West 8 Urban Design and Landscape Architecture

Adriaan Geuze will deliver a public lecture on Monday March 23rd at 6:30 p.m. in S. R. Crown Hall at the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture, in Chicago, USA.

On Monday March 16, Waterfront Toronto unveiled five innovative design proposals for the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Harbour Square Park. KPMB Architects / West 8 / Greenberg Consultants is one of five design teams selected to compete in the Innovative Design Competition. The public are invited to give feedback on the designs this week via a short online survey.

On Monday the 16th of March the Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment, Melanie Schultz van Haegen visited the North Holland coast to see the progress of the Hondsbossche en Pettemer Zeewaring (sea wall) project. West 8 cooperated with Boskalis and van Oord on the integral design of the new dune landscape, which adds 35 million cubic meters of sand to this 10km stretch of coastline.

West 8’s Miami Beach SoundScape Park, Longwood Garden’s Physical Master Plan and Governors Island Phase 1 Park & Public Space all receive Honor awards in the 2015 ASLA, New York Chapter Design Awards.

West 8 in collaboration with Guadalajara-based Estudio 3.14 has designed a collection of street furniture for citizens in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. Containing a whole family of furnishings, the collection is flexible enough for a variety of public spaces and will be implemented in the Spring/Summer 2015.

The fourth edition of FOTOGASTEN #4(PHOTO GUESTS) took place on Thursday 19th March at cinema and event hall Lantaren Venster, Rotterdam. FOTOGASTEN is an evening of discussion and visual references. Adriaan Geuze was invited to discuss the strong image of Rotterdam and what sets the city apart from other urban metropolises.

West 8 is responsible for the design of the new Qur’anic Botanic Gardens, which were proposed by UNESCO and accepted by HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the chairperson of Qatar Foundation. The gardens will offer visitors a unique insight and experience in the botanical world of plants that are mentioned in the verses of the Holy Qur’an. 

On Thursday the 12th of February, West 8’s Daniel Vasini was joined by architects from BIG and OMA for a panel discussion on "Designing the Resilient City’’ at the Coral Gables Museum in Florida as part of the Miami 2100: Envisioning a Resilient Second Century exhibition.

Cargiant (the world’s largest car dealership) recently appointed a world-class project team led by London & Regional Properties, Arup and PLP Architecture to develop a new Master Plan for Old Oak Park.  West 8 was selected as the prime landscape architect for this project, which aims to transform 19 ha. of underutilized development in Western London into a new world class neighbourhood.

Join West 8's Claire Agre on Friday the 6th of March at the Longwood Graduate Program Symposium: To Preserve or Change: Redefining Heritage to Guide the Future.

On the 9th of February during the annual Gala of Dutch Construction, Rotterdam Centraal was announced as the winner of the 13th edition of Dutch Construction Awards (De Nederlandse Bouwprijs) in the Buildings category.

On 28th January, the lights inside the restored and relocated 'stobben' or Tree Stump illumination artwork designed by Adriaan Geuze were switched back on by Mr. R. van der Lugt. Originally located in Amsterdam's Carrascoplein, the lighting installation is now officially part of the Open Air Theater art route at the Amsterdamse Bos.

On the 12th of January, Adriaan Geuze was awarded an honorary membership to the newly established Royal Netherlands Society of the Arts (De Akademie van Kunsten). As one of 16 new members, Adriaan Geuze, together with West 8, is recognised for his contribution and influence on a national and international level to the disciplines of landscape architecture and urban design.

This year West 8 received 13 awards, completed 8 projects, won or were finalists in 6 projects and commenced 7 new projects.

Members of Lambeth Borough Council have voted unanimously to approve planning permission for the Elizabeth House project in central London. West 8 working together with David Chipperfield Architects is responsible for the landscape design on the project. 

The Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation (BWAF) has announced the winners of its Built by Women New York City (BxW NYC) competition. The Governors Island Team, including West 8’s New York Principal Jamie Maslyn Larson, Senior Landscape Architect and Project Manager, Claire Agre and Senior Landscape Architect, Rachel Laszlo Tait - was the largest winning women team in the Landscape Category.

In December, Rotterdam Centraal was announced as the winner of The Rotterdam Architecture Prize, a joint prize awarded to the client, construction engineer and architect. And Team CS was crowned Architect of the Year 2014. After a decade in operation Team CS, according to the Jury, deserved wholeheartedly to win the Architect of the Year Award 2014 in the major architectural agencies category.

On 27th November Rotterdam Centraal was announced as one of the finalists for the 2015 The Dutch Foundation Construction Award (Stichting De Nederlandse Bouwprijs). Organised into three categories: ‘Buildings', 'Civic Sculpture' and ‘Building Materials and Systems’, Rotterdam Centraal by Team CS is one of three finalists in the ‘Buildings’ category. 

Adriaan Geuze will speak at the 2014 Business of Design Week (BODW) in Hong Kong. Showcasing art, culture and engineering in urban planning and public spaces, the event features large scale sculptures to modern installations in public areas. It also provides a forum for the discussion of a wide range of distinctive and thought-provoking ideas. West 8's will present their design concept for West Kowloon Cultural District Park.

Last week the Ministry of Infrastructure and Enhancement of Cali put the construction of the first phase of the Cali River Linear Park out to tender, which is scheduled to be inaugurated in September 2015. Designed by West 8 together with the Municipality of Cali, Río Cali Park will eventually extend along the riverbanks from the city until the river mouth in the Cauca. Enabling people to again, see the river as an important and vital element of the city.