The Malt House Landscape: A Community Space in the Making

This summer, our Malt House landscape hosted its first two events, marking the beginning of becoming a vibrant neighborhood public space. Though still under development, the community has already started to enjoy and benefit from this new landscape in West Harlem.

On June 25th, the Architectural League of New York celebrated the fifteenth anniversary of Urban Omnibus, the League’s publication dedicated to observing, understanding, and shaping the city. Terrain Work’s publicly accessible landscapes in West Harlem were featured along with new architectural additions to the neighborhood by Gluck+ and Levin Betts Architects. The event included a tour of the Manhattanville Factory District projects by Janus Properties, concluding with a reception at the newly inaugurated Malt House Courtyard.

The West Harlem Innovation Network also hosted a networking event for industry professionals on July 30th at the Malt House Courtyard. This gathering provided an opportunity for professionals, students, and researchers to connect and build community in West Harlem.

The design for the Malt House landscape, originally part of one of Manhattan’s largest breweries during the late 1800’s, embodies the chemical reactions found in the brewing process by taking individual elements and combining them into something greater than their constituent parts. Salvaged pieces of the old brewery complex such as steel beams, cobblestones, and the remnants of the brewery foundations are reconfigured to become a landscape that reflects the past, while looking forward to a whole new array of activities for the community in the future. It provides a venue for events such as public art displays, musical performance, dancing, outdoor movies, open air markets, community gatherings and a shady spot to gather with friends.

Another more recent phase of the Malt House landscape has taken an existing asphalt parking lot slated for future development and transformed it into West Harlem Going Wild. With a limited budget, this space was creatively transformed using discarded construction materials and spontaneously occurring plants, turning an underutilized lot into a productive landscape for people and wildlife. The events underscored the courtyard's potential as more than just a green space—it serves as a model for future urban development in marginalized urban spaces. As cities worldwide face the challenges of climate change, grass roots projects like West Harlem Going Wild offer a beacon of hope and practicality, fostering resilient and livable urban environments.

The Barking Club Miami Revealed!

Terrain work is thrilled to share the design for the Barking Club Miami. The Barking Club, in collaboration with Odd House, provides an oasis on the edge of Miami for dogs and their owners to play, socialize, and create community. The site is currently overwhelmed with Maleleucas, an invasive species that threatens the health and stability of the Everglades ecosystem. Terrain Work’s plan creates a new home for the Barking Club with a long term management strategy that eliminates the Maleleucas and reintroduces a native everglades plant palette to provide shade and habitat for creatures of the everglades and their furry friends. Learn more about the Barking Club Miami here.

POP Rocks Featured in August Issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine

Terrain Work’s public art installation, POP Rocks, is currently featured in the August issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine. POP Rocks is an interactive permanent art installation in the Mission Bay district of San Francisco that is a result of a competition organized by Mission Rock Partner to enliven the public realm of their new development on San Francisco’s historical waterfront. Mission Rock partners is a joint venture between the San Francisco Giants and Tishman Speyer that is creating a vibrant new neighborhood in the heart of downtown San Francisco. To learn more about POP Rocks click here.

Terrain Work Wins Public Art Commission in San Francisco

Terrain Work is delighted to announce that our public art installation, POP Rocks ,has been selected as a permanent art installation in the Mission Bay district of San Francisco. The Mission Rock development is a joint venture between the San Francisco Giants and Tishman Speyer. The competition for Mission Rock Street Rooms provided an opportunity to shape the identity and experience of San Francisco’s historic waterfront.

“Erupting from the sidewalk, POP Rocks, creates a dynamic sandstone sculpture that invites people to interact with it.  The sandstone highlights the unique geological rock formations found in the San Francisco Bay Area while integrating splashes of orange and yellow reminiscent of the native California poppy wildflowers. While developing our artwork, POP Rocks, it was important for our ideas to be embedded in the enduring history of the San Francisco Bay Area landscape while creating a place where the whole community could delight in the unexpected.” - Theodore Hoerr, Founding Principal Terrain Work. To learn more abut POP Rocks click here.

Terrain Work Creating New Civic Spaces at Capitol Crossing in Washington D.C.

Terrain Work is excited to reveal the landscape design for Capitol Crossing Center Block in Washington D.C. The landscapes of the Capitol Crossing Center Block each express the unique qualities of the geological transect found in the region beginning with Appalachian Plateau, cutting through the Blue Ridge and Piedmont regions, and ending at the Coastal Plains that surround Washington D.C. These outdoor spaces create a new civic realm in a mixed-use development above Interstate 395 with retail, a residential tower, and boutique hotel designed by Ennead Architects. For more about this project click here.

In Memoriam: Diana Balmori

It is with a heavy heart to share that on November 14th, 2016, Diana Balmori passed away.  Diana was a mentor, teacher, and confidant to many people over the years, including me.  She always made time for the intellectually curious, whether it was a nascent student of landscape architecture or an established contemporary.  Her influence was broad and wide-ranging, and her passion for landscape as a medium that could transform the way we live and interact with nature was second to none. 

For five years we spent countless hours together, both working in her office as well as teaching at Yale.  When I first came to work in her office in early 2011 it was unlike any other environment that I had experienced in the past, both professional or academic.  From the outset there was a relentless fervor and zeal placed on how to draw and how the process of drawing played a fundamental role in seeing and conceptualizing landscape.  This idea of drawing was not limited to a particular instrument – computer, pencil, pen, etc. - nor was it exclusive to a particular medium – drawing, painting, collage, physical models, dioramas, digital models, film, video.   It was wide open.  Experimentation was always encouraged and a fundamental part of her work.  I once heard the saying, “To draw is to see the world with your eye, mind, and your heart.”  Diana embodied this approach and used it to push the boundaries of envisioning landscape.  By doing so, she moved the discipline and discourse of landscape forward.  Among her many accomplishments perhaps one of the most impactful and enduring qualities she instilled in me, and I suspect many others working in her office through the years, was the ability to see landscape anew.

The profession of landscape architecture has lost a visionary, but beyond that, many of us have lost a mentor, colleague, friend, and family member.  Diana will be missed, but her ideas will live on in the people and places she inspired.    A link to her obituary in the NY Times can be found here.  Image courtesy of Balmori Associates

Theodore Hoerr, Founding Principal

Terrain Work

University of Iowa Hancher Auditorium in the News

The University of Iowa Hancher Auditorium was recently featured on ArchDaily.  The landscape for Hancher consists of an innovative water management system that captures, cleans, and infiltrates water from the surrounding area into the ground.  This reduces runoff into the the Iowa River to help mitigate future flooding events, and create a more resilient riverfront landscape.  Theodore Hoerr led the landscape architectural design of this project while a Principal at Balmori Associates in collaboration with Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects.   To learn more about how this project transformed the Art Campus landscape on the banks of the Iowa River click here. 

Terrain Work to Design New Eco(tonal) Community in Illinois

Terrain Work has begun the urban design and planning for a new 33 acre Eco(tonal) Community on the site of a former tree production nursery in Central Illinois.  The community will be organized around the ecotones of several landscape types: Deciduous Hardwood Forest, Shortgrass Prairie, and Littoral.  A central wildlife corridor creates a link for both species and residents to move between an adjacent hardwood forest, and a shared open space surrounding a small lake.  A water management plan for the community will capture and treat all runoff generated on the site through a network of bio-cells distributed throghout the community.  Visit us at terrainwork.com for updates on this project.     

Theodore Hoerr Joins the Board of Hamilton Park Conservancy

Theodore Hoerr was recently elected as the Vice-Chair of the Hamilton Park Conservancy.  Hamilton Park dates back to the early 19th century and  is located at the heart of the historic Hamilton Park Neighborhood that was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1979.  The 5.4 acre park and its stately landscape create a picturesque setting for the historic neighborhood with Victorian brownstones lining its borders.  The Conservancy was created in 2010 to ensure this beautiful public resource is maintained for future generations to enjoy.  

Hancher Auditorium Ribbon Cutting & Open House

The University of Iowa is excited to announce the ribbon cutting and open house for Hancher Auditorium is scheduled for September 9th at 3:00pm!  Theodore Hoerr led the design of this project while a Principal at Balmori Associates in collaboration with Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects.  To learn more about how this project is transforming the Art Campus landscape on the banks of the Iowa River click here. 

Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts in the News

The proposal for the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts campus expansion in collaboration with Ennead Architects was recently featured on ArchDaily.  The proposal hybridizes two archetypal landscapes, the campus and the park, cultivating a new landscape where the academy is also viewed as a civic expression of the city.  Theodore Hoerr led the design of this project while he was a Principal at Balmori Associates. To learn more about the landscape design for the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts click here.

Bogota Landscape Construction Underway

The Ciudad Empresarial Sarmiento Angulo, an urban project spanning three city blocks in the heart of Bogota, Colombia, has begun construction.  Located on Avenida El Dorado, the city's main cultural axis, the project marks the midpoint between Bogota’s historic downtown and Bogota International airport.  The project will create a new cultural district in the city that links together three districts of the city: Centro Administrativo Nacional, Ciudad Salitre Orientale and Quinta Paredes.  Find out more about the Ciudad Empresarial Sarmiento Angulo, which was led by Theodore Hoerr while a Principal at Balmori Associates.

School's in Session

Beginning today Theodore Hoerr will be teaching two courses in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design during the Spring term: Site, Ecology, and Design with Emily Vogler and Plants and Design with Adam Anderson.  Follow his updates on instagram and twitter during the semester.

Hancher Auditorium Landscape Nears Completion

The Hancher Auditorium is nearing completion!  This project for the University of Iowa implements a progressive water management system that captures, cleans, and infiltrates water into the ground. The design strategy transforms the relationship between the Art Campus and Iowa River to ensure a more resilient environment.  Theodore Hoerr led the design of this project while a Principal at Balmori Associates in collaboration with Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects.  Read more about the Landscape for Hancher Auditorium.

Terrain Work Launches Website!

Terrain Work, a NYC based Landscape Architecture and Urban Design office founded by Theodore Hoerr, has officially launched its website today.  Come see our work at www.terrainwork.com