ground

Ground can be taken in so many different ways- it is the absolute context of our work as landscape designers, urbanists, and architects, but is also refers to the inner space from which ideas emanate.

This blog sets out to explore ideas of current and future importance to the profession of landscape architecture as well as things that transgress its professional boundaries.

Working in Landscape Architecture in the Netherlands has been an intensive education. Here, urbanism, landscape architecture, and architecture are considered one transversal field called “bouwkunst” or the building arts. In many cases land has to be designed and constructed first- the Dutch say god created the earth, but they made The Netherlands. That is the historical context for work in the field today, which is part of what makes it forward thinking and strong. So many sustainable models of water and land management have been developed here over hundreds of years in a context of limited resources. We are now endeavoring to explore and expand these models for the future, and hopefully export them to where they will be most needed.

Let’s trace the contours, prospect new ideas, and meander across landscapes, both digital and physical.

Jacques Abelman