Ness.Docs 2 - by Mercedes Peralta & Florencia Rodriguez & Jeannette Sordi & Charles Waldheim (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Landscape as Urbanism in the Americas is the second issue of NESS.docs, focused on the concepts and terminology coined by Charles Waldheim and the OFU from Harvard GSD on the potentials for landscape as a medium of urban intervention in the specific social, cultural, economic, and ecological contexts of Latin America cities. Landscape as Urbanism in the Americas features more than twenty projects developed by Latin American practices, who also reflected on their work and its ecological and territorial implications. Ness.docs gathers original texts from Latin America Practices as well as essays on different urban specialists' point of view.

The second issue of our monographic series reflects on the project of Landscape as Urbanism in the Americas, lead by Charles Waldheim and the Office for Urbanization at Harvard Graduate School of Design. Curated together with Mercedes Peralta and Jeannette Sordi, NESS.docs 2 explores the potentials for landscape as a medium for urban intervention in the specific contexts of Latin-American cities.

More than twenty Latin American practices are shown and grouped in five different themes: Biological Environments, Resilient Grounds, Performative Systems, Revealed Protocols, and Assembled Natures. Finally, a conversation between Charles Waldheim, Florencia Rodriguez, and Luis Callejas deepens the discussion of our academic curricula, drawing as representation, political spaces, and the general sensitivity around landscape.

With Contributions of: Ana Elvira Vélez Villa & Lorenzo Castro Jaramillo / Ana María Durán Calisto / Beals Lyon Arquitectos / Bulla / Camilo Restrepo / CAPA / Ciro Najle / Enlace Arquitectura / Fábrica de Paisaje / Francisco Walker Martínez / FUPAM / LUME, H+F Arquitetos / Metrópole Arquitetos & UNA Arquitetos / Gaeta Springall Arquitectos / Groundlab, LyonBosch+Martic, Idom & Sergio Chiquetto / Guillermo Hevia García & Nicolás Urzúa / Husos / Iñaki Echeverría Gutiérrez / Jeannette Sordi / José Alfredo Ramírez / Juan David Hoyos & Sebastián Monsalve / LCLA O ce / Luis Callejas / Manuel Gausa / Mercedes Peralta / Metro Arquitetos Associados / Opera Publica / Plan Común / Plan: B Arquitectos & JPRCR Arquitectos / RDR Arquitectos / Sérgio Bernardes / Tatiana Bilbao Estudio / Teresa Moller Landscape Studio

Review Quotes

"Over the past quarter century landscape has been claimed as model and medium for the contemporary city. During this time a range of alternative architectural and urban practices have emerged across Latin America. Many of these practices explore the ecological and territorial implications for the urban project. " --Charles Waldheim

The book may be based on academic conferences that are focused on landscape urbanism -- the sometimes contentious theory that challenges New Urbanism and elevates landscape and ecology over buildings -- but the book should appeal to a wide range of architects and landscape architects due to the selection of the two-dozen projects and their presentation taking up most of its pages. Like the conferences, the projects range over much of Latin America. Much-published projects like "Plan: B's and JPRCR's Orquideorama in Colombia are found alongside lesser known projects like Metro's Ladeira da Barroquinha in Brazil. Not all of the projects are built, but on the whole they show a strong embrace of landscape urbanism principles in Latin American contexts. As expressed by Charles Waldheim in his introduction, this embrace has occurred, in part, from Latin American architects carrying the theory with them after being subjected to it at the GSD. Whatever the case, the projects in NESS.docs 2 are an strong argument for landscape urbanism's continued relevance." --John Hill, A Daily Dose of Architecture