On the 7th March, the University of Ulster presents Martha Schwartz – Landscape Architect and Artist under the theme -
`Enjoyment and Discovery in Place'
Martha Schwartz is a landscape architect and artist with a major interest in urban projects and the exploration of new design expression in the landscape. As principal of Martha Schwartz Partners in Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, UK, her goal is to find opportunities where landscape design solutions can be raised to a level of fine art. She has over 25 years of experience as a landscape architect and artist on a wide variety of projects with a variety of world-renowned architects. Her recent projects include Mesa Arts Center in Arizona, Dublin Docklands Grand Square in Ireland, Monte Laar Central Park in Vienna, Qatar Petroleum Headquarters in Doha, Qatar and Natick Mall in Boston, MA. She is currently a member of the Major of London’s Design Advisory Group, advising the Major on public realm design issues in London. Her work has been shown at the Chicago Institute of Contemporary Art, the Marlborough Gallery in New York City, New Gallery of Contemporary Art in Cleveland and Henry Gallery in Seattle. She is the recipient of numerous awards and prizes including a fellowship from the Urban Design Institute, several design awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects, and visiting residencies at Radcliffe College and the American Academy in Rome. She was awarded an Honorary Fellow of RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) in 2004 and recently received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science from the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland. She is also an adjunct professor of Landscape Architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, where her studios focus on artistic expression in the landscape.
Over the years, the practice has evolved from providing landscape services primarily for private sector urban environments to large-scale public projects, land reclamation and planning studies on complex sites. To create these innovative landscapes, the office explores the relationship between landscape, art, and culture, and challenges traditional concepts of landscape design. Martha Schwartz Partners believe that landscape architecture has a positive influence on people by providing an environment that engenders freedom of thought, creativity, and curiosity and it is from those beliefs and values that our designs are realized. The design philosophy emanates from a strong passion for exploring surrounding environments and pursuing quality over quantity. This philosophy motivates the practice to conduct extensive research and develop flexible design frameworks that conceive developments as part of the landscape and it furthermore inspires us to bring total commitment of time, talent and energy to each project.
Grand Canal Square, located on Grand Canal in Dublin, forms the main public space and focal point of this new development area. Facing Grand Canal, it is a 24hour space which announces Libeskind’s prominent new theater as well as an adjacent new hotel and office development. The scheme is designed with a central red “carpet” leading from the theater to the canal, paved in a newly-developed, bright red resin-glass material and completed by red glowing angled lightsticks which mimic the “bustle”. A green “carpet” connects the new hotel and office developments and has a calmer expression, offering ample seating on extruded polygon planters of marsh vegetation (a reminder of the site’s previous wetland existence) and immaculate lawns for lingering and enjoying the spectacular setting. Pushing out of the plaza is a water feature of randomly-stacked green marble that is overflowing with bubbling water. The square is further criss-crossed by narrow paths that allow movement across the square in any possible direction alongside large activities such as markets or fairs.
