Ken Smith Landscape Architects Urban Projects

FrinceIon ArchiIecIural Fress, New York
Ken SmiIh
Landscape ArchiIecI
Urban FrojecIs 2
Source Books in
Landscape ArchiIecIure
Jane Amidon, Series EdiIor
KnowlIon School ol ArchiIecIure
Fublished by
FrinceIon ArchiIecIural Fress
37 EasI SevenIh SIreeI
New York, New York 10003
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200o FrinceIon ArchiIecIural Fress
All righIs reserved
FrinIed and bound in China
10 0 08 07 0o S 4 3 2 1 EirsI ediIion
No parI ol Ihis book may be used or reproduced in any
manner wiIhouI wriIIen permission lrom Ihe publisher,
excepI in Ihe conIexI ol reviews.
Every reasonable aIIempI has been made Io idenIily owners ol
copyrighI. Errors or omissions will be correcIed in subsequenI
ediIions.
The seminars and publicaIions lor Ihis series are made possible
by Ihe generous supporI ol DeeDee (BSLA 188, KnowlIon
School ol ArchiIecIure) and Herb Glimcher.
EdiIing: Nicola Bednarek
Design: Jan Haux
Special Ihanks Io: NeIIie Aljian, DoroIhy Ball, JaneI Behning,
Megan Carey, Fenny (Yuen Fik) Chu, Russell Eernandez,
Clare Jacobson, John King, Mark LamsIer, Nancy Eklund
LaIer, Linda Lee, KaIharine Myers, Lauren Nelson, Molly
Rouzie, Jane Sheinman, ScoII TennenI, Jenniler Thompson,
Faul Wagner, Joseph WesIon, and Deb Wood ol FrinceIon
ArchiIecIural Fress Kevin C. LipperI, publisher
Library ol Congress CaIaloging-in-FublicaIion DaIa:
Ken SmiIh Landscape ArchiIecI : urban projecIs } Jane Amidon
... ediIor.
p. cm. (Source books in landscape archiIecIure)
Includes bibliographical relerences.
ISBN 1-So88-S10-X (alk. paper)
1. SmiIh, Ken, 127InIerviews. 2. Landscape archiIecIs
New York (SIaIe)New YorkInIerviews. 3. Landscape
archiIecIureNew York (SIaIe)New York. I. SmiIh, Ken,
127 II. Amidon, Jane. III. Ken SmiIh Landscape ArchiIecI
(Eirm) IV. Series.
SB470.SS7K4o 200S
712.02dc22
200S0137oo
500P0L B00K5 IN AP0HI1L010PL:
Morphosis}Diamond Ranch High School
The LighI ConsIrucIion Reader
Bernard Tschumi}ZeniIh de Rouen
UN SIudio}Erasmus Bridge
SIeven Holl}Simmons Hall
500P0L B00K5 IN LAND50APL AP0HI1L010PL:
Michael Van Valkenburgh}Allegheny RiverlronI Fark
AcknowledgmenIs
Eoreword, FeIer Reed
DaIa and Chronology
ConversaIions wiIh Ken SmiIh
Compiled and ediIed by Jane Amidon
The Museum ol Modern ArI, Rool Garden
EasI River Eerry Landings
F.S. 1
Ken SmiIh, Landscape as CulIural CriIicism, Nina RappaporI
CrediIs
Bibliography
Biographies
ConIenIs
4
7
10
15
27
69
93
133
138
140
144
4
AcknowledgmenIs
Ken SmiIh and his olLce, Workshop: Ken SmiIh Landscape ArchiIecI (KSLA), proved early Io be a pro-
vocaIive and producIive subjecI lor Ihe second Source Book in Landscape ArchiIecIure. In 2003 Ihe
KnowlIon School ol ArchiIecIure was lorIunaIe Io hosI Ken SmiIhs insIallaIion ol Ihree DumpsIer
Gardens on Ihe Ohio SIaIe UniversiIy campus, Ihe projecI noI only caused boIh joy and consIernaIion
wiIhin Ihe universiIy audience buI indicaIed Ihe value ol provisional landscapes when word was received
IhaI Ihe universiIy presidenI had looked down lrom her window onIo DumpsIer #2 (planIed in scarleI
celosia and grey arIemisia) and proclaimed Ihe projecI a success.
SmiIhs arIiculaIe presenIaIion ol ideas casIs quesIions Ioward Ihe making ol conIemporary urban
landscapes, quesIions whose answering leeds Ihe perpeIual lreshness ol KSLA design. Much appreciaIion
is owed Io Ken lor his gardens, lor his generous Iime and energies spenI in Ihe Glimcher seminars, and
lor his IhoughIlul conIribuIions Io Ihis publicaIion.
The criIical value ol Ihis book is much increased by Ihe parIicipaIion ol FeIer Reed and Nina
RappaporI. Thanks also Io Ihe sIudenIs who joined in Ihe seminar: Jell Anderson, Michael Denison, Lin
GoeplerI, Brian GrilLIh, Tim Hess, Kris Lucius, Jill McKain, Gabriela FaIocchi, Cheryl SomerleldI, and
especially Jason Brabbs, lor his videography. MaII Ogborn was a champion Iranscriber.
The Source Books in Landscape ArchiIecIure would noI be possible wiIhouI Ihe generous paIronage ol
DeeDee and Herb Glimcher and Ihe supporI ol many aI Ihe KnowlIon School ol ArchiIecIure. SpeciLcally,
Ihe encouragemenI ol DirecIor RoberI Livesey is essenIial Io Ihe program. I am Ihanklul lor advice ollered
by colleagues and lor Ihe logisIical help ol Ken SmiIhs sIudio, in parIicular Senior AssociaIe ElizabeIh
Asawa. Friscilla McGeehon shared insighIlul commenIs inIo Ihe work ol Ken SmiIh. Einally, Ihe ediIorial
guidance ol Nicola Bednarek and Kevin LipperI aI FrinceIon ArchiIecIural Fress is very much appreciaIed.
5
Source Books
in Landscape
ArchiIecIure
Source Books in Landscape ArchiIecIure provide concise invesIigaIions inIo conIemporary designed land-
scapes by looking behind Ihe curIain and beyond Ihe scripI Io Irace inIenIionaliIy and resulIs. One goal is
Io oller unvarnished sIories ol place-making. A second goal is Io caIch emerging and esIablished designers
as laceIs ol Iheir process maIure lrom IenIaIive Irial inIo deLniIive Iechnique.
Each Source Book presenIs one projecI or group ol relaIed works IhaI are signiLcanI Io Ihe pracIice and
sIudy ol landscape archiIecIure Ioday. II is our hope IhaI readers gain a sense ol Ihe projecI lrom sIarI Io
Lnish, including crucial early concepIs IhaI persisI inIo builI lorm as well as Ihe ideas and meIhods IhaI
are shed along Ihe way. Design process, siIe dynamics, maIerials research, and Ieam roles are explored in
dialogue lormaI and documenIed in phoIographs, drawings, diagrams, and models. Each Source Book is
inIroduced wiIh a projecI daIa and chronology secIion and concludes wiIh an essay by an inviIed criIic.
This series was conceived by RoberI Livesey aI Ihe AusIin E. KnowlIon School ol ArchiIecIure and par-
allels Ihe Source Books in ArchiIecIure. Each monograph is a synIhesis ol a single Glimcher DisIinguished
VisiIing Frolessorship. SIrucIured as a series ol discussion-based seminars Io promoIe criIical inquiry inIo
conIemporary designed landscapes, Ihe Glimcher prolessorships give sIudenIs direcI, susIained access Io
leading voices in pracIice. SIudenIs who parIicipaIe in Ihe seminars play an insIrumenIal role in conIribuI-
ing Io discussions, Iranscribing recorded maIerial, and ediIing conIenI lor Ihe Source Books. The seminars
and Source Books are made possible by a lund esIablished by DeeDee and Herb Glimcher.
I had good news and bad news lor Ken SmiIh when I called him in 2002. The Museum ol Modern ArI
(MoMA) wanIed Io commission a beauIilul and imaginaIive landscape aIop Ihe rool ol iIs new gallery
building in midIown ManhaIIan designed by Yoshio Taniguchi. ThaI was Ihe good news. BuI Ihe projecI
came wiIh a long lisI ol resIricIions IhaI could hardly be aIIracIive Io a landscape archiIecI: live planIs
were sIrongly discouraged, Ihe need lor waIer was Io be minimized or eliminaIed alIogeIher, Ihe heighI
ol Ihe landscape could noI exceed abouI Ihree leeI, Ihe accepIable rool load was minimal, black and
whiIe sIones (rool ballasI) had already been purchased and ideally should be incorporaIed in Ihe new
design, and Ihe budgeI was slim. Besides, Ihere was no public access Io Ihe rool garden. In lacI, museum-
goers would never see Ihe rool, only people in Ihe surrounding buildings, noIably residenIs ol Ihe adja-
cenI Museum Tower condominium, would enjoy Ihe view lrom above. This was a work Io be looked aI,
noI walked Ihrough. AlIer explaining Ihis liIany ol resIricIions, Ihere was a pause on Ihe phone, lollowed
by SmiIhs somewhaI cauIious reply, "Well, Ill see whaI I can do."
SmiIhs pasI projecIs, such as his Glowing Topiary Garden and Ihe F.S. 1 schoolyard, suggesIed IhaI
he was an ideal candidaIe Io Iake on Ihe museums rool garden. His work demonsIraIed a remarkable
abiliIy Io conlronI Ihe common realiIy ol many urban siIeshardscapes and low budgeIsand produce
unconvenIional designs IhaI are hybrids beIween landscape archiIecIure and environmenIal arI. His
approach sIreIches Ihe convenIional deLniIion ol landscape in response Io a speciLc program IhaI iIsell
suggesIs a locus on aesIheIic or pracIical issues more Ihan ecological processes. SmiIhs ideas are bold,
evocaIive, and someIimes humorous, and in some respecIs share a sensibiliIy wiIh oIher designers, par-
Iicularly MarIha SchwarIz, wiIh whom SmiIh previously worked.
Eoreword

7
8 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
In his LrsI proposal lor Ihe rool garden, SmiIh Ihrew cauIion Io Ihe wind. Eields ol ordinary colorlul
pinwheel daisies are "planIed" in a grid ol uorescenI green FVC pipeAndy Warhol meeIs John WaIers
meeIs KmarI. The image ol six Ihousand whirling daisies arranged in greaI washes ol color was humorous,
irreverenI, and poIenIially very beauIilul, especially when viewed lrom an opIimal disIance. The neigh-
boring residenIs, however, were noI convinced IhaI kiIsch would be elevaIed Io Ihe sIaIus ol arI.
Some weeks laIer SmiIh submiIIed a new proposal, which explored ideas ol camouage and conceal-
menI using real and plasIic sIones, plasIic shrubs and grass, crushed glass, and brick. These elemenIs
could be arranged in several ways. Schemes varied lrom a recIilinear geomeIry IhaI echoes Ihe Miesian
grid ol Fhilip Johnsons Abby Aldrich Rockeleller SculpIure Garden (1S3) several sIories below Io an
organic lree-lorm IhaI imiIaIes camouage paIIerns and recalls Ihe idiosyncraIic designs ol Ihe renowned
Brazilian landscape archiIecI RoberIo Burle-Marx, such as his rool garden lor Ihe MinisIry ol EducaIion
building in Rio de Janeiro (13o38). The camouage garden prevailedbeauIilul in iIs own righI, and
sIanding in conIrasI Io Ihe conIrolled orIhogonal geomeIry ol Johnsons garden and Taniguchis archiIec-
Iure. Several blocks away aI Times Square, Ihe rool ol Ihe U.S. Armed Eorces RecruiIing SIaIion, a small
one-sIory pavilion designed by ArchiIecIural Research OlLce (18), is painIed in miliIary camouage
paIIern. Here, Ihe rool decoraIion does noI conceal Ihe sIrucIure buI is IanIamounI Io a billboard
adverIising Ihe acIiviIies wiIhin Ihe building. SmiIhs rool garden neiIher conceals nor is inIended Io
evoke miliIary associaIions. BuI because ol iIs unconvenIionaliIy and bold conIrasI wiIh Ihe surrounding
environmenI, iI Ioo calls aIIenIion Io Ihe insIiIuIion wiIhin, hopelully Io Ihe delighI and curiosiIy ol
Ihose who see iI.
F0PLW0PD
9 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
RaIher Ihan cover iIs rool in ordinary sIone ballasI, Ihe museum seized an opporIuniIy lor a more
creaIive soluIion. As such, Ihe rool garden projecI is noI unlike MoMAs exhibiIion programs IhaI presenI
emerging IalenI and losIer experimenIaIion. The museums projecI series, begun in 171, was conceived
as a lorum lor new arIisIs and has been cenIral Io Ihe role ol conIemporary arI aI MoMA. Similarly, Ihe
Young ArchiIecIs Frogram, which Iakes place every summer in F.S. 1s courIyard and is now in iIs LlIh
year, has resulIed in asIonishingly innovaIive Iemporary sIrucIures. MoMAs SculpIure Garden has also
been Ihe seIIing lor archiIecIural projecIs, mosI recenIly, Shigeru Bans LrsI work in Ihe UniIed SIaIes,
Faper Arch (2000), a monumenIal laIIice rool made ol paper Iubes.
SmiIhs rool garden, alIhough locaIed ouIside Ihe parameIers ol a public gallery, is inIended Io be
no less a compelling work. And as evidenced by Ihe Ihree projecIs presenIed in Ihis monograph, Lnding
soluIions ouIside convenIional parameIers is jusI where Ken SmiIhs work wanIs Io be.
FeIer Reed
CuraIor, The Museum ol Modern ArI
F0PLW0PD
10
November 2003
The design is approved and
DecepIion becomes Ihe primary
scheme. MaIerials, deIailing, and
pricing research proceed wiIh design
developmenI.
1anuary 2004
Chalk-line mock-up is done on rool
Io IesI ouI Ihe horizonIal geomeIry
ol Ihe scheme aI lull size. IniIial bids
reveal IhaI Ihe projecI is subsIan-
Iially over budgeI. Value engineering
begins. By June Ihe projecI is re-bid
lor a Ihird Iime and a Lnal cosI esIi-
maIe is accepIed in SepIember.
5ummer 2003
SmiIh develops camouage concepIs.
MaIerials and deIailing research
mock-ups are done in KSLA sIudio.
11 5eptember 2003
Eour camouage design concepIs
are presenIed Io MoMA curaIors and
sIall. "ImiIaIion" and "DecepIion"
are selecIed lor presenIaIion Io
condominium board. A mock-up
is placed on Ihe MoMA rool in
advance.
26 Apr|| 2002
On inviIaIion by MoMA, Ken SmiIh
submiIs maIerials lor unspeciLed
purpose.
Lar|y November 2002
SmiIh meeIs wiIh museum sIall and
curaIors Io discuss parameIers ol Ihe
rool projecI.
December 2002
SmiIh develops FhoIoshop sIudies lor
Iwo alIernaIe concepIs IhaI explore
owers as subjecI maIIer and wriIes
descripIion ol Ihe Eield Daisies. A
model is made ol Ihe assembly pro-
posal and a mock-up is labricaIed
on Ihe MoMA roolIop. A QuickIime
video is made and Ihe ideas are pre-
senIed Io MoMA curaIors.
27 1anuary 2003
FrojecI is presenIed Io Museum
Tower condominium board lor
approval. AI end ol Ihe monIh word
is received IhaI Ihe Eield Daisies con-
cepI is rejecIed by Ihe condominium
board. MeeIings wiIh FeIer Reed and
oIher MoMA sIall ensue Io discuss
nexI sIeps.
The Museum ol
Modern ArI, Rool
Garden
0LI LN1:
The Museum ol Modern ArI
DA1A:
NorIh rool: 10,200 square leeI
SouIh rool: 7,200 square leeI
MaIerial paleIIe:
So0 arIiLcial boxwood, 2o inches
heighI
147 sheeIs DuragraIe molded
Lberglass graIing, 1 inch Ihick,
1}12 inch square mesh
47S grey FVC pipe segmenIs and
1,120 grey FVC ange pieces lor
boxwood assembly
2,42S linear leeI CNC-cuI loam
headers, painIed Benjamin Moore
Hillsboro beige
124 arIiLcial rocks, black
o1 arIiLcial rocks, whiIe
30o one-pound bags recycled Ium-
bled glass aggregaIe, #2 clear
70S LlIy-pound bags whiIe marble
chips, 2-inch diameIer
23S lorIy-pound bags recycled black
rubber mulch, 1-inch chips
11
3(%,4%2
/0%. 4/ 7!4%2 &%229
2)0!2)!. 0,!.4).'3
/. 3425#452%
DaIa and
Chronology
February-March 2004
Camouage schemes exhibiIed aI
Harvard UniversiIy GraduaIe School
ol Design.
5eptember-0ctober 2004
KSLA sIall visiIs CNC shop Io view
mock up, digiIal Lles lor CNC-cuI
loam headers and Lberglass graIing
are issued wiIh Lnal consIrucIion
documenIs.
EasI River Eerry
Landings
0LI LN1:
New York CiIy Economic
DevelopmenI CorporaIion
New York CiIy DeparImenI ol
TransporIaIion
New York CiIy DeparImenI ol
Farks and RecreaIion
DA1A:
ToIal projecI coverage: 1.S acres
divided inIo lour siIes
ThirIy-lourIh SIreeI siIe: .78 acres
wiIh approximaIely 2,000 square
leeI ol marsh planIers
Size ol marsh planIers: 20 leeI by 81
leeI in nine modules
Marsh planIer elemenIs:
1 pump
1 salIwaIer irrigaIion channel
salIwaIer scuppers
lreshwaIer pop-up spray irrigaIion
sysIems
48 iva lruIescens (marsh elder or
high Iide bush)
8o4 sparIina alIernilolia (smooIh
cord grass)

Fa|| 2000
SmiIh is noIiLed IhaI his olLce has
been placed on a shorIlisI ol design
consulIanIs lor a new lerry land-
ing projecI on Ihe EasI River. KSLA
Ieams up wiIh Kennedy & Violich
ArchiIecIure in a compeIiIion againsI
lour oIher design Ieams, and is
selecIed lor Ihe commission.
1anuary-1une 2001
SmiIh prepares plans lor Iemporary
landing aI EasI SixIy-sevenIh SIreeI
wiIh Jersey barriers, crib wall planI-
ers, and Iaxodium bosque planIing.
11 November 2004
.EW9ORK4IMES columnisI Anne
Raver wriIes an advance review ol
Ihe MoMA rool garden design: "A
RoolIop Garden WiIh SynIheIic
Green."
3 1anuary 2005
ConsIrucIion commences.
22 February 2005
ConsIrucIion reaches poinI ol sub-
sIanIial compleIion wiIh compleIed
punch lisI. The previous day Ihe .EW
9ORK0OST publishes a phoIo ol Ihe
garden enIiIled "IIs ArI-iLcial." Three
days laIer FeIer Reeds MoMA show
"Groundswell, ConsIrucIing Ihe
ConIemporary Landscape" opens.
The roolIop garden is represenIed in
Ihe exhibiIion buI public access is
noI (and never will be) allowed.
Apr||-May 2005
FeIer Mauss ol EsIo phoIographs Ihe
projecI.
12

May 2002
SmiIh receives call lrom Robin Hood
EoundaIion abouI a possible school-
yard projecI in Queens.
15 1une 2002
SmiIh makes LrsI siIe visiI Io see Ihe
projecI.
16 1une 2002
SmiIh presenIs bookleI ol FhoIoshop
"belore and alIer" imagery illus-
IraIing Lve low-cosI proIoIype
schoolyard improvemenIs Io Ihe
projecI manager aI Ihe Robin Hood
EoundaIion. Receives a call wiIhin
hours: "ClienI loves iI."
1u|y-0ctober 2002
Design developmenI and consIruc-
Iion drawings are prepared.
0ctober 2002
FrojecI submiIIed Io New York CiIy
Eine ArI Commission lor projecI
approval.
December 2003
Approval received.
March 2004
S0% consIrucIion documenIs deliv-
ered. Eollowing Ihe iniIial cosI esIi-
maIe, value engineering begins.
0ctober 2004
100% consIrucIion documenIs
delivered.
Apr|| 2005
The projecI is ouI lor Lnal bids. The
marsh planIers are lisIed as an "Add
AlIernaIe" lor bidding.
August 2001
KSLA presenIs scale model and
SmiIhs FhoIoshop diagrams lor new
marsh planIer box scheme. Soon
alIer, SmiIh develops Ihe lolded
geomeIry parIi in a phoIomonIage.
Post- 5eptember 11, 2001
Eollowing Ihe IerrorisI aIIacks on Ihe
World Trade CenIer Ihe projecI goes
on hold lor six monIhs.
F.S. 1
0LI LN1:
The Robin Hood EoundaIion
DA1A:
SiIe: 32,800 square leeI (excluding
building looIprinIs)
SiIe componenIs:
1S cusIom modiLed dumpsIers,
2 cubic yards
1,74 square leeI nylon scrim aI
24o leeI, inches by 8 leeI
7,o00 square leeI Learning Garden
Learning Garden elemenIs:
o0 square leeI wood chip paIh
1o logs
20 Iypes ol perennials and annuals,
4,113 IoIal planIed
14 Iypes ol shrubs, 10o IoIal planIed
S Iypes ol Irees, o IoIal planIed

DA1A AND 0HP0N0L00Y
13
1anuary-February 2003
FlanIing plans lor bird and buIIery
garden are prepared.
March 2003
SmiIh selecIs specimen logs lor Ihe
garden.
29 March 2003
Mock-up ol dumpsIer planIer is
creaIed in WesI Babylon, New York.
November 2002
FainIed graphics elemenI ol projecI
is compleIed and AlberI Vecerka ol
ESTO phoIographs Ihe siIe.
5ummer 2003
Faul Warchol phoIographs Ihe siIe.
August-5eptember 2004
-ETROPOLIS magazine publishes Ihe
projecI: "Garden SpoI."
0ctober 2004
FrojecI receives an ASLA MeriI
Award.
Lar|y Apr|| 2003
SmiIh supervises soil placemenI,
berm layouI, and scrim insIallaIion.
KSLA compleIes Lnal berm grading
plans and works wiIh Ihe New York
ResIoraIion FrojecI Io prepare Ihe siIe
and sIake ouI Ihe bird and buIIery
garden.
Late Apr|| 2003
Logs and planIs are delivered Io Ihe
siIe. On EarIh Day volunIeers lrom
Ihe Timberland CorporaIion do
iniIial planIings. All KSLA sIall are
on siIe Io supervise Ihe volunIeer
ellorIs IhroughouI Ihe planIing area.
AddiIional planIings are insIalled
Ihrough May.
Jane Amidon: What's Important now In your
worR and how does thIs relate to the develop-
ment oI your practIce7
Ken SmIth: There are several Ihreads IhaI I Ihink
are very imporIanI. EirsI, il you wanI Io pracIice
landscape archiIecIure seriously, you musI have a
commiImenI Io public space. You should also be
commiIIed Io environmenIalism, and alIhough
Ihe laIIer is noI immediaIely obvious in mosI
ol my projecIs, iIs impliciI in my Ihinking abouI
landscape. And Lnally, you musI have a com-
miImenI Io hisIory, a respecI lor hisIory, which
I hope is also impliciI in my work. These Ihree
social agendas, il you will, are crucial Io a criIical
pracIice. Because my designs are olIen based on
minimalism, icons, and irony, I leel iIs even
more essenIial noI Io gloss over Ihe seriousness
ol my pracIice and Ihe non-ironic aspecIs IhaI
underpin iI. A sensiIiviIy lor public space, envi-
ronmenIalism, and commiImenI Io hisIory are
15
ConversaIions
wiIh Ken SmiIh
Compiled and ediIed by Jane Amidon
Ihe underlying qualiIies ol my work IhaI allow iIs
oIher aspecIsIhe lormal qualiIies and Ihe com-
menIary on conIemporary culIureIo come Io
bear on Ihe projecIs, wheIher Ihey are small gar-
dens or urban spaces or complex larger siIes such
as rehabiliIaIing a landLll. Obviously, you canI
design a landLll on Ihe basis ol ironyyou musI
deal wiIh Ihose oIher issues ol ecology and social
space and hisIory.
JA: What are the roots oI the mInImalIst and
IconIc tendencIes In your worR as well as the
other threads you mentIon7 Does a multIplIcIty
oI readIngs obscure a crItIcal stance as much
as enrIch It7
KS: Im comlorIable wiIh an open inIerpreIaIion
ol my projecIs. I like IhaI Iheres a cerIain inherenI
absIracIness aI Ihe cenIer ol a projecIs conIenI so
Ihe undersIanding ol iI can shilI and iI can have
mulIiple meanings. I Ihink IhaIs whaI makes
16
landscape work over Iime. Take CenIral Fark, lor
example. My reading ol Ihe park is IhaI once you
sIrip away Ihe well-worn narraIive ol miIigaIing
Ihe urban ills, aI Ihe core iIs basically absIracI
conIenIa greaI empIiness aI Ihe hearI ol Ihe ciIy.
CenIral Fark has survived because people can proj-
ecI on iI new and evolving meaningeach genera-
Iion can Lnd whaI iI needs, and Ihe parks conIenI
can shilI wiIh Ihe Iimes and wiIh culIural changes.
This is also Irue ol Japanese gardens such as
Ryoan-Ji in KyoIo, or places like WalIer De Marias
LighIning Eield, where Ihe level ol absIracIness
allows an openness ol inIerpreIaIion and meaning.
In my Ihinking abouI landscape I learned
lrom boIh FeIer Walkers minimalism and MarIha
SchwarIzs pop approach. I was hired by MarIha
righI ouI ol graduaIe school aI Harvard, where I
was a sIudenI ol FeIer Walker. FeIe and MarIha
were parIners aI Ihe Iime, and I was basically
MarIhas enIire sIall aI LrsI while FeIe had a sub-
sIanIial amounI ol projecIs and a solid sIall and
design Ieam. MarIhas side ol Ihe olLce was olIen
relerred Io as Ihe "play pen", buI Ihere was a seri-
ous exchange ol ideas beIween boIh sides ol Ihe
olLce, and I learned Iremendously lrom boIh FeIe
and MarIha. UndersIanding Iheir dillerenI sIraIe-
giesMarIhas in-your-lace approach and FeIes
more subIle buI calculaIed design sIraIegiespro-
vided me wiIh a good seI ol book ends lor my
own pracIice. The imporIance ol hisIory became
clear Io me while working in Iheir olLce, because
Iheir work was rooIed in culIural precedenIs, in
undersIanding IhaI we are parI ol a conIinuum
and IhaI Ihere is a deep well ol design hisIory and
IradiIions Io draw upon in innovaIing conIempo-
rary design.
The emphasis ol Iheir olLce was on reinvigo-
raIing Ihe arI ol landscape archiIecIure. When
I moved Io New York CiIy Io open my own olLce,
I lound iI necessary Io emphasize public space
and Ihe social aspecIs ol design as parI ol Ihe arI
ol my pracIice. And increasingly, ecology and
H|r|ya Landf||| Park compet|t|on (Ken 5m|th |n
co||aborat|on w|th M|er|e 0ke|es; 1u||e Bargmann,
D.| .R.T. 5tud|o; and Laura 5tarr, 5aratoga /ssoc|atesj,
Te| /v|v, 2004
00NvLP5A1I0N5
17 00NvLP5A1I0N5
H|r|ya Landf||| Park compet|ton, Te| /v|v, 2004
T0P: Montage of dumpster p|anters, study
0LNTLR: Dumpster 0ardens *3, 0h|o 5tate 0n|vers|ty,
May1u|y 2003
B0TT0M: Dumpster 0ardens, ueens P|aza compet|t|on,
New York, 2001
19 19
environmenIalism are growing as an arIisIic
insIrumenI in my design work. EnvironmenIalism
is probably someIhing IhaI is generaIional. II has a
sIronger currenI Ioday Ihan IwenIy years ago.
By Ihe 180s, Ihe prolession had seI up a dichoIo-
my beIween environmenIal planning and lorm-
or space-driven design. AI some poinI you realize
IhaI Ihis is a ridiculous and counIerproducIive
dichoIomy and IhaI iIs much more subsIanIive Io
combine all elemenIsIo do work IhaIs environ-
menIally sensiIive and arIisIically sIrong in Ierms
ol iIs medium as well as socially responsible in iIs
use ol public space and susIainabiliIy.
JA: But can you really have It all, Ken7
KS: I donI know. Im Lnding ouI.
JA: How does a proect get born In your oIhce~
what's the pattern oI InteractIon between you,
clIents, your studIo team7
KS: I Iend Io develop ideas in Ihe olLce IhaI are
Ihen explored in various projecIs in dillerenI ways
under dillerenI circumsIances. The lineage ol cer-
Iain ideas can be Iraced lrom projecI Io projecI.
Eor example, a lew years ago I became inIeresIed
in Ihe idea ol conIainers. I proposed using Irash
and consIrucIion dumpsIers in a way similar Io
convenIional ower boxes buI larger in size and
scope, Ihis developed inIo Ihe conIainer concepIs
aI F.S. 1, Queens Flaza, and in Ihe insIallaIion
ol dumpsIer gardens aI Ihe Ohio SIaIe UniversiIy.
The marsh planIers in Ihe EasI River projecI are a
variaIion on Ihis inIeresI in Ihe conIainer, as is Ihe
collecIion box idea I used aI Yorkville Fark.
AnoIher idea deals wiIh Ihe concepI ol verIi-
cal greenIhe noIion IhaI landscape can occupy
or co-habiI wiIh urban inlrasIrucIure in a verIical
or sIrucIured way. This goes back Io Ihe quesIion
ol how you Lnd space Io make landscape in highly
builI urban areas. I experimenIed wiIh Ihis idea aI
Ihe Time Warner CenIer aI Columbus Circle, where
v|||age of Yorkv|||e Park, Toronto, 0anada, 199294
00NvLP5A1I0N5
20 20
I designed a lolded sIainless-sIeel "Iopiary wall"
IhaI is planIed Io creaIe a verIical landscape, and
aI a museum in Queens where I proposed a Iopiary
curIain. AI Ihe museum projecI, phoIographing
Ihe siIe gave me Ihe idea ol creaIing a kind ol Ihe-
aIrical curIain along one edge wiIh uid lolds IhaI
could be planIed wiIh vines. In anoIher currenI
projecI also in Queens I have proposed a series ol
large billboard sIrucIures lor Ihe Iop ol several low-
rise buildings IhaI would be planIed wiIh vines,
a kind ol green signage il you will. RelaIed Io Ihe
idea ol verIical green is my currenI inIeresI in
pleaIs, a kind ol lolding IhaI arIiculaIes lorm. One
ol Ihe LrsI projecIs ol Ihis Iype is a small urban
courIyard in ManhaIIan, which is going Io have a
lolded-lorm Iopiary screen consIrucIed ol an arma-
Iure wiIh sIainless-sIeel mesh panels and vines. I
used pleaIs in Ihe Hiriya landLll projecI in Tel Aviv,
and Ihe EasI River Eerry Landings projecI also has a
lolding lormorigami lolding in Ihis caseas does
Ihe Time Warner projecI.
AnoIher major Ihread in my work is appro-
priaIion and lound objecIs. The dumpsIers are
cerIainly a manilesIaIion ol Ihis. FarI ol Ihis is
also my inIeresI in using conIemporary maIerials
IhaI are inIended lor oIher uses. The Aluminum
Garden, where I used lacIory graIing, sIrucIural
marine channels, and heavy consIrucIion Iimber
is an example. My inIeresI in lound objecIs and
Iheir IranslormaIion is explored in Ihe HoIel Eden
insIallaIion lor .EST magazine and in Ihe MoMA
rool garden. The rool garden Iakes Ihis aspecI ol
appropriaIion Io a new level ol simulaIion.
In Ierms ol how we work as a sIudio, I Iend
Io sIarI ouI wiIh an iniIial idea IhaI I wanI Io
explore arIisIically and Io which Ihe projecI is
suiIed. Typically I Ihink belore I begin Io draw. I
like using FhoIoshop in early design sIages as a
skeIching Iool Io make monIages and diagrams ol
iniIial concepIs. I mosIly do Ihese sIudies mysell,
because Ihey allow me Io develop ideas and a
lineage ol IhoughI. I olIen use a combinaIion ol
00NvLP5A1I0N5
H|r|ya Landf||| Park compet|t|on, Te| /v|v, 2004
21 21 00NvLP5A1I0N5
T0P |eft: /|um|num 0arden, New York 0|ty, 1999
T0P r|ght: /|um|num 0arden
0LNTLR: Hote| Lden, art|f|c|a| garden |nsta||at|on for 5LZ[
magaz|ne, 2000
B0TT0M: The Museum of Modern /rt, New York 0|ty, Roof
0arden, 200305
22
Google downloads and my own image and reler-
ence collecIion in generaIing concepI images.
IIs preIIy common lor me Io sIarI ouI wiIh Ihese
FhoIoshop skeIches belore Ihe olLce does any
kind ol CAD work. OlIen I go lrom Ihese sIudies
direcIly Io model and Ihen Lnally Io CAD produc-
Iion. Im a commiIIed model builder. Even Ihough
I donI usually have Ihe luxury ol building com-
pleIe models mysell any more, I sIill like Io work
wiIh small sIudy models Io help me undersIand
Ihe lorm ol someIhing Im Ihinking abouI, and
models are consIrucIed IhroughouI Ihe design
processevenIually even aI lull size Io IesI ouI
lorm and scale ol leaIures I am proIoIyping.
JA: What's your taRe on systematIc randomness7
KS: Im inIeresIed in process and how process can
be a generaIor ol lorm. Im a lan ol minimalisI
music, lor example, where process and sIrucIure
are used Io creaIe an experienIial arI lorm. In my
own work, Im inIeresIed in developing a kind
ol randomness IhaI is rooIed in geomeIry. Eor an
inIerior wall in Ihe new cale aI Ihe CornersIone
Garden EesIival in Sonoma, I came up wiIh Ihe
idea ol "wallowers"arIiLcial owers IhaI are
pinned Io Ihe wall according Io an invisible grid.
IIs a biI ol a Sol LewiII noIion IhaI Ihe owers can
occupy Ihe cenIer ol Ihe grid, one ol lour sides,
or one ol lour cornersIhere are nine possible
posiIions and a limiIed range ol ower choices. I
clipped Ihe images ol owers lrom anoIher projecI
I had in my compuIer Io IesI ouI Ihe grid paleIIe,
pulling a ower, picking an unused posiIion,
and applying iI unIil Ihe Leld was exhausIed, Ihen
sIarIing Ihe process over again and again unIil
Ihe enIire wall was compleIe. In Ihe Lnal insIalla-
Iion, Ihe grid is gone buI you can sense iI, when
you look aI Ihe random paIIerning. IIs like when
you Iouch poison ivy and geI Ihese lines ol welIs
on your skin. You can read Ihe lines as geomeIric
lorms buI behind Ihe overI geomeIry Ihere is Ihis
00NvLP5A1I0N5
Mutant 0ardens, Lausanne, 5w|tzer|and, 1999
23 00NvLP5A1I0N5
0|ow|ng Top|ary 0arden (Ken 5m|th |n co||aborat|on
w|th 1|m 0ont| j, New York 0|ty, 1997
oIher dynamicIhe paIIern exisIs beIween geom-
eIry and IhaI oIher lorce. Your eye wanIs Io recog-
nize an order buI you canI quiIe pin iI down.
JA: You InItIally gaIned publIcIty In desIgn
cIrcles Ior your smaller-scale provIsIonal
InstallatIons such as the GlowIng TopIary
Garden, Mutant Gardens, or the FIIth Avenue
ChandelIer proposal. In dIscussIons In 1990,
you stressed the subversIve nature oI temporary
worR as a prImary Interest. Today you are worR-
Ing on large-scale, "permanent" landscapes, and
you lIst publIc space, hIstory, and envIronmen-
talIsm as mandates Ior success. Do small, tem-
porary worRs stIll matter In your practIce7
KS: Ive always IhoughI ol Ihe provisional proj-
ecIs as a kind ol research and developmenI Iool. I
like Io compare Ihis Io Ihe workings ol a lashion
house such as ChrisIian Dior or Jean Faul GaulIier.
A lashion house consisIs ol a whole range ol
producIswiIh Ihe couIure line being Ihe mosI
imporIanI line ol producIion arIisIically speaking.
BuI Ihe lashion house also has ready-Io-wear and
bridge lines, perlumes and accessories, and oIher
producIs IhaI exIend Ihe ideas developed lor Ihe
couIure line in dillerenI buI sIill arIisIically signiL-
canI direcIions. Early in my olLces hisIory, I used
Io Ialk abouI Ihis, abouI having dillerenI kinds ol
producI lines: Ihere are Ihe arI insIallaIions, Ihe
public projecIs, and Ihe residenIial work. I was
never inIeresIed in esIablishing Ihe kind ol olLce
IhaI locuses only on one singular Ihing. InsIead I
wanIed Io develop a general pracIice IhaI allows a
wide range ol work.
AI LrsI, iI was dilLculI Io geI larger public
projecIs because nobody was going Io IrusI some-
body wiIh liIIle or no experience in Ihis area. BuI
now Im aI a poinI where I have Ihe opporIuniIy
Io do more large-scale work. In my pracIice,
Iheres a link beIween sIraIegy and concepI, and
maIerialiIy and deIail. Missing IhaI link is one ol
24 00NvLP5A1I0N5
Ihe lundamenIal problems wiIh a loI ol landscape
archiIecIure pracIices: Ihere are people who do
only IheoreIical and concepIual work and never
geI anyIhing builI, and Ihere are people who are
really good aI building and deIailing buI donI
have any ideas. And Ihen Ihere are Ihe criIical
pracIices and a lew good Lrms in Ihe counIry IhaI
are engaged aI boIh levels. My ambiIion is Io cre-
aIe work IhaI is concepIually grounded and maIe-
rially rigorous wiIh a sIrong connecIion beIween
idea and design lorm and maIerial resoluIion. I
Ihink IhaI Ihe experimenIaIion wiIh and risk Iak-
ing involved wiIh Ihe Iemporary or provisional
projecIs is essenIial in IesIing and developing ideas
IhaI can come Io bear in Ihe execuIion ol larger
and more complex builI projecIs.
JA: The "Groundswell" show at MoMA opened
In February oI 2005. It documents the proIes-
sIon's current occupatIon wIth, In curator Peter
Reed's words, "new urban landscapes" oI the
post-IndustrIal era that "dId not exIst as pub-
lIc space halI a generatIon ago." In the same
way that we looR bacR to LlIzabeth Kassler's
194 MoMA publIcatIon -ODERN'ARDENSAND
THE,ANDSCAPE as a sIgnal that modernIsm had
coalesced Into a domInant postwar paradIgm,
what does an exhIbItIon such as "Groundswell"
say to you as a landscape archItect, and how
wIll your worR be posItIoned In the comIng
decades oI post-productIve sItes7
KS: The "Groundswell" exhibiIion is a kind ol
summary ol Ihe dominanI ideas Io emerge in
landscape archiIecIure aI Ihe end ol Ihe IwenIieIh
cenIury and Ihe beginning ol Ihis new cenIury. II
marks a IransiIion in Ihe producIion ol landscape
space lrom modern Io posImodern. II is really no
longer leasibleeconomically, socially, or envi-
ronmenIallyIo conIinue wiIh Ihe exploiIaIion
ol raw space IhaI IypiLed a loI ol Ihe modern-
era producIion. Today Ihe mosI inIeresIing and
responsible work is occurring in Ihe margins ol
lelIover and reclaimed space. This includes work-
ing wiIhin Ihe consIrainIs ol exisIing urban labric,
recovering deluncI manulacIuring areas, derelicI
waIerlronIs, and marginal urban lringe areas,
creaIing new public uses in Ihe subsidiary spaces
IhaI occur alongside inlrasIrucIure, reIhinking
small lelIover urban spaces lor new social uses,
and reclaiming environmenIally damaged spaces
such as brownLelds. The dilLculIy ol working
wiIh Ihese Iypes ol spaces lies in creaIing new
design approaches IhaI respond Io new program-
maIic demands, challenging environmenIal con-
diIions, and Ihe realiIies ol conIemporary lile. I
Ihink Ihe work in Ihe MoMA show is a response
Io Ihis changing Leld ol landscape design. In my
own work I have experimenIed wiIh new design
meIhodologies. I am as inIeresIed in inducIive
"boIIom-up" design approaches IhaI lavor conIexI
and opporIunisIic IacIics as I am in larger sIraIegic
"Iop-down" approaches IhaI lavor sysIems and
broad concepIual ideas. I Ihink Ihe same is Irue
lor a whole younger generaIion ol designers.
I like Io work a problem concepIually lrom boIh
ends Io see where Ihe soluIion Lnds resoluIion
in Ihe middle.
26 00NvLP5A1I0N5
27
In 2002 MoMA curator Ieter ReeJ asleJ Ken Smth
to propose an magnatve" roojscape nstallaton
jor the new gallery aJJton hy archtect Yosho
Tanguch. Never to he accesshle to the general
puhlc, the 17,400 square-joot garJen, sttng sx
jloors ahove street level, was JestneJ to juncton
more as one oj the museums collecteJ worls oj
moJern anJ contemporary art than as an nhaht-
ahle lanJscape. Numerous Jesgn consJeratons
ncluJeJ weght restrctons, zero tolerance jor rr-
gaton, no elements ahove three jeet n heght, anJ
a low huJget. Smths jrst proposal was JsalloweJ,
senJng the Jesgner hacl to the Jrawng hoarJ to
Jevse a jnal scheme oj a contextually alert, pat-
terneJ surjace conJton.
JA: Your hrst scheme Ior the MoMA rooItop
was a success on the lecture cIrcuIt and In Its
eventual InstallatIon at the Cornerstone Garden
FestIval In Sonoma, CalIIornIa. But It was
reected by MoMA's resIdentIal neIghbors, who
had rIght oI reIusal and Indeed are the prImary
audIence Ior the rooItop sIte. What dId you
learn Irom the hrst scheme's IaIlure, and how dId
that guIde your Ideas Ior the second scheme7
KS: The LrsI scheme IhaI I came up wiIh was a
grid ol spinning daisies, an opIical Leld ol plasIic
owers IhaI reacIed Io wind movemenI. The idea
was maybe Ioo obvious. I Ihink Ihe Museum
Towers residenIial co-op board didnI like iIs overI
naIure. So lor Ihe nexI proposal I IhoughI IhaI a
sIudy ol camouage would be a good sIarIing poinI
lor geIIing an inIeresIing scheme under Ihe radar,
as iI were.
JA: Is It problematIc II the desIgn succeeds to
the poInt that It's rendered InvIsIble, I.e., II a
vIewer mIsses the poInt7 Does the term camou-
Bage need to be used explIcItly In relatIon to the
proect7
The Museum
ol Modern ArI,
Rool Garden
New York, New York
28 P0NNI N0 HLAD5 M0MA P00F 0APDLN
The f|ower mot|f |n modern art
/n a|ternat|ve |n|t|a| des|gn scheme featured
the da|sy f|ower as an |con.
5m|th's f|rst, rejected des|gn scheme for the roof garden was
based on a f|e|d of sp|nn|ng |awn f|owers.
Red and green f|ower f|e|d 0range, red, and purp|e f|ower f|e|d
Purp|e f|ower f|e|d Ye||ow and red f|ower f|e|d
31 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
KS: I Ihink iIs hardly invisible. When I presenIed
Ihe projecI lor approval, I didnI hammer Ihe
poinI home, I didnI sIarI oll by saying, "Ihis is
abouI camouage," which would acIually have
been quiIe counIerproducIive. I Ialked abouI Ihe
garden in dillerenI Ierms, buI my presenIaIion
acknowledged whaI iI was abouI and how iI was
operaIing. The design is abouI simulaIion. In lacI,
creaIing a landscape garden on a roolIop is inher-
enIly an acI ol simulaIion. I am very inIeresIed in
how camouage simulaIes landscape, and in Ihis
garden Ihe landscape simulaIes camouage simu-
laIing landscape.
There is a whole series ol dillerenI camouage
sIraIegies IhaI were developed aI a criIical momenI
ol Ihe laIe 130s and early 140scoinciding wiIh
World War II. Feople Ihen were very inIeresIed
in Ihe noIion ol camouagescienIisIs as well as
designers and arIisIs. In Ihe archiIecIure magazines
ol Ihe Iime Ihere was a criIical discussion abouI
Ihe role ol camouage in delense. I remember IhaI
as a sIudenI I read Ihe old Iencl Ionts arIicles by
Dan Kiley, James Rose, and GarreII Eckbo. In Ihe
same bound volume ol Ihe magazine Ihere was
an arIicle on Ihe arI and Iheory and Iechniques ol
camouage. II was geared Ioward archiIecIs and
Ialked abouI how you could camouage buildings
lor reasons ol naIional securiIy. I always IhoughI
IhaI camouage was an inIeresIing qualiIy and did
my LrsI camouage sIudies during Ihe laIe 180s.
II was an idea IhaI I had played wiIh buI had
never goIIen Io Ihe poinI ol execuIing.
JA: Does the maRIng oI a constructed landscape
always Imply the artIhce oI sImulatIon7 Some
would say that all acts oI desIgn camouBage
truth whIle others say It's a brIngIng Iorth, an
agent oI clarIhcatIon and amplIhcatIon.
KS: The hisIory ol garden design is Llled wiIh
examples ol simulaIion and camouage. CenIral
Fark, lor example, is a large-scale garden IhaI
M0MA P00F 0APDLN
14-|nc| c|cneler Dc|sy P|nv|ee|, cllcc|ec lc p|pe sccffc|c|ng ccse
Sccffc|c|ng-lype luce cnc ccup|er |cll|ce
slcnccrc gc|vcn|zec p|pes pc|nlec cr|g|l green v|l| slcnccrc ccup|ers
Pccf Bc||csl Pcck
24-|nc| c.c. lyp.
3" 2-|nc| slen
14-|nch d|ameter da|sy p|nwhee| , attached to p|pe scaffo|d|ng base
5caffo|d|ng-type tube and coup|er |att|ce
standard ga|van|zed p|pes pa|nted br|ght green w|th standard coup|ers
Roof ba||ast rock
32
arIisIically simulaIes visual and spaIial aspecIs ol
an idealized pre-indusIrial arcadia and disguises a
large IerriIory ol Ihe ManhaIIan grid wiIh imiIaIed
naIure. ConIemporary landscape design olIen deals
wiIh Ihe lundamenIal issue ol amelioraIing or
covering up Ihe impacIs ol Ihe consIrucIed envi-
ronmenI. FracIiIioners reler Io Ihis as "remedia-
Iion," "shrubbing iI up," "conIexIualizaIion," or
simply "naIuralizing." This pracIice ol landscaping
as camouage is a common buI criIically unrecog-
nized aspecI ol simulaIion in Ihe landscape archi-
IecIure prolession.
Eour basic camouage sIraIegies were idenIiLed
by Archtect anJ Lngneer magazine in 142: imiIa-
Iion, decepIion, decoy, and conlusion. ImiIaIion
camouage is Ihe mosI common and widely used
Iechnique. II is Ihe blending in wiIh surrounding
IerriIory so IhaI Ihe subjecI is indisIinguishable
lrom iIs seIIing. WheIher iI is in Ihe counIry or
ciIy, deserI or loresI, summer or winIer, Ihe subjecI
appears Io be parI ol Ihe surrounding landscape.
DecepIion camouage is a meIhod IhaI does noI
aIIempI Io compleIely hide Ihe subjecI buI Io
change iIs appearance enough IhaI iI resembles
someIhing ol a dillerenI or innocuous naIure. The
principle is employed Io deceive Ihe bombardier
who is looking lor a powerhouse and Lnds only an
"aparImenI house" wiIh awnings and shrubs. Decoy
camouage is achieved Ihrough Ihe consIrucIion ol
dummy objecIs in conjuncIion wiIh Ihe conceal-
menI ol real ones so IhaI enemy bombers will be
aIIracIed Io lalse IargeIs. Conlusion is Ihe leasI used
camouage procedure and consisIs ol concealing
Ihe subjecI by impairing vision or judgmenI by pre-
senIing a mulIipliciIy ol poIenIial or illogical IargeIs
IhaI conluse accuraIe deIerminaIion.
In conIemporary urban lile, "camouage" is
ironically used Io boIh blend in and sIand ouI. The
MoMA projecI Iakes Ihe arI ol camouage and Ihe
arIiLce ol simulaIion a sIep lurIher by using Ihe
simulaIion iIsell as a source lor design speculaIion.
One mighI Ihink ol Ihis as Ihe simulaIion ol a
M0MA P00F 0APDLN
33 M0MA P00F 0APDLN
simulaIion, or using imiIaIed naIure Io generaIe a
new naIure.
Rool gardens are inherenIly arIiLcial environ-
menIs. They have limiIaIions ol weighI loading,
Ihere are issues ol how Io anchor elemenIs and
proIecI Ihe waIerprool membrane, as well as envi-
ronmenIal issues ol wind, access Io lighI, and gen-
erally harsh condiIions lor living planIs, including
limiIed mainIenance and care. SimulIaneously, Ihe
design ol Ihese spaces is olIen driven by Ihe desire
Io impose Ihe imagery ol imiIaIed naIure onIo
Ihese builI consIrucIions.
JA: DescrIbe your Iour desIgn proposals Ior the
rooItop accordIng to the categorIes oI ImItatIon,
deceptIon, decoy, and conIusIon.
KS: The mosI common camouage sIraIegy is imiIa-
Iion. Il you have a building siIIing in Ihe middle ol
Ihe woods, you imiIaIe Ihe woods Io blend in. Eor a
building in midIown ManhaIIan, imiIaIion means
employing recIilinear lorms IhaI have Ihe shape ol
skylighIs, venIs, or elevaIor shalIsIhe sorI ol plaI-
lorms you Lnd on Ihe Iop ol buildings IhaI blend
inIo Ihe urban landscape. So our LrsI scheme was
very recIilineara kind ol FeIer Walker scheme.
The second sIraIegy is based on decepIion, in
Ihis case making Ihe roolIop look like someIhing iI
isnI, as opposed Io blending in. I used curvilinear
lorms Io imiIaIe CenIral Fark, which is jusI a lew
blocks norIh ol Ihe building. I applied Ihe iconic
camouage paIIern you Lnd in miliIary cloIhing Io
make relerence Io OlmsIeds landscaping.
Decoy is Ihe Ihird approach, Ihe one where
you basically Ihrow Ihe viewer oll Irack by building
a dummy IargeI. Eor IhaI scheme I creaIed a lolded
landscape IhaI was neiIher building nor naIureiI
was jusI a lalse Ihing up Ihere, a red herring.
The lourIh sIraIegy was conlusion. In Ihe
magazine arIicle Ihis approach was described as
building Lres or someIhing else Io obscure Ihe
vision ol Ihe piloIs. I inIerpreIed iI as jusI doing
34 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
|n the |ate 1930s and ear|y 1940s, the ro|e of camouf|age |n
defense was d|scussed |n var|ous arch|tecture magaz|nes.
0/M00FL/0L-aesthet|cs and techn|que,"
(YJOP [LJ[\YHS 9L]P L^ vo| . 96 (5eptember 1944j
|ndustr|a| P|ant Protect|on,"
(YJOP [LJ[\YHS -VY\T vo| . 77 (/ugust 1942j
|ndustr|a| P|ant Protect|on,"
(YJOP [LJ[\YHS -VY\T vo| . 77 (/ugust 1942j
The 0amouf|eur and H|s 0raft,"
;OL)\P S KLr vo| . 157 (0ctober 1939j

0amouf|age des|gn concept a|ternat|ves for the roof garden
M0MA P00F 0APDLN
|m|tat|on
Decept|on
Decoy
0onfus|on
35 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
|m|tat|on" camouf|age study Decept|on" camouf|age study
M0MA P00F 0APDLN
36 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
Decoy" camouf|age study 0onfus|on" camouf|age study
M0MA P00F 0APDLN
1j B|ack pebb|es
2j Wh|te pebb|es
3j P|ants
1j B|ack pebb|es
2j Wh|te pebb|es
3j 0rushed g|ass
4j P|ants
37 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
LLFT: 0amouf|age mater|a|s, |n|t|a| pa|ette
R| 0HT: 0ompar|son of a|ternate camouf|age stud|es
M0MA P00F 0APDLN
LLFT: 5e|ected des|gn: decept|on"
R| 0HT: 0amouf|age mater|a|s, |n|t|a| pa|ette
39 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
someIhing so sIrange and lar ouI IhaI iI wouldnI
be clear whaI Ihe hell iI was. This scheme had
greaI big daisy shapes oaIing on Ihe rool like
muIanI gianI lily pads.
JA: There seems to be a consIstent use oI Iaux
plants, rocRs, and pavIng textures that Ignores
the phenomenologIcal potentIal and Inherent
mutabIlIty oI landscape medIa~characterIstIcs
that could play Into Ideas oI deceptIon, con-
IusIon, and so on. How does InvestIgatIon oI
materIalIty enter Into these schemes7
KS: The maIerials have shilIed a liIIle biI buI basi-
cally all lour ol Ihe schemes I presenIed involved
arIiLcial rocks, arIiLcial shrubs, and Ihree colors
ol ground maIerial (whiIe, black, and crushed
glass). The paleIIe remained consisIenI in Ihe lour
schemes. AlIhough Ihe design was more abouI Ihe
lorm and conIenI Ihan maIerialiIy, Ihe maIerials
do have conIenI, and Io emphasize Ihe simulaIion
aspecIs ol Ihe design I chose maIerials IhaI were
arIiLcial and iconic.
JA: The clIent sell was more successIul the
second tIme around~why7
KS: I creaIed graphics and a quarIer-scale model
ol each scheme (laIer Ihese were on display in a
small exhibiIion aI Ihe Harvard GraduaIe School
ol Design) and presenIed Ihem Io Ihe museum. I
meI wiIh Terence Riley, FeIer Reed, Glenn Lowry,
and oIhers and we agreed IhaI we would Iake Iwo
ol Ihe schemes Io Ihe co-op board Io presenI: Ihe
recIilinear one and Ihe curvilinear oneimiIaIion
and decepIion.
I pushed lor Ihose Iwo, alIhough I also liked
Ihe conlusion scheme. BuI I IhoughI IhaI Ihe
imiIaIion and decepIion approaches were Ihe
mosI Irue Io Ihe idea ol camouage IhaI we were
developing. I was leaning Ioward Ihe curvilinear
scheme, alIhough during our meeIing wiIh MoMA
M0MA P00F 0APDLN
0amouf|age mater|a|s, f|na| pa|ette
B|ack recyc|ed rubber Wh|te pebb|es 0rushed g|ass Foam header F|berg|ass grat|ng 5hrub assemb|y B|ack art|f|c|a| rock Wh|te art|f|c|a| rock
40 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
Ihere were concerns abouI Ihe curvilinear design
being dilLculI Io build. The recIilinear one would
be simpler Io consIrucI, and everyone IhoughI iI
mighI also be more palaIable Io Ihe board mem-
bers ol Ihe residenIial co-op because iIs inherenIly
more conservaIive. Feople undersIand minimalisI
geomeIry, and cerIainly iI was more in keeping
wiIh Ihe Taniguchi building. BuI IhaI was exacIly
why I prelerred Ihe curvilinear scheme. I IhoughI
IhaI iI was more inIeresIingly subversive abouI
camouage because iI plays a reverse game ol
decepIion raIher Ihan simple imiIaIion.
JA: Many crItIcs complaIn that the curvIlInear
Is a deIault partI, a lImItIng, planImetrIc Inter-
pretatIon oI a romantIc, pastoral legacy. But
really sInce the 1980s we've endured a regIme oI
mInImalIst geometrIes and aggressIve IormalIsm
that overlooRs the hgural power oI sIte-specIhc,
contInuous topologIes. How Is the curvIlInear
scheme and Its ImplIcatIon oI a two-dImensIonal
artIculated ground plane more oI a challenge to
prevaIlIng sIte aesthetIcs7
KS: II has a whole series ol levels IhaI are inIeresI-
ing because so much ol landscape archiIecIure is
uncriIically involved in camouaging. Were a
prolession ol shrubbing Ihings up, covering up
misIakes, hiding and smooIhing Ihings, and
conIexIualizing Ihem. Usually, Ihe camouaging
ellorIs wiIhin Ihe prolession are invisible. This
scheme acknowledges Ihe issue ol camouage
and uses iI criIically as a visible elemenI. BuI noI
everyone wanIs Io hear abouI IhaI.
I sIarIed Ihe presenIaIion Io Ihe co-op board
by Ialking abouI Ihe rool as a kind ol Japanese
garden. FarI ol Ihe program sIaIed IhaI we
couldnI have any live planIs, we couldnI have
any irrigaIion, we couldnI have any subsIanIial
weighI, we couldnI have any physical aIIach-
menIs. There were also issues ol a limiIed budgeI
and liIIle or no mainIenance. Basically, Ihings
M0MA P00F 0APDLN
41 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
Mode|s of the four des|gn study a|ternat|ves:
decept|on, decoy, |m|tat|on, confus|on
oppos|te:
Decept|on
LLFT: Mode| of decept|on camouf|age des|gn
R| 0HT: The camouf|age patterns were |n|t|a||y traced from a
pa|r of h|p-hop pants.
43 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
had Io be lighIweighI and seI in place. II was
inherenIly a dry garden, similar Io Ihe Japanese
Zen garden, which is an absIracIion ol naIure in
some way. I conIinued by Ialking abouI Ihe Iwo
schemes IhaI we were going Io presenI, a recIilin-
ear geomeIry and a curvilinear geomeIry, showing
Ihem Ihe gardens on Iop ol Rockeleller CenIer as
an example ol a classical recIilinear geomeIry gar-
den and Noguchis work aI UNESCO in Faris as an
example ol curvilinear, modern work. They loved
iI. The biggesI hurdle was Ihe synIheIic paleIIe ol
Ihe garden.
I had builI a small mock-up on Ihe roolIop,
which everyone could look down aI. So insIead ol
bringing an arIiLcial shrub inIo Ihe meeIing, Ihe
maIerials were judged lrom a disIance ol lorIy or
LlIy leeI, Ihe acIual viewing disIance. Erom IhaI
perspecIive, you acIually canI Iell Ihe dillerence
beIween an arIiLcial boxwood and a real one, and
in lacI, Ihree years ouI, Ihe arIiLcial boxwoods are
going Io look beIIer Ihan a dead boxwood here
and Ihere. Live planIs would have dilLculIy surviv-
ing in Ihe garden because ol limiIed mainIenance,
limiIed soil, and Ihe environmenIal condiIions.
JA: The scheme changed some between that
meetIng, where you presented the InItIal con-
cept, and the hnal InstallatIon. How dId value
engIneerIng eIIect specIhc constructIon detaIls
or change your InterpretatIon oI deceptIon by
desIgn7
KS: The shrub masses are made ol Lberglass graI-
ing, and Ihe bases are compuIer-numerically cuI
inIo pieces IhaI LI IogeIher on Ihe rool. I speci-
Led FVC pipes IhaI go inIo FVC anges which are
bolIed Io Ihe Lberglass graIing Io provide sIems
lor Ihe shrubs. These assemblies are heavy enough
IhaI Ihey can jusI resI on Ihe rool. Originally, I
had planned Io place Ihe shrubs aI a disIance ol
IwenIy-lour inches lrom each oIher, buI Ihis was
evenIually adjusIed Io IhirIy or IhirIy-six inches
M0MA P00F 0APDLN
The roof garden |n m|d-construct|on, 1anuary 2005
44 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
45 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
Io save moneyironically Ihe arIiLcial boxwood
planIs were more expensive Ihan live planIs. This
adjusImenI saved $40,000, buI a sIudy also showed
IhaI Ihe new spacing acIually worked beIIer. In a
real landscape wiIh real planIs you would wanI
Ihe shrubs Io be placed close Io each oIher, so IhaI
Ihey can grow IogeIher as a mass, buI here, hav-
ing Ihe shrubs read as individual elemenIs worked
because iI made Ihe design more synIheIic.
The arIiLcial rocks I used are a brand IhaI
people in Ihe suburbs use Io hide Iheir uIiliIies.
Basically Iheyre camouaging elemenIs in Ihe
landscape. Across Ihe roolIop I laid a series ol run-
ners Io which Ihe rocks were bolIed. Flaced over
Ihe runners is a Ihin layer ol ground cover. The
black ground cover was originally Mexican black
pebbles because IhaI was whaI Taniguchis olLce
had speciLed, buI Io save money I decided Io use
ground Iiresrecycled rubber, a maIerial recom-
mended by Ihe landscape conIracIor. The whiIe
surlace, made ol crushed whiIe sIone, is Ihe only
naIural maIerial, alIhough iI could be called inIo
quesIion wheIher Ihis maIerial is acIually naIural
or noI aI Ihis poinI. The blue surlace is crushed
glass, which could also be considered a naIural
maIerial. II also calls inIo quesIion whaIs auIhen-
Iic and whaIs simulaIed.
Some ol Ihe changes I made Io Ihe original
scheme happened Io cuI cosIs. Eor example, Ihe
headers were going Io be brick in order Io relaIe Io
Ihe hisIoric conIexI by choosing Ihe same maIerial
Fhilip Johnson used, buI insIead I ended up using
CNC-milled sIrucIural SIyroloam. In hisIoric pres-
ervaIion work a loI ol deIailing, such as cornices,
is made ouI ol Ihis maIerial, usually wiIh a Lnish
IhaI looks like limesIone or anoIher sIone. Here iI
is IreaIed wiIh a spray-on hardening surlace IhaIs
really sIrong and painIed Ihe color ol brick. All
Ihe shapes in Ihe curvilinear plan are IranslaIed
arcs, IangenIs, and sIraighI lines Iaken lrom a
camouage paIIern IhaI was Iraced lrom a pair ol
hip-hop, skaIe-boarder panIs. I wanIed Io make Ihe
M0MA P00F 0APDLN
Deta|| show|ng art|f|c|a| rocks
0ppos|te: /er|a| v|ew of north and south roofs
Roof garden |ayout, construct|on documents
Roof garden mater|a|s p|an, construct|on documents
Montage of f|na| des|gn
0ompos|te p|an show|ng north and south roofs
North garden Ra|sed area at north garden
5outh garden
/rea of requ|red mockup
Ra|sed area at south garden
5outh roof, v|ew from 40 West 53rd 5treet
54 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
camouage a liIIle more synIheIic so I reduced Ihe
paIIern Io a kind ol roadway engineering. There
are Ihree dillerenI curve radii and Ihree dillerenI
line-segmenI and inIersecIion condiIions. To Irans-
ler Ihe paIIern onIo Ihe rool, iI was divided inIo a
series ol simple uniIs, which were lacIory-cuI lrom
sIandard sheeI sizes inIo a paleIIe ol parIs, num-
bered aI Ihe lacIory, puI IogeIher on siIe, and
glued down.
As I was concerned abouI Ihe inIegriIy ol Ihe
curvilinear lorms, my olLce sIall and I mocked up
abouI a LlIh ol Ihe area on one side ol Ihe rool
wiIh chalk and sIring lines. In hall a day we laid
ouI Ihe geomeIry ol one subsIanIial area ol Ihe
design so we could see how Ihe lorms LI and geI
a sense ol Ihe scale. We looked down aI iI lrom
Ihe Iower, which was kind ol reassuring. We also
discovered we had some dimensioning issues in
Ihe roolIop layouI, which needed Io be correcIed.
These liIIle adjusImenIs, and in some ways also
Ihe Ihings we had Io do Io bring Ihe budgeI
down, made Ihe projecI concepIually sIronger. The
whole process ol being lorced Io go back Io Ihe
clienI wiIh a compleIely new idea alIer Ihe LrsI
design was rejecIed and work Ihrough Ihe issues
ol Ihe rejecIed proposal resulIed in a beIIer design
concepI. And while Im noI a big lan ol value
engineering, in Ihis case iI clariLed Ihe maIerial
paleIIe and made Ihe projecI sIronger concepIually
and maIerially.
JA: In retrospect, what got sacrIhced when you
let go oI the hrst proposal, the spInnIng daIsIes7
KS: The MoMA Ieam loved Ihe LrsI scheme. Terry
Riley liked iI because iI used an iconic elemenI
Iaken ouI ol conIexI. FeIer Reed liked iI because
iI hovered beIween pop arI and minimalism.
When FeIer Ialks abouI landscape archiIecIure,
his approach is Io speak abouI landscape design
relaIive Io Ihe Iug beIween surrealism and cubism.
I donI know il Ihose quiIe IranslaIe Io pop arI and
M0MA P00F 0APDLN
Mock-up of roof garden |ayout, 1anuary 2004
55 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
minimalism buI FeIer IhoughI iI was inIeresIing
IhaI on one level Ihe scheme was pop because
youve goI Ihe iconic daisy, Ihe lound objecI.
And on anoIher level, Ihe design was purely mini-
malisI as Ihe big blocks ol color made up a mini-
mal color Leld IhaI underlies Ihe operaIive level ol
Ihe spinning and Iurning objecIs in Ihe wind. BuI
in Ihe end, I Ihink Ihe decepIion}camouage gar-
den hovers in Ihe same way, in Ihis case beIween a
kind ol uIiliIarian indusIrial-design appropriaIion
sIraIegy and Japanese garden absIracIion.
M0MA P00F 0APDLN
5outh roof, v|ew from 0B5 Bu||d|ng
56 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
59 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
63 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
66 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
67 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
68 00NvLP5A1I0N5
69
In 2001 the cty oj New Yorl selecteJ jve Jesgn jrms
to suhmt proposals jor the Last Rver waterjront
alongsJe the sx jerry lanJngs ncluJng Thrty-jourth
Street n MJtown. The area oj nterventon was a
nnety-joot-long strp oj seawall anJ a twenty-joot-
wJe rght oj way owneJ hy the cty. The program was
to create a peJestran envronment that woulJ extenJ
exstng rversJe crculaton through the ste. In rela-
ton to a hrJgeJ wallway JesgneJ hy archtects Shela
KenneJy anJ lrano Volch, Ken Smth JevelopeJ an
urhan ecologcal system that revves atavstc plant-
ngsgrasses that once prospereJ along the slopeJ
hanls oj the rverwthn a constructeJ nature oj
jolJeJ, unmstalahly contemporary planters.
JA: DescrIbe how you got Involved wIth thIs
proect.
KS: The ciIy picked Lve Lrms IhaI were inviIed Io
submiI proposals. Besides me, Ihe archiIecIural Lrm
Kennedy & Violich and Ihree oIher archiIecIural
pracIices were on Ihe lisI. I was Ihe only landscape
archiIecI. I knew Erano Violich and Sheila Kennedy
lrom Ieaching aI Ihe Harvard GraduaIe School ol
Design, and one day Erano called me up Io ask
wheIher I was inIeresIed in joining lorces. I really
respecIed Iheir work. So we became a collaboraIive
Ieam and basically picked oll Ihe compeIiIion IhaI
way. Kennedy & Violichs designs lor buildings and
sIrucIures are based on a kind ol sysIems approach:
Ihey Ihink abouI occupying surlaces in Ierms ol
movemenI. In Iheir scheme lor Ihe projecI Ihere
is a sysIem ol lurnishingsall uIilizable in some
wayIhaI move Ihrough Ihe siIe and a sysIem ol
canopies, which provide proIecIion. In response, I
sIarIed Io Ihink abouI Ihe landscape as a sysIem, as
an ecological sysIem consisIing ol individual planI-
ers IhaI mighI reclaim Ihe riparian edge ol Ihe river.
Kennedy and Violich were greaI Io work wiIh.
They never once said, "No, you should be doing
iI Ihis way." We basically developed our own
ideas in a common vocabulary and program. The
EasI River Eerry
Landings
New York, New York
70 LA51 PIvLP FLPPY LANDI N05
CPlN DlCK GP/flNG
SCLlD PllP DlCKlNG
PllP SfPUCfUPl CPlN fC W/flP
PlP/Pl/N PL/NflNGS CN SfPUCfUPl
SHlLflP
CPlN fC W/flP llPPY
PlP/Pl/N PL/NflNGS
CN SfPUCfUPl
|n|t|a| concept stud|es for the Last R|ver Ferry Land|ngs were
based on a set of p|anters that carr|ed |nto the water.
71 LA51 PIvLP FLPPY LANDI N05
subsIrucIure was designed by engineers, so we boIh
responded Io a sIrucIural armaIure, wiIh Kennedy
& Violichs buildings olIenIimes siIIing on piers.
They were working wiIh a series ol organic lorms
on Iheir rool sIrucIures. These are lolded surlaces,
and while my own lolded lorms are much more
angular Ihan Iheirs, Ihe combined design resulIs in
a dialogue ol lolded or warped lorms.
JA: ThIs hIgh-prohle proect has some real lImI-
tatIons In terms oI what you, as the landscape
archItect, can achIeve. DescrIbe the sIte Issues
you are dealIng wIth.
KS: The projecI underwenI severe value engineering
in which a loI ol my design was cuI. We also had
some dilLculIy geIIing environmenIal approval.
I Lnd iI ironic IhaI Ihe riparian marsh planIers,
which do Ihe mosI environmenIal good, are so dilL-
culI Io geI approved. II is Ihe parI ol my projecI IhaI
mosI speaks Io Ihe loss ol Ihe naIural riparian edge
and environmenIal issues. BuI while we can geI
permiIs Io build plaIlorms lor people Io walk on
and lor boaIs Io Iie up Io, Ihe riparian planIings,
which acIually do some good in Ierms ol visibiliIy
and communicaIe Ihe imporIance and loss ol
Ihe riparian environmenI, are Ihe pieces IhaI are
geIIing mosI criIiqued. IIs very lrusIraIing. We sIill
donI have all Ihe approvals necessary Io consIrucI
Ihe marsh planIers, and Ihis parI ol Ihe projecI is
in danger ol being deleIed. II jusI breaks my hearI.
I sIarIed work on Ihis projecI in 2001 wiIh
some very simple FhoIoshop sIudies. AI Ihe begin-
ning Ihere was a seI ol lorms IhaI carried inIo Ihe
waIer. As Ihe projecI moved lorward, my sIall did a
loI ol research on soils, drainage, and oIher aspecIs
ol river ecosysIems. The sIrucIure evolved lrom an
original design ol sloped planIers made ol wood
piles (expecIing we would have pier consIrucIion
wiIh wood piles), Io one ol sIeel H-piles once Ihe
engineer decided IhaI sIeel made Ihe mosI sense
sIrucIurally and economically.
PlP/Pl/N PL/NflNGS WlfH PHCfCVCLf/lC P/NlLS
CPlN DlCK GP/flNG
CCVlPlD W/LKW/Y
|n|t|a| concept study
72 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
Sl/W/LLS lLlllN/flS PlP/Pl/N VlGlf/flCN /f fHl PlVlP'S lDGl
HlGH-flDl
LCW-flDl
lUD-lLCCP
lN / N/fUP/L flD/L PlVlP fHlS WCULD Bl /N lNVlPCNllNf/LLY
PlCH VlGlf/flCN /CNl WHlCH lS /BSlNf lN fHl l/Sf PlVlP lDGl
BlC/USl Cl fHl Sl/W/LL
Before the des|gn was presented to the c||ent, K5L/
co||ected |nformat|on on so||s, dra|nage, and other aspects
of r|ver ecosystems that perta|ned to the Last R|ver s|te.
LA51 PIvLP FLPPY LANDI N05
73 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
UPL/ND HlGH l/PSH LCW l/PSH lNflPflD/L /CNl
|n|t|a| concept stud|es
74 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
(Upper lcrs| - H|g| l|ce P|cnl /sscc|cl|cn (v|l| lcpcgrcp||c vcr|cl|cn)
WlNDllLL flDl W/flP lPPlG/flCN SYSfll
&%2290)%2
/0%.$%#+'2!4).'!.$0,!.4$%42)453:/.%
(P|ver Wcler fcr Sc|l Wcler P|cnls)
(Slcrec Pc|n Wcler frcn Pccf cnc Pcv|ng Puncff fcr lres| Wcler P|cnls)
0!2+02/-%.!$%
&,/!4).'$/#+
The p|anted boxes have e|evated and |ow areas m|m|ck|ng a
natura| r|ver s|ope. /n art|f|c|a| |rr|gat|on system pumps r|ver
water |nto the boxes.
oppos|te:
Montage of |n|t|a| des|gn study
75 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
JA: The warped rectangular Iorm has somethIng
In common wIth the pleatIng oI the HIrIya
landhll proect, although the scales are vastly
dIIIerent.
KS: Yes, Ihis similariIy reecIs my move Ioward
verIical green and lolding lorms. CreaIing a Iopog-
raphy was imporIanI Io me because Ihe projecI
was abouI repairing an edge, and Ihe riparian edge
is inherenIly a graded slope. In Ihe EasI River, Ihe
Iidal ucIuaIion is abouI six leeI beIween high and
low Iide. In a naIural condiIion Ihe rivers gradaIed
slope dissipaIes Ihe energy ol Ihe rivers movemenI
allowing Iidal planI communiIies ol primarily spar-
Iina grass Io Ihrive. The ecology ol Ihe EasI River
has been alIered Ihrough land Llling and consIruc-
Iion ol sea walls, and Iodays currenIs would noI
allow Ihese Iypes ol communiIies Io exisI wiIhouI
some kind ol proIecIive sIrucIure. Simply planI-
ing sparIina grass in a slope on Ihe river wouldnI
work in Ihis alIered environmenI because Ihe river
currenIs would jusI scour Ihem away. The planIers
are acIually necessary Io proIecI Ihe grass. In Ihe
given space Ihere wasnI enough room Io creaIe a
Irue gradaIed slope IhaI would supporI Ihe range
ol low marsh, high marsh, and upland border.
InsIead, as a sculpIural noIion, I developed a lold-
ing sIrucIure IhaI has elevaIed areas and lower
ones. An irrigaIion sysIem pumps river waIer inIo
Ihe planIed boxes, a kind ol arIiLcial Iide, which
resulIs in a dillerenIiaIion ol planI selecIion sorIing
iIsell ouI wiIhin Ihe planIers. Necessarily, Ihe lower
areas, where more moisIure gaIhers, have a greaIer
populaIion ol mussels and Ihings like IhaI. AI high
Iide Ihese areas will geI ooded.
JA: The plantIng boxes maRe what used to be
a natural condItIon~vegetated shorelIne~pos-
sIble agaIn, but In a manner that reBects the
engIneered condItIon. Is there some Inherent
wrong-doIng In thIs7 The Ireshwater IrrIgatIon
needed Ior the spartIna grasses and IoreIgn,
76 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
PllP DlCKlNG
CPlN W/flP
(12 |cur |nnuccl|cn fcr |cv ncrs|)
2 veek |nnuccl|cn fcr ||g| ncrs|
(Upper cnc Lcver f|cc| lcrs| P|cnl /sscc|cl|cns
v|l| lcpcgrcp||c vcr|cl|cns)
/s the marsh p|anters were deve|oped |n response to the
r|ver cond|t|ons, |nstead of be|ng submerged, where strong
currents wou|d damage the p|ant|ngs, they were ra|sed
s||ght|y above h|gh t|de.
77 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
WlNDllLL flDl W/flP lPPlG/flCN
(P|ver Wcler fcr Sc|l Wcler P|cnls)
(Slcrec Pc|n Wcler frcn Pccf cnc Pcv|ng
Puncff fcr lres| Wcler P|cnls)
(Upper cnc Lcver f|cc| lcrs| P|cnl /sscc|cl|cns
UPL/ND BCPDlP PL/NflNGS CN BULKHl/D /Pl/
(Lcv cnc fc|| Up|cnc Bcrcer P|cnl /sscc|cl|cns
5tudy for marsh p|anters at 34th 5treet
78
LCW PlP/Pl/N PL/NflNGS
(Up|cnc Bcrcer Ccnnun|ly)
Ccllc||s
Pus|es
Sv|lc| Grcss
Bullcn Bus|
l|cercerry
W||c l|cvers
lcrs| lcr|gc|cs
Gc|cenrcc
/sler, elc.
f/LL PlP/Pl/N PL/NflNGS
(Up|cnc Bcrcer Ccnnun|ly)
Jun|per
/|cer
lcrs| l|cer
Pcse lc||cv
P/VlllNf fYPl /
fCPCGP/PHlC V/Pl/flCN /f PL/NflNGS
SHUffLl BUS fUPN /PCUND
P/VlllNf fYPl B BlNCHlS
5tudy for marsh p|anters at 65th 5treet
79 00NvLP5A1I0N5
CPlN DlCK GP/flNG
SCLlD PllP DlCKlNG
lLC/flNG DCCK/Glf DCWN /Pl/
PlP/Pl/N PL/NflNGS CN SfPUCfUPl (v|l| lcpcgrcp||c vcr|cl|cn)
(Upper lcrs| - H|g| f|ce P|cnl /sscc|cl|cn, fv|ce lcnl| lnnunccl|cn)
Spcrl|nc (Ccrcgrcss)
Juncus (B|cck Grcss)
D|sl|c|||s (D|lc| Grcss)
Sc||ccrn|c (G|cssvcrl)
L|ncn|un (Sec Lcvenccr)
/sler (Sc|l lcrs| /sler)
Sc||ccgc (SecS|ce Gc|cenrcc)
T0P: 5econd-pass des|gn study for marsh
p|anters at 90th 5treet
B0TT0M: Mode| of |n|t|a| des|gn study
over|eaf:
Montage of second-pass des|gn study
80 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
81 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
82 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
83 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
IortIhed plantIng soIls wIll enter Into the rIver
system, and one could ImagIne, II thIs
proect served as a model Ior mIles oI shorelIne,
the rIver water's nutrIent balance would be
dIsturbed.
KS: Well, Ihis projecI is inIended lor a sIreIch ol
river IhaI is already irreparably ouI ol balance.
II addresses Ihe issue ol how we respond Io an
alIered riparian environmenI and how we can
creaIe an awareness ol Ihe problem. Because ol
Ihe rivers bulkhead walls and alIered currenIs, iI
is impossible Io grow a riparian marsh in naIu-
ral condiIions here, so I resorIed Io designing a
planIer sysIem IhaI would allow bringing back Ihe
SparIina communiIy under conIrolled and proIecI-
ed condiIions. The planIer box is a very pracIical
soluIion, buI Io make iI work in Ihe alIered ecol-
ogy ol Ihe EasI River iI is necessary Io inIroduce
irrigaIion using boIh brackish waIer and a back-up
sysIem ol lresh waIer Io supporI Ihe planIings. The
planIer boxes are designed Io receive only limiIed
Iidal ushing, in order Io proIecI Ihe planIings
lrom Ihe damage ol sIrong currenIs. SupplemenIal
waIer is pumped lrom Ihe river and disIribuIed
Ihrough a sysIem ol open Iroughs and spouIs Io
provide an arIiLcial Iidal inux ol brackish waIer
and nuIrienIs. There is also an auxiliary back-up
sysIem ol lresh waIer in case Ihere is a problem
wiIh Ihe brackish waIer sysIem. I designed Ihe
laIIer Io be a visible componenI ol Ihe planIers.
IIs parI ol our aIIempI Io expose Ihe sIrucIure ol
whaI we creaIed, Io reveal Ihe sysIems IhaI propa-
gaIe and susIain Ihe planIs. I wanIed Io show Ihe
mechanics and Ihe complexiIy ol Ihe maIerials
and sysIems, so Ihey become an accessible parI ol
undersIanding Ihe landscape. Im noI inIeresIed in
covering up and denying Ihese Ihings.
JA: Do you IdentIIy thIs concern wIth revealIng
structure and IunctIon as a modernIst straIn In
your worR7
oppos|te:
Mode| of second-pass des|gn study
84 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
0onstruct|on concept of second-pass des|gn study
85 P0NNI N0 HLAD5 LA51 PIvLP FLPPY LANDI N05
86 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
2
L34:5M-409
A
A
L34:5M-409
L34:5M-409
A
80'-0" o.c.
9
0
.0
0
-
1
5
'-0
"
1
5
'-
0
"
1
6
'-2
3
/4
"
10'-0"
8'-10"
10'-0"
1'-2" 8'-10" 1'-2" 1'-2"
10'-0"
8'-10" 1'-2" 8'-10" 1'-2" 1'-2"
CORNER DETAL
1.20
1
4" X 8" WOOD DECKNG
4" X 8" WOOD SDNG
1.22
4
1.22
2
4
1.22
1.22
3
STEEL BEAM: SEE
ENGNEER DWG
STEEL H-PLE: SEE
ENGNEER DWG
Q P N M L K J H
STEEL FRAME: SEE
ENGNEER DWG
SALTWATER RRGATON
SUPPLY CHANNEL
SALTWATER SCUPPER
SALTWATER PPE
FRESHWATER RRGATON
SUPPLY CHANNEL
MARSHPLANTER
PLAN
1/4" = 1' - 0"
MARSHPLANTER SUBSTRUCTURE
PLAN
1/4" = 1' - 0"
1
10'-0" 10'-0" 10'-0" 10'-0" 10'-0"
8'-10" 1'-2" 8'-10" 8'-10" 8'-10"
1
6
'-2
3
/4
"
2
1.15
1
1.19
0onstruct|on documents
87 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
MHD +/- 0.00
P Q N M L K J H
MARSHPLANTER 1/4" = 1' - 0"
MARSHPLANTER 1/4" = 1' - 0"
ELEVATON
SECTON LOOKNG WEST
MLAN H|GH H|GH wATLP (THL H|GHLST T|DL PLCOPDLD)
MLAN H|GH wATLP (AvLPAGL H|GH T|DL)
MANHATTAN H|GHwA DATUM(PO|NT SLT 8 DOT)
1
2
TOP OF WALKWAY + 6.7 MHD
MHHW+ 0.39 MHD
MHW+ 0.05 MHD
MLW- 4.5 MHD
NOTE:
CONFRM DMENSON
OF TOP OF -BEAM TO ALGN
WTH + 0.29 MHD
CANOPY STRUCTURE:
SEE ARCH. DWGS
2
'-6
"
2
'-6
"
1
'-5
"
TOP OF WALKWAY + 6.7 MHD
MHHW+ 0.39 MHD
MHW+ 0.05 MHD
MLW- 4.5 MHD
MHD +/- 0.00
1
'-2
"
2
'-6
"
2
'-6
"
CANOPY STRUCTURE:
SEE ARCH. DWGS
MARSH PLANTER
STRUCTURE: SEE ENGNEER DWGS
1
L34:A-Z.4.0
A
L34:5M-409
Z
L34L-1.Z0
1
L34:A-Z.4.0
88 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
1
PLANTER WALL 4"x8"
PRESSURE TREATED TMBER
ANCHOR: 2 STEEL CHANNELS 6" X 4" X 1/4',
WELDED TO H-PLE
STEEL H-PLE
SEE ENGNEER'S DRAWNG L34:5M-409
A
L34:5M-409
A
L34:5M-409
A
Z
3
+
0
.2
9
M
H
D
+0.29 MHD
+0.29 MHD
TOP OF BEAM: + 0.29 MHD
FLOOR DECKNG 4"x8"
PLANTER WALL 4"x8"
STEEL H-PLE
SEE ENGNEER'S DRAWNG
STEEL H-PLE
SEE ENGNEER'S DRAWNG
SOL LNE TYP.
AXONOMETRC MARSH PLANTER
STRUCTURAL FRAME
PLANTER WALL
FLOOR DECKNG
PLANTER WALL ANCHORS
SECTON MARSH PLANTER
1/4" = 1'-0"
1" = 1'-0"
DETAL STEEL ANCHOR
2" = 1'-0"
PLAN / SECTON
2
'-6
"
1
0
5
.7
7
-
6"
7/8"
2
'-6
"
0onstruct|on documents
89 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
15'-0"
TOP OF PED. BRDGE:
+6.7 MHD
1 12 HP SALTWATER P%MP
BOLTED TO -BEAM
SALTWATER RRGATON CHANNEL
SALTWATER FEED PPE
FLTER
CANOPY
SEE ARCHTECT'S DRAWNGS
PEDESTRAN BRDGE
SEE ARCHTECT'S DRAWNGS
MARSH PLANTER
S%PPORT CONSTR%CTON:
SEE ENGNEER DRAWNGS
NEWESPLANADE
RALNG
CAST N PLACE
PGMENTED CONCRETE
SALT WATER SC%PPER
FRESHWATER RRGATON
FEED LNE
P%MP PLATFORM
SEE ARCH DWGS
FRESH WATER FEED PPE MHHW+ .39 MHD
TOP OF BOTTOM BEAM AT
BOTTOM OF PLANTER SET
AT + .29 MHD
MLW- .5 MHD
1
'-5
"
2
'-6
"
2
'-6
"
3
'-0
"
1
0
"
1
7.0
1
1.22
1
1.20
1
5.0
1
E34:A-2.4.0
1
E34:A-1.0.0
1
1.22
A
E34th:SM-408
2
1.22
3
1.23
1
E34:A-2.4.0
KS: Yes. Basically you have Ihe lorm ol Ihe lunc-
Iion. BuI Im also inIeresIed in Ihe overlap beIween
sIrucIure and Ihe symbolic. Il you look aI Ihe
Seagram Building, Ihe columns on Ihe ouIside do
provide Ihe necessary supporI lor Ihe curIain wall
buI Iheyre also purely symbolic. The use ol Ihe I-
beam is boIh a decoraIive and a sIrucIural elemenI.
JA: At what moment In the Last RIver proect
does perceptIon shIIt Irom awareness oI the
urban condItIon~the engIneered rIver way, the
archItectural promenade~to notIcIng the
vItal detaIl oI water current, barnacle crustIng,
tIdal Bux7
KS: There are Ien marsh boxes. On a bridge nexI Io
Ihem, designed by Kennedy & Violich, is a public
walkway, and aI boIh ends ol Ihe walkway is Ihe
seawall. When youre on Ihe bridge, youre acIually
in and over Ihe waIer, you see Ihe waIer beIween
Ihe seawall and Ihe bridge, so you are aware ol Ihe
arIiLcialiIy ol Ihe river environmenI IhaI weve
creaIed in conIemporary ciIies. BuI I Ihink Ihere
is a sense ol awe and wonder in being placed in
a siIuaIion where youre over and surrounded by
waIer and close up Io a "primordial" marsh grass
communiIyyou can almosI Iouch and smell Ihe
marsh and hear Ihe gurgling ol Ihe bivalves. While
iIs noI a Irue marsh, obviously, you do geI a sense
ol Ihe vegeIaIion beIween you and Ihe open waIer,
and Ihis sIarIs Io seI up Ihe kind ol experience
you would have in a naIural siIuaIion. The noIion
ol urban ecology is engaged by Ihe conIemporary
condiIion ol Ihe waIers edge. This experience is
rooIed in Ihe pragmaIics ol Ihe place and in whaI
iI Iakes Io make Ihis maIerial sIrucIurally sound.
The design accomplishes Ihis in a symbolic way
IhaI speaks Io Ihe loss ol Ihe naIural environmenI
and creaIes a phenomenal experience.
# MEAN HIGH HIGH WATER (THE HIGHEST TIDE RECORDED)
# MEAN HIGH WATER (AVERAGE HIGH TIDE)
MANHATTAN HIGHWAY DATUM (POINT SET BY DOT)
90 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
Montage of f|na| des|gn
oppos|te:
Mode| of f|na| des|gn
91 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
92 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
93 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
I.S. 1 s a pro-hono Jesgn project commssoneJ hy
the Rohn HooJ lounJaton as part oj the successjul
Lhrary Intatve," a program that engages leaJng
archtects to hulJ lhrares n the ctys neeJest negh-
horhooJs. It s the jrst lanJscape project supporteJ hy
the jounJaton. Ken Smths schoolyarJ scheme ojjers
a halance oj pragmatsm anJ prJe, jeaturng low-cost,
junctonal anJ lJ-orenteJ solutons to typcal conJ-
tons such as hounJary Jejnton, excessve asphalt
pavng, anJ the neeJ jor play space to he halanceJ
wth opportuntes jor outJoor learnng. lve prototype
elements were JevelopeJ anJ then moJjeJ to aJJress
specjc characterstcs oj the I.S. 1 ste. In phase one,
graphcs were panteJ on the asphalt pavng anJ on
the walls oj the temporary" classrooms (now twenty
years olJ). Later a clouJ scrm was stretcheJ across
the schoolyarJs chan lnl jence, rasng the eye to
an always-hlue sly permeter. A curtaneJ space jor
reaJng was proposeJ, anJ moJular seatng maJe out
oj stanJarJ ppe segments was jahrcateJ. The two ele-
ments most popular are the lnear garJen jor hutterjes
anJ hrJs anJ the movahle mn Jumpsters useJ jor
teachng anJ expermental plantngs.
JA: Now that your scheme Ior P.S. 19 has been In
place Ior over two years, what bIgger Issues have
emerged Irom thIs proect to Impact your other
worR7
KS: F.S. 1 is Ihe largesI elemenIary school in New
York CiIy. In 2003 we compleIed Ihe projecIwe
had Lnished all design, collaboraIed wiIh Ihe lab-
ricaIors and volunIeer groups, insIalled Ihe planI-
ings, Lnished painIing, and puI up Ihe cloud scrim.
We had seI up all elemenIs ol our design, buI Ihe
big unknown was how Ihe sIudenIs and Ieachers
would acIually use Ihe landscape. Eor example, we
werenI sure how Ihe learning gardens, a series ol
planIed dumpsIers, would develop inIo more Ihan
jusI someIhing IhaI was insIalled. There needed Io
be some mechanism IhaI inIegraIed Ihe garden and
iIs pieces inIo Ihe school lile. When I visiIed F.S. 1
F.S. 1
Queens, New York
94 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
Photographs of ex|st|ng cond|t|ons at P.5. 19 and at 1ackson
Bou|evard (bottomj
oppos|te top and fo||ow|ng spreads:
F|ve prototype e|ements were deve|oped and mod|f|ed to
address the spec|f|c character|st|cs of P.5. 19. 5hown here
(oppos|te topj |s the schoo|yard fence prototype.
P.5. 19
95 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
/ grcp||c pcne| cf s|gn ncler|c| vcu|c ce |cyerec cver
l|e lcp pcrl|cn cf l|e lc|| sc|cc| ycrc fence lc crecle
c slrcng |ncge fcr l|e sc|cc| cnc v|suc||y cuffer l|e
e|evclec lrc|n.
Prccucl syslens fcr l||s cpp||ccl|cn |nc|uce.
1. Pr|nlec les| lccr|c, usec fcr f|nes Sucre ccverl|s|ng
2. Pef|ecl|ve Pc|||elles, usec fcr ccr vcs| s|gncge
P.5. 19
96 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
/ gcrcen cf snc|| p|cnl|ngs ccu|c ce ceve|cpec
cy f||||ng ccnncn cunpslers ||ke l|cse usec cy
l|e Bccrc cf lcuccl|cn v|l| sc|| cnc p|cnls.
f|e Dunpslers ccu|c ce pc|nlec |n grcp||c
cc|crs. S|crl cunpslers s|cu|c ce se|eclec
lc ref|ecl c c|||c's |e|g|l. / vcler fcucel s|cu|c
ce |ccclec necrcy fcr nc|nlencnce.
5choo|yard p|ant|ngs prototype
P.5. 19
97 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
PVC crc|ncge p|pe ccnncn|y usec |n ccnslrucl|cn
vcu|c ce ccnf|gurec lc crecle c c|verse sell|ng cf
nccu|cr cnc pcrlcc|e secl|ng e|enenls.
f||s ||g|lve|g|l cnc curcc|e syslen cf slcnccrc
ccnpcnenls |nc|uce p|pe secl|cns, enc ccps cnc c
vcr|ely cf f|ll|ngs cnc ccup|ers rcng|ng |n s|zes frcn
8" lc 3" c|cneler.
5choo|yard modu|ar seat|ng prototype
P.5. 19
98 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
/ grcp||c ccrpel ccu|c ce creclec |n l|e sc|cc|
ycrc us|ng pc|nl ||ke l|cl usec cy l|e D.C.f.
f|e ccrpel ccu|c |cenl|fy spec|f|c use crecs cr
g|ve cn cverc|| |cenl|ly cnc sense cf p|cce lc l|e
v|c|e s|le. Pef|ecl|ve g|css ceccs ||ke l|cse
usec |n c|ly crcssvc|ks ccu|c g|ve spcrk|e
cnc ||fe lc pcrl|cu|cr crecs cf l|e grcp||c pcllern.
Pav|ng and wa||s graph|cs prototype
P.5. 19
99 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
/n culcccr curlc|n cf ccnslrucl|cn nell|ng vcu|c
ce usec lc enc|cse c recc|ng spcce.
f|e lrcnspcrency cf l|e curlc|n ncler|c| vcu|c
crecle cn crec v||c| |s ccl| spcl|c||y cef|nec cnc
v|s|c|y cpen. By ncv|ng l|e curlc|n l|e spcce
ccu|c ce lrcnsfcrnec fcr c|ffernecl lypes cf ccl|v|ly.
P|ace to read prototype
P.5. 19
100 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
abouI Iwo monIhs ago, I discovered IhaI Ihe enIire
school had made Ihe learning garden Ihe locus ol
Iheir sIudies lor Ihe spring semesIer. The arI classes,
Ihe science classesevery Ieacher was doing Ihings
IhaI involved Ihe learning garden. II jusI blew me
away. II made a big impacI.
This projecI was really an essay lor me, because
in cerIain socially orienIed schools and Iheories ol
public spaces, Ihere is Ihis sense IhaI you canI have
good design and social responsibiliIy aI Ihe same
Iime. IIs Ihe same kind ol specious argumenI as say-
ing you canI have good design and environmenIal
responsiveness aI Ihe same Iime. F.S. 1 was my
essay on how you can have social responsibiliIy and
communiIy service wiIhin someIhing IhaI is a good
design supporIed by a sIrong visual vocabulary.
JA: Are there pIeces oI that strong vIsual vocabu-
lary that are elbowIng out addItIonal program7
The crItIc In me sees the polRa dots as gratu-
Itous, the RId In me sees prIme terrItory.
KS: I Ihink everyIhing is preIIy well inIegraIed.
Well know in a lew more years il cerIain parIs
donI LI inIo Ihe general scheme. Eor example,
weve had some problems wiIh Ihe wind caIching
Ihe cloud scrim. II has Io be reIied once or Iwice
a year when we have especially sIrong winds. The
scrim is inherenIly Ihe mosI Iemporal parI ol Ihe
landscape because Ihe maIerial iIsell has only a
shell lile ol Lve years or so. II is commercially
inkjeI-prinIed and comes in big rolls, so iI can
easily be replicaIed and replaced. WheIher or noI
Ihe school will choose Io do so I donI know. IIs
Ihe mosI ephemeral piece in Ihe design, Ihe leasI
enduring in some ways, buI iI was also Ihe one
IhaI made Ihe biggesI splash in Ierms ol IoIally
readjusIing Ihe percepIion ol Ihe place. IIs Ihe ele-
menI IhaI will require Ihe mosI commiImenI Io
replace. IIs similar Io Ihe Japanese garden aI Ise,
where Ihey rebuild Ihe Iemple every IwenIy years.
All public space involves a riIual ol renewal. IIs Ihe
riIual ol sweeping Ihe pavemenI or picking up Ihe
Modu|ar seat|ng mock-up
P.5. 19
101 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
5tudy mode| of schoo|yard prototypes
P.5. 19
102 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
PPCClSS
BLUl
llPl
PlD
llDlUl
CP/NGl
llPl
PlD
llPl
PlD
llDlUl
CP/NGl
PPCClSS
PUPPLl
LllCN
YlLLCW
PPCClSS
BLUl
llPl
PlD
PPCClSS
GPllN l/GlNf/
LllCN
YlLLCW
l/GlNf/
LllCN
YlLLCW
LllCN
YlLLCW l/GlNf/
PPCClSS
BLUl
PPCClSS
BLUl
PPCClSS
PUPPLl
LllCN
YlLLCW
llDlUl
CP/NGl
PPCClSS
GPllN
llPl
PlD
llDlUl
CP/NGl
LllCN
YlLLCW
PPCClSS
BLUl
LllCN
YlLLCW
llPl
PlD
llDlUl
CP/NGl
PPCClSS
GPllN
PPCClSS
PUPPLl
PPCClSS
GPllN SCPllN
ClPCLlCCNflNUlS
CN /SPH/Lf
Ncrl|l|evcl|cnBu||c|ng4
Scul|l|evcl|cnBu||c|ng4 Wesll|evcl|cnBu||c|ng4
lcsll|evcl|cnBu||c|ng4
Ncrl|l|evcl|cnBu||c|ng1 Scul|l|evcl|cnBu||c|ng1 lcsll|evcl|cnBu||c|ng1 Wesll|evcl|cnBu||c|ng1
Wesll|evcl|cnBu||c|ng2 lcsll|evcl|cnBu||c|ng2 Scul|l|evcl|cnBu||c|ng2 Ncrl|l|evcl|cnBu||c|ng2
Ncrl|l|evcl|cnBu||c|ng3 Scul|l|evcl|cnBu||c|ng3 lcsll|evcl|cnBu||c|ng3 Wesll|evcl|cnBu||c|ng3
5choo|yard graph|cs, e|evat|ons
P.5. 19
103 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
lNflPPPlflVl SlGN lNflPPPlflVl SlGN
SHPlDDlD B/PK P/fH
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f
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C
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f
U
P
l

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lP
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B
U
f
f
l
P
l
L
Y

P
L
/
N
f
lN
G
S
BLUl SKY SCPll
CN lXlSflNG llNCl
NlWllNCl
P/lNf GP/PHlCS CN /SPH/Lf
NlWG/fl
3 WlLLCWfPllS
- S/WCUf 8' Dl/llflP CPlNlNGS
lN /SPH/Lf
- GP/Nlfl BLCCK Hl/DlPS /f fPll CPlNlNG
- ' P/DlUS P/lNf PlNG /PCUND
CCBBLlSfCNl ClPCLl
DUlPSflP PL/NflPS
- CUSfCl lCDllllD 2 CUBlC Y/PD
DUlPSflPS WlfHCUf LlDS
- CUSfCl P/lNf CCLCPS
- DlVlPSl CPN/llNf/L PL/NflNGS
lXlSflNG fPllS
PP/lPll/CLD lllLD
ll/DCW
WlLDlLCWlPS
WCCDL/ND SH/Dl
& UNDlPGPCWfH
G/PDlN BCPDlP
PL/NflNGS
GP/Nlfl BLCCK Hl/DlPS
"l/LLlN LCG" Pl/DlNG Sl/fS
GlPC l/BPlC/flCN W/BlC llNlSH
lXlSflNG llNCl fC Bl PllCVlD
CPN/llNf/L
SH/Dl G/PDlN
lXlSflNG UflLlfllS
W/flP PlPl
Sl/flNG lLlllNfS
CUPf/lN Pl/DlNG PCCl
- 3 SUPPCPf PCLlS
- lNDUSfPl/L GP/Dl H/NGlNG fP/CK
- lNDUSfPl/L l/BPlC CUPf/lN
WlfH fll-B/CKS & WllGHflD BCffCl
SClf SUPl/Cl
WlfHlN CUPf/lN /Pl/
///Ll/ PL/NflNG BlD
CUf lPCl /SPH/Lf
WlfH GP/Nlfl BLCCK Hl/DlPS
N/fUPl SfUDY /Pl/
B/lBCC PL/NflNG BlD
CUf lPCl /SPH/Lf
GP/SSlS PL/NflNG BlD
CUf lPCl /SPH/Lf
WlfH GP/Nlfl BLCCK
Hl/DlPS
LlL/C PL/NflNG BlD
CUf lPCl /SPH/Lf
"l/LLlN LCG" Pl/DlNG Sl/fS
GlPC l/BPlC/flCN W/BlC llNlSH
BLUl SKY SCPll
CN lXlSflNG llNCl
1 BlPD HCUSlS
5choo|yard prototypes, p|an
P.5. 19
104 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
P|acement of b|ue sky" scr|m,
2003
105 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
107 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
5choo|yard fence w|th b|ue sky" scr|m
P.5. 19
108 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
The B|rd and Butterf|y 0arden
was p|anted w|th the he|p of
vo|unteers on Larth Day |n
2003.
109 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
111 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
B|rd and Butterf|y 0arden, summer 2003
P.5. 19
112 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
The dumpster p|anters were sca|ed
down to a s|ze comfortab|e for
e|emetary schoo| students to p|ant
and care for.
113 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
115 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
v|ew of comp|eted schoo|yard from 1ackson Bou|evard
P.5. 19
116 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
Irash. Renewing Ihe scrim has a longer Iemporal
Iime lrame Ihan sweeping and a shorIer one Ihan
rebuilding a Iemple, buI essenIially iIs all Ihe same
riIual ol conIinuiIy.
The Ieachers spray-painIed numbers on Ihe
dumpsIers, and each class signs up lor one dump-
sIer garden. There is a lair amounI ol compeIiIion
beIween classes as Ihe sIudenIs adopI Ihe gardens
and Iake over Ihe planIing and weeding. In Ihe
summer Ihe gardens are mainIained by Ihe New
York ResIoraIion FrojecI, buI evenIually Ihe school
will Iake over.
When I reviewed Ihe projecI a couple ol
monIhs ago, I lound a lew bare spoIs in Ihe bird
and buIIery garden buI mosI everyIhing else did
well. There were areas IhaI needed Io be replanIed,
and I realized IhaI Ihere was noI enough ol a win-
Ier bone sIrucIure. I had planIed cerIain shrubs,
including ilex and junipers, buI iI now became
clear IhaI Ihere werenI quiIe enough. So I decided
we needed Io do a supplemenIal planIing. I meI
wiIh sIudenIs who gave me a lisI ol Ihings Ihey
wanIed Io see in Ihe garden. One sIudenI wanIed
roses so Ive added roses, and somebody else wanI-
ed a bird baIh. IIs Iough Io design a garden lor an
academic calendar, which is, wiIh iIs long break
in Ihe summer, exacIly Ihe opposiIe ol when Ihe
planIs wanI Io grow.
This is a garden Ihe kids see every day when
Ihey come Io school. IIs visible lrom Ihe class-
rooms and lrom Ihe sIreeI on Ihree sides. There are
cerIain areas where you acIually pass Ihrough iIil
you enIer lrom Ihe wesI side ol Ihe schoolyard you
walk Ihrough iI on your way Io Ihe school. And as
parI ol Ihe overall environmenI ol Ihe schoolyard,
iIs parI ol Ihe sIudenIs daily lile.
JA: Has there been any vandalIsm7
KS: No. There used Io be a loI ol vandalism aI Ihe
schoolgralLIi mosIlyand while I do believe IhaI
design can make a dillerence, I would never have
P.5. 19
117 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
promised Ihe school IhaI my garden would solve
a gralLIi or vandalism problem. BuI Ihe building
engineers and Ihe superinIendenIs have Iold me
IhaI Ihere has been almosI no vandalism or gral-
LIi since Ihe garden wenI in, which is jusI amaz-
ing. IIs noI jusI Ihe sIudenIs buI also Ihe parenIs
who really love Ihis garden. IIs an imporIanI ele-
menI ol Ihe communiIy now, and communiIies
have cerIain means ol enlorcing social norms. Il
someIhing isnI accepIable wiIhin Ihe communiIy,
people leI each oIher know IhaI.
Th|s photo was taken fo||ow|ng comp|et|on of the schoo|yard
graph|cs |n 2002.
P.5. 19
118 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
119 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
121 P0NNI N0 HLAD5 P.5. 19
122 P0NNI N0 HLAD5 P.5. 19
123 P0NNI N0 HLAD5 P.5. 19
125 P0NNI N0 HLAD5 P.5. 19
126 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
127 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
129 P0NNI N0 HLAD5 P.5. 19
130 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
131 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
133 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
In Ihe work ol Ken SmiIh, landscape archiIecIure is
a reinvigoraIed Ihree-dimensional arI lorm. SmiIh
is devoIed boIh Io modern landscape aesIheIics
as seen in projecIs by American landscape archi-
IecIs Dan Kiley (1122004), Faul Eriedberg (b.
131), and RoberI Zion (b. 121)and Io Ihe
expression ol a conIemporary urban place IhaI
engages Ihe public Ihrough Ihe arIisIic and inven-
Iive use ol naIural and arIiLcial maIerials. Erom
Ihe modernisIs SmiIh learned how Io arIiculaIe
Ihe dillerences beIween hardscapes and solIscapes,
Io expose sIrucIure, Io emphasize Ihe conIrasI
beIween urban loresIs and open spaces, and Io
lormulaIe his idea ol a sublime consIrucIed naIure
IhaI enhances urban experience. SmiIh also ollers
an ironic view ol conIemporary culIure, imbuing
his works wiIh conIenI in a subIle manipulaIion ol
lorm, maIerial, and IexIure IhaI encourages observ-
ers Io perceive Iheir environmenI in a new way.
Eor SmiIh Ihe garden is LrsI a place ol separa-
Iion, as experienced in walled villa gardens IhaI
remove people lrom Ihe everyday. His creaIions are
inspired by sixIeenIh-cenIury IIalian designers who
manipulaIed space Io lorm pleasure gardenssuch
as Ihose aI Tivolis Villa dEsIewiIh laux lakes,
miniaIure waIerlalls, and perspecIive Iricks Io
enhance Ihe gardens scale. InvenIing landscape is
someIhing IhaI landscape archiIecIs have always
done and have always been asked Io do, and Ihis
olIen encourages an arIisIry IhaI SmiIh expresses
by Irying Io reveal boIh naIures naIure and our
naIure in Ihe world. He perceives gardens in lrag-
menIed conIemporary ciIies as lrames lor com-
municaIing ideas IhaI balance culIure and naIure,
arIiLce and naIure, and arI and naIure, every urban
elemenI is a kind ol garden IhaI ollers an opporIu-
niIy Io reweave Ihe ciIy labric. SmiIhs work aI iIs
mosI reLned and IhoughI-provoking has an irony
Io iI, a criIical edge IhaI, as Linda HuIchinson
noIes ol visual arIs, is "a process ol communica-
Iion IhaI enIails Iwo or more meanings being
played oll, one againsI Ihe oIher. The irony is in
Ken SmiIh,
Landscape as
CulIural CriIicism
Nina RappaporI
134 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
Ihe dillerence, irony makes Ihe dillerence. II plays
beIween meanings, in a space IhaI is always allec-
Iively charged, IhaI always has a criIical edge."
1

This play is seen in SmiIhs juxIaposiIion ol
unconvenIional garden maIerials, reuse ol every-
day objecIs, and IranslormaIions ol one lorm inIo
anoIher. The design lor MoMAs camouage rool
garden is an example ol Ihis commenIary, SmiIhs
roolIop insIallaIion raises quesIions abouI whaI is
real in an urban garden made ol arIiLcial maIerials
such as plasIic Irees and glass shards, a laux-scape
IhaI is colorlul year-round and visible only Io
residenIs ol Ihe adjacenI high-rise. The garden is a
camouage boIh ol Ihe building and ol naIure
Ihere is no real naIure, and Ihe aI rool now has
a decor. The uninhabiIable roolscape is lor display
only, noI lor physical experience, iI is similar Io
looking aI a painIing on a wall. Erom a disIance
one cannoI even discern whaI kind ol maIerials are
used, one sees only relaIively inerI color, paIIern,
and lorm.
SmiIhs approach is characIerized by iIs
complemenIary naIures: iI is boIh Ihe approach
ol a creaIive arIisI who has a varied paleIIe and
IhaI ol a pragmaIic cralIsman. This pragmaIism
and his indicaIive love lor IruIhlul deIail allow
SmiIh Io deIermine how everyday maIerials and
Iheir perlormance can be employed Io reveal
Ihe conIenI behind Ihe landscape in Ihe making.
NoI IhaI Ihe nuIs and bolIs are shown, buI Ihe
way Ihe pieces are puI IogeIher is demysIiLed and
visible (alIhough oIher cerebral games may be
being played).
Eor SmiIh clienI and program parameIers are
parI ol Ihe design challenge and Ihe puzzle IhaI
his work has Io LI wiIhin. His work is a sIraIegic
expression ol his preoccupaIion wiIh Ihe public
agencies or clienIs lor whom he is designing.
Eor Ihe renovaIion ol Ihe Lever House Flaza in
New York, SmiIh researched Ihe original schemes
in Ihe Noguchi archives and, wiIh landscape
archiIecI Gavin Keeney, recreaIed Ihe original
T0P /ND 0PP05|TL: Lever House, New York 0|ty,
|andscape restorat|on, 19992002
135 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
136 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
design concepIs while upgrading Ihe plaza lor
conIemporary needs. In Ihe improvemenI projecI
lor Lawrence Halprins dilapidaIed ManhaIIan
Square Fark (174) in RochesIer, New York, Ihe
work was phased so IhaI Ihe disused areas ol Ihe
lounIain and Ihe sIage can be reviIalized, while
Ihe remainder ol Ihe park is only minimally rede-
signed unIil Ihe ciIy obIains lurIher lunding.
AI Ihe same Iime, as an arIisI, SmiIh rein-
vigoraIes landscape archiIecIure as a concepIual
arI lorm, imbuing iI wiIh allusions Io culIure.
Drawing a parallel beIween lashion as a culIural
phenomenon and landscape archiIecIure, he says
boIh are "arIiLcial consIrucIions IhaI LI an organic
body IhaI moves and ucIuaIes. . . . II is an ideologi-
cal expression, making or revealing Ihe body, or in
Ihe case ol landscapeIhe ciIy." SmiIh noIes IhaI
lashion was seen as a regressive arI lorm unIil criI-
ics such as Richard MarIin evaluaIed iI as a lorm
ol culIural expression, and he leels IhaI Ihis is how
Ihe public views landscape design as well. Many ol
SmiIhs projecIs begin as Iemporary insIallaIions.
OlIen made ol disposable maIerials, Ihey give him
Ihe lreedom Io experimenI and invesIigaIe more
complex ideas lor luIure permanenI sIrucIures. The
Iemporary naIure ol Ihese designs emphasizes Ihe
weighIy elemenI ol Iime in landscape archiIecIure,
in relaIion Io boIh naIural and arIiLcial maIerials.
While Ihe arIiLcial elemenIs in SmiIhs works can
be removed, Ihey do noI die or change quickly.
This allows Ihe designer more conIrol over Ihe
paleIIe. In conIrasI, Ihe naIural landscape is pre-
dicIable buI noI sIable. II is rendered Iemporary by
iIs consIanI process ol change while Ihe arIiLcial
landscape is Iemporary because iI is disposable. Eor
example, Ihe synIheIic maIerials ol Ihe MoMA rool
garden need only lasI Ihe lile ol Ihe rool conIrac-
Iors guaranIee.
AlIhough SmiIh does noI promoIe environ-
menIalism per se, he is an environmenIalisI in
subIle ways while noI making a moral disIincIion
ol iI. Eor him Ihe environmenI is someIhing Io be
137 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
respecIed and undersIood as a given. Eor Ihe EasI
River Eerry Landings, lor example, SmiIh selecIed
naIural grasses Io be planIed in oaIing conIain-
ershinIing aI whaI was once Ihere as well as aI
whaI could be il Ihere was no reIaining wall aI Ihe
rivers edge.
SmiIhs design approach reinIegraIes olIen
obscure and lragmenIed siIes inIo Ihe public
realm in celebraIory ways as he Iranslorms Ihem
inIo someIhing beyond Ihe norm. His concepIual
sIraIegies adapI Io Ihe local condiIions and speciLc
siIes in an inducIive meIhod by LrsI appreciaIing
whaI is Ihere. His arIisIic and invenIive yeI pracIi-
cal approach, environmenIal sensiIiviIy, and broad
arIiLcial and naIural maIerial paleIIe, inIerIwine Io
make spaces IhaI Iranslorm daily lile and engage
Ihe public.
1 Linda HuIchinson, )RONYS%DGE (London and New York:
RouIledge, 14), 10S.
138 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
CrediIs
The projects n ths monograph
result jrom a team ejjort n
my ojjce. IJ lle to espe-
cally thanl Llzaheth Asawa,
Senor Assocate, who has heen
nvolveJ n all oj these worls
anJ plays an mportant role
n the operaton oj the ojjce.
The project managers playeJ
a sgnjcant role n the Jesgn
oj each project. Alex lelson jor
the Last Rver lerry LanJngs,
Anne Wenmayr jor I.S. 1,
anJ Tohas Armhorst anJ Matt
LanJs jor the MoMA Rooj
GarJen.
Ken Smth
The Museum ol Modern
ArI Rool Garden
0LI LN1
The Museum ol Modern ArI
LAND50APL AP0HI1L01
Ken SmiIh Landscae ArchiIecI
DL5I0N 1LAM
Tobias ArmborsI
ElizabeIh Asawa
David Hamerman
MaII Landis
Rocio LasIras
Ken SmiIh
Annie Weinmayr
JudiIh Wong
ChrisIian Zimmermann
LAND50APL 00N1PA010P
Town and Gardens
EasI River Eerrry
Landings
0LI LN1
New York CiIy Economic
DevelomenI CororaIion
New York CiIy DearImenI ol
TransorIaIion
Farks and RecreaIion
LAND50APL AP0HI1L01
DL5I0N 1LAM
Tobias ArmborsI
ElizabeIh Asawa
Heike BergdolI
Yoonchul Cho
Alex Eelson
RuIh HarImann
Rocio LasIras MonIana
Ken SmiIh
Dan Willner
AP0HI1L01
Kennedy & Violich ArchiIecIure
MAPI NL/51P0010PAL
LN0I NLLP5
M. G. McLaren, F.C.
00N51P001I0N MANA0LP5
Hudson Meridian ConsIrucIion
Grou
M/L/P
Lakhani & Jordan Engineering
5L00PI1Y
CosenIini AssociaIes

139 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
I MA0L 0PLDI15
All images are by Ken SmiIh
Landscae ArchiIecI unless
oIherwise noIed.
Fages 11 lelI (Io and boIIom),
12 lelI, 41, 42 (lelI), 7 boIIom,
82, 1 (boIIom), 101: Daniel
Willner
Fages 11 middle (Io and
boIIom), 21 (boIIom), 2o, 43,
44, S2, S3, SSoS, 134, 13S:
FeIer Mauss}EsIo
Fages 13 lelI (Io and boIIom),
2, 117, 12o-127, 12: AlberI
Vecerka}EsIo
Fages 13 righI (Io and boIIom),
111, 11S, 118-11, 121-123, 12S,
130-131: Faul Warchol
Fages 14, 21: NaIhaniel
Goldberg
Fage 21 (Io): BeIsy Finover
Schill
Fage 23 (righI): John Bach
F.S. 1
0LI LN1
Robin Hood EoundaIion
0WNLP
EducaIion, F.S.1 (Genie Calibar,
currenI rincial, CaIhy Zarbis,
lormer rincial)
LAND50APL AP0HI1L01
DL5I0N 1LAM
Tobias ArmborsI
ElizabeIh Asawa
Alex Eelson
Alice Mahin
Ken SmiIh
Annie Weinmayr
JudiIh Wong
00N1PA010P
The New York ResIoraIion FrojecI
0PAPHI0 DL5I0N
FenIagram
N0P5LPY
BisseII Nursery CororaIion
PL0LAI MLD L00 50PPLI LP
CiIiLog
D0MP51LP MAN0FA010PLP
J. C. IndusIries
DAFF0DI L PP01L01
000PDI NA1I0N
New Yorkers lor Farks}The Urban
CenIer
ADDI1I0NAL 00N1PI B010P5
The Audubon SocieIy
Clear Channel}SecIacolor
Danielle and David Ganek
Maureen Gibbons
Mimi and FeIer Haas
Overbrook EoundaIion
FeIer FeIerson
SignCralI
Timberland CororaIion
140 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
Bibliograhy
FeIer Reed, GrounJswell,
Constructng the Contemporary
LanJscape. New York: The Museum
ol Modern ArI, 200S.
Barbara Hollman, "IIs ArI-iLcial."
New Yorl Iost, 21 Eebruary 200S.
Allen Ereeman, "Big DoIs, LiIIle
DumsIers." LanJscape Archtecture
Magazne (Eebruary 200S).
KenneIh Helhand "HorIus
Ludens." LanJscape Archtecture
Magazne (Eebruary 200S).
Allen Ereeman, "Froving Ground."
LanJscape Archtecture Magazne
(January 200S).
Charles Birnbaum, ed. Ireservng
MoJern LanJscape Archtecture II,
Malng Iostwar LanJscapes Vshle.
WashingIon, D.C.: Sacemaker
Fress, 2004.
Ann Raver, "A Rool To Garden
WiIh SynIheIic Green." The New
Yorl Tmes, 11 November 2004.
Toby Musgrave, "OuI ol Ihe Blue."
GarJens IllustrateJ (OcIober 2004).
Ken SmiIh, "Railyard Fark, SanIa
Ee, New Mexico." Oalogue.
Archtecture+Oesgn+Culture,
Tawan. Secial Issue on Landscae
ArchiIecIure (SeIember 2003).
Karen E. SIeen, "Garden SoI."
Metropols Magazne (AugusI}
SeIember 2004).
Deborah Bisho, "Landscae
ArchiIecIure 101Aluminum
Garden." Owell Magazne (July}
AugusI 2004).
Ken SmiIh, WesI 8, Eield
OeraIions, D.I.R.T. SIudio, "Why
NoI A Fark." The New Yorl Tmes
Magazne, ArchiIecIure 2004 (May
1o, 2004).
Laura SIarr, "Ayalon Fark
ExIreme SiIes: The Greening ol Ihe
BrownLeld." AO Magazne (March}
Aril 2004).
David Coleman, "OuI in Ihe
Garden, a ReuIaIion Blooms."
The New Yorl Tmes, 11 July 2003.
Sharon McHugh, "New Lile lor
a Troubled Flaza." Compettons
Magazne Vol. 132, No. 2 (Summer
2003).
Debra Gibson, "LA Alumnus a
Eorce Majeure in Design Circles."
Oesgn News, Iowa SIaIe UniversiIy
(Sring 2003).
Carrie Geyer, "SIo and Smell Ihe
DumsIers." The Lantern, Ohio
SIaIe UniversiIy (23 May 2003).
Leslie Sherr, "ManhaIIan
Takeover," Lever House. I.O. The
Internatonal Oesgn Magazne
(Aril 2003).
Suzanne SIehens, "FrojecIs:
Lever House." Archtectural RecorJ
(March 2003).
Suzanne SIehens, "CommenIary:
CollaboraIions aI Ihe WTC."
Archtectural RecorJ (March 2003).
Kim Sorvig, "ComeIing lor
SanIa Ees IdenIiIy." LanJscape
Archtecture Magazne (March
2003).
Anne Raver, "This SIo: o8Ih
Eloor, Rain EoresI." The New Yorl
Tmes, 13 Eebruary 2003.
Lisa SeckhardI, "RiverlronI
Revival." LanJscape Archtecture
Magazne (January 2003).
141 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
RuIh La Eerla, "LeI Me Guess, You
MusI Be an ArchiIecI." The New
Yorl Tmes, Eebruary 2003.
HerberI Muscham, "Balancing
Reason and EmoIion in Trade
Towers Void." The New Yorl Tmes,
o Eebruary 2003.
HerberI Muscham, "A Goal lor
Ground Zero: Einding an Urban
FoeIry." The New Yorl Tmes, 28
January 2003.
Cherilyn "Liv" WrighI, "A Visual
Exlosion in Harlem." The
Internatonal Revew oj Ajrcan
Amercan Art, 2002.
FaIrick Erank, "EnvironmenIal
Design." Artjorms, An IntroJucton
to the Vsual Arts. Uer Saddle
River, NJ: FrenIice Hall, 2002.
Anne Raver, "The Flaces Hell Go
To Green Ihe CiIy." The New Yorl
Tmes, 14 November 2002.
Kim Sorvig, "Railyard Remake in
SanIa Ee." Compettons Magazne
Vol.12, No. 3 (Eall 2002).
David Dunla, "Flan Chosen lor
Redesign ol a Flaza aI SS WaIer
SIreeI." The New Yorl Tmes, 21
SeIember 2002.
Edward WyaII, "Design Teams are
SelecIed lor New Flans lor }11
SiIe." The New Yorl Tmes, 27
SeIember 2002.
Lisa Rochon, "U lrom Ihe Ashes."
The Glohe anJ Mal, Canada, 10
Aril 2002.
Zoe Ryan, "DumsIer Gardens,
Designing Queens Flaza." Van Alen
Report #11 (January 2001).
Jane Amidon, RaJcal LanJscapes.
London: Thames and Hudson,
2001.
James Grayson Trulove, "ReIreaI
Fool." The New Amercan
Swmmng Iool. ConnecIicuI:
WhiIney Fress, 2001.
"DebaIe Over World Trade CenIer
Memorial." CBS Lvenng News, 11
December 2001.
Terence Riley, eI al., "WhaI
Io Build." The New Yorl Tmes
Magazne, 11 November 2001.
SIehanie Cash, "Noguchi Garden
lor Lever House." Art In Amerca
(March 2001).
Ken SmiIh, "WhaI New York
Needs Now." The Archtectural
League oj New Yorl (Sring}
Summer 2001).
Marc KrisIal, "Think II Yoursell."
Owell Magazne (June 2001).
Melissa Davis, "Sleek ModerniIy."
GarJen Oesgn Magazne (May
2001).
Lisa SeckhardI, "In The Fublic
Eye." LanJscape Archtecture
Magazne, May 2001.
Danielle Reed, "Gardening on Ihe
Chea." Wall Street journal, 27
Aril 2001.
Ken SmiIh, "Aluminum Garden."
Iages Iaysages No. 8 (January
2001).
David Colman, "10 Io WaIch, The
Design World in 2001." House &
GarJen Magazne (January 2001).
Gavin Keeney, "IdiosyncraIic
Fublic Oen Sace." On The Nature
Oj Thngs, Contemporary Amercan
LanJscape Archtecture, Basel:
Birkhauser, 2000.
142 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
James Grayson Trulove,
"Aluminum Garden." Ioclet
GarJens, Bg IJeas jor Small Spaces.
New York: Morrow Fress, 2000.
David Colman, "Garden Goes Fo,
Garden Daisies." GarJen Oesgn
Magazne (OcIober 2000).
Ken SmiIh and Alice Adams, "A
Long Look aI EilIh Avenue, DLE II:
UnbuilI Landscaes." LanJ lorum
0o (2000).
"New York Flaza." Van Alen Report
#8 (Eall 2000).
"GaIeway Io Harlem,
Neighborhood ReviIalizaIions
EsIablish a Sense ol Flace and
Memorialize Malcolm X."
(November 2000).
Joseh HolIzman, "QuesIion ol
Decency."Lvery Room Tells A Story,
Nest Magazne (Summer 2000)
Gavin Keeney, "A Faradisical New
Flaza." Oculus Magazne (Summer
2000).
Ann Raver, "A Sliver ol Faradise
Blooms in Harlem." The New Yorl
Tmes, 3 AugusI 2000.
Elaine Louie, "Aluminum is
GeIIing HoI." The New Yorl Tmes,
o July 2000.
Tobias Schneebaum, "HoIel Eden."
Nest Magazne (Summer 2000).
Gina Crandell, "Glowing Toiary
WinIer Garden." LanJ lorum 04
(2000).
Ken SmiIh, "Case SIudy:
Freserving Dan Kileys Work aI
Lincoln CenIer lor Ihe Ferlorming
ArIs." Ireservng MoJern LanJscape
Archtecture, IroceeJngs oj the Wave
Hll Conjerence. WashingIon, D.C.:
Sacemaker Fress, 1.
Mary Jane Fool and BeIsy Finover
Schill, "Gardens ol LighI." GarJens
n the Cty, New Yorl n Bloom. New
York: Abrams Fress, 1.
Nils Ballhausen, "Urban
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1).
Ken SmiIh, "Linear Landscaes."
HarvarJ Oesgn Magazne (Sring
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CaIherine Slessor, "DelighIs."
The Archtectural Revew, London
(December 18).
Elaine Louie, "Where Mies Could
Towel Oll." The New Yorl Tmes, 3
SeIember 18.
Elaine Louie, "The ArI ol Ihe
HirsuIe." The New Yorl Tmes, o
AugusI 18.
Koji Aikawa, "Linkages wiIh Urban
AcIiviIy." Space Oesgn Magazne,
Landscae CreaIion Today:
The Challenges ol Landscae
ArchiIecIs Issue (June 18).
Faul BenneII, "On Ihe Boards,
ReinvenIing Harlem." LanJscape
Archtecture Magazne (June 18).
David Simon MorIon, "AnimaIed
and InIeracIive Design LighIs U
Einancial DisIricI." Archtectural
RecorJ, AIA Honor Awards Issue
(May 18).
Wanda Jankowski, "Garden
VarieIy." Archtectural Lghtng
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Erancisco Asensio Cerver, "Village
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BI BLI00PAPHY
143 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
Lnvronmental Oesgn Atrum
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Gina Crandell and Heidi
Landecker, ed., "Farks." OesgneJ
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D.C.: Sacemaker Fress, 17.
Elaine Louie, "CurrenIs." Glowing
Toiary Garden FrojecI, The New
Yorl Tmes, 7 December 17 and
lronI age hoIo, The New Yorl
Tmes, 17 December 17.
Elaine Louie, "CurrenIs." EilIh
Avenue Chandeliers FrojecI, The
New Yorl Tmes, 3 July 17.
Ken SmiIh, "Freserving a
ModernisI Legacy." HarvarJ
Unversty GSO News (Eall 1o).
Anne ElizabeIh Fowell, "NorIhern
Exosure, FresidenIs Award ol
Excellence." Village ol Yorkville
Fark, LanJscape Archtecture
Magazne (November 1o).
Nina RaaorI, "On The Drawing
Boards." Oculus Magazne (June
1o).
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LandscaeIn an Urban Fark."
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Void in Fublic Works." Irogressve
Archtecture Magazne (March 1S).
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Interpretatons oj Nature,
Contemporary CanaJan Archtecture,
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Kleinburg, ON:McMichael
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"ExcavaIing The Commonlace,
Visionary Landscaes." LanJscape
Archtecture Magazne (December
14).
Rick AndrigheIIi, "Eacing Ihe
Land, Yorkville Fark." The
CanaJan Archtect (AugusI 14).
Ken SmiIh, "Relics, FrosIheIics
and SurrogaIe RealiIies." The
CulIure ol Landscae ArchiIecIure,
AusIralia, 14.
Eve Kahn, "News, ConIroversial
ToronIo Farks." LanJscape
Archtecture Magazne (July 14).
Jean Godlrey-June, "FersonaliIies:
Rocking ToronIo." Contract Oesgn
magazine, December 13.
J. William Thomson, "Drawing,
ForIlolios." LanJscape Archtecture
Magazne (May 13).
Mac Griswald, "Box SeI:
Cumberland Fark." Farks
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Archtecture Magazne (Aril 13).
Ken SmiIh, "ComuIer Sace
In The Design Ol Landscae."
CanaJan Socety oj Oecoratve Arts
Bulletn (AuIumn 12).
"Urban Renewal FrojecI."
Metropols (OcIober 12).
Gary SIrang, "Landscae
ArchiIecIure, The Exanding Scoe
and Evolving Roles," UniversiIy ol
Calilornia, Davis, Video, 12.
"News, Cumberland Fark
ComeIiIion Winner Announced."
(Eebruary 12).
"News, Brooklyn Bridge Garden
MounI" LanJscape Archtecture
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Thomson, "Landscaes lor
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Archtecture Magazne (December
10).
BI BLI00PAPHY
144 P0NNI N0 HLAD5
Biograhies
1ANL AMID0N is a landscae designer, criIic, and lec-
Iurer currenIly Ieaching in Ihe Landscae SecIion ol Ihe
KnowlIon School ol ArchiIecIure. Her ublished work
includes Oan Kley. Amercas Master LanJscape Archtect,
RaJcal LanJscapes, and Movng Horzons. The LanJscape
Archtecture oj Kathryn Gustajson anJ Iartners. RecenI
resenIaIions include discussions ol modern and con-
Iemorary landscae archiIecIure aI Ihe NeIherlands
ArchiIecIure InsIiIuIe, Ihe Royal InsIiIuIe ol BriIish
ArchiIecIure, and Ihe Wexner ArI CenIer.
NINA PAPPAP0P1 is an archiIecIural criIic, curaIor, and
educaIor based in New York. She is ublicaIions ediIor
aI Yale School ol ArchiIecIure where she is Ihe ediIor ol
Ihe biannual ublicaIion Constructs, exhibiIion caIalogs,
and sIudio books. She is a lellow ol Ihe Design TrusI
lor Fublic Sace lor "Long Island CiIy, ConnecIing Ihe
ArIs," an arIs idenIiIy and urban design rojecI. She has
conIribuIed arIicles Io Archtecture, Archtectural RecorJ,
Oeutsche Bauzetung, luture Anteror, Metropols, Iraxs, and
Tec21. AI CiIy College she is adjuncI rolessor, Ieaching
seminars on Ihe osI-indusIrial lacIory and on innovaIive
engineers. She is co-chair ol Ihe New York}Tri-sIaIe
chaIer ol Docomomo}US.

Ken Smith Landscape Architects Urban Projects

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