Leonardo Alvarez, FASLA, Discipline Leader, Principal, Perkins+Will
Leonardo Alvarez's Point of View on the Changing Landscape Architecture in the Middle East
MONDAY JANUARY 25, 2016
Keeping in line with Dubai Government’s vision to become a sustainable green city, a number of smart sustainable landscaping projects have been implemented under Dubai Municipality’s guidance over the past decade. The 4th Annual Middle East Smart Landscape Summit ties in seamlessly with the steps taken by Dubai Municipality. Over two days, the summit will offer a varied and comprehensive understanding of the landscaping functions in the Middle East.
In an interview, Leonardo Alvarez, FASLA, Discipline Leader, Principal, Perkins+Will shares his viewpoint on the landscape architectural strategies implemented worldwide and his innovative strategy that is focused on improving pedestrian comfort in the Middle East. With over 35 years in professional practice, Leonardo Alvarez has successfully realized a wide range of projects types including campus, urban, and regional master plans, mixed-use projects, transportation facilities, educational environments, healthcare facilities, and historic preservation efforts.
1 . Dubai has transformed itself from a desert to being one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, while laying a heavy focus on redefining landscape architecture in the city. What are your thoughts on the city’s key projects?
Dubai is an exciting city that has grown so quickly that the public realm has at times been left behind. The trend, which I believe is a very positive one, is moving from mega projects with landscapes you view towards participatory landscapes you can engage with. Downtown Dubai is refocusing efforts to become a more pedestrian friendly place with efforts like the Opera District, activation of the Boulevard, and open space enhancements. The beach walk at JBR is a great example of a district designed to be a pedestrian friendly place. It’s easy to linger there because it’s quite well designed with a pleasant scale, lots of activity and a well-appointed public realm. City Walk, inspired by promenades and other world famous outdoor facilities, and Box Park, an offbeat outdoor concept with an eclectic vibe are two other good examples of developments that are focused on creating inviting outdoor destinations. Safa Park is one of the few “traditional” parks in the city. The canal project is now making that park smaller. Dubai needs more parks like this not less.
The move towards making Dubai an even friendlier tourist destination by creating a welcoming public realm which supports cafes and retail destinations, provides the theater of the street and creates places which visitors and residents want to linger in is a very positive direction which I’m sure will lead to an even more exciting city in the future.
2. According to you, which city or country boasts of the best landscape architecture and why?
There are so many wonderful cities with great examples of quality landscape architecture that I wouldn’t want to limit my answer to just one! That said, New York City is hard to beat. Central Park is perhaps the most iconic public park anywhere. Dating back to 1858 it is the oldest public landscape park in the United States. It’s hard to imagine Manhattan without Central Park! Beyond its great central park, New York has a rich array of public spaces. They include the original pocket park— Paley Park, the flexible Bryant Park, the unique waterfront Hudson River Park and the newest type of Public Park that reutilizes abandoned urban infrastructure, the High Line. Though it is a very dense city, its diverse network of beautifully designed public spaces makes it a very livable place.
But then I could make a really good case for Barcelona with its wonderful network of public parks, promenades and plazas that spans a much greater time horizon than New York City. Or how about Paris with its grand boulevards, urban parks and the Promenade Plantee—arguably the first elevated park in the world. I could go on with other exceptional examples. It is good to view each of these cities, along with many others, as unique expressions of the value of the Public Realm each designed to reflect the cultures and places they are borne from.
3. With an eminent focus on skyscrapers and smart cities globally, what do you think will be the future of urban design and landscape architecture?
Urban design and landscape are more important now than ever. With more of our global population moving to urban centers across the world, the quality of our cities impacts more people than ever before. As we learn more about the connections between health, happiness and the types of places we live and work in the conversation is turning towards how we configure our cities to promote health, how we effectively integrate nature and how we design beautiful and sustainable places. There is also a financial imperative when considering landscape architecture—green infrastructure is less expensive than grey infrastructure and outdoor places are typically less expensive than indoor ones to build and certainly to operate. We need to allocate more funds to a quality public realm that people will use. As one anonymous quote put it “Landscape architecture is the 5% that makes the 50% difference.”
4. What are some of the intriguing projects that you have worked upon at Perkins+Will?
Being a global design firm, Perkins+Will has provided some wonderful opportunities to work across the globe. From New Towns in China to Campus Master Plans in the Middle East to Botanical Gardens in the USA to Parks in Spain, my work crosses a lot of scales, types and geographies. Working in so many diverse places makes me extra sensitive to the importance of understanding the qualities of a place and culture when developing a design. Among the most challenging and rewarding projects I’ve led is the Atlanta Beltline, a 36 km greenway circling the city’s core. This is a green infrastructure project that integrates transit, trails and parks and is driving positive social change and economic development. It’s a project that cuts through 45 neighborhoods and is being studied for its positive impacts on community health, economic improvement and environmental quality. It’s also spawned the city’s largest temporary art exhibition—Art on the Beltline. It’s not only good for key things we are all interested in—health, economics, environment—it’s a fun and engaging place to enjoy yourself outdoors!
Another really interesting project is the Qatar Research + Development Complex (QRDC) which sits at the heart of Education City in Doha. This is an interconnected campus that brings together research and lab facilities in a vibrant village atmosphere. The 108-acre campus takes science and research into the public realm. Inviting streetscapes, pedestrian promenades and educational “follies” contribute to a unique and welcoming sense of place. The master plan prioritizes placemaking, strategic concentrations of activity, human scale environments, protected outdoor spaces, and clear circulation. The plan addresses the unique challenges of Qatar’s climate in both its planning and detailed design strategies. It’s an innovative way of conceptualizing research and academic environments and moving towards an appropriate model of designing for pedestrian comfort in the Middle East.
5. Lastly, please tell us what will be the focus of your presentation at the Middle East Smart Landscape Summit? What will be the key takeaway for the audience from your presentation?
Landscape Architectural Strategies for improving Pedestrian Comfort in the Middle East. Even though it’s not always considered, it’s a fairly simple premise; People will not use an outdoor environment if they are not comfortable in it. We go to great lengths to make our indoor environments comfortable and we should extend the same thinking when we design exterior spaces. Having had the opportunity to work on a number of projects in hot climates, my team and I are constantly developing strategies to encourage the use of outdoor spaces and extend the amount of time throughout the day and year when people will be comfortable outdoors. This presentation will share what we’ve learned and some of the innovative strategies we are integrating into our projects.
Hear Mr. Leonardo Alvarez speak at length at the 4th Annual Middle East Smart Landscape Summit that will be held on 25-26 April 2016 at Sofitel Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa. More information on the Summit is available at http://www.landscapesummit.com. Follow the Summit on social media with the hashtag #MESLS2016.
