With Porphyry in mind, there are opportunites with remnant pieces of our cities to create long lasting beauty for the benefit of our cities and their inhabitants.
How do urbanism, parks and infrastructure intersect? How does the need for a drainage canal and a freeway exit give us a chance to create something more? There can be a chance to leverage multiple legitimate purposes from the spending on infrastructure. More and more cities are starting to think about their infrastructure in this way, demanding more utility from the utilitarian structures that have for so long served solely their own specific roles. It’s a design concept increasingly explored by landscape architects, who’ve gradually embraced the idea as “landscape infrastructure.”
New Book from SWA
Landscape Infrastructure: Case Studies by SWA, edited by Gerdo Aquino and Ying-Yu Hung
“Summary:
INFRASTRUCTURE, as we know it, no longer belongs in the exclusive realm of engineers and transportation planners. In the context of our rapidly changing cities and towns, infrastructure is experiencing a paradigm shift where multiple-use programming and the integration of latent ecologies is a primary consideration. Defining contemporary infrastructure requires a multi-disciplinary team of landscape architects, engineers, architects and planners to fully realize the benefits to our cultural and natural systems. This book examines the potential of landscape as infrastructure via essays by notable authors and supporting case studies by SWA landscape architects and urban designers, among them the technologically innovative roof domes for Renzo Piano’s California Academy of Science in San Francisco, the restoration of the Buffalo Bayou in Houston, and several master plans for ecological corridors in China and Korea. Case studies are described extensively with technical diagrams and plans for repositioning infrastructure as a viable medium for addressing issues of ecology, transit, urbanism, performance and habitat.”
Image and Summary – courtesy SWA
This book is available at Amazon and other fine booksellers. Here is the direct link to the book on Amazon
Porphyry’s composition determines its high compression strength, resistance to stains, slip resistance, and high freeze/thaw ratings. The stone is the most popular paver in Europe, and is favored for its flexibility in design, beauty, durability and low maintenance requirements. ADA Compliant Porphyry pavers are also adaptable to a permeable paving set. The stone is by far one of the most durable pavers in the world. These materials are available from Milestone Imports. – www.milestoneimports.com
