The article is from A&B issue 03|23
Landscaping is not just about home gardens, paving problems, biodiversity and low retention. It is a broad field that is becoming increasingly relevant to the challenges of our time. As emphasized at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, landscape architecture is a profession that responds to problems of spatial development and environmental management.
Landscape architecture was created out of concern for the built landscape. Frederick Law Olmsted was the first to use the term to refer to the profession, inspired by the French nomenclature architecte paysagiste used by Louis Sulpice Varé and echoed by Adolphe Alphand. This was an important step in defining the essence of a new approach to design in the face of accelerating urbanization.
Over time, landscape architecture became a holistic way of designing and planning. It found fertile ground in countries where spatial management was an important part of state policy. In the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and many other countries, this was reflected in the regulation of the profession and its firm embedding in design procedures.
The landscape approach is now treated as an antidote to the destructive fragmentation of space and has penetrated as a method into planning in the form of landscape planning and into urban planning in the form of landscape urbanism.
What is important in the context of discussions about landscape architecture is the span of scale that this approach addresses. Interestingly, the specificity of landscape architecture causes its awareness to accompany design regardless of the scope of the topic being developed. In regional design, local site specificity, detail and ornament are important, while in garden interior design, reference to very distant borrowed views and inclusion in the overall green system is important.
Using the analogy of the systematics of architecture proposed by Rem Koolhaas, landscape architecture can be expressed in XL, L, M, S scale.
A scenic analysis of roads in the Bieszczady National Park, aimed at providing the most beautiful views
elaborated. U. Forczek-Brataniec, P. Koppel (Nosalska)
XL—landscape planning
Architecture of extensive landscapes. This is regional plans, national park protection plans, green-blue infrastructure systems. It's thinking holistically in a broad context. Without it, any efforts at smaller scales are likely to fail. Just as water or electrical infrastructure must be a permeable network, so must the green system, spatial linkages must be shaped as continuous in a large-scale context. Just as a local interruption of the electrical grid blocks its operation, an interruption of the green system also impoverishes and even nullifies its function and efficiency. Landscaping at this scale is moderating and appropriate development. Development that takes into account the impact of new developments on the environment, including the landscape. This idea is embodied in the system of environmental impact assessments required by European law. Through it, new development is assessed in terms of its impact on water, geology, wildlife and landscape. A scenic impact assessment carried out at the appropriate stage makes it possible to offset, reduce or weaken the negative landscape effects of new developments. Examples include scenic studies performed to assess the impact of wind farms, road projects or tall buildings. Modern data in the form of a numerical terrain model, point clouds and tools in the form of computer programs make it possible to very precisely determine the scenic impact and monitor it when changing parameters or applying mitigation measures. This broad field of knowledge helpful in finding optimal solutions in Poland is very poorly used and unpopular. Methodical and scientific achievements in this field are used in exceptional cases of protected areas, such as a conservation zone or UNESCO zone. This is the only opportunity to use modern tools to make long-term decisions even before the implementation of investments (illustrations 1, 2). Meanwhile, these opportunities should be built into the standard design and planning procedure. They would allow informed landscaping, and this would bring benefits at the environmental, spatial and financial levels.
Analysis of the landscape impact of the Beskidzka Integration Road, together with guidelines for minimizing the scenic impact of the new project
elaborated by. U. Forczek-Brataniec, B. Grajner, P. Koppel (Nosalska) et al.
L—design of large-scale facilities
Landscape architects have a lot to do when designing large-scale infrastructure elements. Suffice it to recall here the case of road corridor design. There have long been discussions about elevating road spaces to the status of public spaces and adopting adequate design tools. Given the number of people traveling on roads, it would be worthwhile to improve their quality, aesthetics and functioning. Let's take a look at the recently developed highway service areas, where each building is designed independently, and access from one to the other leads through a maze of fences. Meanwhile, both the MOP and the road can be designed as public space, can be beautiful, useful and implement pro-environmental solutions in accordance with the idea of greenways, according to which a car ride was to be the modern equivalent of a walk. Poland has so far failed to design this type of space. This is a great missed opportunity. Driving through Austria, one will find good examples implemented as part of a program to increase travel safety. This is also confirmed by the recent realization of American landscape architect Thomas Woltz—the reconstruction of a road near Huston. By integrating it into the landscape with consideration of the ecosystem, spatial form and function, taking into account the comfort of the user and nature, the author proves that it is possible to think about the road in terms of sustainability. Such interventions remove barriers in ecological corridors, weaken the harmful impact of road investments, and make the surrounding beautiful views accessible.
While working on the assessment of the scenic impact of the Beskidzka Integration Road in the vicinity of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, an opportunity arose to influence the design of the section of the road running through the UNESCO buffer zone. Guidelines to weaken the scenic impact, earth screens, and the location of the service area for travelers were the result of landscape studies and cooperation with the designers of the different variants. This case confirmed the effectiveness of the team approach, but so far it has remained one of the few in my professional career (Figure 3).
A project for the revitalization of the former Wierzbnik in Starachowice; the scale of the cityscape analyzed in the broad context of spatial and view connections
© eM4. Architecture Studio. Brataniec
M—landscape design of city, village, settlements
Landscape architecture of development structures is a vast and age-old issue. It was revived with renewed vigor and in a new character in the 19th century in the face of industrially accelerated urban development. Another breakthrough came in the 20th century with the end of the industrial era. The developments created at that time, such as Park de la Villette and Parc André Citröen, both in Paris, were called urban parks. They were intended to consolidate the area and reintegrate it into the city landscape. At the time, theoretical considerations of the city acupunctural urbanism by Kenneth Frampton, open work by Bernard Tschumi or tiers paysage by Gilles Clément were developing. The landscape approach allowed urban design to take a fuller, multidimensional form, which was reflected in the new name „urbanism” in opposition to the former „urbanization.” In cooperation with the eM4 studio, we have had the opportunity to express ourselves on this subject on the occasion of many revitalization competitions. Two of our projects were implemented: the modernization of the old town in Gorlice and the revitalization of the former Wierzbnik in Starachowice (illustration 4). We were very keen on cleaning up the space, traffic, and giving priority to pedestrians. The main goal, however, was to merge the cityscape on a functional, compositional and visual level. To a large extent, it was an uncovering of the old order written in the original urban layout. A return to the original meanings of the concepts of street, square, place.
Concept of the sequence of theme gardens of the park in Starachowice;
proj.: eM4. Architecture Studio. Brataniec
M scale is also parks immersed in the city space. Essential green areas that determine the quality of life in the city. It is the responsibility of the authorities to ensure that residents have access to them. Parks will not be replaced by crowded pocket gardens and squares. As an eM4 studio, we have designed several parks, including the recently completed city park in Starachowice and the currently under construction Cichociemnych Park in Warsaw (illustrations 5, 6). They were developed as a result of implementation competitions. Thanks to this formula, the project was selected on the basis of the quality of the solution. I mention this because it is not a common phenomenon, usually investors underestimate the importance of the design of a park or revitalization of a former green area, treating them as infrastructure devoid of spatial functions.
The idea of the park named after Cichociemnych Parachroniarzy AK
proj.: eM4. Architecture Studio. Brataniec
S—landscape interior design
This is the architecture of micro landscapes of home gardens, squares, street greenery, which is probably the most widely known activity of landscape architects. Very important and irreplaceable in the dense urban fabric. From an ecological point of view, micro-areas can play a key role in shaping the green system. Their presence can determine its permeability and efficiency at the level of so-called ecosystem services. In this context, it is important that even the smallest area is created with an awareness of the larger scale and participates in the creation of a continuous system of ecological corridors crossing the city. Such micro-interventions in many cases are the only chance for nature and for residents. They improve the local microclimate, allow nature to thrive, and at the same time are places that beautify the everyday landscape. Examples of this are pocket gardens, woonerfs or pocket forests. The embodiment of this idea is also embodied in the project to provide access to the blast furnace in Ruda Śląska, made by the eM4 studio. Architecture Studio. Brataniec. The main design theme was the adaptation of a technical monument for sightseeing. We saw in this project an opportunity for nature, which noticeably began to take possession of the area. Following the concept of the third landscape, we designed the surroundings of the monument as a place of coexistence between man and nature (Figure 7). The entire area beyond the traffic routes was given over to nature. We were not limited to the ground level; this idea was also applied to the rooftops. The inspiration came from nature itself—the outbreaks of succession observed on site.
Revitalization and adaptation of the blast furnace of the Pokój steelworks in Ruda Śląska for tourist and cultural purposes, the conceptual design of greenery in the form of a third landscape;
proj.: eM4. Architecture Studio. Brataniec
Landscape is, as Charles Waldheim writes in his recent book „Landscape as Urbanism”, the medium of modern design. It is a way of organizing and integrating space in order to reclaim it and use it more efficiently. In this context, there is a great future for landscape architecture. It involves the need for holistic and multidisciplinary design, mindful of shrinking spatial resources and their fragmentation. We can no longer afford to design indifferent to the broad natural and spatial context. Admittedly, in Poland we are still profligately disposing of space, without considering the consequences of this mismanagement, hoping for a quick profit from exploiting this resource. Reality, however, will soon force us to change our approach. Already occurring problems with the construction of new roads, problems with the location of alternative energy networks, wild animals on the roads, overheated and smog-filled cities are the consequences of spatial mess, and they will grow with it. In this context, landscape architecture today is the most appropriate way to think about space from XL scale to S scale.
