These materials were originally presented at the Docomomo National Symposium in June, 2015.
URBAN LANDSCAPES
|
S07_MODERN URBAN LANDSCAPES from Amy Meller on Vimeo. |
Download the Presentation
Take the Urban Landscapes Tour
| ||||
THE ORIGINS AND FUTURE OF MINNESOTA'S LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
Frank Edgerton Martin, Landscape Architectural Historian
Jean Garbarini, Damon Farber Associates
Jean Garbarini, Damon Farber Associates
Although far from the coasts and large cities, Minnesota’s landscape architecture has often been at the cutting-edge. This session explores post-war modernist urban and public landscapes ranging from Lawrence Halprin’s (FASLA) acclaimed Nicollet Mall to campus courtyards designed by local practitioners such as Roger Martin, FASLA and Charles Wood, ASLA. Many of these works, including Sasaki’s lawns and pools at Minonru Yamasaki’s Northwestern Life building survive fifty years later. Yet modern-era plantings and water features present continuing preservation issues in a harsh winter climate.
MELLON SQUARE: AN ICON RESTORED
Susan Rademacher, Pittsburgh Parks Conservatory
Mellon Square’s 2014 rebirth has once again placed this 60-year-old urban plaza at the center of Pittsburgh’s Renaissance. The $10 million revitalization project was based on a solid plan -- gathering documentation, mapping use, studying context and investigating details, to produce an understanding of original concepts, as-built character, deterioration, and unsympathetic changes. A clear finding of design integrity and historic significance of this first-of-its-kind Modern park/parking garage informs the restoration, which recaptures design clarity and repurposes a failed feature, while improving accessibility and sustainability. This presentation will provide insights into the Square’s planning, design, construction, and management, and economic impact.
