Designers Peter Emerson, Chelina Odbert, and Gary Strang, AIA, reveal the tools and collaborators that help make their landscape projects truly bloom.
Peter Emerson
Studio Director
RIOS
Los Angeles
Angel City Lumber: Local Lumber Products
“Angel City Lumber crafts wood products from fallen neighborhood trees Angelenos have lived among for decades, redirecting an exquisite, urban natural resource from becoming waste and into beautiful creations. Seek out your area’s local sawmill. Many cities have similar vendors, including Austin’s Harvest Lumber Co.” angelcitylumber.com
Atelier Vierkant: Handcrafted Clay Planters
“This family business in Belgium handcrafts, sells, and distributes clay planters worldwide and has made its way into many of our most exclusive projects. We love that each planter comes from clay, an ancient material resource, but is given its contemporary design personality. No two pieces are exactly alike!" ateliervierkant.com
Vestre: Parklets 2.0
“City dwellers on a mission to reclaim the public realm from the automobile [should] check out Vestre’s Parklets 2.0 series. In eight weeks, you can transform a parking spot to make space for people and plants. Plus, the manufacturer makes long-term sustainability a prerequisite through commitments to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.” vestre.com
Chelina Odbert
CEO, Founding Principal
Kounkuey Design Initiative
Los Angeles
Kounkuey Design Initiative: The Wobble
“This lightweight, durable, interlocking piece can be connected in several ways to quickly and inexpensively transform any outdoor space into a play zone. We have used the Wobble to temporarily reimagine miles of LA and Philadelphia streets into intergenerational public spaces.” kounkuey.org
Project Backboard: Public Art
“Sports facilities are often perceived as gendered and exclusionary spaces, but Project Backboard’s use of public art as surface helps reframe these spaces as places that are welcoming and flexible for people of all genders and interests. We are using Project Backboard at the redesigned Vare Recreation Center in Philadelphia.” projectbackboard.org
Kompan: Universal Carousel
“We look forward to using this inclusive play spinner in future projects as it goes beyond physical accessibility to also encourage exchange and shared experience across people of different abilities, mobilities, and ages. The ground-level spinner features a seat, handles, and plenty of room for standing or accessing with a mobility aid.” kompan.com
Gary Strang, AIA
Principal
GLS Landscape | Architecture
San Francisco
Kreysler & Associates: Architectural Fabricator
“Taking cues from a tree’s structural form, this arbor fabricated by Kreysler & Associates was designed to provide shade and cooling effect from integrated misters while offering a visual point of interest. Approximately 20 feet in diameter by 12 feet high, it was [made] with fiber-reinforced polymer with internal steel rods and post-applied sand-blast finish.” kreysler.com
DeepRoot: Silva Cell
“We used this product at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. The modular Silva Cell soil system provides structural support for the granite planks with open joints, allowing lightly compacted nutrient-rich soil to remain for each tree. Water easily passes through the open joints, eliminating the need for visible drains and [ensuring] every square foot of the plaza [is] usable.” deeproot.com
BOK Modern: Architectural Fabricator
“We have worked with [this San Francisco company] on metalwork fabrication for several projects, notably the pavilion at Station Park Green. Laser-cut steel sheets and collaborative in-house engineering resulted in the 1,800-square-foot [space], which acts as a lantern. Without any conventional steel framing, the structure is light and strong, reducing cost, weight, and transportation logistics." bokmodern.com
This article first appeared in the March 2023 issue of ARCHITECT.
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