Landscape Architecture in the Middle East

Are you familiar with the practice of landscape architecture in the Philippines? Did you know that there is actually a professional association? Check out www.pala.org.ph for more information.

Anyway, a lot of PALA professionals are practicing in other countries like those in the Middle East. Check out this magazine .

Going Digital

la

Landscape Architecture, the magazine of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), introduced its digital format online with its April 2009 issue.

Get this first digital issue for free here.

IFLA Meet in Korea

ifla-for-pala-group

The International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) of the Asia Pacific Region will be holding the 2009 Congress at Incheon Korea. With the theme “Green Culture in the City,” it aims to explore the breadth of urban landscape planning and design in terms of new town development, urban renewal and other endeavors.

For more details on this event, log on to www.ifla-apr2009.org.

Landscape Architects?

Historically Landscape architecture evolved for the basic reasons of sustainability – centuries ahead of this ‘Green Awareness’ and ‘the quest to save the planet Earth’ movement which brought about the institutionalized and systemic planning approaches of ‘alternative energies’, LEED certification, green buffer zones, green revolution, and environmental consciousness to the effects of pollution and the ‘quality of air and water, save the whale, save the planet, save the trees, organic, nature, etc.etc.

We, the Landscape Architects are the gatekeeper of the landscape environment, the mechanic of the ecosystem and the creator of a balanced and environmentally sustainable human creation of the ‘paradise of Eden’.

Ebenezer Howard or Frederick Law Olmstead had envisioned a professional alter-ego of the architect’s monstrosity of stone and steel structures that had engulfed humanity and devoid its humanly existence from nature and thus the appreciation of the ‘gardens’ and the ‘eastern culture and value system in close association with nature forming the basic elements of landscape architecture.

The evolution of landscape architecture as a science and art of nature and human creativity that has brought about the ‘Green’ concept and has made the scientific community’s efforts and awareness much easier in conveying to the public the forthcoming global environmental crisis – caused by the excesses of human activities and ‘architecture’ .

Global warming aside from the hazardous gasses emitted into the upper layer of the planets ‘atmospheric shield’ is also caused by the reflectivity of human shelters, road networks and a ’sea of paved areas’ generating a reflected heating of the underside of the ‘reflective shield’ and defleting the ‘living giving air mix’ essential for healthy life froms.

The Landscape Architect is the only profession that is qualified to universally understand this environmental sensitivity to the delicate balance of nature and the existence of living forms of the planet.

PALA has to make this statement and a presentation of the professional role of the landscape architect in the man-made environment, the creator of a balanced human expression of nature and architecture.

Nat John G Duenas

(This entry is being reposted here with permission from Landscape Architect Nat Duenas, who wrote this in line with a lecture on landscape architecture’s sustainable design principles via the PALA yahoogroup. For more information on the Philippine Association of Landscape Architects (PALA), check out www.pala.org.ph)

Filipina LA on TV

Catch a feature on Dolly Q. Perez, on Friday, November 21, 2008, 8:30 pm on the program Proudly Filipina hosted by Charlene Gonzales on QTV (available on free tv and cable).