Central courtyard garden at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

I had the pleasure of visiting the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, MA), on the second day of Spring 2024. I am sharing here some of the pictures I have taken of the central courtyard garden, which is covered by a glass roof and has a classical symmetrical design with some ornaments (sculptures, a fountain, ceramics). It is mostly a foliage garden, at least at the end of Winter. 

This is a stunning view and I regret to say, visitors are not allowed to walk into the courtyard. 

(Do not reproduce the photos without permission).

From the museum's web page:

"Gardens, both interior and exterior, are an integral part of the Gardner Museum experience today. When Isabella built the Museum, she created an experience that was as much about flowers and plants, artfully arranged, as it was about masterpieces of art. The culmination of that vision is the Courtyard but botanical images can be found throughout the Museum."

 To see some of the flowers, you can access to the following link:

https://www.gardnermuseum.org/experience/courtyard

"Throughout the year, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s always-blooming Courtyard is transformed through a series of ten dramatic seasonal displays that reflect Isabella’s passion for gardens as well as the skill and dedication of the Museum's horticulture staff. From orchids to nasturtiums to Japanese-style chrysanthemums, there’s always something new to discover thanks to the changing seasons and the rotation of plants. Most of the plants for the Courtyard are grown in the Museum’s temperature-controlled nursery and trucked to the Palace location, where they are rotated in to keep the displays in peak condition."

Regarding the architect Renzo Piano's wing addition, it looks interesting from the architectural point of view, but the landscape didn't pick up my attention, though I have to clarify that the trees were not blooming yet. The thin trunks are somehow similar to the thin posts in the entry roof, I can't tell if it was intentional.

Here I am sharing three of the pictures I have taken:

Arborea Magna concepts, Buenos Aires, Argentina

The city and the Arborea Magna during the golden hour. All photos by Myriam Mahiques, January 2024, personal archives. Do not share without permission.

When I travel to Buenos Aires, I usually meet my architect friends and we visit places together to learn more about architecture, the last contemporary designs, recycling and last technologies. 

One of those visits has been the Parque de la Innovación,  across the River Stadium in the neighborhood of Nuñez, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires.

It was a real challenge in Summer since the park was full of mosquitoes, but we were coming back from the Ciudad Universitaria and took the opportunity to see the Arborea Magna, a sculpture tree designed by artist Nicola Constantino. Overall, I like it as an urban monument, but there are some details that could have been improved.

The technical information I share here is taken from the Internet, but my goal was to see if the new tree would affect the urban profile, and yes, it did, and I enjoyed taking photos during the sunset, when the sun is seen between towers and the colorful changing lights of the tree are on.

So I walked around, took the ramp up to the tree, and tried to get a new perception of the city behind the "technical" or "robotic" branches. I was quite a different view. Of course I don't know if the artist has taken into account the location of the (hybrid) tree among the towers behind, since they are far away, but it feels like there is no limit and the park is conceptually extended and reaches the city.

The tree seems to be emerging from the water, but I should say a pond. I think this "emergence" idea is not totally achieved. First of all because the water cannot be seen unless you get very close to it or you are right above. The aquatic plants are pretty camouflaged with the grass around and there is not enough water for the scale of the tree. This is the main reason for which I see the tree more related to the city rather than part of the nature or the environment (as Nicola sees it).

Per Clarin.com the branches have 754 LED synchronized lights, the trunk is built with 16 galvanized iron tubes that reach 34 meters in height. They are covered in a ceramic collage with tiny pieces up to 2 meters. The columns below the ramp, are competing with the tree tubes and the idea of "nature" or "monument" or "robot" is not clear. Though Nicola says there is a mystical concept in this tree:

 “Es un híbrido de todos los árboles, por eso de que el árbol es un elemento tan místico porque tienen las raíces que van al centro de la tierra y las ramas que van hacia arriba, una antena en la Tierra con lo divino, algo muy fuerte en todos los ámbitos para la humanidad”. (From Clarin.com).

The columns look oversized compared to the iron tubes and in my opinion, the engineers must have oversized them on purpose. From an architectural and artistic point of view, the ramp could have been supported by other means. In my mind, I imagine a Nautilus around, reaching the ground due to its shape, not with columns. Or the tree could have intercepted the ramp directly, the way a real tree would have grown up in wilderness, without impediments, then the tubes would become the structural part of the ramp as well. 

The ceramic art at the bottom intersecting the water and the concrete foundation is really beautiful. It is better appreciated from the balcony around. Here we can see how the ramp structure is mixed with the tubes. Not a happy solution, it's confusing. We may ask "is it part of the trunk?". Of course not.

The tree branches with an instant of red light, as seen from below.

The ceramic liner on the iron tubes.

This picture is one of my favorite. The vertical city as seen through the green branches. When I see the branches combined with the guardrails, there is no way I can imagine the tree as a mystical part of nature.

People enjoying the view and some take selfies.

Ceramic art below, close to the pond.

This is a very nice view, and the yellow looks great against the blue sky.

The illumination from below. Should it be hidden, disguised? Maybe.

Eclecticism and urban landscape of Palermo Soho- Palermo Hollywood

A commercial corner of Palermo Soho with the street planters, the trees, and a special note for the terrace which has a light pergola (trellis) and plants behind. Photo by Myriam Mahiques, personal archives, 2024.

I've been born in Downtown Buenos Aires, or "the Capital", now called Ciudad Autonóma de Buenos Aires. I grew up in the Gran Buenos Aires, which is the province side, but my heart always comes back to the "Capital". 

In 1990 I moved to Palermo Viejo (Old Palermo), which is the peripheral old (low-rise) neighborhood of the top (high rise) Palermo area, and I could observe how it was beginning to grow, to slowly gentrify with lots of restaurants which at the time, in the middle of hyper inflation, were trying so hard to survive. The restaurants were established in old houses, the type of "casa chorizo", so called due to the continuity of one room after the other, with the kitchen at the rear and a side patio. 

So, little by little, the neighborhood was becoming more dense and colorful. Along the years, more businesses were added, and if one wants to look for contemporary design in clothes, jewelry, Palermo Soho is one of the places to go. 

Not too much attention is being paid to this neighborhood landscape, and it is worth to see that the old trees are still in place. Now, with some non native species we did not have before, due to the climate change, like palm trees. And all the residents or tenants still keep the love for terraces full of plants. I think this is a very Argentinian thing. So, regardless how gentrified it has become, Palermo Soho-Hollywood is still keeping its original domesticity. 

Two top trade marks retails in pure black and white, but the end of perspective will always show the colorful houses with the hanging plants. Photo by Myriam Mahiques, personal archives, 2024.

The corner of Cabernet restaurant. We can enjoy the top of the right of way trees from the terrace, and the plants inside the terrace. The interior patio decorated with low trees and bushes allows the urban space to flow in. As always, the perspective is showing domestic terraces with hanging plants. Photo by Myriam Mahiques, personal archives, 2024. 

Overall the commercial neighborhood, -which I still don't see too much difference between Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood-, is covered by murals, and or graffiti, with some plain colors here and there. Some murals are really pieces of urban art, some others are improvised and more spontaneous. Of course we have buildings in contrast, usually of the fanciest trade marks, which are plain black or white, but a few houses behind, the plants show up again.  The trees are always present surpassing the terraces, which are always full of planters, as shown in my picture above (January 2024, personal archive).

Side view of Cabernet restaurant and the interesting old trees perspective. At the far left end, a mural with very bright colors. Photo by Myriam Mahiques, personal archives, 2024.

Graffiti, collage, different materials-textures, and the vines. It must be a very nice view when the restaurants lights are on. Photo by Myriam Mahiques, personal archives, 2024.

I like the Eclecticism as a result of so many recycled buildings. We can see contemporary materials in contrast with the old brick walls, the modern plain metal profiles against the wrought iron intricacy; the small windows with iron bars and the huge displays glass; the gray or white or black against so many bright colors, a world of textures... And only one element unifying it all: the domestic and the urban landscape.  

Landscape design and swimming pool in Palm Springs

 

This is one of our projects from 2023 in Palm Springs, CA, were we have provided an integral design of a new house in the desert, plus landscape and swimming pool. Rounded clusters of succulents and cactus are shown at the front yard, in contrast with the orthogonal shape of the new house.

A winding stones path on the north is leading to a rest rear area, as the end of the perspective there is the pit with a (shadow) trellis. Next to it, towards the south, we have located the  swimming pool with three square planters plus one round, all of them with native plants. The ground is covered with pea stone except the solarium area which has permeable pavers.

The house has a patio cover as an extension of the family room, providing a continuous space from the public interior areas to the exterior. 

The house is surrounded by beautiful mountains, with views from west to east. The address is not provided here due to privacy for our client.

Part of the swimming pool cross sections

Senna Pendula- Cassia Splendida

 

Senna Pendula as seen during Fall season. Photo by Myriam Mahiques, personal archives 2023

This is a splendid flowering tree that I came across in my neighborhood. It is called Senna Pendula or Cassia Splendida. The branches were extended to the sidewalk and to the neighbor's driveway, creating such a beautiful canopy. 

From Wikipedia: 

"Senna pendula, also known as Easter Cassia, Christmas Senna, winter Senna, climbing Cassia, golden shower, pendant Senna and valamuerto, is a plant of the Fabaceae family with a shrub habit that is native to South America. It used in various parts of the world as an ornamental plant and is an environmental weed in Australia. The flowers are yellow and the name pendula means 'pendulous' or 'drooping'. It is a fast-growing, spreading, scrambling or erect shrub that reaches 2–4 metres in height with multi-branched and arching stems and branches. Its single-compound, hairless leaves feature three to six duos of wide leaflets that are 1–5 cm long and 5–20 mm wide with rounded tips and salient yellowish margins. Its bright yellow flowers, which are about 3 cm across, have five large petals and are foaled in leafy clumps at the tips of the branches. The fruit is in a cylindrical pod (10–20 cm long and 6–12 mm wide) that hangs down. It flowers prominently at Easter in the southern hemisphere (or early autumn), hence its common name. It also has an insignificant flowering season in early summer (around Christmas in the southern hemisphere)."

Here more photos from my own archives:

Le Meridien: a fabric landscape

I am sharing here one of my favorite projects, Le Meridien 6,000 sq m of landscape, in China.

I was looking at a similar project today on Dezeen, a roof with square bands instead, and I am wondering if it has become a sort of fashion. Nevertheless, I think the grading is interesting for public spaces, and per the description on V2.com, there is a reason for this pattern:

"Paying tribute to the historical textile weaving industry of Zhengzhou, Shma created sculptural-like landscape weaves and folds to reveal an aesthetically pleasing public space. A series of undulating lawn stripes represent the silk being woven - up and down - into fabric sheets by traditional machines. An interval space is defined by matching the existing lobby pillars and architectural orders to stitch the landscape and building together in the master plan, seamlessly integrated with the car parking layout. A water feature with a sculpture is proposed in front of lobby drop-off area as a main welcoming element."

All pictures belong to Arch-exist and are downloaded from this post:

https://www.v2com-newswire.com/en/newsroom/press-kits/3165-01/le-meridien

 

What is a trellis? The beauty of a trellis

 

A touch of red color flowers in combination-contrast with the green trellis.

When we offer a client to design a "trellis", most of the times they ask what it is. A good synonym is "lattice". A trellis is a light-frame construction, with posts (usually 4"x4"), light roof rafters across and very thin 1x or similar, perpendicular to those rafters. Most important, the trellis is not a solid roof, the main purpose of it is to support climbing plants, to hang them, provide shadow, and create a dramatic effect of textures, light and shadows.

Some trellis are free-standing in gardens or as part of the hardscape, others are beautiful to enclose porches or delimit paths.

Though it is a decorative installation, sometimes it may require structural calculations, if the span is long and specially if the framing is attached to a house or any other main building.

It means the construction of a trellis might require a City permit, depending on the conditions and design.

I am sharing some photos that I have taken of my favorite trellis so far. The green one is at the Rancho lLos Cerritos, Long Beach, CA, and the next one is at the Sherman Gardens and Library in Corona del Mar, CA.

All photos belong to my personal archives.

A fantastic Wisteria in full bloom is hanging from the Rancho Los Cerritos trellis. 

The path is well defined here, and we see the light at the end of the dark perspective. We are invited to walk and follow the direction. A sort of "virtual" enclosure is proposed on the side with a light lattice. See the lattice is discontinued, which adds informality according to the (controlled) wilderness around.

The tortuous trunks on the left are intertwined with the posts.

It is interesting to move our point of view and enjoy the effects of the light and shadow in the perspective.

Needless to mention how much dramatism is added to a hanging plant. Sherman Gardens.

This was part of the Halloween Decoration in the Sherman Gardens. Floating vertical "spider webs" in combination with the upper grid.

This trellis in Sherman Gardens is combined with brick supporting elements and alike grids as a virtual enclosure. The restaurant is on the right side. See how the posts are much wider, due to the important overall size of the trellis.

The game of light and shadows. The doors are built alike.

Ferns are located in this fantastic path full of textures. Sherman Gardens

The beauty of a foliage garden with ferns, palms and huge leaves under the front trellis at the Sherman Gardens. See how the sides are also enclosed with the grid, and there are two openings to allow passage through.

Another example of a trellis-porch: the entrance at the former OCMA Museum in Costa Mesa. From my personal archives, March 2019. 

A trellis inside the roses garden, South Coast Botanical Garden, Palos Verdes Estate. Personal archives, April 2024.

A trellis inside the roses garden, South Coast Botanical Garden, Palos Verdes Estate. Personal archives, April 2024.

A trellis inside the roses garden, South Coast Botanical Garden, Palos Verdes Estate. Personal archives, April 2024.