Wednesday, December 21, 2011

evolution with glass

It has always been a dream of mine to design with glass.

It was during my last two years in a high school drafting class that I started working on a house design that had a glass stair case and a sunken glass living room. ( yes it was the early 70’s when sunken living rooms were all the rage ) .

Photo from Hospitality Design
From October 31, 2011


My high school drafting teacher , Mr. Nolan, didn’t tell me that my glass house design was impractical or unattainable . Instead he encouraged me to continue to design and handed me an application to Harvard’s Graduate School of Design summer program in architecture

Nervous and armed with an immature portfolio I headed off to Harvard in 1976.
In a rather odd turn of events I did not get into the Architecture department as I had hoped , instead I was placed in the Landscape Architecture program.
Inside Gund Hall - my desk was on the second floor about where that jacket is hanging.
From October 31, 2011


Outside view of the GSD
From October 31, 2011


Link to the GSD website
http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/#/news/all-news/feed.html

It’s been 35 years later from that first class in L.A.(landscape architecture) and I am still intrigued to design with glass.

Working with recycled broken glass

From San Francisco Garden Show 2008

From San Francisco Garden Show 2008

From San Francisco Garden Show 2008


From San Francisco Garden Show 2008

Thursday, December 8, 2011

A Burle Marx influence.

Twenty some odd years ago I was influenced by the work of Roberto Burle Marx, (1909-1994)
He was Brazil's most influential landscape architect and is internationally recognized as the "creator of the modern garden." Mr. Marx is also recognized for his discovery of many native Brazilan rainforest plants. One of my favorites is Tibouchina , which I often use in my garden designs here in Northern California.
Below is a photo of a garden wall that Mr. Marx designed using discarded and collected building shards.

From Water fountains in the landscape


Below is a garden that I designed for the 1990 S.F. Garden Show. I was inspired by the wall that Mr. Marx had created in his garden in Brazil.
I came across these old photos today while cleaning out a bookshelf.


From Water fountains in the landscape



From Water fountains in the landscape