Landscape Beyond Engineering

Quarry, ice rink, airport, intermodal hub, river represent different (infra)structures which have had a significant impact on the landscape. Landscape architects can be engaged in the transformation of these (infra)structures, mitigating and remediating the adverse environmental impacts as well as designing new landscapes. The projects focused on ecological and regenerative design to address environmental, climatic and social challenges that impact and transform urban and natural habitats. With an interdisciplinary and transcalar methodological approach based on design experimentation, the projects develop research through design that interlinks the disciplines of architectural, urban and landscape design with climate, hydrological, ecological and geotechnical engineering. New forms of design and planning have been experimented to promote the development of diversified environments and new habitats. Within each specificity, the projects investigate innovative and effective tools and methods that can ensure quality redevelopment with a regenerative perspective, enabling aesthetic and performance enhancement as well as generating transformation processes that are more sensitive to the environmental and social context. Over time, nature will have to re-appropriate its own spaces, preserving and adapting the pre-existing ones to the new uses of the areas. This can be achieved by depaving and re-naturalising the areas, with the introduction of native species that can guarantee the biodiversity of the area and generate new habitats not only for the vegetation but also for the local animals. Landscape Beyond Engineering offers a new narrative and operational approach to enhance a more equal and just human-nature interdependence and cohabitation.