly guidelines have
particular relevance: exterior lighting,
mirrors or glass windbreaks, ventilation
grates (another deadly hazard for injured
fallen birds), and transparent noise barri-
ers. Each section includes suggested
improvements that take birds into account.
Along with helping birds, the guidelines
are also garnering recognition for the city:
the prestigious Canadian Urban Institute
recently gave the Working Group that
developed the guidelines an Urban
Leadership Award. According to Kelly
Snow, the City staff lead on the project,
“One of the remarkable things is that the
people who sat on the Working Group
were volunteers—it was a civic initiative.”
Snow notes that the guidelines will be reg-
ularly updated, adding, “I hope that land-
scape architects will be interested in work-
ing with us.” For more information, see
www.toronto.ca/lightsout/guidelines.htm.
0C
0B
0E
0E/ Landscape in Hong Kong
IMAGE/ Olivia Chau0F/ Landscape in
Hong Kong
IMAGE/ Olivia Chau0G/ Landscape in
Hong Kong
IMAGE/ Olivia Chau0H/ Green roof planted
with native cacti
IMAGE/ Mathis Natvik
0F
0G
Up Front 06.02
Mathis Natvik, a first-year Masters of
Landscape Architecture student at the
University of Guelph, is used to experi-
menting with new technologies—albeit
basing his experiments on the oldest of
models: nature. For his pioneering work in
pit-and-mound restoration (work that has
been written up in numerous scientific
journals), Natvik replicated the dramatic
topographical variations found on the
forest floor in order to “kick start” natural
regeneration.
Natvik is now making his mark on an
entirely different habitat—rooftops. “Green
roofs are something I’ve been doing as a
hobby since 1990,” says Natvik, who was
introduced to the idea during trips to visit
relatives in Norway. “For my uncle’s green
roof, they just peeled sod right off the cat-
tle pasture,” he says, clearly delighting in
the low-tech nature of the enterprise.
“When I visit my grandparents in Norway,
the first thing they do is send me up on
the roof to weed birch seedlings.”
To learn more about the challenges of
preparing planting plans for international
projects, Ground spoke with Olivia Chau,
Associate Member, OALA, who has been
working in Hong Kong for three years.
“Working as a landscape designer in
Hong Kong is quite a challenge,” says
Chau. “Green open space is very valuable
in this concrete jungle. Thus, most of the
open space is usually elevated on a podi-
um, which leads to restrictions such as
limited soil depth. Vertical planting is
important here, due to the congested
living environment. As well, most of the
landscape areas in a project are sur-
rounded by multi-storey buildings, with
unpleasant views. An appropriate and
elegant planting design is key.”
Describing plant materials that help to
overcome these challenges, Chau focuses
on those that can tolerate shade and
strong wind, and plants that create a
strong layering effect: “Evergreen trees
with dense foliage, like Cinnamomum
camphora, various Ficus species, and
Juniperus chinensis, screen off unpleasant
views. Accent trees, such as Phoenix
canariensis and Terminalla mantaly,
emphasize focal points. Flowering trees
like Delonix regia add interest in different
seasons, while fragrant shrubs like
Osmanthus fragrans enhance the
sensual experience.”
When asked if there is a broader plant
palette to choose from in this subtropical
region, compared with Canada, Chau
notes, “Most of the plant material is
broadleaf with a rich palette of flowering
trees and shrubs. However, contrast in
texture and foliage is less apparent than
in species available in Canada. But it’s
hard to compare—each palette has its
own unique species and varieties.”
Natvik’s interest in green roofs is fueled by
his training as a restoration ecologist and
his current work relates to the relatively
untapped potential of using native plants.
“The lawn mentality has taken over green
roofs,” says Natvik, referring to the ubiqui-
tous use of sedum. His own green roofs,
on the other hand, look to local habitat
models such as alvars, sand dunes, sand
prairies, and oak savannas. The green
roof on a garden shed at his home in
Guelph, for example, is on its third grow-
ing season, and Natvik reports that alvar
species such as beardtongue and nod-
ding wild onion are flourishing. This spring,
he’s planting a 2,500-square-foot green
roof (“a nice big alvar,” as he puts it,
including prairie smoke, little bluestem,
and prickly pear cactus) at the Hanson
Avenue Athletic Complex in Kitchener.
“It’s time to give the natives a chance,”
he says, relishing the idea that in the
future, “green roofs will be a habitat all of
their own. A John Deere plant in Germany
has a rooftop marsh; there aren’t any yet
in Ontario, but we need one!” For Natvik,
the sky’s the limit. More information about
Natvik’s work can be found at his website,
www.roofgarden.ca.
05 GREEN ROOFS
norway to guelph
04 PLANTS
practising across the sea
0H
Up Front 07.02
Up Front 08.02
0J
0I
Less than a decade ago, the HOK Canada
office in Toronto was relatively small, with
just ten or so people on staff. Today, HOK
Canada is one of the largest of HOK’s 23
worldwide offices, with 250 plus employ-
ees (40 of whom work in the Toronto
branch of The HOK Planning Group, a
business set up several years ago to focus
on landscape, planning, and urban
design-related projects). Tom Hook, OALA,
CSLA, of The HOK Planning Group, traces
this explosive, and welcome, growth to a
single project: “The firm entered and won
a competition for a large waterfront devel-
opment in Dubai. Everything has grown
from that—we can trace a line that shows
how that project led to another connection
that led to another connection...” At least
ninety-five percent of the Toronto firm’s
work is now international, with projects in
Saudi Arabia, India, among other places.
07 CONNECTIONS
the multiplier effect
The ripple effects of such connections
have impacts well beyond project num-
bers, however. Tom Hook and Barry Day,
OALA, CSLA, an HOK colleague, are partic-
ularly proud of a recent project in Bahrain
called Block 338, in which their recom-
mendation to include public participation
in the master planning process led to tan-
gible success: “We laid the groundwork for
this whole public process that isn’t normal-
ly done in most places in the Middle East,”
says Hook. “We recommended that a BIA
be set up, that a design review committee
within the municipality be formed, with two
or three seats held for local residents, and
this is happening. It’s unique to have this
interaction with the public in a develop-
ment project in Bahrain.”
Another unique aspect of the project—a
project to develop a master plan and
design guidelines for a busy restaurant
and cultural district—is that HOK’s plan
emphasized the preservation of the
ancient streetscape and introduced ele-
ments that referenced the rich natural and
cultural history of the area. “So much of the
development in Bahrain is typically mod-
ern, with little meaningful attention paid to
06 LAWNS
grass to food
If the idea that instead of mowing lawns we
should be eating them sounds, well, controver-
sial, consider the recent book Edible Estates:
Attack on the Front Lawn. Written by the Los
Angeles architect and artist Fritz Haeg, the
book proposes the replacement of the domes-
tic front lawn with a productive, edible, organic
garden landscape—in short, the overthrow of a
long-standing North American institution. With
essays by Haeg, landscape architect Diana
Balmori, author Michael Pollan, and others,
this radical rethinking draws together many
contemporary threads—environmental con-
cern, the local food movement, landscape
water use, public green space, and design
that nurtures community. The book also profiles
some of the prototype edible gardens initiated
by Haeg, such as the one in Salina, Kansas—
the geographic centre of the United States.
Part manifesto, part storybook, and part design
manual, there’s plenty of food for thought.
Up Front 09.02
historic precedent,” explains Barry Day.
“We tried to find a balance to maintain the
existing character of the area but give it
a modern twist.” Hook adds: “One of the
charms of the old streetscape is that you
wander around and get lost in all the little
lanes and alleyways. We tried to retain
the historic character but make it
more functional.”
It’s tempting to read this comment as
a metaphoric business plan: follow the
twists and turns of unexpected connection
because they always lead to good
things—and to work.
0K
0L
0I/ Modern touches applied to ancient building forms
IMAGE/ HOK0J/ Bringing new life to
historic buildings
IMAGE/ HOK0K/ Master plan for
Block 338
IMAGE/ HOK0L/ Mixed use and clear
streetscapes create a sense of community
IMAGE/ HOK
As a foreign, English-speaking designer working in China, the
challenge of getting work done the way you want it can seem
insurmountable at times. The speed of projects, the language
barrier, and the whimsical demands of clients can all further
exacerbate problems.
Our profession uses images and drawings to convey ideas.
How we construct these images/drawings has become my
most crucial tool. Visuals inspire, inform, and educate.
When I started creating these drawings, it was partly because
I had an exhibition in Beijing. I didn’t realize how effective
they would be in the workplace until I changed to more con-
ventional, less informative methods and received complaints
from employees that the more conventional drawings were
too difficult to understand and unclear.
BY GUY WALTER, ASSOCIATE MEMBER, OALA, AAPQ, CSLA
01
Deconstruction 10.02
Drawing on China
Using a common visual language to inspire, inform,and—most importantly—getthe job done right
03
02
01/ Streetscape design options and solutions illustrating elevation changes
IMAGE/ Guy Walter02/ Preliminary sketch
IMAGE/ Guy Walter03/ Portion of schematic master
plan layout, grading, and water system design (1:500)
IMAGE/ Guy Walter
Deconstruction 11.02
04
05
04/ Second schematic design option for grading and water system (1:500)
IMAGE/ Guy Walter05/ Schematic design for
kindergarten entry and visitor parking area (1:200)
IMAGE/ Guy Walter06/ Evolution drawings of layout
and planting design for townhouse water garden
IMAGE/ Guy Walter07/08/ Conceptual sketches for
integrating the underground parking structure into water feature design
IMAGE/ Guy Walter
Deconstruction 12.02
The drawings are layered with precise information, structured
for change, and clear to follow. They are created as early in
the projects as possible (once the conceptual plan is
approved), and then used as reference material as the
projects proceed into construction.
With the speed of construction usually being ahead of
completion of construction documents, these drawings
become even more important. Site grading starts early using
preliminary sets of construction drawings, and the use of
conceptual drawings is not uncommon on site.
One very important challenge is when a client asks to change
the entire style of a project. This does not have to be an over-
whelming concern—it is generally an aesthetic change. If the
base work is done well and the organizational structure is solid,
it is very easy to draw another layer onto the existing drawings.
The design usually does not change drastically, but the change
in the character of the space needs to be evident in the draw-
ings. This is where you see good ideas come full circle—good
ideas are always the greatest form of communication. Drawing
is my form of communication in China.
BIO/ GUY WALTER, ASSOCIATE MEMBER, OALA, EXHIBITED THE FIRST GENERATION OF THESE DRAWINGS IN FEBRUARY, 2008, IN BEIJING. HE IS CURRENTLY DEVELOPING THE SECOND GENERATION OF DRAWINGS, AND LIVES AND WORKS IN BEIJING.
06
07
08
Deconstruction 13.02
TEXT BY MARK SCHOLLEN, OALA, CSLA
When the opportunity to practise in China presented itself to my
firm, Schollen & Company, in 2004, the allure of the Far East was
hard to resist. It would provide the chance to work on exciting new
projects in a place that was undergoing a process of urban
renewal at an unprecedented scale and magnitude, to explore
the limits of design in a place that is renowned for its architectural
adventurism, to be a part of China’s economic renaissance, and
perhaps the chance to see the Great Wall up close.
Four years on, with the exception of having only experienced
the Great Wall from 15,000 feet above Beijing, these opportunities
have been realized, the promise remains, and our office in
Shanghai remains a viable and exciting venture.
The firm’s goal when embarking on the experiment was to export
to China a design approach that was founded firmly on an environ-
mental ethos. Initial trips to Shanghai, Ghangzou, and Hangzhou
revealed an urgent and acute need for ecological restoration as
well as a remarkable receptiveness to solutions aimed at restoring
degraded water quality, managing stormwater runoff, and enhanc-
ing wildlife habitat as integral components of major urban renewal
and development projects.
Past neglect and pollution produced as a by-product of
unbridled urban growth and expansion of the manufacturing
sector have rendered most of China’s waterways severely
degraded. Consequently, the concept of the landscape as a
functional system with the capacity to cleanse water and
improve air quality was not a difficult sell.
The challenges
and opportunities
of doing ecologically
based designwork in China—
a personal perspective
01/ Landscape plan for Chang Guang National Wetland Park (Phase 1 area)
IMAGE/ Schollen & Company International Inc.02/ Chang Guang River
IMAGE/ Schollen & Company International Inc.03/ Heavy industry along the river corridor
IMAGE/ Schollen & Company International Inc.04/ Stormwater management pond with planted
weir to enhance infiltration capability
IMAGE/ Schollen & Company International Inc.
Riding theAsian Express
14.02
01
The establishment of an office in Shanghai was the next logical
step in the process since the fledgling venture would not likely
remain viable for very long without a local presence and dedicat-
ed staff available to respond promptly to client needs, to address
site-specific technical issues, and to negotiate China’s unique
business culture. With the Shanghai office operative, the process
of securing contracts and executing work became more efficient
but was still hampered by the relatively unsophisticated communi-
cations technology that was standard in China at the time.
However, things change rapidly on all fronts in China and within a
year of opening the Shanghai office, state-of-the-art communica-
tions infrastructure replaced the older “dial-up” system, allowing
for near seamless communications between the Toronto office
and its counterpart in China. We soon learned that challenging
deadlines could be met by taking advantage of the twelve-hour
time difference between Toronto and Shanghai. It allows staff in
the China office to hand work over to the Toronto office at the end
of their work day, and the Toronto team to simultaneously pick up
the drawings and commence work at the beginning of its work
day—establishing a new model of time efficiency. Within this
relationship, staff in the Shanghai office provide technical and
production support while the majority of design work is
executed in Toronto.
Riding theAsian Express
15.02
02
03
04
After designing several projects that demonstrated the potential
of the landscape of major urban developments to enhance water
quality, create new habitat, and maximize energy efficiency while
at the same time achieving social, recreational, aesthetic, and
practical objectives, the concept of the ecological landscape
became a key marketing focus to our various clients, both from the
private and public sectors. The reputation fostered through project
work and the promotion of the importance of ecologically based
design led to the firm’s involvement in the Chang Guang Xi (River)
National Wetland Park Project, a government-initiated project
aimed at restoring water quality within the ten-kilometre-long
Chang Guang River, Wu Lake, and Tai Lake in the Municipality
of Wuxi, a city region that is located approximately 120 kilometres
southwest of Shanghai. We completed the master plan for the
wetland park in 2006. The implementation of the first phase of the
project, a nine-hectare Demonstration Park that incorporates all
of the techniques that will be employed at a large scale within the
overall master plan, was completed in 2007. Water quality moni-
toring results for the Demonstration Park met expectations and the
development of phase two of the wetland park, which encom-
passes a 125-hectare area, is scheduled to commence in the
spring of 2008.
The Design ProcessFrom our experience, the norm in China is that design precedes
construction—but just barely. For example, although implementa-
tion of phase two of this project is to be underway this spring, the
design development process, which commenced in November of
2007, will likely be on-going after the date that earthmoving opera-
tions begin. In other words, components are under construction
while design details are being resolved in response to the contrac-
tors’ inquiries. E-mail is both a blessing and a curse, as demands
are frequent and response times expected to be immediate (or
sooner). The twelve-hour time difference is a welcome ally.
There are three other subtle differences between the planning
and design processes in China and these same processes in the
Canadian context. These include:
• Projects are not subject to anything equal to our environmental
assessment process or other regulatory approval processes.
• There is no public consultation process.
• For the most part, the government controls all of the land and
has the ability to relocate existing land uses to accommodate
new development and environmental restoration projects as
it sees fit.
On the positive side, these three factors allow projects to move
from conception to implementation at a rapid rate. However,
drawbacks include the potential for ill-conceived schemes to be
implemented with little scrutiny and a minimum of accountability,
resulting in both environmental and social impacts. We observed
this first-hand when, at the mid-point of the master planning
process for the Chang Guang Xi project, a series of massive
“water control gates” were constructed at various locations within
the river as an initiative of the local Water Bureau. The intent of the
gate system was to divert exceptionally polluted river water from
one drainage basin to another, contingent on flow, in an attempt
to dilute pollutant concentrations. One such gate appeared in the
main river channel, necessitating a reassessment of the post-con-
struction hydraulic capacity of the river. The conclusion of the
assessment determined that the $5-million gate structure would
compromise the flood conveyance capacity of the river and should
be removed. In the end it was decided that the gate structure
could remain in place, perpetually in the open position, with the
configuration of the river reworked to provide the cross-sectional
area required to mitigate potential flooding of the city upstream
of the gate.
Getting It BuiltThe chaotic schedule of projects presents challenges and a
degree of frustration, and the latter is amplified by three factors:
• Clients demand a rigorous level of specificity and detail in the
drawing and specification package.
• The contractor builds in accordance with his creative
interpretation of your meticulous drawing set.
• The client will, for the most part, support the contractor’s view.
“Arrangements” are an important tenet of business in China—
enough said. Getting it built on time is not an issue; getting it built
right is the challenge. For example, we designed, detailed, and
specified an intricate steel substructure for a sinuous boardwalk.
However, the photographs e-mailed from the site inspector clearly
depicted formwork being removed to reveal cast-in-place concrete
beams complete with salvaged and partially straightened rebars
being wired together in preparation for the next pour. We expedi-
tiously forwarded correspondence identifying the deficiencies and
Riding theAsian Express
16.02
05
recommended that the original design be implemented,
and then promptly received correspondence in return expressing
the client’s satisfaction with the contractor’s work. And so it goes.
However, we did find that the client relied heavily on our consultant
team to advise on the construction of the functional components of the
water quality enhancement system to ensure that this was executed
correctly. This was because the ponds, wetlands, and filtration systems
must achieve predetermined water quality targets for the project to
be deemed a success and for authorization to be granted by the
Central Government to proceed with subsequent phases of design
and implementation.
Design NuancesThe landscape of southern China is, not surprisingly, quite different
from that of southern Ontario. For example, Shanghai rarely has days
of below-zero temperatures, yet experiences monsoon-like rains in the
spring and fall. Consequently, the plant material palette is different.
This presents challenges with respect to understanding the functional
capability of specific temperate plant species to up-take or filter pollu-
tants out of stormwater and to designing stormwater management
facilities with the capability of functioning effectively with a very different
precipitation regime from our own.
For the most part, research is the key to addressing these challenges.
In combination with the expertise of local practitioners, including land-
scape architects and experts from local universities, research helps
ensure that the plant community will thrive and function as necessary
to achieve desired performance targets.
On several of our projects, local experts who can assist the team in the
design development process are identified by the municipality or other
government agencies involved with the review and approval of the
design. Typically, identified experts compile information pertinent to the
design and respond to specific requests for information from the design
team. This process has proven to work well with the exception of the
unavoidable misinterpretation during the translation from Chinese to
English. Because the technical jargon related to stormwater
management and habitat restoration is relatively recent and
specialized, in some cases the words do not exist in Chinese,
requiring some fairly creative wordsmithing and character writ-
ing by the translation staff in our Toronto office. Literal transla-
tions of technical terminology can yield some amusing (and
sometimes embarrassing) results. However, the process works
well, ensuring that the design team is apprised of site-specific
issues that need to be addressed in the design without the
need to do primary research. The local experts also function as
a review body, ensuring that the design incorporates the
elements necessary to address site-specific requirements.
Making Progress As more projects that respond to environmental sustainability
objectives are designed and constructed throughout China,
the concept of the functional landscape is gaining traction.
Developers are realizing the marketability of green communi-
ties. Agencies at all levels of government are becoming much
more aware of the necessity of pursuing landscape-based
solutions to address the challenge of restoring polluted water
bodies and degraded ecosystems. Perhaps now that initial
progress has been made, an environmental renaissance simi-
lar in pace and scale to China’s economic miracle is underway.
And maybe one day, I’ll take that stroll along the Great Wall.
BIO/ MARK SCHOLLEN, OALA, CSLA, IS THE PRINCIPAL OF SCHOLLEN & COMPANY INTERNATIONAL INC., A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURAL CONSULTING PRACTICE THAT OFFERS SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE IN THE DESIGN OF NON-STRUCTURAL STORMWATER MANAGEMENT, WATER QUALITY ENHANCEMENT, HABITAT CREATION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION PROJECTS. MARK SCHOLLEN IS A SESSIONAL LECTURER ON URBAN ECOSYSTEMS IN THE MASTERS PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO'S FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPE AND DESIGN.
05/ Construction of wetland park boardwalk
IMAGE/ Schollen & Company International Inc.06/ Master plan scale model for golf resort community
in Guang Dong Province
IMAGE/ Schollen & Company International Inc.07/ Central interpretive pavilion at Chang Guang
National Wetland Park
IMAGE/ Schollen & Company International Inc.
Riding theAsian Express
17.02
07
06
I am usually one of the first people in my office to
volunteer when there’s an opportunity for interna-
tional travel. At the prospect of travel to Shanghai,
I eagerly proclaim my mastery of Cantonese. When
the topic of travel to Morocco comes up, I point out
that Arabic is practically my second language. If the
office needs someone to go to Amsterdam, I start
rattling off useless trivia about the North Sea and its
influence on the Dutch climate. Wherever a place
may be located on this planet, I want to go there,
and I always promise to send a postcard.
In reality, I don’t speak Cantonese. I can speak
a grand total of two phrases in Arabic. And I can’t
utter a single word of Dutch. But my point is this:
my love of travel is inextricably bound to my thirst for
discovering new places, new people, and new
landscapes. I have learned that one can go a long
way with a smile, respectful behaviour, and a gen-
uine curiosity about other ways of life. Travel height-
ens observation skills, offering a chance to clear the
mind and ponder on the truism that the fundamen-
tal elements of design are common throughout the
world. I believe wholeheartedly that travel makes
for a better landscape architect. As captured by
James P. Warfield in the introduction to
Mediterranean Villages—An Architectural Journey,
“travel becomes the medium for gathering visual
and experiential precedents for developing
thoughts and ideas that can be later interpreted
and crafted into their own creative works.”
TEXT BY ANDREW B. ANDERSON, OALA, CSLA
From the Shores of Tripoli . . .
18.02
From the Shores of Tripoli . . .
19.02
So when it was announced last summer that
my office had successfully won a large master
planning project for 325 km2 of northwest
Libya, along the Mediterranean coastline near
the Tunisian border, I basically claimed to be
the long lost son of Colonel Gadhafi. I really
wanted to go. But in an era of ever-increasing
levels of information saturation, I found myself
in the unusual position of traveling to a country
that I knew nothing about. Due to our previous
projects in North Africa, I could locate Libya
on a map, but that was about the extent of
my knowledge.
After scouring the entire city of Toronto for
the one map of Libya that existed, I packed my
bags and headed to a mysterious and intimi-
dating country that soon proved to be every bit
as mysterious and intimidating as I had imag-
ined, and even more fascinating. And don’t ask
me how I managed to get an entry visa in less
than a week. Suffice it to say, there were some
tense moments and cash exchanged in the
Tripoli airport.
Traveling with several coworkers, the purpose
of our trip to Libya was to visit our project site
(all 325 km2 of it), perform an initial inventory
and analysis of existing conditions, identify
opportunities and constraints related to the
program, and gather as much information as
possible about the site and the Libyan design
vernacular. The first week involved a series of
client meetings and site visits with the entire
consultant team. I was alone in Libya for the
second week, responsible for further meetings
with government officials, and charged with the
task of documenting the design vernacular of
this enigmatic land.
Design as discovery—unlocking thesecrets of a forgottenland
From the Shores of Tripoli . . .
20.02
Libya is not an easy place to visit. Years of international isolation and
the existing political regime have taken their toll. Minimal infrastructure
for foreign visitors, including the virtual non-existence of any language
other than Arabic, poses challenges at every turn. Detailed site infor-
mation, including surveys, geotechnical information, cultural informa-
tion, and ecological inventories, are elusive. Information is unreliable,
contradictory, and difficult to obtain. As a result, we relied on our train-
ing as landscape architects to read the land, looking for visual clues
and subtle hints to help us understand the site conditions. And did I
mention the heat? The temperature often climbed above fifty degrees
Celsius. Libya, an ancient land that has been effectively shut off from
the rest of the world for the better part of three decades, simultaneously
dazzles and intimidates.
Based out of the capital city of Tripoli, we explored our site and the
surrounding area by car, by boat, and by foot, trekking across sand
dunes, exploring remote fishing villages, and stumbling upon long-
since abandoned relics from the era of the Italian colonization of Libya.
We managed to survive a precarious boat ride across a tidal lagoon,
trusting the navigational skills of a local octopus fisherman, ending up
on a narrow peninsula of sand and dune grasses that separates the
lagoon from the open Mediterranean Sea. Looking across the lagoon
towards the Sahara Desert, we quickly understood why this area is
home to endangered sea turtles and is a critical stopping point for
migratory birds that annually migrate from Africa to Scandinavia. A
hot, barren piece of land that at first glance seemed to be completely
devoid of any significance, slowly revealed itself to be a marvel of
ecological and cultural significance on a global scale. It is amazing
what the landscape can tell you—even if you don’t speak Arabic.
The initially daunting task of unraveling a few secrets of this place
quickly evolved into an adventure unlike any I had experienced in my
life. In the end, after a meeting inside the centuries-old Tripoli Castle
with the director of the Libyan Archaeology Department, who was
straight out of Indiana Jones, we learned that Libya’s Mediterranean
coastline is a vast reserve of ancient Roman archaeological wonders.
Only after exploring two of the world’s largest and best-preserved ruins
of Roman cities at Sabratha and Leptis Magna—both UNESCO World
Heritage Sites—did I even begin to understand the international histori-
cal significance of the area. I cannot imagine anywhere else on earth
where one has the opportunity to wander through hauntingly well-pre-
served ruins of once powerful Roman cities without another living
person in sight. The silence of the Sahara is as captivating as the ruins
it once obscured.
Following an intense two weeks spent at the beginning of the project,
observing and absorbing the landscape, culture, and character of the
site and its context, the master plan for the project—one of the first
urban planning projects in the country in thirty years—was informed
and shaped by our new knowledge about the place. We were able to
educate the client about the importance of protecting the sensitive salt
flats that covered more than 50km2 of the site, and as a result, the
overall layout of the project integrated these unique features rather
than obliterating them. Key views were protected, cultural landmarks
celebrated, and environmental features enhanced.
While international projects can be immeasurably rewarding
to experience, it is important to be able to handle stressful
situations in unfamiliar circumstances while still acquiring the
information that you need for the project. When your site is
located halfway around the world, you may only ever get
the chance to see it once (and sometimes not at all). I find
it extremely helpful to simply accept that what is about to
happen to you at any given moment is frequently out of your
control. One has to remain confident in the knowledge that
“going with the flow” may just reveal the most unexpected
rewards. This requires a high degree of trust: trust in other
people, trust that everything usually works out for the best,
and, above all, trust in your own abilities as a landscape
architect. Get used to hearing the phrase, “maybe tomorrow.”
Keep an open mind, and expect the unexpected. Actually,
don’t just expect the unexpected—embrace it. Seemingly
insignificant events, sounds, or scents may echo in your
memory and continue to inspire your designs long after
you have cleared customs and returned home.
There is so much to learn from traveling to new places.
Experiencing foreign cultures and unfamiliar landscapes
heightens our awareness and appreciation of the Canadian
culture and landscape that we often take for granted. So
abandon your culinary fears, throw some granola bars in
your suitcase, and take advantage of every possible opportunity.
Dive in, and remember the immortal words of poet Robert
Frost: “I took the road less traveled by, and that has made
all the difference.”
BIO/ ANDREW B. ANDERSON, OALA, CSLA, IS A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AND SENIOR ASSOCIATE AT LANDinc IN TORONTO. HIS SUITCASE IS ALWAYS PACKED.
IMAGES/ ANDREW B. ANDERSON
From the Shores of Tripoli . . .
21.02
OntarioLandscapeArchitectsandInternationalPracticeOn March 26, 2008, Ground hosted aroundtable discussion, moderated byNetami Stuart and Fung Lee, to exploresome of the social, environmental, anddesign issues that arise in the currentsurge of local landscape architectsworking abroad. A panel of experienceddesigners, educators, and planners, whohave worked internationally, were invitedto speak critically and constructivelyabout how landscape architecture ispractised by OALA members around theworld, and, in particular, to highlightsome of the ethical and logistical issues involved.
Moderators:NETAMI STUART,PMA LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTSFUNG LEE,PMA LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
Panelists:ANDREW B. ANDERSON,SENIOR ASSOCIATE, LANDincGEORGE DARK,PRINCIPAL, URBAN STRATEGIES INC.CATARINA GOMEZ,PROJECT MANAGER/LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT, DUTOIT ALLSOPP HILLIERFIDENZO SALVATORI,PRINCIPAL, SCI LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTSGEORGE STOCKTON,PRESIDENT, MORIYAMA & TESHIMA PLANNERSJIM TAYLOR,PROFESSOR OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH
Round Table 22.02
Netami Stuart (NS): To begin with, let us
talk about the business environments you
have encountered and the types of clients
you are working for. Is doing design over-
seas a profitable enterprise and what
makes it so?
George Stockton (GS): Our first real inter-
national work, other than in the United
States, was in Tokyo, working on the new
Canadian embassy back in the mid 1980s.
We didn’t even sign a contract until the
project was under construction. It was all
done under a handshake. So our experi-
ence in Japan is that you are in a very
sophisticated environment with a long
history of mutual trust.
The work that we are now involved with in
Kuwait is the polar opposite of that. Over
the years, management consultants seem
to have driven a lot of the international
projects, not only in the terms of reference,
but in the contracts themselves. They are
getting more and more rigorous, and we
are increasingly getting locked into very
tight schedules that absolutely must be
met. We have several million-dollar bonds
to complete the work.
If you want to work for the government
in the Middle East, you are in a tight sand-
wich of regulations, administration, agree-
ment, bonds, etc. It is way beyond the
scope and fee structure that we experi-
ence here in Canada.
George Dark (GD): It is not a profession
of colleagues and peers over there but,
rather, they are buying/importing
your services.
GS: The other thing that is very particular
about the Middle East is that it is not the
safest environment and you really have to
be careful. We refused to go to Riyadh at
one point because they were essentially
hunting westerners.
Fung Lee (FL): What about the
Chinese experience?
Fidenzo Salvatori (FS): My colleague,
who is an architect/urban designer, and I
spent a few years doing exploratory work
and finally now we have established a
branch office in Shanghai. It’s taken close
to $300,000 for this venture and we’re
now getting some beautiful contracts. They
average $180,000 in fees, just for the land-
scape component. Initially we worked
through local firms and it was very difficult.
The design would be changed at will.
Establishing our own office was the only
way to control the design and coordination.
We were well received once the client
saw that we had started an international
office, as there are a lot of fake interna-
tional companies! We incorporated a new
company in China—you don’t want to set
up your Canadian company over there for
liability reasons.
Catarina Gomez (CG): What kind of
clients do you work for?
FS: Here’s the issue: every committee is
composed of at least twenty people—dif-
ferent people from different sectors. Is it
a government agency or is it a private
company? It’s very difficult to tell in China.
Round Table 23.02
Round Table 24.02
the Canadian model of professional
organization in a confederation like the
CSLA, OALA, etc. was the best, so they
are using our model.
China has grown from zero to a hundred
in just a few years in terms of the number
of landscape architecture programs, but
there is no accreditation and no standards
in place. That will be a challenge in com-
ing years. It took us many years to get the
Central Government of China to recognize
the profession of landscape architecture.
There is a concern internationally about
landscape architects coming from devel-
oped countries to developing countries
and practising without making any local
contacts or hiring local landscape archi-
tects (assuming there are some there).
IFLA is currently doing a survey to try to find
where all the landscape architects are.
GD: One reason that Urban Strategies
doesn’t do a lot of work in China is that we
have a rule: we have to have a contextual
fit, instead of just importing a chunk of
Ireland into Shanghai or exporting
American-style development into any
place in the world regardless of where it
is. I think the bigger question is: what is an
appropriate, modern, sustainable, intelli-
gent response to each case?
CG: I was born and raised in Portugal and
I came to Canada about eight years ago
to attend the University of Toronto where
I obtained my Masters in Urban Planning.
I do have work experience as a land-
scape architect in Portugal as well, so I
have experience with Ontario exporting
my skills and importing my skills. This is a
relevant subject because so many Ontario
residents—and therefore some Ontario
landscape architects—have immigrated
to Ontario from other countries.
NS: Do you hire landscape architects from
here to work at your office in Shanghai or
do you hire local designers?
FS: You don’t want to bring people there
in terms of business costs and expenses.
The wages are much lower in China,
except in Shanghai. The average salary
in Shanghai is five times the national
average. We now have an urban designer
from the Philippines joining us there and
he’s going to be about $40,000, which is
a lot of money in China.
Jim Taylor (JT): Foreigners have a different
pay scale in China. I had an international
student at Guelph who was from China
and studied here. When he went back to
China to work, he got paid more because
he had his Canadian citizenship!
Design Globalization
NS: How have you dealt with the logistics
of designing for a foreign physical, ecolog-
ical, and cultural place? Are we going to
foster local designers to be able to do
local design, or are we fostering an inter-
national design big-business culture?
JT: Through the International Federation
of Landscape Architecture (IFLA), I chair a
couple of committees and work on the
development of the profession internation-
ally. We are working through IFLA to build
the capacity in developing nations both by
encouraging education in landscape
architecture and by helping to organize
professional associations that can provide
accreditation to their members. In Brazil
we trained architects in the core funda-
mentals of landscape architecture so they
could begin to teach landscape architec-
ture at their schools of architecture. At the
time there were no landscape architecture
schools in Brazil—there are, now. I have
been involved in helping to organize
professional associations in Russia and in
the United Arab Emirates. In Russia, the
landscape architects are now being
allowed to organize. In fact, they felt that
GS: At Moriyama & Teshima, as a form of
training, we usually get our staff involved
in overseas projects and send them to the
location as part of the project team to
immerse them into the culture. It’s been a
very good experience for everybody.
We’re so small that we don’t have walls
and boundaries between people. It’s total-
ly exciting to watch young people and
landscape architects get out there and
understand the ecology and culture.
Regulatory Frameworks
NS: As landscape architects we’re all
supposed to act in a socially and environ-
mentally ethical and sustainable manner,
regardless of regulations. But if the regula-
tions are not present, can you convince
your clients to build in a sustainable way?
CG: In our work on the Kuwait University
Master Plan, when it came to regulations
and trying to get approvals from various
agencies, the university asked us to be the
mediators. We were actually the ones
negotiating with the government bodies
and the university was as much as possi-
ble trying to stay clear of it because of the
bureaucracy. It’s such a hot potato.
GD: There are lots of examples of poor
regulation at home, too. There are no
stormwater management rules in New
Brunswick. None! You’ll often see storm
sewer pipes spilling into a river. So you
don’t have to go thousands of miles away.
Canadian landscape architects have a
huge responsibility, just outside our door,
to correct the things that we know are
really unsustainable.
Round Table 25.02
GS: That’s the word: responsibility. At Wadi
Hanifah in Saudi Arabia we’re working on
a 124-kilometre site, an oasis, to bring it
back to ecological health for the city. There
are really no modern Saudi environmental
regulations—they’re working on them. We
use North American, European, or world
standards. It comes down to our own
judgment and what we would want for
our own families to be experiencing, and
that sets the benchmark for the type of
environmental approach we undertake.
CG: There’s also the other issue, of social
responsibility. In the Kuwait University
experience, there were two other women
on the design team and we were trying to
develop a campus. In the beginning we
weren’t sure whether we were supposed
to develop one campus for female stu-
dents and one for male students. But full
separation was mandated by the parlia-
ment of Kuwait. We had to decide what
was our threshold and how far did we
want to push the issue? Sometimes you
have to detach yourself from the issue and
work on a different part of the project,
perhaps in an administrative way.
Andrew Anderson (AA): There is a lack,
particularly in Algeria and Libya, of environ-
mental regulation, so it is our responsibility
to make recommendations. There is an
opportunity for us to help these countries. It’s
primarily master planning work and part of
the challenge, like everywhere else, is to try
to build with sustainable principles.
GD: I find that Canadians are seen to be
very honest brokers. Even in US firms, our
opinion about good global practice is
respected. Canadians are very trusted
abroad, which is a reflection of our coun-
try. People know the rainbow of cultures
that make up our nation and understand
our measure of tolerance. There are more
people in California than in Canada and
yet we hold some of the most prominent
positions in the world.
AA: That’s true. From our experience in
North Africa, the client’s initial idea is that
their own existing cultural riches are irrele-
vant. Six-thousand-year-old Bronze Age
relics? Well, they can be moved! I really do
believe that it is the Canadian background
where we can say, “Wait a minute. Here is
the reason that it should be valued.”
Education
JT: I think there is a responsibility, whether
it’s the CSLA or OALA, to start thinking
about helping professional practices grow
and evolve in developing countries. One
way is through education. We have stu-
dents from Guelph who are now leaders
in the profession in Africa and other parts
of the world. Our enrollment of internation-
al students has gone up but we’re not
educating enough international students
to advance the profession internationally.
And we’re not training our landscape
architects enough to be culturally sensitive
to working abroad. Students want to work
internationally. They are not working for
local firms; they are working for CIDA or for
international development NGOs, where
their work might be more meaningful. So
it’s something we have to think about. We
have to reposition our professional work.
AA: I think one really important aspect
of the schools here is the exchange
program.
GD: Jim, let me ask you a question. Are
we going to see an international organiza-
tion, an international accreditation?
JT: Well, we’re working on that now—
working on international standards in
education, predominantly directed
towards developing countries.
FOR AN EXTENDED VERSION OF THIS ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION, VISIT THE GROUND SECTION OF THE OALA WEBSITE, WWW.OALA.CA.
BIO/ NETAMI STUART, ASSOCIATE MEMBER, OALA, IS A LANDSCAPE DESIGNER AND CERTIFIED ARBORIST WITH PMA LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS.
BIO/ FUNG LEE, OALA, CSLA, IS A SENIOR LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AND PRINCIPAL AT PMA LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS.
Notes 26.02
Notes:AMiscellanyof Newsand Events
garden showOutdoors, the snowbanks were head-
high, but inside Toronto’s Convention
Centre, thousands of visitors to Canada
Blooms were basking in signs of spring.
The OALA booth, for the first time located
in the main garden area of the show, was
designed and donated by Borrowed
Spaces, and attracted many visitors.
Marianne Mokycke, Shalini Ullal, and
Alexander Budrevics volunteered their
time as judges for the OALA Awards, and
awarded Jane Hutton, OALA, of Plant
Architect Inc. the OALA Recognition Award
for the garden "Macroscope." A Rosette
Award was presented to Stephen Rupert,
OALA, for the Arbor Memorial Garden, and
Shawn Gallaugher, Associate, OALA, was
awarded two Rosettes: the Up & Coming
Award and the Association Member Award.
The OALA is saddened to announce the
sudden passing of Donald Salivan in
Florida on March 14, 2008. Mr. Salivan has
been an OALA member since 1985.
in memoriam
Every year, numerous Ontario landscape
architecture students choose to escape to
distant shores to participate in internation-
al exchange programs with other schools
around the world. For many students, this
is their first in-depth exposure to traveling
and living in a foreign country; the experi-
ence inevitably expands horizons and
changes perspectives for a lifetime.
The landscape architecture program at
the University of Guelph offers more inter-
national exchange opportunities for its stu-
dents than any other program at the uni-
versity. Currently, landscape architecture
students in Guelph have the opportunity to
participate in exchange programs with the
following schools:
• University of Canberra:
Canberra, Australia
• Edinburgh College of Art/Herriot-Watt
University: Edinburgh, Scotland
• Wageningen University: Wageningen,
The Netherlands
• Swedish University of Agricultural
Sciences: Alnarp, Sweden
• Agricultural University of Norway:
Aas, Norway
• Lincoln University: Canterbury,
New Zealand
• University of Adelaide:
Adelaide, Australia
• Univeristat fuer Bodenkulturn Wien
(BOKU): Vienna, Austria
• The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural
University: Copenhagen, Denmark
• Lingnan University: Hong Kong (not a
formal exchange agreement)
• University of KwaZulu-Natal:
South Africa (not a formal
exchange agreement)
schools
01/ Canada Blooms garden designed by Robert Boltman, OALA, Associate Member
IMAGE/ OALA02/ Winners of the Ontario
Stone, Sand and Gravel Association design competition
IMAGE/ Andrew B. Anderson
01
Notes 27.02
The Ontario Stone, Sand and Gravel
Association (OSSGA) sponsors an annual
design competition for Ontario post-sec-
ondary students to prepare comprehen-
sive restoration design master plans for an
Ontario quarry or sand pit. The goal is to
encourage compatible post-extraction
uses of former aggregate properties and
to promote public and academic aware-
ness of that role.
The site for the 2007 design competition
was the Ayr Sand Pit, located in Wellington
County. The three winning groups of
entrants were all third-year BLA students
from the University of Guelph. The winning
entry was submitted by Brittany Barclay,
Dave Reid, and Adam Rogers, who pro-
posed reusing the site as Canada’s first
natural burial cemetery.
Pat Bunting, Danielle Bushore, Jeff Fenske,
and Matt Sloan were awarded second
place for their submission, “Art of Human
Nature.” The proposed solution trans-
formed the site into an arts centre with
sculptural displays integrated into natural-
ized settings. The third-place winners
students
anniversaryIn 2008, the OALA reached a significant
milestone: forty years as an association.
To celebrate this achievement, the OALA
launched an anniversary logo at the
conference and Annual General Meeting
in April.
The OALA Council selected this logo
design from forty-one submissions from
the membership. The selected design was
conceived by concept i design of Bangkok,
Thailand. Congratulations to Geoffrey
Morrison, OALA, CSLA, and Hidemizu
Kanamoto for creating this logo. The OALA
also extends thanks to all participants in
the logo competition.
Working on members’ behalf, the OALA
Governing Council meets monthly to deal
with association business. As well, the
Executive Committee and other Council
committees hold regular meetings, work-
ing on various issues, events, and other
tangible benefits of membership. Council
meetings are open to members (except
for in camera items) and are regularly
scheduled for the second Monday of
each month, from 6:15-8:30 p.m., at the
OALA office. For details, contact the
OALA at 416-231-4181.
council
new membersThe Ontario Association of Landscape
Architects is proud to recognize and wel-
come the following new full members to
the association:
Emily Grant *
Kenneth Hale
Gina McFarlane *
Barry Murphy
Matthew Sweig *
Martin Tavares
Asterisk (*) denotes a Full Member
not having custody and use of the
Association seal.
Congratulations to Janet Rosenberg,
OALA, CSLA, on two recent honours. The
Canadian Urban Institute has selected
Rosenberg to receive a 2008 Urban
Leadership Award, in the City Livability
category, in recognition of her significant
contribution to the public realm. In June,
Rosenberg will receive an Honorary
Doctorate from Ryerson University.
honours
were Michael Eves, Luke Facey, and Zac
Wolotachiuk, whose winning concept,
“Balancing the Cutting Edge,” proposed
reusing the site as a resource centre
combining extreme recreation and
environmental education.
The design competition was integrated
into the curriculum of the University of
Guelph’s third-year BLA studio course by
co-instructors Shirley Hall and Andrew
Anderson, OALA, CSLA. All students in the
class were required to complete the com-
petition requirements as part of the course
curriculum; formal submission to the
OSSGA competition was optional. The
awards were presented at the OSSGA
Annual General Meeting Awards Banquet
in Toronto on February 22, 2008.
02
Notes 28.02
According to the Sports Turf Association
(STA), construction specifications have
been the missing link in the creation of
highly effective and functional sports fields.
“Specifications could have saved grounds
maintenance personnel and others thou-
sands of dollars in corrective action when
poor construction methods were used,
partly because pertinent information was
not readily available,” says Michael
Bladon, former grounds superintendent
at the University of Guelph. In an effort to
solve this problem, the Sports Turf
Association recently developed construc-
tion specifications, published in The
Athletic Field Construction Manual.
According to Lawrence Stasiuk, OALA,
CSLA, “The Athletic Field Construction
Manual provides standards for five cate-
gories of field construction that will help
designers determine the appropriate field
design for the intended level of use.”
Primarily based on the root zone material
and the provision of drainage, irrigation,
and light, the specifications for each cate-
gory of field are based on current scientific
information. The manual is available at
www.sportsturfassociation.com.
sports fields
In February, students from the University
of Toronto’s Masters of Landscape
Architecture program hosted PUSHING
SITE, the second annual MLA Student
Design Exhibition featuring current studio
work. The exhibition explored ways of
representing landscapes that push
boundaries to respond to natural processes
and dynamic programs. Exploring sites at
various scales, students showed examples
of immediate and long-term strategies
that encourage diverse habitats and
manage/recycle material flows.
Sponsored by the OALA and the Faculty’s
graduate student union (GALDSU), the
show sought to push people’s perspectives
on the urban landscape, reveal landscape
opportunities at various scales, and share
conceptual ideas and representational
techniques among students, faculty, and
the broader design community. To encour-
age the transfer of ideas between land-
scape architecture students, the show was
launched at LABash at the University of
Guelph and then opened for a two-week
run at U of T’s Larry Wayne Richards Gallery.
exhibitions
In an effort to raise awareness about
Toronto’s urban forest, the non-profit
group LEAF (Local Enhancement and
Appreciation of Forests), in conjunction
with the Toronto Public Space Committee,
is hosting a series of tree tours this sum-
mer. The walks are led by knowledgeable
local experts and cover diverse areas of
the city, from Withrow Park (June 15) to the
Rouge Park (June 21) to Downsview Park
(July 20). The Cedarvale Ravine tree tour
(June 14) has a particularly enticing bonus:
it is being held in conjunction with the
Cedarvale Strawberries and Asparagus
Festival. For more information, see
www.treetours.to/events.
tours04
03
03/ Exhibition of studio work by University of Toronto students
COLLAGE/ Tonya Crawford and Victoria Taylor
04/ Construction specifications may lead to more effective sports fields
IMAGE/ Sports Turf Association05/ Maple syrup crafted for
a design audience
IMAGE/ Ninutik
Notes 29.02
productsIt’s a perennial dilemma: finding the
right gift—something quintessentially
Canadian—for colleagues or associates in
another country. Many a business traveler
has eyed those kitschy bottles of maple
syrup arrayed at airport stores and
thought, if only they looked less, well,
kitschy. Now, industrial designers Richard
Brault and Dianne Croteau have rebrand-
ed maple syrup for the design market.
Their line of maple syrup, sugar, and
chocolates, under the label Ninutik—the
Ojibwa word for maple syrup—transforms
Canadian cliché into design classic. In fact,
Ninutik recently won a Design Exchange
Award for industrial design. A hand-blown
glass globe (created in collaboration with
artist Brad Sherwood) cradles syrup, while
an artist-crafted porcelain bowl (Alissa Coe
and Carly Waito), complete with spoon,
holds sugar. “An architecture firm recently
put in an order for forty of the sugar-filled
bowls,” says Brault, “to give to international
guests.” That’s sweet thinking, Canadian-
style. For more information, visit
www.ninutik.com.
Working in other countries can lead to
cultural missteps. To help navigate these
potentially unfamiliar waters, Ground
asked Jane Cooney of the Toronto store
Books for Business to recommend
some guides. Here are her picks,
with comments:
The Lexus and the Olive Tree:
Understanding Globalization,
by Thomas L. Friedman
“This classic by the Pulitzer Prize-winning
author of The World is Flat is used in
college business courses and enjoyed
by readers looking for a spirited and
imaginative exploration of our new
global world.”
Kiss Bow or Shake Hands, by Terri Morrison
“Covering all areas of the world, the
author outlines local customs and rules of
etiquette for traveling business people.”
Behave Yourself! The Essential Guide to
International Etiquette, by Michael Powell
“Forty-five countries are covered. It’s
books
Dr. Nancy Pollock-Ellwand, OALA, former
associate professor of landscape architec-
ture at the University of Guelph, has
assumed the roles of Head and Chair of
the School of Architecture, Landscape
Architecture and Urban Design and pro-
fessor of landscape architecture at the
University of Adelaide in Adelaide,
Australia. She and her family are adjusting
to life (and the heat) in Australia, and are
starting to develop a fondness for veg-
emite. Nancy extends an invitation to all
her northern landscape architecture col-
leagues to come to Adelaide, where the
earth is red, the skies are blue, and the
wine that comes from the nearby Barossa
Valley is always white (in her case).
people
considered vulgar to chew gum in Italy;
in Brazil avoid giving sharp gifts such as
letter openers.”
Culture Smart! A Quick Guide to
Customs & Etiquette
“This current series of little books, covering
most countries of the world, provides
essential information on attitudes, beliefs,
and behaviour in different countries.”
When Cultures Collide: Leading Across
Cultures, by Richard D. Lewis
“The book offers practical strategies to
embrace differences and work successfully
across increasingly diverse business
cultures in sixty countries and every
major region of the world.”
Why Mexicans Don’t Drink Molson:
Rescuing Canadian Business from the
Suds of Global Obscurity, by Andrea
Mandel-Campbell
“This is a scathing, cautionary tale about
Canadian timidity and lost opportunities in
confronting international markets.”
Books for Business also stocks many
foreign-language dictionaries and teaching
tools, as well as a good selection
of atlases. For information, see
www.booksforbusiness.com.
05
Interested in being involved with Ground:Landscape Architect Quarterly? The OALA EditorialBoard is looking for volunteers who can help outwith various tasks, such as research, transcription,and writing. Any level of commitment is appreciated, from researching upcoming events for the Notes section to transcribing Round Table discussions...
Fun, satisfying work—and the best part, no need to attend meetings!
To get involved, please e-mail [email protected].
02
ReferencingCulture
01/02/03/ The design team for the Japanese Zen garden at the Canadian Museum of Civilization included Shunmyo Masuno, a Zen Buddhist monk from Japan, Patrick Mooney from the University of British Columbia, Ueto Construction from Japan, Massie & Associates Ltd. from Hull, Quebec, and Vaughan Landscape Planning and Design of West Vancouver.
IMAGES/ Canadian Museum of Civilization
Going global closeto home
01
02
03
Artifact 42.02
The Japanese Zen garden on the roof of the
Canadian Museum of Civilization is based on
the theme of Wakei No Niwa, a reference to the
Japanese and Canadian peoples. Most of the
materials for the garden are from the region,
with native plants and stone selected from the
nearby Gatineau Hills.
The museum building, designed by Douglas
Cardinal, takes it inspiration from Canadian land-
scape forms, as does the front courtyard (originally
designed by Julie Mulligan of ESG International, and
currently being redesigned by Claude Cormier).
Across the river, the gothic design of the Parliament
Buildings—the country’s iconic ground zero—is itself a
stylistic import, though rarely is it described as such.
Do impositions of cultural references add meaning
to designed built form? Or do they elide the hybrids
that often represent us and, perhaps, define us?
