CHINA SWEEPS ASLA Awards--Your Thoughts?
Rising Star Yu Kongjian’s Radical Vision
Design firm Turenscape in concert with Peking University Graduate School of Landscape Architecture virtually swept this year’s ASLA awards, winning an unprecedented three of the twelve design awards, including the prestigious Award of Excellence and two Honor Awards. The group beat out the hugely popular Highline, New York’s elevated rail park, anticipated by many to win this year’s top award.
All three of the winning projects were large scale, regenerative landscapes that transformed formerly degraded sites into lush, public parks. “This is very powerful,” wrote the Awards jury for the Shanghai Houtain Park, built on a former brownfield. “It’s full of the right messages of our profession. The scope is exquisite. The presentation is excellence. Shanghai never has a blue sky, and recognizing this kind of sustainable project in that context is important.”
All three of the winning projects were large scale, regenerative landscapes that transformed formerly degraded sites into lush, public parks. “This is very powerful,” wrote the Awards jury for the Shanghai Houtain Park, built on a former brownfield. “It’s full of the right messages of our profession. The scope is exquisite. The presentation is excellence. Shanghai never has a blue sky, and recognizing this kind of sustainable project in that context is important.”
Lead designer and professor of landscape architecture Yu Kongjian has long worked to bring attention to China’s impending environmental crisis. Yu views landscape architecture as “the art of survival, not an art of entertaining and gardening.” Awarded ASLA awards eight times since 2002, Yu is a rising star in the world of landscape architecture. In 2007, Yu won an Honor Award for The Red Ribbon in Tanghe River Park, a project that Conde Nast Traveler named as one of the seven modern architectural wonders in the world.
A Different Kind of Park
Yu has long advocated for a different kind of public park: “Why can’t we use agricultural plants, crops, wild grasses, and fruit trees to decorate cities and parks? They are equally beautiful but yield fruits and demand little attention." Yu's love for wildness is balanced by an appreciation for the agricultural and industrial heritage of a site. The winning projects frequently use the concept of agricultural terraces and rice fields to create ecologically productive landscapes.
A Different Kind of Park
Yu has long advocated for a different kind of public park: “Why can’t we use agricultural plants, crops, wild grasses, and fruit trees to decorate cities and parks? They are equally beautiful but yield fruits and demand little attention." Yu's love for wildness is balanced by an appreciation for the agricultural and industrial heritage of a site. The winning projects frequently use the concept of agricultural terraces and rice fields to create ecologically productive landscapes.
Shanghai’s Houtan Park uses wild grasses and crops as a water-filtering machine, cleaning 2,400 cubic meters of water a day. “There is a beauty in wild grasses,” says Yu. “We don’t see it because we have a twisted aesthetic, taking natural things to be lower class. We are addicted to city beautification: uprooting agricultural crops and trees on the land, building cities, and importing expensive and fruitless garden plants.”
Yu goes on to make an analogy: “It’s kind of ludicrous and harmful feudalistic aristocratic aesthetic. Like when we bound women’s feet and still viewed it as beautiful and elegant. We now are binding the feet of nature.”
Yu goes on to make an analogy: “It’s kind of ludicrous and harmful feudalistic aristocratic aesthetic. Like when we bound women’s feet and still viewed it as beautiful and elegant. We now are binding the feet of nature.”
To view more about the winning projects click the links below:
Shanghai Houtan Park: Landscape as a Living System
The Qinhuangdao Beach Restoration: An Ecological Surgery
Tianjin Qiaoyuan Park: The Adaptation Palettes
Shanghai Houtan Park: Landscape as a Living System
The Qinhuangdao Beach Restoration: An Ecological Surgery
Tianjin Qiaoyuan Park: The Adaptation Palettes
I could not believe the High Line didn't win..A lot of the US teams were same ones as usual - Warren Byrd in Virginia, Wlm. McDonough, Val Valkenburg and Oehme Van Sweden....Some good new names, though.. - oh, yeah, the Beirut one was exciting..Why is china winning? What do you think? Better computer graphics? (no, I'm not snarky! :)
Reply by Nick Aceto on May 4, 2010 at 11:57am
I just noticed that all three projects recognize a partnership between Turenscape and Peking University. What's up with that? I thought professional awards were for professional projects? So can MVVA partner with GSD and win an award next year?
Otherwise, I think the projects are good. They offer a bit of change from the usual, though I think ASLA has a tendencey toward the academic, of which I think those projects fit well. They also all sort of have the same theme dont they?
Otherwise, I think the projects are good. They offer a bit of change from the usual, though I think ASLA has a tendencey toward the academic, of which I think those projects fit well. They also all sort of have the same theme dont they?
Permalink Reply by howl 1 day ago
Kongjian Yu is the chair of Turenscape as well as the head of school of landscape architecture in Peking University.
I’m personally quite happy to see more non-American projects winning this reward, ASLA has been dominated by "American Style" since long ago. On the one hand, as an American based organization of course it should focus on domestic projects more; on the other, in a time when globalization effectively shapes landscape designs all over the world and makes them look more and more similar or just simply "American-like", as one of the most influential LA awards in the world, ASLA may also need to think beyond "community, ecology and delight".
Every year's award winning designs undoubtedly influence the aesthetic of the world-wide profession and therefore indirectly transfer the land around people.
I’m personally quite happy to see more non-American projects winning this reward, ASLA has been dominated by "American Style" since long ago. On the one hand, as an American based organization of course it should focus on domestic projects more; on the other, in a time when globalization effectively shapes landscape designs all over the world and makes them look more and more similar or just simply "American-like", as one of the most influential LA awards in the world, ASLA may also need to think beyond "community, ecology and delight".
Every year's award winning designs undoubtedly influence the aesthetic of the world-wide profession and therefore indirectly transfer the land around people.
American-centrism or Cultural Diversity ?
I think this year's ASLS awards give a strong and thoughtful answer!
I think this year's ASLS awards give a strong and thoughtful answer!
Permalink Reply by Nick Aceto 1 day ago
So it would be Ok for the chair of Harvard GSD to enter an academic project? Maybe this has already been done?
I know that the awards jury reviews projects anonymously, but I would think it would seem pretty obvious to me if I were on the jury the geographic location of these projects. Are these really The Best or is there some agenda or 'cultural sway' evidenced here?
With rampant job loss here in the states, there has been much talk of work overseas, particularly in China and Asia. What kind of message is this sending the global community, using student talent in professional work? Especially when the issue of unemployment and unpaid internships is coming to a head here in the U.S.?
I know that the awards jury reviews projects anonymously, but I would think it would seem pretty obvious to me if I were on the jury the geographic location of these projects. Are these really The Best or is there some agenda or 'cultural sway' evidenced here?
With rampant job loss here in the states, there has been much talk of work overseas, particularly in China and Asia. What kind of message is this sending the global community, using student talent in professional work? Especially when the issue of unemployment and unpaid internships is coming to a head here in the U.S.?
