There will be a new creative space at the East Lansing Art Festival this year! On May 19-20, 2018, with the American Institute of Architects Mid-Michigan Chapter, we will be unveiling a placemaking installation that celebrates architectural and landscape architectural design. We have teamed up with three local architects to develop a structure that can […]
Placemaking
What is Innovation in Landscape Architecture?
Innovation is a popular buzzword these days. I hear it all the time when I watch Shark Tank or read books about business. And this got me thinking, what is innovative about the way that we design outdoor space at Elements Studio? Creating People Places Elements Studio exists in order to create places that people […]
People Places – Town Square Design in SW Lansing
Last night we had the pleasure of presenting three concepts at a community visioning event for the Town Square design at the corner of Pleasant Grove and Holmes Roads here in SW Lansing. The new Town Square will be transforming an existing expanse of asphalt parking lot into a pedestrian-friendly open space celebrating the community’s […]
Architectural Functions of Landscapes
We’ve discussed the value of placemaking and creating people places before, but not based on the values that landscape elements provide. The functional uses of landscapes fall into 4 categories: Architectural, Engineering, Aesthetic, and Ecosystem Services. I find the nuances of each of these functions to be very intriguing. When I see landscape elements in my day-to-day […]
People Places – Designing Comfortable Spaces
We’ve all been there. We’ve experienced places that seem to have been designed for something other than humans. Think of the typical bathroom at a shopping mall – designed almost as an afterthought with some leftover space down a forgotten utility hallway. This is the last place where you want to go with your new purchases. […]
Why We Would Never Design A Commercial Site The Way We Designed Our Residence
This fall, Jonathan and I set aside some time to develop a landscape plan for our home. As we drew bedlines and selected plants, I couldn’t help but realize that this design is nothing like anything we would ever come up with for a commercial site. Not because it won’t be beautiful. On the contrary, we […]
Lansing Placemaking
When we received the program for the Arts Council of Great Lansing’s Creative Placemaking Summit, we were very excited to see a local conference agenda that clearly valued the principles that landscape architects espouse! How did they know?? And then we wondered, who else would consider this topic to be valuable? We decided that it […]