Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

For many years landscape design was an often disregarded component of the building it surrounded. Today, however, the highly professional practice of landscape architecture is one of the most active and revolutionary areas of design. Drawing on a broad palette of ideas and concepts, landscape designers are reshaping man-made surroundings, from small-scale private gardens to large public spaces.

Radical Landscapes presents entirely new ways of seeing and designing outdoor space. Innovative, sometimes synthetic materials, unusual plants, and unexpected forms offer alternative solutions to standard approaches to gardens and yards.

To help the reader unlock the potential hidden in any landscape, the book is organized according to the most important issues and techniques of the moment: light and color, movement, order and objects, interaction, new contexts, urban interventions, and narrative. Each chapter is illustrated with works by internationally known designers and architects such as Fernando Caruncho, Adriaan Geuze, Kathryn Gustafson, Walter Hood, Maya Lin, Reiser & Umemoto, and Peter Walker. Meticulously researched and written in an engaging and accessible style by practicing landscape architect Jane Amidon, the texts are packed with information and ideas, a boundless source for professional and enthusiast alike.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction (p. 6)
• Light, Colour, Texture (p. 10)
• Glowing Topiary Garden, New York, US
• Water Moods Garden, Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, UK
• Swamp Garden, South Carolina, US
• Washington State Convention and Trade Center Atrium and Lobby, Seattle, US
• The Hanging Garden of Golders Green, London, UK
• A Fantasy Garden, London, UK
• Floating Garden, Chelsea Flower Show, UK
• Garden for Torrens, Weybridge, UK
• Private Residence, California, US
• Les Confines, St-Remy-de-Provence, France
• Private Residence, Vermont, US
• Casa Malinalco, Mexico
• Terraces at Canary Wharf, London, UK
• Mnemonic River, Massachusetts, US
• La Florida Estate, Spain
• Le Carrousel d'Eau, Festival International des Jardins, Chaumont-sur-Loire, France
• Children's Pond and Park, San Diego, US
• Plane Movement (p. 38)
• Wave Field, Ann Arbor, US
• Interpolis Garden, Tilburg, The Netherlands
• Waterland, Connecticut, US
• European Parliament Garden, Strasbourg, France
• Natori Cultural Hall South Garden, Miyagi, Japan
• Water Garden, Ohio, US
• Parque del Torrent Ballester, Barcelona, Spain
• Order and Objects (p. 54)
• IBM Makuhari, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
• Garden for VSB, Utrecht, The Netherlands
• Spirit Fountains, Changchun, China
• Birmingham Botanical Garden, Alabama, US
• Les Confines, St-Remy-de-Provence, France
• NTT Musashino R+D Center, Tokyo, Japan
• Osawano Kenko Fureai Park, Toyama, Japan
• Mas de les Voltes, Spain
• Private Residence, Vermont, US
• Bicentennial Hall, Vermont, US
• Esso Headquarters, Rueil-Malmaison, France
• Revealing Interaction (p. 78)
• Dew Gardens, various sites
• Festival International des Jardins, Chaumont-sur-Loire, France
• Naganuma Community Park, Hokkaido, Japan
• Apres la Grande Tempete--Trois Cheminees de Desmarest, Desmarest, France
• 'Mardarburdar Alignment II'
• 'Perspective I' and 'Perspective II', near Perth, Australia
• 'Kunturu', Australian Aboriginal Stone Placement, Australia
• 'Fuji Alignment--Homage to Mardarburdan', Shounan Beach near Yokohama, Japan
• 'Lieu Vert aux Fourmis Rouges', Limousin, France
• Earth Form, Australia
• YKK R+D Center Roof Garden, Tokyo, Japan
• Atlantis-Mariposa Think Tank, Tenerife
• White Rain House, Osaka, Japan
• Fiber Wave, Tokyo and Gifu Prefecture, Japan
• New Contexts (p. 106)
• Hughes Communications Headquarters, California, US
• Les Jardins Mutants, Switzerland
• Jellyfish I, II and III, various locations
• Kuala Lumpur International Airport + Eco-Media City, Malaysia
• Treetop Walk, Walpole-Nornalup National Park, Australia
• Hair Gardens, photomontage series
• Vivaio Per La Pace (Nursery for Peace), Pistoia, Italy
• Schiphol Airport Garden, The Netherlands
• Festival International des Jardins, Chaumont-sur-Loire, France
• Urban Ingredients (p. 132)
• Bloemenhof Park, Johannesburg, South Africa
• HAT Kobe Wakinohama, Kobe, Japan
• Yokohama Portside Park, Yokohama, Japan
• Edward Square, London, UK
• Deusto University Courtyard, Bilbao, Spain
• Courtland Creek, California, US
• Macon Yards, Georgia, US
• Eerste Marnixplantsoen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Northern Water Feature 2000, Sydney Olympics Campus, Australia
• Motomachi CRED Fureai Plaza and Sky Patio, Hiroshima City, Japan
• Sites Tell Stories (p. 154)
• Living Water Park, Chengdu, China
• The Page, Lindenstrasse Memorial, Berlin, Germany
• Fire Garden, Malibu, California, US
• L'Oreal Factory, Aulnay-la-Barbiere, France
• Sweet Farm, Eastern Townships, Quebec, Canada
• Meadowlands Park, New Jersey, US
• Dorfplatz, Communication Center of Credit Suisse, Zurich, Switzerland
• Thoreau Center for Sustainability, San Francisco, US
• Power Plants, Festival International des Jardins, Chaumont-sur-Loire, France
• Mimmamakin (From the Depth), Gelsenkirchen, Germany
• Earth Centre, South Yorkshire, UK
• Le Jardin du Repos, Festival International des Jardins de Metis, Quebec, Canada
• Way of Light, Seoul, South Korea
• Project information (p. 184)
• Contact details (p. 187)
• Bibliography (p. 189)
• Index (p. 191)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

A practicing landscape architect, Amidon (coauthor, Dan Kiley: The Complete Works of America's Master Landscape Architect, Bulfinch, 1999) surveys a variety of contemporary built landscapes in 15 countries, grouped under seven themes that are each explained in a scholarly essay. What makes these diverse projects so "radical"? They all confound conventional expectations of places like atria, parks, gardens, campuses, airports, private yards, flower shows, or expositions. As consistent alternate visions, each is thought-provoking, even inspirational, and some designs like the pools and fountains managing stormwater at the Sydney Olympic Games site may influence other ecological rescue projects. Hundreds of excellent captioned illustrations help the reader comprehend these designs; detailed project credits are included. Recommended for academic libraries supporting landscape architecture programs. David R. Conn, Surrey P.L., BC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.