The Power of Landscape Architecture

 A newly built landscape recently 'cropped up' on one of my walking routes. Legacy Emanual Hospital is increasing their footprint in an expansion project that includes interesting architecture and landscapes. I'm most excited about the colorful parking structure made of glass and orange steel and the 'landscape' between a pre-existing and new parking structure.

The landscape consists of a long pathway that moves through the space at an angle which narrows at one end. The narrowing of the path lengthens the perspective tricking the eye into questioning whether the building is on an angle or the pathway is. I love this sort of trickery. I often find the illusion of spaces as interesting as the spaces themselves...perhaps even more so. Well placed, large mossy stones punctuate both ends of the pathway.

At one end the stones are placed around a drain at the end of a long series of planting strips or 'water
filtration' strips. At the other, the mossy stones are sliced, polished and set into scored concrete. I appreciate the power that landscape architecture can have on my everyday experience as an urban dweller.