Bullivant. Activating Nature. Life Sciences Essay Paper

Name
Professor
Course
15 December 2018
Activating Nature
Landscape architecture in public spaces is gaining popularity in recent years. The redefinition of cities in Europe has given rise to new opportunities for incorporating nature into public urban spaces. The expansion of commercially driven activities has triggered the changes the identity of cities. Transformation in former industrial areas, building/public amenity landscapes, and urban parks and gardens have seen an increase in human traffic in these areas. Previously associated with garden design, landscape architecture is now considered an urban commodity as well as an attraction by commercial developers. In her article, Activating Nature Lucy Bullivant described how three young practices, Mosbach Paysagistes, Gross.Max and West 8, are setting an example with their innovative and highly dynamic integration of history, culture and the emergent city (Bullivant, 76).
Clients in European cities, both public and private, are increasingly interested in urban fabric improvements through landscape architecture which involves revealing what already exists and creating legibility instead of adopting an exotic form of picturesque. The shift in design by professional landscape architects and urban designers is inspired by both cultural changes and climate change (Bullivant, 77). A majority of European cities are fast becoming multicultural, and the recent climate change in Europe prompts future opportunities in changing building design. The shift is geared towards designing buildings as ecosystems and multiple and informal uses of public space (Bullivant, 79).
Gross.Max, founded by Eelco Hooftman, is a landscape architecture practice based in Edinburgh. It considers narrative as a crucial component of contemporary landscapes (Bullivant, 79). The informal landscaping of the Bullring, Birmingham’s central shopping area in 2003, brought the practice into the spotlight and had since completed several schemes such as the BMW Plant in Leipzig, Germany. Gross.Max designs aim to return landscape architecture...