UPCA Environmental Landscape Studio Laboratory

09 Sept 20
Webinar Notes

Webinar Title: What is Landscape Architecture?

A Webinar Introducing Landscape Architecture
Schedule: M 9am-11:30am
Speaker: L.Ar. Herbert Julius Montevirgen
Mode: Zoom Meeting, Youtube livestreaming and recording

Course Objectives: To shed light on the ff:

 What do Landscape Architects design?

 What is the main element of Landscape Architecture design?
 What do Landscape Architecture graduates end up as?

What do Landscape Architects design?

 Gardens are only part and parcel.

 Community Open Spaces – Landscapes for recreation, social life, and small-scale food
cultivation
o Playgrounds
o Neighborhood Parks
o Sports Fields
o Plazas
o Recreation Centers
o Trails / Greenways
o Urban Gardens
o Farmer’s Markets
o Cemeteries

 Ecological Landscapes – Meadows and Forests that provide habitat and other
environmental benefits
o Nature Parks
o Industrial Nature Parks
o Rapid Reforestation
o Successional
o Road
o Roads to Rivers

 Blue + Green Infrastructure – Landscapes that capture stormwater and clean air
o Large Lake
o Smaller Retention Pond
o Infiltration Park
 UPCA Environmental Landscape Studio Laboratory
09 Sept 20
Webinar Notes

o Swales + Infiltration Medians

o Road-side pond (along wide roads)
o Green Industry Buffer
o Carbon Forest

 Working + Productive Landscapes – Landscapes that generate new knowledge, grow

energy and food, and create new urban experiences
o Research landscape
o Urban farm
o Aquaculture and Hydroponics
o Algae culture
o Energy field or forest
o Homesteads
o Campgrounds

 Transitional Landscapes – Temporary Landscapes that clean soil and enable new
forms of social life and creative displays
o Event Landscapes
o Remediation Fields or Forests
o Art-Scapes
o Urban Meadows

What is the main element of Landscape Architecture design?

o Softscape
o Hardscape
o Site Furnishing
o Lighting
o Water Features and Pool
o Landscape Sculptures
o Play
o Wayfinding and Signage
o Drainage, Irrigation, and Stormwater Management
o Grading and Earthworks
o Culture and History
o Community

What do Landscape Architecture graduates end up as?

o Landscape Architect
o Specialized Designer
o Funscapers
o Artist/Sculptor
o Planners
 UPCA Environmental Landscape Studio Laboratory
09 Sept 20
Webinar Notes

o Urban Designer
o Environmentalist
o Project Manager
o Heritage Conservationist
o Professor
o Researcher

What do Landscape Architecture graduates do?

o We design for the future
o We design with the environment
o We design experiences
o We create value

Beyond Green
o Custodians
o Curator
o Catalyst

Q&A
o How far into the future are we supposed to consider?
o We consider the client’s vision. What X years from now, value does this bring to the
client?

o How applicable are these examples to the Philippine landscape?

o The hotels and tourism projects are booming in the Philippines. Thus, its very
applicable.
o The stormwater management and flood mitigation is applicable as well, given the
tropical environment.

o May I ask what you did after graduating?

o I went straight to Singapore, due to personal reasons.

o Do you think Biophilic design / biomimicry will make a stronger impact?

o Landscape Architects have greenery for the built environment: instead of simulating
or mimicking it, the real thing is a stronger approach

o What is your personal mindset in smaller projects, especially in small urban spaces?
o It depends how small or big the space is, but the thinking is still the same: Designing
an experience and designing for the people. The principles of design are still the
same: Hirearchy, scale, color, texture.
 UPCA Environmental Landscape Studio Laboratory
09 Sept 20
Webinar Notes

o Taking into consideration that the Landscape Architect is the mediator between the
owner’s vision and the environment’s condition, what should be your most priority
between the two?
o I always encounter the buzzword “sustainability”, and it is a lifelong learning process:
What is sustainability? Sometimes when I design a space, I feel bad. Any
development in a mountain setting will surely destroy trees, disrupt the environment.
If we say we are purely preserving nature, then there would ne no development.
Thus, we must look at sustainability from its three components: Economic, Social,
and Environmental components. For a project to be sustainable, it has to serve the
three components. For example, Gardens By the Bay: Everyone likes it, we see it as
a celebration of landscape architecture. But it was forested before, so it was replaced
by something artificial. However, in an economic sense, the residential value of the
surrounding area went up 10x.

o How do we as a designer cater to the public: specifically, to the poor or the lower-
class?
o We always consider that every place that you design, there is a local community
context. Even if they are not the owners of the developments, as in resort
communities, these create jobs for the locals. You must always consider local
contexts. Public spaces are the best opportunities to touch the lives of everyone,
including the masses.

o How do you feel about mall culture in the Philippines? Do you think that our urban
planners should encourage parks? How do we encourage people to use the spaces of
tropical landscape architecture?
o Mall culture is a sign as a people that we want open spaces. Due to the lack of
these, the next best thing is a mall. I remember, as a second year student was
Trinoma. We would go there to appreciate the open space. More than a culture, it is
a sign of craving for open spaces.
o When you provide the space, people will come. Good design will bring people in.

o How can LA help in mental health in this pandemic?

o Nature is a natural healer in terms of mental well-being, hence the plantito and
plantita phenomenon. We crave for something natural.

o As a LA, how does the pandemic affect the curriculum content?

o The mindset will change in terms of social distancing. It also highlights outdoor
spaces at the forefront of what people aspire for and what people want to see.

o Is it required in Singapore to take the LA board exam?

o The Philippines has a law to protect the profession of LA. In Singapore, it is not
recognized by law. In that sense, I really appreciate how people like Ma’am Zeny
pushed for this. It’s quite ironic that there’s no board exams here, but Singapore is
very green. Just an accreditation. So the Philippines is miles and miles away.
 UPCA Environmental Landscape Studio Laboratory
09 Sept 20
Webinar Notes

o Have you been involved with post-disaster response?

o Honestly no. But in a post-disaster situation, we must ask ourselves: how do we
renew the space? How do we add value? The longing for normalcy is strong.