By Tyler Silvers
As cities become more and more dense with man-made
constructions, the demand for creative allocation green spaces has risen
substantially. Landscape architects are challenged to form space that speaks
toward both the natural beauty of the site and cater to the human need for
order and structure. In the process, however, modern urban landscapes seem to
have lost much of what makes nature in itself a space that overflows with an
unmatched splendor through the slow but steady domestication of nature in form.
Although beautiful, modern urban landscapes, such as Gabriel
Guevrekian’s cubist garden at Villa Noailles, tend to cater more to the human
need for structure rather than turning their focus on the natural forms and processes
particular to the site before human occupation. With his cubist garden, Guevrekian
seeks to form an elegant oasis for the occupants – with much success in this aspect.
His use of formed concrete and subtle terraces lead the eye toward a central
node while the triangular shape of the space plays on the perspective of the
eye. The design of the garden allows occupants
to enjoy the elegance of the architect’s interpretation of the landscaped area.
The garden focuses the viewer attention on just that – a highly domesticated
space. Rather than enjoying the natural, native beauty in itself, occupants are
enthralled with a diluted, stylized version of the architect’s vision for the
site. On a grander scale, the effect designing more and more controlled
environments creates an inaccurate representation of how “nature” truly defines
itself; the interdependent ecosystems making up nature are lost in the folds of
modern urban garden design.
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| Image Courtesy of stylepark.com |
In order to reform the correct
representation of nature in the minds of the general populace, designers have begun
to look back to a time before the rise of urbanization. Alan Sonfist’s Time
Landscape, for example, offers a new form of urban landscape that takes root
deep in the history of the particular site – Manhattan, New York. Sonfist’s
green space is designed around the idea of bringing back the landscape that was
once prominent in the area before the arrival of Dutch settlers in the 17th
century. As noted by the New York Government Park Services, Sonfist conducted
“extensive research” on the “botany, geology, and history” of the community and
utilized native trees, shrubs, rocks, soil, and flowers to create a living
memorial to the natural landscape that once dominated the area. The simple idea
of the Time Landscape seems to have been well received in the surrounding
community as people gathered to assist in the construction of and subsequent maintenance
for the park. With his seemingly simple design, Sonfist provides an effective
manner by which to reintroduce nature (in its true sense) into the context of
the modern city.
Time Landscape: Past, Present, and Future
Painting by Paul Rodgers
As urbanization continues to
rise and cities continue to advance, nature, in its true form, will continue to
be diluted of purity. Perhaps one of the most effective manners by which to
truly preserve natural form is to realize the loads of history below our feet.
