Terragrams

Antje Stokman

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:22:43 +0100

Antje Stokman is a German landscape architect and has received the 2011 Topos Landscape Award. She is currently a professor and chair at the Leibniz University in Hannover as well as a directing partner, with Sabine Rabe, of the the Hamburg studio OSP Urbanelandschaften. After practicing shortly for the German firm Rainer Schmid, she spent ten years working in China. She has also taught at the University of Stuttgart and has been a member of Studio Urbane Landschaften. Her work and research aims to graft ecosystem engineering with spatial design and has focussed on watershed management, ecosystem design and productive landscapes. She often collaborates with large institutions and looks to incorporate diverse stakeholders into an academic and interdisciplinary professional design process. June 28, 2011

Casey Brown

Sun, 4 Sep 2011 09:18:46 +0200

Casey Brown is an assistant professor of landscape architecture at Clemson University and a Principal Researcher with P-REX an organization embedded within the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT. He is the 2010/11 recipient of the Rome Prize in Landscape Architecture and has recently followed research concerning the U.S. - Mexico border, North American urbanization trends and large-scale mining and extraction sites. In dispatch 31 Brown shares his thoughts regarding his working methods for his research in Rome as well as for entities as diverse as Toyota, the Environmental Protection Agency EPA and the U.S. Defense Department, all of which, in Brown’s words “document herd/swarm behavior, cascading effects, negative/positive externalities, and low probability/high impact events”. June 6, 2011

Martí Franch

Sat, 2 Jul 2011 22:24:31 +0200

Marti Franch is a Catalan landscape architect who has studied in Barcelona and Greenwich, England and trained in the offices of Buro Keifer in Berlin and Buro B+B in Amsterdam. Franch established his office Estudi Martí Franch EMF in 1999 to independently pursue his interest in designing the landscape. Presently, EMF is composed of landscape architects, architects and agricultural technical engineers and works on projects spanning a wide range of scales, clients and functions. Franch’s garden project for the new museum, Can Framis, in Barcelona was a finalist for the 6th European Biennial of Landscape Architecture. Franch teaches in the Masters Program for Landscape Architecture Masters in both the School of Architecture in Barcelona (ETSAB) as well as in the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). In dispatch 30, Franch talks about his garden project for the Can Framis Museum, his thoughts regarding professional practice in Spain, his preferred project from the finalists of the 6th Biennial as well as his ideas regarding the conceptual process of design. Special thanks to the organizers of the 6th Biennial of European Landscape Architecture for their support and assistance in organizing the dispatches originating from their event. October 1, 2010.

Kongjian Yu

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 08:23:33 +0200

Kongjian Yu was born into a farming family and grew up farming aside his father. He graduated from the Beijing Forestry University in 1987 with a degree in Landscape Architecture where he successfully presenting his thesis entitled "The Quantitative Models for Landscape Assessment”. After five years of teaching, he left for the United States to study at Harvard and receive his Doctor of Design from the Graduate School of Design. Following this Yu worked in the Laguna Beach office of SWA until in 1997 he returned back to China where he established the School of Landscape Architecture at the Peking University. One year later he launched Turenscape a private multi-disciplinary design office covering the work of architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design which today boasts a staff of more than 600 professionals. In 2003, expanding the symbiosis between Turenscape and Peking University, he founded the Graduate School of Landscape Architecture. In dispatch 29, Yu discusses his Big Foot Revolution, the birth of Turenscape and the Peking University programs of landscape architecture as well as his influence on the Chinese national debate concerning urban development. October 3, 2010.

Stefan Rotzler

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 08:41:33 +0200

Stefan Rotzler studied History of Art at the Zurich University before becoming a gardener. Following this hands-on experience, Rotzler opted to study landscape architecture at the ITR Technical School in Rapperswil, Switzerland where he graduated in one of the first classes of the newly created professional program. After graduation, he worked with the town planning office of Zurich for a few years and then opened his own office. In 1989 he began his collaboration with Matthias Krebs, who together have made projects for gardens, public spaces, sports facilities, infrastructure primarily in Europe. In 2007, the Swiss publishing firm Niggli released the first monograph of the Rotzler Krebs collaboration. Rotzler has taught in the landscape program at Rapperswil and has participated widely in international competitions, juries and workshops. Special thanks to Merete Vindum for dispatch research and preparation. May 28, 2009.

Claude Cormier

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 12:45:48 +0200

Claude Cormier grew up on a farm and went on to study in agronomy and plant sciences at the University of Guelph hoping to cross-breed flowers. However, in search for a different perspective on nature, he entered the University of Toronto to study landscape architecture. After practicing for some time in Toronto and Montreal, he returned to school in the early 90’s to obtain a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. In 1995 he founded his office Claude Cormier Landscape Architects. The Claude Cormier wikipedia page states, “Cormier belongs to the second generation of landscape architects, known as “conceptualists”. Having emerged concurrent with postmodern architecture and on the heels of the conceptual art movement, this approach is distinguished by the predominance accorded the concept or governing idea that spurs a project and defines its every detail, from start to finish. This conceptualist viewpoint differs radically from the functionalist imperatives of modernism. Within this camp itself, the practice of Cormier and his team is distinguished by his insistence to peel back the historic, economic, botanical, ecological and socio-cultural strata (whether hidden or manifest) that make up the sites on and with which they work.” Continuing from the Wikipedia entry, “A single formula stands as the most concise definition of Cormier’s philosophy: Artificial, not fake. What he seeks first and foremost is authenticity—a “true fake.” In other words, he strives to display the constructed nature of landscape in its truest form.” In conclusion, “Cormier seeks to stir emotions and give meaning in order to invigorate public space by blurring the boundaries between design and art, natural and artificial, and real and surreal.” Special thanks to Terje Ong for dispatch research and preparation. June 26, 2009.

Marc Treib

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 10:00:31 +0200

Marc Treib is a professor emeritus of architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a landscape and architectural historian and critic and has published extensively. His books include: A Guide to the Gardens of Kyoto (1980), Modern Landscape Architecture: A Critical Review (1993), Regional Garden Design in the United States, Co-Editor (1995), Space Calculated in Seconds: The Philips Pavilion, Le Corbusier, Edgard Varese (1996), Garrett Eckbo: Modern Landscapes for Living (1997), The Architecture of Landscape, 1940-1960 (2002), Noguchi in Paris: The Unesco Garden (2003), Thomas Church, Landscape Architect (2003), Representing Landscape Architecture (2007), Drawing/Thinking: Confronting an Electronic Age (2008), Spatial Recall: Memory in Architecture and Landscape (2009). Treib has held Fulbright, Guggenheim, and Japan Foundation fellowships, as well as an advanced design fellowship at the American Academy in Rome. April 29, 2009.

Maria Goula

Thu, 9 Sep 2010 23:00:12 +0200

Maria Goula is a landscape architect and has been either studying or practicing landscape architect in Barcelona since she arrived from Greece in 1992, during the eve of the Olympic Games. She received both her Master of Landscape Architecture as well as her PHD degree from the Escola Tecnica Superior d’Arquitectura in Barcelona, in Catalunya’s Politecnic University. She is an adjunct professor in the Department of Urbanism and Territorial Planning where she teaches design studio and focusses on addressing issues surrounding tourism. Currently she is a founding member and Researcher for the Center of Landscape Research of Barcelona. Ms. Goula is a member of the organizing committee of Barcelona European Landscape Biennial and in Terragrams 25 she discusses the Biennial, her Ph.D. work, the European Landscape Convention, teaching and the state of the profession in Spain. October 22, 2008.

Matthew Urbanski

Sat, 7 Aug 2010 07:00:44 +0200

Mr. Urbanski is a principal with the office of Michael Van Valkenburg Associates where he has worked since 1989, first as a model maker and plant specialist and currently as a lead designer and project manager. He has been influential in the conception and realization of the Allegheny Riverfront Park in Pittsburgh, the Teardrop Park in Lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn. Since 1993 he has taught as a lecturer teaching planting courses and a studio Instructor at the Harvard University sGraduate School of Design. With his father, he manages Red Hill Nursery, a 15 acre specialist plant nursery. In dispatch 24, Mr. Urbanski describes his projects for the Brooklyn Bridge and Teardrop Parks, choosing the right practitioner and his ideas regarding robust naturalism. April 30, 2009.

Gabriele Kiefer

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:00:38 +0200

Gabriele Kiefer founded Büro Kiefer a landscape architecture studio in Berlin in 1989. Ms. Kiefer studied landscape planning at Berlin Technical University after which she worked as a research assistant and then in 2002, was appointed Professor. Her studio has made work all over Germany and throughout much of Europe. She was a finalist in Barcelona’s 5th Biennal of landscape architecture for a project on the outskirts of Switzerland. She has lectured world-wide and participates regularly as a jury member to competitions. In dispatch 23, Ms. Kiefer discusses her Zurich project Opfiker Park, major influences, teaching, former industrial sites and the fall of the Berlin Wall. September 28, 2008

Alexander Reford

Sun, 6 Dec 2009 20:13:38 +0100

Alexander Reford is a historian and the director of the Reford Gardens of Metis, Quebec and the co-founder of the International Garden Festival of Metis, a festival that has drawn gardens designs from young designers such as Claude Cormier, NIP Landscape, Paula Meijerink (TG 10) and Chris Reed of Stoss Landscape Urbanism (TG 15). Alexander is on the board of directors for the Canadian Tourism Commission as well as the president of the Quebec Gardens' Association and Tourism Gaspésie. He has written a number of books and numerous articles in the fields of Garden Design, Canadian history and tourism. In dispatch 22, Alexander talks to us about the 10th edition of the Metis Garden Festival, its future, the origin of Reford Gardens, the effects of tourism on the landscape and blue sticks. June 27, 2009

Ken Smith

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:00:31 +0200

Landscape Architect Ken Smith joins Terragrams for dispatch 21. Ken is the founder of the Ken Smith Workshop in Manhattan and Irvine, California. He graduated from Iowa State University and the Harvard Graduate School of Design and practiced with the Office of Peter Walker and then in collaboration with Martha Schwartz and David Meyer. Since 1992 he has been piloting his own studio while also teaching at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, the University of Pennsylvania, UVa, and the City College of New York. His professional work encompasses a broad array of scales and project typologies and in his own words “explores the symbolic content and expressive power of landscape as an art form”. He is most well-known for his Camouflage roof garden on the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan and his current work for the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. Ken discusses his work for the Orange County Great Park, India, growing up on a farm, John Cage, the European condition and his first jobs out of college. September 27, 2008.

René Bihan

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:00:05 +0200

René Bihan joins Terragrams for the 20th dispatch. Bihan is a registered landscape architect and the managing principal of the San Francisco office of the SWA Group. He grew up with a nursery in his backyard and has been in the practice for more than 2 decades. He is a commissioner for the San Francisco Arts Commission and has designed and managed projects such as Beijing Finance Street - 18 new urban blocks in West Beijing, the City College of San Francisco Master Plan, the Hong Kong Cultural Harbour, and the Salt Lake City Redevelopment of Blocks 75 and 76. René discusses much of his current work as well as the 50th birthday of the SWA Group, his trajectory from the nursery to the studio, sustainable site planning and what drives his design process. May 9, 2008.

John Beardsley

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 00:00:45 +0200

John Beardsley is a Senior Lecturer in the department of Landscape Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design where he teaches courses in Landscape Architectural history, theory and writing. Concurrently, he serves as Director of Garden and Landscape Studies at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington DC. John has authored numerous books including the well-recognized EarthWorks and Beyond, Contemporary Art in the Landscape. In addition to teaching and writing, he has curated exhibitions for the Hirshhorn Museum, Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and The Spoleto Festival in Charleston. In Terragrams 19, John discusses how his interest in Land Art was born, his project Dirtywork, the Quilts of Gee’s Bend, landscape strategies infiltrating from the outside and his role as a teacher, curator and historian. May 8, 2008.

Michael van Gessel

Sun, 8 Feb 2009 08:14:56 +0100

Michael van Gessel is a Dutch landscape architect with over 3 decades of experience that stretch back to the Agricultural College of Wageningen where he earned a BA in Plant Disease, another BA in Landscape Architecture and then an MA in Landscape Architecture. His professional experience was gained with the Dutch office Bakkker en Bleeker (now B+B) where he practiced for more than 25 years and directed the studio from 1991-1997. Since 1997 he has been enjoying self employment and independent consulting. In Terragrams 18, Michael discusses his approach to thinking about and designing landscapes, the fragility of Europe’s rural territory, as well as his work with B+B, the exhibition of his work at the Triennal of landscape in the dutch city of Apeldoorn, his recent monograph, and the 5th Biennal of landscape in Barcelona. September 29, 2008.

Liat Margolis

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:22:47 +0100

Liat Margolis joins Terragrams for dispatch 17. Trained as an industrial designer as well as a landscape architect, she co-authored the book “Living Systems, Innovative Materials & Technologies for Landscape Architecture.” Liat received an BFA in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Masters of Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She was the Materials director for Material ConneXion, a materials research and consulting company in New York City, recently worked at the landscape architecture firm Hargreaves Associates and is currently a special lecturer at the University of Toronto. Liat discusses her book Living Systems, her engagement with the world of materials, the GSD Materials Collection, the University of Toronto and the cocoa jute log. May 7, 2008.

Gary Hilderbrand

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 07:38:59 +0100

Gary Hilderbrand, landscape architect, one of the founding principals of Reed Hilderbrand and Fellow of the American Academy in Rome, joins Terragrams for dispatch 16. Gary discusses his partnership with Douglas Reed, professional practice, multiple career paths and his role in the 5th European Biennal of Landscape Architecture in Barcelona. The Architecture League of New York named Gary Hilderbrand and Douglas Reed as Emerging Voices. They have received more than a dozen ASLA Awards, including 2 Awards of Excellence as well as nearly 30 Boston Society of Landscape Architects Awards. Their work includes residential, institutional, schools and park landscapes and recently they have designed projects for the Phoenix Art Museum, The Clark Art Institute, Bennington College as well as a garden for a 1964 house by the architect Phillip Johnson. He is responsible for the monographs "Making a Landscape of Continuity: the Practice of Innocenti & Webel" and "The Miller Garden: Icon of Modernism". May 7, 2008.

Chris Reed

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 10:54:48 +0100

Chris Reed is a registered landscape architect and the principal and founder of the Boston-based practice Stoss Landscape Urbanism. Stoss operates within and between the fields of urban design, landscape architecture and planning and recognizes the urban context, large and small-scale ecological systems and functionality as basic tenets of its practice. The Architecture League of New York has named Chris Reed an 2008 Emerging Voice and C3 Publishers of Korea has recently published StossLU a monograph of their work. In dispatch 15, Chris discusses the name of his office, landscape urbanism, competition work and his introduction into the profession. He is currently teaching at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, has taught in the University of Toronto and regularly teaches at the University of Pennsylvania. May 7, 2008.

Kristine Jensen

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:41:10 +0200

Kristine Jensen is a Danish landscape architect with her studio AKJT in Aarhus, the same city where she received her PhD and Master’s of Architecture in Landscape Architecture from the School of Architecture. She is the recent winner of the 5th Rosa Barba European Landscape Prize. In Terragrams Dispatch Nº 14 Kristine discusses her Rosa Barba Prize winning project, the difference between a circle and an oval, Modernism in Denmark and the topic of her PhD. September 25, 2008

Richard T. T. Forman

Wed, 7 May 2008 08:09:34 +0200

In Terragrams dispatch 13, we are in Cambridge, Massachusetts and are joined by Richard Forman. Richard is Harvard University’s Professor of Advanced Environmental Studies in the Field of Landscape Ecology. He teaches ecological courses in the Graduate School of Design as well as in the Harvard College. He talks to us about his latest book entitled Urban Regions: Ecology and Planning Beyond the City. Additionally, Richard discusses the hurdles to creating a healthy urban environment, endangered landscapes, who he thinks is making a difference today, teaching, as well as why he finds himself a the GSD. He is also the author of Landscape Ecology with Michel Godron, Land Mosaics - the Ecology of Landscapes and Regions and Landscape Ecology Principles in Landscape Architecture and Land-Use Planning with Dramstad and Olson. May 07, 2008

Reuben Rainey

Sat, 3 May 2008 09:00:46 +0200

Reuben Rainey comes back to Terragrams and discusses his latest work on “GardenStory: Inspiring Spaces, Healing Places”, the 10-part series of half-hour programs for Public Television on how gardens improve our lives and our communities. He also gives us more insight on the career of Robert Royston and his nearly 3 decades of teaching at UVA. Reuben is the William Stone Weedon Professor Emeritus in the Department of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University of Virginia. His courses included history and theory of landscape architecture and specifically he has lectured and wrote on the topics of Italian Garden, Ethics, Research Methodology and Healing landscapes. Recently he has co-authored the book entitled Modern Public Gardens: The Suburban Parks of Robert Royston and is preparing the research on a book of Royston’s gardens. May 03, 2008

Robert Royston

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:00:17 +0100

Reuben Rainey talks to Robert Royston (1918-2008), a pioneer of Modernism in landscape architecture. Royston was born in San Francisco and grew up on a farm, studied landscape architecture at the University of California in Berkeley and began practice in the office of Thomas Church. After volunteering to fight in World War II, he established a rich collaboration with Garret Eckbo and Edward Williams and during this period and thereafter, Royston designed an extraordinary large number of suburban parks. His most recent firm has evolved into Royston Hanamoto Alley & Abbey. In Terragrams 11 Robert Royston talks about his days designing gardens on a Navy ship, manual labor with Thomas Church, his visit to Le Corbusier’s Chandighar and his ideas about a making a landscape matrix. His work can be found in the Modern Public Gardens: Robert Royston and the Suburban Park by Reuben Rainey and J.C. Miller. Image: Robert Royston 87 years, credit - Marc Treib. January 17, 2007

Paula Meijerink

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 20:00:46 +0200

In the 10th delivery of Terragrams, Paula Meijerink talks about juggling her work as a young practitioner, teaching as an Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and family practice while raising 2 daughters. With her studio Wanted, Meijerink has built 2 gardens for the International Garden Festival of Metis in Quebec and is presently working on a roof deck for a 700 unit tower in Miami as well as a masterplan for a development near Shanghai. At the GSD Meijerink is also researching the benefits of asphalt and in our dispatch discusses her “asphalt manifesto” and her current project which can be seen at On Asphalt. April 27, 2007

Elizabeth Meyer

Thu, 1 Mar 2007 20:00:21 +0100

Associate Professor and twice Director of Landscape Architecture at the University of Virginia, Elizabeth Meyer discusses her latest book project entitled Groundwork, past and present landscape architectural theory, creativity, site interpretation, A.S.L.A Student Awards, women in the practice as well as the MOMA Groundswell Exhibition. Some of her published writings include “Uncertain Parks. Disturbed Sites, Citizens and a Risk Society” in Czerniak and Hargreaves’ Large Parks (2007), “Site Citations: Grounding the Modern Landscape” in Burns and Kahns’ Site Matters (2005), and “The Post-Earth Day Conundrum: Translating Environmental Values into Landscape Design” in Conan’s Environmentalism in Landscape Architecture. March 1, 2007

Niall Kirkwood

Sat, 2 Dec 2006 20:00:08 +0100

Niall Kirkwood is a Professor of Landscape Architecture and the Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. In Terragrams Dispatch Nº 8 Mr. Kirkwood describes the role of the super absorbent polymer in his Sponge City project in Rotterdam, discusses some of the research he has yet to publish as well as that which is contained in his books The Art of Landscape Detail, Manufactured Sites - Rethinking the Post-Industrial Landscape and Weathering and Durability in Landscape Architecture, and recalls his introduction into the world of landscape architecture. December 2, 2006

Thomas Campanella

Sat, 13 May 2006 20:00:45 +0200

Tom Campanella is an assistant professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a Visiting Lecturer Harvard University Graduate School of Design and China’s Nanjing University Graduate School of Architecture. He is co-editor of the book The Resilient City - How Modern Cites Recover from Disaster and author of Republic of Shade: New England and the American Elm as well as Cites from the Sky: An Aerial Portrait of America. In this dispatch he discusses reslilient cities, the loss of the American Elm tree, the American suburb and current developments in China. May 13, 2006

Michael Vergason

Thu, 11 May 2006 20:00:00 +0200

Michael Vergason talks about his practice, the process of drawing, the ASLA and his experience as a principal at EDAW. He is principal of Michael Vergason Landscape Architects, LTD in Alexandria, Virginia and the 2006 Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professorship in Architecture at the University of Virginia. May 11, 2006

James Corner

Thu, 23 Mar 2006 22:00:28 +0100

James Corner, landscape architect and urban designer, is the founder and director of Field Operations in New York City as well as the chair and professor of the Department of Landscape Architecture at PennDesign. He is also the author of Taking Measures across the American Landscape with photographer Alex McLean and the editor of Recovering Landscape - Essays in Contemporary Landscape Architecture. Corner discusses evolution as a landscape architect, his relationship with Ian McHarg as well as his role on the Freshkills Park and the High Line projects in New York. March 23, 2006

Jane Amidon

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 20:00:44 +0100

Jane Amidon discusses her work as the editor for the first 4 Source Books in Landscape Architecture as well as the making of Dan Kiley's monograph, The Complete Works of America's Master Landscape Architect. She also talks about her role as a practitioner and professor. Jane Amidon is an Assistant Professor and Section Heas of the Landscape Architecture Section of the Knowlton School of Architecture at the Ohio State University as well as the principal of Amidon Design Communication in Columbus, Ohio. She is also the author of a number of many other books including Radical Landscapes: Reinventing Outdoor Space. March 15, 2006

Elias Torres

Fri, 17 Feb 2006 20:00:58 +0100

A Doctorate in Architecture, the Partner of Lapeña-Torres Arquitectos in Barcelona, Spain and a professor of Architecture at the Escola Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura de Barcelona, Elias Torres discusses his role as an educator and a designer, the role of landscape in the city and a number of his constructed projects such as the Barcelona Forum. He is also the author of the recent book Zenithal Light and has contributed to many books and publications. February 17, 2006

Bet Figueras

Tue, 14 Feb 2006 20:00:26 +0100

She is the principal of her own practice, Bet Figueras - Arquitecta paisajista, in Barcelona, Spain as well as a Professor of Landscape Architecture in the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. In this episode she speaks about Barcelona, her role in public space-making in the region and her growth as a designer and her collaboration for the project of Barcelona’s Botanical Gardens. February 14, 2006

Julie Bargmann

Tue, 31 Jan 2006 20:00:34 +0100

In the debut Terragram, Julie Bargmann, the founder of D.I.R.T. Studio, Charlottesvile, Virginia, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture and previous Director of Landscape Architecture at the University of Virginia School of Architecture talks candidly about the evolution of her practice, her role as an artist as well as a teacher and the importance of reclaimed landscapes. Find out more about Bargmann, The Queen of Slag, through these articles/interviews in Time Magazine, and Studio 360. D.I.R.T. Studio is the first recipient of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Urban Edge Award. January 31, 2006

Shuffle 1 - 3

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 16:00:51 +0100

Excerpts from Dispatches 1 - 3 with Julie Bargmann, Bet Figueras and Elias Torres.

Craig Verzone

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 15:00:27 +0100

Craig Verzone is a registered landscape architect in the state Massachusetts (USA) and is a member of the Swiss Federation of Landscape Architects as well as the American Society of Landsape Architects. He co-founded the office Verzone Woods Architectes - paysage, urbanism, architecture in 1995 with architect Cristina Woods. Verzone and Woods have grounded their collaborative, multi-disciplinary practice in the Swiss Alps while also setting professional roots in Barcelona and northern Spain. Verzone studied landscape architecture at Cornell University and Urban Design at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and received the Rome Prize in Landscape Architecture from the American Academy in 1998. He has recently taught in the University of Virginia School of Architecture, L'Ecole d'ingénieurs et d'architectes de Fribourg, Switzerland as well as at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Delivering the landscape

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 13:00:52 +0100

Terragrams is a podcast series disseminating discussions about the landscape. As our societal conscience and appreciation of the landscape heightens, Terragrams provides a wide portal into landscape architecture and the lives and thoughts of the professionals who shape it. The project aims at capturing, distributing and archiving these voices. It is an easily accessible, open audio digital archive aimed at collecting first-hand, face-to-face conversations between and about people in and around the field.

Terragrams gives a voice to the profession's diverse individuals, to mature as well as recognized professionals and young hopeful upstarts, designers and theorists. Neighboring fields contribute greatly to the discourse about design, offering insight and inspiration. Terragrams expands the dialogue to include those that feed, stimulate and challenge from beyond normative boundaries of practice or academia. The exchanges, meant to catalyze further dialogue, emerge from a vast array of topics raised by the lives and practices of designers, planners, geographers, curators, authors,academics and historians.

When we listen, we learn. Terragrams is committed to disseminating experience: we hear the inner thinking of the scholar, the working process of the designer. We listen to the search upon entering the profession, the challenges of building a career, the struggles of juggling multiple roles, and the rewards or regrets of reflecting back upon a lifetime of contribution.

Terragrams brings to life how others have and are forging the profession and is an indispensable resource for students and professionals alike. Experience and knowledge need be shared. Unlike built or printed legacies, our oral legacies, the stories we share about our life and work, are ephemeral and fragile. If not recorded they disappear. If and when passed down or shared they mutate. Terragrams is a living trace, an audio podcast distributed instantly in a mobile, easy to use format. Its worldwide reach acts as a cross-cultural, interdisciplinary liaison for all those who pose interest and curiosity. It captures and archives the human legacy of landscape architecture by documenting and preserving its voices, a collection of diverse and at times surprising personal narratives.