LASN is a photographically oriented, professional journal featuring topics of concern and state-of-the-art projects designed or influenced by registered Landscape Architects.
Issue link: https://landscapearchitect.epubxp.com/i/107181
on the book shelf: new releases Principles Of Ecological Landscape Design by trAviS bEcK PubLiShEr: iSLAND PrESS hArDcovEr: 296 PAgES, $80 bLAcK & WhitE PhotogArPhy/ iLLuStrAtioNS iSbN: 9781597267014 PubLiShED: FEb. 2013 There is a growing demand for designed landscapes to not only be attractive and functional, but also sustainable. "Only a few books have tackled the subject of linking the structure, function, composition and organization of landscapes directly to ecological processes," says Carol Franklin, FASLA, a founding principal with Andropogon Associates in Philadelphia, in her forward to Travis Beck's Principles of Ecological Landscape Design. The Professional Design Guide to Green Roofs by KArLA DAKiN, LiSA LEE bENjAmim, AND miNDy PANtiEL PubLiShEr: timbEr PrESS hArDcovEr: 312 PAgES, $39.95 166 coLor PhotoS, 34 iLLuStrAtioNS iSbN: SbN-10: 1604693126 PubLiShED: AvAiLAbLE FEbruAry 14, 2013 Until recently, most green rooftop gardens were little more than variations on sedum mats on four inches of soil. Now, designers are creating innovative green roofs that not only focus on reducing the heat-island effect and managing stormwater, but also on the aesthetics—creating beautiful, livable, sustainable landscapes that just happen to be atop a building or some other elevated structure (the High Line in N.Y.C., for instance). The Professional Design Guide to Green Roofs is a comprehensive exploration of rooftop 14 Landscape Architect and Specifier News by LASN Editor Stephen Kelly Travis Beck, RLA, LEED AP, is the landscape and gardens project manager at the New York Botanical Garden, and has a master's in horticulture from Ohio State University. Ms. Franklin calls Beck's book the "most comprehensive exploration of a planting design approach based on the principles of plant ecology yet to be provided to designers." Further, she notes, it allows the reader to understand the "full requirements of establishing thriving plant communities in appropriate habitats with appropriate plant companions and in requisite numbers and densities." Kristina Hill, associate professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at Cal Berkeley says this book has been needed for decades: "…there is currently no better guide to ecologically-based planting design." "Finally! Real science for planting projects—design, restoration, urban or rural," avers Kim Sorvig, research associate professor, University of New Mexico. Author Beck asserts: "… we must preserve the remaining natural ecosystems and landscapes, even in the face of development pressure. …Developed areas, even the densest cities, are ecological systems too, in which biophysical forces intereact with social and economic trends. Recognizing this fact, we can work to improve the performance of these systems for both nature and people." And let's not forget about the birds and the bees! Designing ecological landscapes is also about integrating animals into them fully. That doesn't mean creating habitat in some generic way, but prioritizing flora with which the native fauna have co-evolutionary relationships. garden design. It covers just about everything landscape architects and garden designers need to know to create a beautiful roof garden. The authors' intent was a "holistic look at as many projects as we could from all over the world," rather than a focus on case studies and statistical analyses. Thus the authors bring the reader a "broad spectrum of exciting and innovative work (from the Stücki Shopping Center in Basel, Switzerland to a swimming pool and green roof garden in Dhaka, Bangladesh), in the hope of providing clear, educational information about a world of possibilities." The book should inspire the green roof designer, while providing useful technical information. The first half of the book focuses on the inspiration—form and function. Part two gets more technical: the predesign phase; site analysis; client expectations; community and environmental concerns; master planning; preliminary layouts; budget guestimates; roof composition; plant selection and planting plans; irrigation and drainage; construction and construction administration and maintenance. Green roof professionals from various fields respond to pertinent questions, such as: Where do you start when you come to analyze a site? How to you calculate structural loads? What is your collaboration process when you interface with landscape architects? Where do you start when designing a plant palette? How do you encourage biodiversity in green roof design? What is the most difficult situation you have encountered during installation, and how did you fix it? How do you encourage biodiversity in green roof design? What role can government play in implementing green roofs?