Transferred from: Building the Road and Building the Grid
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'Unique' is not so easy to achieve, because many projects have off-the-shelf materials or products that are similar and off-the-shelf.
How do you really be 'unique'?
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If you're interested in landscape architecture, you've heard of West 8, an internationally renowned landscape architecture firm. Founded in 1987 and headquartered in the Netherlands, West 8 was co-founded by Adriaan Geuze and Paul van Beek. Unlike traditional landscapes, West 8 is known for its innovation and sustainability in its large-scale urban design and landscape planning. Their design philosophy blends elements of the natural and built environment to create beautiful, livable and functional public spaces, including urban parks, waterfronts, urban squares and landscape renovations.
As one of the world's leading landscape architecture firms, West 8 has partnered with governments, urban planning agencies, and developers to focus on the environment through a unique perspective and design perspective, including the famous Governors Island Park in New York, the renovation of Kursinger Avenue in Rotterdam, the Botanical Garden in Houston, the Zhangjiang Art Park in Shanghai, the Bayallarta Bayside Waterfront in Mexico, and the Waterfront Park in Toronto.
After winning the Governors Island International Design Competition in New York, West8 established its first North American office and received an ASLA Honorable Mention in the Analysis & Planning category. As West8 expands its North American team and seeks more international collaborations, we asked Donna Bridgeman, Design Director of West 8, to discuss how to combat cookie-cutter "similarity" in landscape architecture from the perspective of West 8's team composition, collaboration approach, and development plans.
West8 Logo
West8's well-known project works
Guest of this issue
Donna Bridgeman-Rossi
West 8 景观设计总监, PLA
Company honors
Global Award for Sustainable Architecture TM
ASLA Professional Awards
The International Urban Landscape Gold Award
The Bijhouwer Award
The Green Pin
The Veronica Rudge Green Prize for Urban Design
The Lifetime Achievement Award for Architecture of the Mondriaan Fund
采访/文案 Interview & Record｜Yiyuan Shao (HGA 景观设计师)
Magic Sun (Coen Partner 景观设计师)
编辑 Editor|Yiyuan Shao
Fight against cookie-cutter "similarities"
THE GOAL OF FIGHTING SAMENESS
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One of the interesting points you mentioned in your ASLA sharing was about the "similarity" of design. Can you elaborate on the case of West 8 Drexel Square and the two designs of the Houston Botanical Garden, breaking this "similarity"?
There is another interesting point in the session you mentioned at ASLA is about sameness. Do you think Toronto Waterfront and Houston Botanic Garden achieve the goal of fighting sameness?
Donna: It's hard to say because there are so many ways to compare projects, like typology, design and construction process, etc. A park, a garden, or a waterfront is often categorized as such, and there is always an inherent similarity. While we have the privilege of working with clients who think differently, the way we work is through traditional contractual processes, and the way we structure different relationships between protection agencies, governments, sponsors, clients, etc., can also lead to similarities.
Donna: It’s difficult to say, because there are so many ways to compare projects together, from discussions of typology, design, and construction. Because a park, a garden, or a waterfront, is categorized as a typology there will always be an inherent sameness. Although we have been fortunate to work with clients who think differently from the outset, the way we build and contract work is through a traditional contractual process; the way a client relationship is structured as a conservancy, government agency, or individual patron also could lead to sameness.
德雷克塞尔广场© West8
Take, for example, the Drexel Square project, which transforms the surface parking lot across from Philadelphia's monumental 30th Street station into a vibrant green space that fosters community engagement and collaboration. West8 and SHOP Architects worked with private developers and institutions to create this high-quality public space.
Taking the project of Drexel Square as an example, like what I mentioned yesterday, this design transforms the parking lot opposite the Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station into a vibrant green space, fostering community engagement and collaboration.
The project was inspired by William Payne – a historic vision of Philadelphia Park as an urban living room: for people to gather, rest, and rejuvenate in the natural world. The oval-shaped lawn is adorned with eight concrete ribbons, a geometric pattern derived from the Mercator projection, a conformal cylindrical map projection originally created to show the precise compass bearing of sea travel. The projection is characterized by the fact that all local shapes are accurate. The geometric segmentation not only enhances the connectivity between the areas, but also divides the public space just right. Typically, this project may not be very well countered to "similarity". But in terms of the way of working, the client is a developer and a university, and this kind of public-private partnership is still very rare. So, this project is also a good fight against "similarity" on another level.
We created eight concrete paths in this elliptical lawn. This kind of Mecator pattern not only enhance connectivity between areas but also divides the public space appropriately. This design looks simple, but the collaboration method is unique: the client was a developer and a university; a public-private partnership which is a rare occurrence. We collaborated with some private developers and institutions to create this high-quality public space. Although from typology stand point, it might look similar. But the way of collaboration is unique.
休斯顿植物园 © West8
The Houston Botanical Garden is a very typical project. Its clients are made up of charitable groups with generous family donations. Even though it's a communal garden, it's also a nice counter to the similarities.
Another example of unique collaboration would be the Houston Botanic Garden. The client group was a group led philanthropic effort with funding being generously contributed by individuals and families, although it is a public garden, which could also be seen as going against similarity.
The goal of the project was to create a landscape that reflects Houston's unique climate: because of the freezing weather in Houston, the Gulf Stream will be forced to move southward due to climate change, which will continue to cause freezing. This unique condition provides a valuable resource for plants. In addition, the project integrates Houston's native waterways into the overall concept, providing immediate landscape features. The entire project was designed to find a balance between plants, soils, topography, materials, etc. It's an experience unique to Houston, one of a kind.
The ambition was a collection that spoke to the uniqueness of the Houston climate because it does freeze and it's going to continue to freeze due to the Gulf Stream being pushed down by climate change, a unique parameter in which to provide a library of living plants. Additionally, the project integrates Houston's waterways into the overall concept, providing an immediate landscape feature. The original design intention of the entire project is to adapt to local conditions and seek a balance between plants, soil, terrain, materials, etc. This is a uniquely Houston experience.
休斯顿植物园© West8
However, "uniqueness" is not so easy to achieve, because the materials or products of many projects are readily available and similar, such as the ubiquitous cut stone. This makes it easy to create "similarities".
But to your point, there are a lot of material and ‘off-the-shelf’ components to these projects that are ‘the same,’ for example cut stone; you see that everywhere. What I hoped to speak to was the little twists and ways we can intervene as Landscape Architects.
Just like when designing and building an entrance fountain for Houston's garden, if the stone is customized to the exact size, there will be a lot of material waste, not only will it require additional money, but the fountain will also lose the richness and expressiveness of the material. Based on the idea of low-impact development, we searched for waste materials with the team we worked with: our team flew to the Dominican Republic with a stone supplier, where we found this limestone called Calypso coral. We hand-selected 64 Calypso coral blocks from the site to create the green wall: Among the uneven surfaces, we selected some with grooves or holes, and some stones that were embedded in some kind of soil to varying degrees. The attention to detail of these 64 stones makes the design of the entire water feature wall unique.
For example the entrance fountain that was designed and built for the garden. For exact dimensional stone there would have been a significant amount of material waste and additional funding required. The fountain also would have lost the richness and expression of the material. We worked with our team to source waste material; Our team flew to the Dominican Republic with our stone supplier, where we found this limestone called calypso coral stone. We hand-selected 64 calypso coral blocks from the site to create the green wall: among these stones with uneven surfaces, we selected some with grooves or holes, and some with soil in it. The detailed control of these 64 stones makes the design of the entire water feature wall unique.
Houston Botanical Garden Old Stone Reuse © Image Source Network
In addition, these stones are often discarded surface materials because their surface is not even and clean (deeper, more regular stones are preferred), and the reason for this characteristic surface is precisely the humid tropical climate similar to Houston's climate: these stones are affected by wind erosion, soil sedimentation, salinity and other conditions, forming their unique texture. As a result of this, and with the provision of water and the conditions for plants to grow, we saw an opportunity to use the material in a different way – the textured stone on the surface of the quarry, which may seem like a waste material, makes this water feature wall unique.
Besides that, these stones are wastes because the surface is not smooth and clean (deeper and more regular stones are preferred.), and the reason for this distinctive surface is the humid tropical climate similar to that of Houston. : These stones are affected by wind erosion, soil deposition, salt and other conditions, forming its unique texture. Given the priority to move water and to host plants we saw an opportunity to employ a material differently, working within our parameters but looking for that little twist.
休斯顿植物园© West8
Second, nature
SECOND NATURE
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We would like to talk about landscape design concepts and methods. As we all know, sustainability has always been a top priority for West 8 since its inception, but what strategies have you used to achieve the goal of "second nature"?
We’d like to chat about some design concepts and approaches. As we know from the day West 8 was founded, sustainability has been at the forefront of the firm's work. What are the strategies West 8 typically uses to achieve the goal of second nature?
Donna: It can be difficult to explain the breadth of what we do. Since the company's founding, the essence of all our projects has been to listen to the opinions of various professionals, including land, systems, ecology, society, economy and infrastructure, etc., to observe patterns and ensure that all information is read through the eyes of a landscape architect. In this context, or a holistic approach, we make adjustments, additions, but never removes. This is always the starting point of our design. We don't want to give the site something irrelevant, but we believe that understanding the texture of the site leads to successful design.
Donna: It might be difficult to explain the breadth of what we do, but inherent in all our projects - since the inception of the firm - has been the element of listening to the people that are at the table, to the land, the systems, ecological, social, economic, and infrastructure, observing patterns and making sure you're reading all of this information through the lens of a landscape architect. Within this larger context – or systemic approach - we make adjustments, adding but never erasing. This is always the point of departure; we don’t bring something not of the place, but instead believe that the context needs to be understood for our design to be successful.
"Second Nature" is not about what is happening now, but about seeing the different planes of these things and interweaving the possible planes.
Reading the layer of second nature, it's not about what's going on right now, but it's about seeing the layers and interweaving them together with what is possible.
A case study illustrates how this is all put into practice: Located in Zeeland in the south of the Netherlands, West 8 has created an land art form that is iconic and exciting for those who drive, but at the same time a great intervention for the site and very subtly integrated into the local context. Not only do these rows of platforms provide a fascinating patterned view of the cars driving on the storm surge levee, they also enrich the bird habitat and provide panoramic views of the sea.
A good project to explain would be one of our earliest, in the south of the Netherlands, in Zeeland. Within this large infrastructural motorway, connecting to the coastal defense, West 8 created a form of land art, something iconic and exciting to the driver, but also sensitive to the land and incredibly integrated within the place. Five years after the works on the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier were completed, West 8 designed the surrounding landscape of the Eastern Scheldt by ironing out the sand depots and covering these vast plateaus with shells. These beds are the ideal rest place for the black and white coastal birds which seek to camouflage in the landscape at high tide.
© West8
We collected thousands of pounds of black mussel shells and white clam shells and laid them out in beautiful streaks, like glacial streaks on an incredible scale on the earth. The project was completed five years after the completion of the storm surge levee in East Schelde. West8 designed the landscape around East Sheld, leveling the sand piles and covering the expansive terraces with shells. These shell beds are ideal resting places for black-and-white coastal birds; They camouflage themselves in the landscape at high tide – it's a nesting pattern about birds, and as they begin to roost and breed in their shells, the striped patterns begin to blend and nature returns again.
We collected thousands of pounds of black mussel shells and white clam shells, delineated into beautiful stripes, like striations across the land at an incredible scale. The project was about the nesting patterns of the birds, and, as the birds start to inhabit and populate the ridged pattern, the lines start to mix, and the site returns to nature once more.
© West8
As a manifesto, it's something sophisticated and unique that you rarely see again. I'm glad to be in a company that works on such projects, and this ability to think is the foundation of our design.
I think that – as a statement - that's something exquisite and exceptional that you rarely see anymore. I'm happy that I work at a firm that did those kinds of projects, where that caliber of thinking is our fundamental and our baseline.
When we talk about the "sustainability" of landscape design, it's easy to get caught up in toolkits, benchmarks, and standards. From this perspective, it would be difficult to complete the aforementioned project of "using waste in an innovative way". One of the biggest pollutants in the construction industry is construction waste. We discipline what kind of waste is generated by all the systems that are functioning and intervene where possible to make something different and more locally appropriate. It's not always easy to achieve – we often try to buck the trend in small ways, quietly reusing adaptive reuse, or sustainable benefits that we can do to benefit everyone.
When we talk about ‘Sustainability’ as landscape architecture, there is a temptation to be locked into the toolkits, the benchmarks and criteria. Within that lens, it can be hard to do a project like this, which at its core is about using a waste material in an innovative way. For example, one of the biggest pollutants from the building industry is construction waste. Our discipline can look at what the waste products are of all the systems at play, intervene where possible, and make something a little different and more responsive to your locale. It’s not always possible – and we often try in small ways to buck the trend and sneak these kind of adaptive reuse, or sustainable benefits where we can, to benefit everyone.
@West8
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Thanks for sharing this one-of-a-kind project, as landscape architects, we really need to integrate low-impact development into a unique design. Not only us, but other disciplines as well. We are in the same world, facing the same problems, and we need to make sustainability a goal. How does West 8 achieve this through multidisciplinary collaboration?
Thanks for sharing this unique project. Not only for us, but also for other disciplines, we’re in the same world and we’re having the same issue. We all need to set sustainability as the goal. In terms of this shared goal, we wonder how multi-disciplines work to achieve the shared goal as West 8 is an international firm of several talented architects, urban designers, landscape architects, and industrial designers.
© West8
Donna: As I said earlier, West 8 is a studio with a multidisciplinary background, with a team of landscape architects, architects, urban designers and planners, industrial designers, ecologists, and even people trained in agronomy and engineering. This is not only because we use a lot of GIS in our layers and systems, and we use Revit for BIM modeling, but more importantly, because we build a broader perspective through multidisciplinary experience and bring together multiple possibilities.
Donna: When we describe West 8 as a multi-disciplinary studio, it means that our team is comprised of landscape architects, architects, urban designers and planners, industrial designers, ecologists, even people trained in agronomy and engineering. It’s not just that we use a lot of GIS for layers and system, and that we can work across BIM modeling with Revit, but our multidisciplinary experience is a wide palette, a cross-over of all the avenues.
Since the company's inception, West 8 has been working on the "edge" (multidisciplinary intersection) of the landscape architecture profession. The Borneo-Sporenburg project in Amsterdam is an important example of the intersection of disciplines, and its ultimate quality is achieved through the collaborative command and deployment of all buildings from the perspective of a landscape architect. this project
Since the founding of the firm, West 8 has always worked on the fringe of the profession of ‘Landscape Architecture’. Borneo-Sporenburg in the Eastern Docklands of Amsterdam is a case-study for so many disciplines, but it’s defining quality is due to the groundbreaking nature of all of the Architecture being orchestrated through the lens of a Landscape Architect. West 8 led their transformation into one residential district with 2500 mainly low-rise dwellings, in a high density of 100 units per hectare.
In this workflow, everyone at West 8 is able to participate and collaborate with each other. There are no boundaries between the various disciplines in the office. This mindset and way of working allows us to establish dialogue with professionals from different disciplines to build common topics and effective understanding when dealing with a wider range of professions, from engineers and consultants to partners and customers.
Within this workflow, today, every single person at West 8 is expected to be able to engage and collaborate with each other. There are no boundaries between the disciplines in the office - at all. This mindset enables us to create a dialogue with the professionals of those disciplines, a shared language and efficiency of understanding when it comes to wider professions, from engineers and consultants to partners and clients.
Working on the "edge" of the landscape design profession
ABOUT WEST 8
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West 8, based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and opening its North American office after winning an international design competition for Governors Island Park in New York, what do you think are the similarities and differences between the European and American projects in terms of design focus and project type? How do team members at West 8 work together to achieve interdisciplinary collaboration?
West 8 is based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and established its North American office after winning an international design competition for Governors Island Park (an icon for the city, a beacon in the harbor). What are the similarities and differences in design focus and project types between European and U.S. projects? How do people usually work as a team to work on different projects?
Donna: West 8 is made up of 10 people in the North American office, plus more than 80 people in the Rotterdam headquarters and Belgium office. Employees come from 18-19 different countries. When we work on projects between Rotterdam and Philadelphia, cross-geographical, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary communication allows the team to get broader feedback. Every day when the Philadelphia team gets off the clock, we do the handoff and synchronization so that the project can continue on the other end. This mode of work allows for fast-paced and efficient operations. Over the past few years, everyone has adapted to this cross-time mode of working, and to a large extent, the waste of energy in driving and aviation has been avoided.
Donna: The North American office is only around 10 people, but together with our headquarters in Rotterdam and the Belgium office, our studio includes about 80 people, with anywhere between 18 to 19 different countries represented by the staff. , As we work on every project between the two offices (Rotterdam and Philadelphia), it enables us to get input from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. When our team logs off for the day, we handover and synchronize so the projects can continue to develop. Its fast-paced, but efficient. In the last few years, everyone's caught up with us in regards to working across time-zones and being efficient with fuel and flights.
© West8
During the pandemic, when the North American office was working remotely from the project site or from home, we took the opportunity to learn about how our employees live and work, and we decided to move the office to Philadelphia. The move is not only to put our design concepts into practice, such as humanized scale, beautiful street scenes, but also to allow more people from different backgrounds to walk to work.
During the Pandemic, the North American Office was working remote, either on site or from their homes and we took the opportunity to look at our employee’s quality of life, how people were living and working, and decided to move the office to Philadelphia. Relocating was about putting into practice what we design for, the human scale, the beautiful streetscape, and was to allow more people from broader backgrounds to be able to work at the firm, where everyone could walk to the office.
Much of the success of our projects depends on working with the local community, working with the people who live in the area, understand the local dialect, how it is made, how it is built, how it is built, how it thinks. Now that we are back in the office, we continue to work remotely with other offices across time zones and countries. This model helps us work together as a team to achieve the best output.
That being said, all of our projects succeed because we work hand in hand with local communities, the people who are on the site, have lived in this area and know the local vernacular, the way of making, the way of building, the way of thinking. For now, we’re back to the office and we continue to work remotely with other offices across time-zones and countries. This approach helps us work efficiently as a team, for the best output.
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It sounds like there are a lot of similarities in work between the different divisions, and the multidisciplinary approach and remote work works well for everyone. What opportunities or constraints do you see in North America compared to Europe? In addition, West 8 has carried out some major projects in China, do you have any plans to expand and develop in China in the future?
It sounds like there are many similarities between different sites. The multidisciplinary approach and also the remote work works well for everyone. Compared with the team in Europe, do you think is there any development opportunities/constraints for North America? We also noticed that the West 8 has been working on some great projects in China. We wonder if West 8 has any plans to expand and develop in China.
Donna: Speaking of limitations, we had to be selective about the projects of our North American studios because the way we work is immersive and we need to work collaboratively with local people in the community. In a way, it's like surfing – you prepare with people who are familiar with the waters, and then you jump on it with them, listen to them, and help them create something good in the community. We're looking for more opportunities and collaborations to expand the scope of our work, but also consider the amount of work the team can handle.
Donna: As for constraints, we have to be selective about what projects we do from our North American studio because our work is so immersive, the approach of working hand in hand alongside local people. In a way, it’s like surfing - you prepare for the wave together with someone who knows the waters, and then you jump on with them, listen to them, and help them realize something good in their community. We’re looking for more opportunities and collaborations to expand, but within the realities of how much we can accomplish within our team.
© West8
At our headquarters in Rotterdam, we have a Chinese team that has been focusing on urban landmark projects for more than a decade. We have very good relationships with some of our quality clients in China and are working on projects such as boutique gardens, waterfront parks, large-scale urban planning and sustainability frameworks. From my own experience and what I've learned from my team, it's important to build long-term relationships. At West 8, we have the courage to speak our minds on site, being present throughout the construction and execution phases to ensure that every detail is realized. We look forward to continuing to expand and develop our cooperation on high-quality projects in China."
Within the Rotterdam office, we have a Chinese team that has been working for over a decade on landmark projects. We have a very good relationship with some select clients in China, working on projects from boutique garden design, waterfront parks, and large-scale urban planning and sustainability frameworks. From my own experience and learning from the team, the relationship of building timeframe is very intense. At West 8, we have never been afraid to have our voice on site, for our team to be present across the construction and execution phases to ensure that the vision to the details is delivered. We are looking forward to continuing to expand and develop our portfolio of quality work in China.
In the North America office, our team is responsible for several projects in the Americas region, including new jobs in Mexico, Uruguay and Argentina.
Within the North American office, our team works across projects within the larger Americas, including new work in Mexico, Uruguay and also Argentina.
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We appreciate this cross-regional, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary approach to collaboration, but in some large companies where multiple disciplines are intertwined, architects make decisions first, which doesn't seem fair to landscape architects. In light of this year's ASLA theme of "Scale Up", what advice would you give to a new landscape architect?
Thank you for the introduction to the West 8 team composition, collaboration methods, and future development. We greatly appreciate this cross-regional, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary approach to collaboration. However, in some multidisciplinary corporations, architects tend to make decisions first, which may seem unfair to landscape designers. In light of this year's ASLA 'Scale Up' theme, what advice do you have for landscape designers who are just starting out?
Donna: I totally understand. As landscape architects, we must be stronger in our fight for our rights and for our seats. However, as someone who owns both M.Arch and MLA, the benefit of being a landscape architect is to have a broader perspective on the project and the work.
Donna: I completely understand. As Landscape Architects, we have to be stronger in fighting for our case, for our seat at the table, but - as someone who has both an M.Arch and an MLA - I think the benefit of being a Landscape Architect is that we have a much wider lens in which to look at a project and to work.
When considering environmental projects and their importance in the built environment, my advice to young professionals is to be diverse and collaborative, constantly interpreting, experiencing, and working side by side with a consulting team is always beneficial. It is very useful when understanding how different disciplines treat a venue.
When we think about environmental projects, and how important they will be going forward in the built environment, my advice is to young professionals is to diversify and collaborate. Constantly reading, experiencing, and working with consulting teams as partners is always beneficial. Learning how different disciplines approach a site is useful knowledge, in order to get a wider perspective and collectively come to the best outcome possible.
Interview scene
Acknowledgement
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
出品/ Production: ArchiDogs 筑格传媒
采访及文案 / Interview/Record: Yiyuan Shao (HGA 景观设计师)，Magic Sun (Coen Partner 景观设计师)
校对/Proofread: Sherry Li, Fangying Shi
专栏策划 / Column Planning: Miranda, Jiqing Zhu
特别鸣谢 / Acknowledgement: ASLA, West 8
发文编辑|Yiyuan Shao (HGA 景观设计师)
Column/Review Editor|Bingye Heloise