Land+Living: "Breaking Ground" Panel Discussion

Events, Landscape — July 31, 2005 Posted by James

Speakers Panel hosted by Land+Living at CA Boom II Day One

It was a pleasure to host a wonderful panel of landscape design professionals on Friday at the CA Boom Speaker Conference. A thousand thanks to my guests David Fletcher, Tom Leader and Katie Spitz for their time, effort and thoughtful presentations. Many thanks also to Sandra Bartsch and the CA Boom staff who invited me to participate and who worked so hard to produce the speakers series. And a final thank you to all who attended the presentation.

CA Boom had originally planned to provide a podcast of the Speaker Conference, alas some things must fall by the wayside when putting on a large and complicated event with limited resources. Instead we will provide a glimpse of our panel discussion with a few images from each panelist's presentation along with a bit of text to give you a taste of what was covered.

Reference: Breaking Ground: New Directions in Landscape Architecture (L+L)

David Fletcher is a graduate of Harvard GSD in Landscape Architecture and Urban Design. He has over 14 years of professional experience, and is the Assistant Director of the USC Landscape Architecture program. He has recently been invited to rejoin Mia Lehrer +associates as head of the LA River Master Plan project and large urban design projects.

David kicked off our session with an introductory review of modern landscape architecture people and projects.

The High Line proposal in NYC by Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro

Potsdamer Platz by Atelier Dreiseitl

Wave Garden by Yusuki Obuchi

Olympic Sculpture Park by Weiss/Manfredi Architects

General Mills Headquarters by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates

Borneo Sporenburg by West 8

David spoke about how landscape has an obligation to address certain issues: infrastructure, an urban/nature connection, storm water management, ecology and culture.

David concluded by talking about his thesis proposal for a portion of the Los Angeles River and the surrounding neighborhood at Taylor Yards.

Next to speak was Tom Leader, principle of the Tom Leader Studio based in Berkeley, California. He was a long time principle with Peter Walker and Partners Landscape Architects before starting his own practice. He is currently working on projects in China, Italy, Alabama and California.

Tom spoke about his design methodology showing examples of his work.

Historical layered sections of Rome's urban history

"Leftovers" exhibition at Archilab in Orleans, France which collected and sorted the refuse associated with the creation of the exhibition.

Shanghai University Hub: a set of pedestrian plazas designed as a "graphic carpet" of recovered urban materials. This project was featured at MoMA's Groundswell exhibition.

A temporary landscape for the site of a museum expansion in Fresno, California

Azalea Springs Residence in Calistoga, California with artist James Turrell and architect Jim Jennings

Katie Spitz is principle of Katherine Spitz Associates in Marina Del Rey, California. She is a member of the American Institute of Architects and the American Society of Landscape Architects. Her firm is engaged in a diverse range of projects around the world including streetscapes, university campuses and private residential work.

Katie spoke about her processes of working as inspired by her background in architecture and as a painter.

A residential front yard in West Hollywood