Understanding the Place

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A place is not just a place. It exists at a certain location for a reason; that is, it does not just show up for just any purpose. It is built and designed the way it is for a reason. Landscape architecture, it is not just about the building or architecture, it is about the place, the ecology, and about understanding it in a so much deeper level. According to Patricia Martin in Revisiting Downsview Park Toronto “Landscape architecture is also a conscious shaping of land to accommodate human use and activity.” The two places, Mrak Mall and Olson Bridge over Pathway, are the examples about understanding the place.

Mrak, a quire impressive and splendid place that is located besides the water, amazes me. Who could have ever thought that a university would have one of those buildings and surroundings designed like one of those five-star hotels in Las Vegas. The building blends in with the mall perfectly. The trees and grass, and the way they are divided into three sections is just a brilliant idea. The Mrak Mall is designed in a way that it is a nature versus pictorial, which in other words means a place for pleasant vistas; and nature versus therapy like the Central Park in New York City. Mrak Mall is an extremely pleasant place to be at. The trees and the grass, not to mention the white building that has this distinctive design than any other buildings on campus, which is castle-like, carries out the approach to nature. In addition, the scenario creates the sense of feeling that a beautiful “castle” is in a “forest”. That is how pictorial the nature is approached in this case.

If Mrak Mall is looked at a different perspective it can also be a place that can be described, or analyzed as nature versus therapy. As mentioned, the ...

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...motion, the Mrak Mall, and no does not, the Olson Hall Bridge over Pathway. In conclusion, both sites are successful in a way that they fit in most of the landscape architecture standards. Although it is said that there is not a right definition for architectures, there is a set of aspects to consider about. Both sites fit the “standards” with different reasons. Therefore, personally, they could be considered successful.

Works Cited

Lynch, Kevin, and Gary Hack. "SITE DESIGN." Theory in Landscape Architecture: a Reader. By Simon R. Swaffield. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 2002. 57+. Print.

Martin, Patricia. "Revisiting Downsview Park Toronto." Martin Del Guayo Architecture and Urbanism. 07 Sept. 2010. Web. 8 Nov. 2011.

Steinitz, Carl. "Journal of Landscape Architecture." Landscape Planning: A Brief History of Influential Ideas. 2008. 68+. Print.

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