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Shrine of Remembrance

2007 Victorian Award  (Landscape Management Plan)

Firm: rush/ wright associate

Client: the shrine of remembrance

The shrine of remembrance located on the axis of St Kilda Melbourne's most visible and significant war memorial.  It is originally designed 1933 by Hudson and Wardrop in Grecian Classical style and maintains its powerful symbolic quality, dominating South-North vista of city.

Aerial photo of Shrine of remembrance overlooking melbourne CBD

(Source: website of rush/wright landscape associate)

One of the main element to allow this to be symbolic site in Melbourne is its large scale.

To understand its scale, I compared this site with four other site all of which I am quite familiar with.

Scale shown at A3

Rush/ wright associates , in its management plan, successfully incorporated a long vision which includes gradual changes with consideration to the oldness.   The changes to the physical fabric of the Shrine reserve allows it to re-establish its original design intent, and respond to the current needs for the Shrine Visitor centre and Galleries at the same time. 

This relationship between new and old, emerging role of the Shrine from custodian of memory to that of teaching and shaping values of new generations are expressed through various juxtaposition in design.

The view from the entry showing its juxtaposition between new and old

(Source: "Design City Melbourne" by Leon Van Schalk)

1. Symmetry and assymetry in form (powerful and subtle)

The site is overall designed symmetrically, overlooking the heritage building in center.  Its impressive image of building are emphasized by again symmetrical planting of conical shaped Cupressus trees and planting of lawn and hedges. 

The view toward west from the building overlooking Royal Botanical Garden.

However the shape of new courtyard are quite irregular. (see picture in block 2 below)

2. Use of different Colours in he two courtyards

Left: the view of court yard in North-western axis which are composed of soft landscape with green.

Right: the view of courtyard in North-eastern axis which are composd of hard landscape with emotive red wall

3: Flower for respect.

Though courtyards are made up of totally different material as I mentioned above, the main intention are same as you see the flowers below.  The flowers also convey  the design quality of the subtlety vs powerfulness.

The red flowers put on hard paving next to red wall in the courtyard of eastern side.(photo by Arki)

The red flowers put in front of sacred olive tree in the courtyard of western side.(Photo by Arki)

Other than these, the site allows visitors to experience the juxtapositions in many different ways, depending on interpretations.  This project is definitely worthwhile to be awarded even only in this sense.

Traditions itself cannot constitute a force. It always has a decadent tendency to promote formalization and repetition. What is needed to direct it into creative channels is a fresh energy that repudiates dead forms and prevents living ones from becoming static. It on sense, for a tradition to live it must constantly be destroyed. At the same time, destruction by itself clearly cannot create new cultural forms. There must be some other force which restrains destructive energy and prevents it from reducing all about it to havoc. The dialectical synthesis of tradition and anti-tradition is the structure of true creativeness.

Architect Kenzo Tange

Sinatra Murphy

I chose Sinatra Murphy Landscape Architect Pty. for office interview in my Landscape Practice class.

Unlike my understanding of this firm that it is away from Trendy, the location of the office was QV (really trendy site!). It was very small for office, and in fact it was just a house in this apartment complex.

We 10 people all sat down on the floor of little room whose left side wall are covered with all books. Then, smiley face old men, Jim asked us what do you want to know today?

He started talking about their work, process, characteristics with full of humor....

Sketch showing his talk in tiny book keeping room.

He first characterizes the office as very small, which allows to avoid repetitive job. Small office never done same thing.

Types of work

He said that he never looked for job by himself, and it usually comes, once you established the fame of his name. However, he told that it is just recent that he has so large amount of job along the today's economic prosperity. These are three types of works that Sinatra Murphy usually does.

1. Australian Indigenous related work.
The firm has one project in a year. It is one of the most interesting project but it does not allow them to earn money.

Riawunna Aboriginal Studies Centre
(source:http://www.sinatramurphy.com/html/riawunna.html)

2. Work to to eat.
It is mostly a residential type of work which allow the office financially keep going. But it does not mean rough work at all as the example shows it below.

Fielding Residence Landscape
(source:http://www.sinatramurphy.com/html/fielding_residence.html)

3. Public art work.
This is also interesting project, and not typical landscape architecture work. To someone's question about the difference between art and landscape project, he answered that was determined by council. It is clearly shows his artistic driven approaches in his landscape design.

Light Fountain, Northern Gateway Project, Vic
(Source:http://www.sinatramurphy.com/html/fielding_residence.html)

He insisted Humbleness as a significant element for Landscape architect.
"Once he chose a landscape architect as a profession, you've got be ready for humble life".
He meant that it is not for money, so that you can't expect to be a millionaire.

Process

There are couples things he takes care through entire process of a project. He thinks those are important skills of landscape architect.

+Big picture in first hand.
It is important to see big picture (concept) of your design in first hand. (rough drawing without any details) Then, he starts taking care of bits of pieces which fill in the empty space of big picture, forming entire picture itself. The previous projects shows, for example, fen-shui, painting-like paving, self-maintenance etc...

Conceptual diagram that shows his design process.

+Communication.
It is important to communicate the big picture with your clients in order to let them see what you see.

+Local
It is significant to use local materials, and local contractors as much as possible. But he admits its difficulty by mentioning about the cheap material from china and easier work with familiar contractor.

+Maintenance
He heavily emphasizes monthly maintenance in his project.

+Native plant
He describes the power of native plant, though he often uses exotic plants in his project. He kind of made fun of the recent rules about use of native plants; in fact he seems not to be constrained by the rule at all. In fact he usually indicates the "80% of native plant" on plan but it is really depending on how to plant and count. Yeah, certainly plants are counted in same way in regardless of its size and the location of planting.....
However, he insisted on the power you sometimes see in native plants when it is juxtaposed with certain plants, in terms of color and shape. He highly push us to play with this juxtaposition of plants in many different way without threatening its judgement- good or bad.

Moonah trees which he pointed out the distinctive australian tree as a example
(source: http://flickr.com/photos/christop/148548953/in/photostream/)

Q & A

Q1. What do you think of important goal which commonly landscape architect should have?

Neutralizing.... He does not want to use the world like climate change, but he mentioned the do something positive if you did something bad about environment. Each should think about neutralizing environment condition.

Q2.What are significant things to consider when you look for first job for student?

He first recommended the firm that has diverse project. It is too early to focus on a specific filed in Landscape architecture when you are young.
Secondly, he mentioned that "A designer don't look for designer." I understood that he meant we should find someone who you want to work on realization of hi/her idea. cut &fill -cut &fill.....

Essence

He often talks about more broader and abstract but essential elements rather than his specific way of dealing his business. This made me understand him as interesting man rather than a landscape architect. These are some of his talks that I found prominent in his stories.

- Belief system
He emphasizes the importance of story in local area, as many people find it distinctive characteristic in aboriginal culture. In fact, he wrote the book called "Listen to the people, Listen to the land" which composed of series of story from each different Aboriginal person.
"What is important is not story itself, but belief system within a story." Yes, its belief system are applied to everything in the local area.

- Long term
It is hard to recognize the quality of project. Usually it takes a lot of time to see it. The land and environmental system are cycled in massively long term. You have to wait long time to see if its good or not. I think it is important to establish your way of looking at project, rather than just running after project covered on magazine all the time.

- Emotion
He always made a lot of joke, making us laugh all the time. However, his eyes are full of tears once he started talking about his parents. I felt like to see invisible emotion coming up from his breast to the face. I found he was very emotional which i think created his artistic work very much.
This made me believed sensitivity towards invisible things such as feeling, atmosphere, nature ... as one of the most important element for landscape architect.

Jim Sinatra showing his art work. (he was saying no one like it...)

Special thanks to Jim.

Project_Review

This is a review of article "Kyneton Kaleidoscope" (Landscape Architecture Australia, issue 110) which also reviewed landscape architecture project done by Sinatra Murphy.

As it is know that landscape architecture deal with various scale and type of project, this contemporary garden designed by Sinatra Murphy Landscape Architects is one of the smallest scale.  Though today many Landscape architecture office mainly deal with large project including constructed ecosystem, infrastructure, masterplan etc,  I am understanding this office deal with many small scale project which I am also quite interested. 

Project: Mount Mary thoroughbreds 

Site: Kyneton, Victoria

The aerial photo of the site which is surrounded by typical Victorian farm lands.

  

The Author Anne Latreille describes three keys to this garden's success in the article.

1. The garden provides all kind of access due to its capacious house where human and horse live under on roof.  It had to overcome the site condition which originally fell away steeply.
2. Their concept that is a series of independent garden.  It was linked very well.
   
3. Flavor of the garden as a whole. ( I understand this as Juxtaposition between design garden and surrounding natural landscape, for instance, home against the surrounding paddocks- green or straw coloured.) 
   

Here I summarised some of the important points which article described with bit of my interpretations.  Please click to enlarge the window.

   The author, in the end, refers to its water-efficient design as the way of the future.  It is also one of my question to many projects that how to incorporate so called "sustainable design" with strongly artistic-driven approaches.  I remember Dr. Darko's one idea that making it look good is one of the most functional element to be sustainable... 

One thing that I want to keep in mind is to construct Aesthetic which people think its beautiful as a designer rather than adjusting the existing beauty too much.  Landscape architect has to seek the balance between them.   I think that this project is certainly the good example of more aesthetic approach which affect one's appreciation toward Australian natural and cultural landscape.

The designer emphasizes the significance of the views in this garden.

"It speaks to the rural landscape- and it brings the power of that landscape much closer to the residence."   (Jim Sinatra)

Sustainability? seen from Mega city Tokyo.

Ukiyoe print of a village at the base of a mountain with a Shinto Shrine in the distance.

Mont st michel in France located in the center of the island.

Week 11 was the last lecture of this subject Advanced Landscape Technology.

It was finished with the :Technology, Sustainability and Scale: a sysnthesis"  by Dr. Sidh.
Sustainability, it is still vague and can be just trendy work to attract people for consumption.
One thing we have to understand is that sustainability can define totally different thing, depending on cultural background that you are dealing with. Here I would like to look at Tokyo, and where I spent many of my life and some other Asian cities that I visited. I will investigate the Tokyo Urbanism where tradition and technology have met.

Japanese Architect, Maki explained concept Oku as a fundamental Japanese notion of space, comparing the two picture above.  There is no completely analogousword term in English.  Brdefon (2005) explained that Oku connotes a mysterious depth or symbolic, unattainable center; it refers less to ameasurable distance than to a metaphysical dimension, and can apply on many scales, from city to shrine. To describe the concept, Maki’s 1979 book Miekakure Suru Toshi referred to the paradigmatic Japanese village located along a river valley at the base of a forested mountain.  "For the villagers, the mountain is imbued with a spiritual life, but it is not a place or a spirit that can be known. 　The mountain is a mysterious part of the collective unconscious, evoking a mystery that is neither sinister nor benign. It only lurks, and its presence constantly reminds the villagers that something unknowable lies beyond."( Bredon. 2005)   

I think this is not only in Japan, and similar ideas are found in many other Asian countries.  However his observation of the different spatial concepts shown in the two photo, "oku and center" reveal the fundamental differences the way thing work and people think, depending on the culture.  

Many of the contemporary issues seem occur when this differences encounter with the modernity or globalisation, which homogenizes them.  Things that used to work within a certain system start being destroyed, when something  are imported from different place.  Individual comes to be functional when it be group.  For example, traditional Japanese house is wooden with ceramic roof, though the its heavy weight is seemingly not structurally stable in Japan that has many natural disasters especially earthquake.  However, it has a function to avoid fire by falling down on top of everything.  The Great Hanshin earthquake that I also experienced killed so many people are mostly by fire.  It did not stop for long time and burnt everything.  The modern concrete building technology that denied the traditional house are cause larger disaster.   There also are many people, especially old are suffered because of the lonliness and enclosed life after the earthquake.  The effect of disaster can be largely mitigated the unity of community.  One may be saved through daily conversation with neighbor, and other can be actually saved due to neighbor's physical help during the earthquake.  In the modern way of living, interaction with the neighbors are geting less and less which is huge vulnerability in urban Tokyo.  

The issues of sustainability often are same thing.  Things that used to worked well within entire system, started not to function very well, or not function with the surrounding elements. It is not the things that you can only measure with number.  Brendon explained that sustainability that was automatically included in Maki's work when he designed with cultural elements. 

Recent articles have applauded the sustainability of Fumihiko Maki’s architecture due primarily to his use of screens....Ultimately, however, such arguments represent a misreading of intent. In this age of “green-washing,” architects often rationalize screens or sunshades as evidence of their buildings’ sustainability. But Maki’s buildings could rarely be considered sustainable by such measures as energy consumption, carbon emissions, or waste reduction. Instead, Maki’s buildings embody a different kind of sustainability—one that lies not in their technical performance, but in the conceptual overlays that imbue them with meaning. While Maki’s screens do block the sun, and consequently reduce the need for air conditioning, he does not conceive them as purely energy-saving devices. Rather, they derive from concepts that embody cultural, religious, social, spatial, material, artistic, technological, economic and humanistic ideas.

Sustainability has to be evaluated in much larger sense.  

In tokyo, there are a lot of hope if you look at the today's young people tastes.

Young people seem to appreciate more old japanese style, rather than imported wetern style which used to dominate most of what is good in our mind.  Many young people establish interesting alternative neighborhood, which they transform what is there into modern style, rather than buying new imported stuff.  

The value of Japaneseness increases in young people.

This vernacular style building in the hippest neighbrohood of Tokyo, Daikanyama is used by the Japanese designer.

Shimokitazawa is also interesting neighbrhood where has a strong character of japanese culture.  "Shimokitazawa, well-known for being a vibrant area, home to many bars, restaurants, and speciality stores, just minutes away from major hubs such as Shibuya and Shinjuku, might well be partly destroyed by a new plan of the government for large road right through the neighborhood. The new plan would result in transforming a low-rise, local scale, community orientated neighborhood into a commercial center similar to so many others in Tokyo"( Urban typhoon)

Typical street in Shimokitazawa that is vibrant with shops and many street activities

The government reasons of its demolition for certain function and efficiency.  However is wide road really efficient??? We had a workshop called "URABAN TYPHOON" to express current positive aspect of Simokitazawa to stop its development.  The unit I organized , overhead shimokitazawa, focused on the layer of people that I think another significant element to describe uniqueness of Tokyo.

There are many different group of people in Tokyo and they are called something tribe.  The fascion, magazine you read, the place you hang out or live often represent what tribe are belonging to.  Those tribe can be different among in young people and might be only older group.  We examined this different layer who has different opinion and try to make them commnunicate each other.  We investigate hidden relationship among those groups which seemingly does not share anything.  

Series of images revealing hidden relationship among different layers of people in Shimokitazawa are presented as a form of street performance.

"The street act beautifully expressed the gravity of the situation to which the residents of Shimokitazawa are confronted. That is, the imminent destruction of their urban and cultural milieu by master planners drawing new lines on the map from their central Tokyo office without any consideration for the intrinsic complexity and sophistication of Shimokitazawa."

(retrieved from the report 2006 urban typhoon)

http://www.urbantyphoon.com/UrbanTyphoonREPORT.pdf

This workshop seek for the possible way to plan city in bottom up system as many Asian cities are.  In fact, Many of the unorganised and chaotic city are more attractive in Tokyo than new developed area.  (They are not unorganised actually but different ordered from the way it is talked in theory of urban design)

Ping mag looked at the streetscape of two different city shibuya and Marunouchi.

http://pingmag.jp/2008/05/29/marunouchi/

Shibuya where streetscape are created by advertisement.

Marunouchi.  The new development business district where there is no advertisement.

Yes, street scape in many cities in Tokyo are created by Advertisement, and changes every week or even every day!   

Landscape in train which totally change frequently.

I wrote the essay about Japanese contemporary socity in sociologal perspective.  It refered to the cultural and even biological change of people in japan through changing experience in city in Tokyo.   I looked at Tokyo as a extreme case where one experiences city in different way that are drived from advertisement, or economic strategy.   what Disappearance of our way of "understanding through Body" that are most unique japanese culture are change us.

If some one is interested in........  

click here

Coming back to the landscape architecture and technology,....

It is hard to conclude these huge topics.  However my keyword was consistent with old technology/ old way.  In other words what you are familiar with or used to it.

The technology can be only successfully applied into the specific site/ culture, when the technology has a form that is easily used by those people.   

In other words, it needs to have a readable/ cultural code that come from cultural activity or custom.  It may be expressed with the Nasseur's word "orderly frame".   It is not only for landscape aesthetics but also can be applied to the new technology that is orderly frame with the recognizable framing.   

What i mentioned here still need to be investgated much more to make it clearer and improve.

These 12 post of writing are just a beginning process.  I will continue seeking for the way of cultural framing and design landscape which can look innovative but easily immersed into the site and community.   

to be continued.....

CH2

Week 10 was the site visit to CH2, office for melbourne city council that are on many sustainable architecture magazine.

The project cost 77.14 million $ does not sound very sustainable; however, the building includes innovative environmental system, including water, energy, light, ventilation system, etc.  According to Melbourne council, it is expected to reduce electricity consumption by 85 per cent, gas consumption by 87 per cent, and water mains supply by 72 per cent.

The section shows the air flow in the office. A waving low ceiling keep the hot air on top and absorb into the certain are to discharge. The low pressure system call the clean low temperature air from floor, and create air circulation in building.

This architecture certainly well resolved many issue as the diagrams show below, and successfully done. However it is the site trip purpose to see how it is actually integrated with landscape and how the landscape works here. I especially looked at the green wall and roof top garden.

These are some of the comment from a designer about this project.

- Dianella frax sounds suitable for roof top due to its drought tolerant characteristic, but it could survive.

- Succulent plant did well for irrigation reason

- the project have make the objective of your roof garden be clear.

-take the well consideration of maintenance in initial stage of your design.

e.g. drain, soil mix

- have to research type of climber. each climber have different climbing method.

Cissus rhomibifoilia(grape ivy)

Cissus antarctica (kangaroo vine)

There seems like many problems  on this roof top garden.  I here compare initial drawing and existing picture that clearly shows one of the problems.

This is an initial CG for this site.  It clearly show their intention of climbers growing all over the place.  
Though grass on center grows well, Their aren't any plants climbing to the roof.  There were some wires left.  There are various reason discussed for this larger problem of this site, plants not growing.  One of the issue is soil thickness related to the load as it is in many other case of roof top garden.  There are not Australian standard type of roof top garden are not established.  The way just imported from America or Europe does not work in this weather and Australian native plants.

The picture below is a planting plan of ths roof top.

This is a section of typical planting detail of the roof top.

 The picture left side shows the plant on planter box between alminium fence and wall . Plants climb the fence from behind. Irrigation is from the wall as it is shown. The image rig

ht side shows the plants grow from the ground directly. I guess that it meant to cover entire fence without stripping the wall of structure; however, there obviously is struggle in plants growth.

The picture above certainly shows the struggling plant on this site.  Then what would have been done on this site?

The section shows the planting detail and drainage of the soil mound. This way allows to have larger plants more healthier, rather than creating larger area of planting by thin layer of soil.

These two pictures is Toriton sqauare in Tokyo by Nikken Sekkei. It used the techniqueof mounding for planting successfully. (Pictures retrieved from the blog "Urban garden watching")

I think this way can be applied into CH2. It probably eliminates either planting on center or edge to concetrate thicker planting on few areas.

Oops,  I just found the example of this method from same Melbourne.

It is a roof top garden of Crown Casion done by Fytogreen.  It seems better garden except I am not sure why they didnt have more variety in species.

Anyway, It needs to take much more time to develop australian way of rooftop garden, but worth seeking for it.  Keep in mind, the architecture will be built from now on has to incorporate the roof top garden in initial stage, so that it allows the better soil load, and irrigation system that are key for success of rooftop garden.

GREEN WALL

I see many different style of green wall recently as it has been popular trend led by Vertical Garden.   But I also see many classic style of ivy wall around my place in Melbourne. 

The picture below are in parkville campus of university of Melbourne.  Although i am not sure if this has certain practical effect  for "sustainability" such as decrease of building temperature, it certainly gives different colour, giving people aesthetic impression of different seasons.  

East side of wall of university house seen from Northcourt at parkville campus on April.
Same wall taken in May.

The lecture in week 8 was about Green wall by Erwin from Aspect.

He introduced the different type of technology in green wall, including

1. Modular system, 

2. Integral membrane system

3. Trellis/ Wire, 

4. Stacking- container, low-tech

Each system has advantages and disadvantages.  It is important to select appropriate system, taking considerations of species, water, maintenance, building structure, and cost. 

This is my sketch of a fairly new green wall system, called flush green wall.

Here, I will take a look at various different style of green wall.

This is a one of the most famous green wall artist, Patric Blac's work.

Heis well known for vertical garden beyond the boundary 

This is my sketch of work of my favorite Landscape architect, Robert Burle Marx .  He designed the green structure called xaxim colum. It is steel paul with wire surrounding in spiral way so that plants can climb 

This is the famous baseball stadium whose structure are covered by ivy.

I remember the impression as wild, messy, and bit scary.  It does not mean negative impression but was neutral.  I remembering this to recall the general public perception of green wall, because I who study landscape architecture for a while, do not have fresh eye to them.

I think those green wall which strongly frame like Patrick's work is usually appreciated but it  is not practically and functionally sustainable, requiring high maintenance.  On the other hand, those green wall that are more wild and natural, low maintenance are hard to appreciated.  Which we want depends on context, however, we landscape architect/ designer want to seek the high frame with low maintenance and high function of the plants.  

As a extreme case of it, Ping mag  introduces some of the interesting green wall that does not have function but appealing to people for green aesthetics.  

Green wall in plathome of subway in Tokyo.

reported inPingmag

This is a work of Jeff koon  on public space in city of Bilbao.

The planting around its chin where is hard to maintained are ivy which does not require maintenance.  This creates the companion element for its artwork with the whistle of birds created nest on it. 

This is the detail

There are stenless mesh inside and flowers are planted in pots. 

This is a massive modular system green wall presented in World Exhibition in Aichi.  It is 15m high, 150 width and 3500 square meter.   200000 plants are used. 

One of the discussion within the question was about fundamental question of necessity of green wall towards.  I do not necessarily see the practical and functional advantage of green wall for sustainability, for instance mitigation of urban heat island etc.  However, i think it is great that people spend time and money  to bring green or natural element to live with them in city. I think there is a value in its process itself.  I believe there is a big difference between concrete jungle city where people have no opportunity to even know about living with nature and green city where people struggle controlling, ending up with fail to do it in most of the time.

What the difference of the city consists of these buildings below (before and after) are significant.

Before

After