Comments on: The Garden That Climbs The Steps by Balmori Associates

By: JHG

JHG — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 21:33:03 +0000

Looks like the nature is invading the urban places! Quite nice!

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:38:31 +0000

In the description the designers said:

“Like the famous Spanish Steps in Rome, the garden is not only designed for visitors to ascend and descend, but for them to linger, and just be.”

So the stairs themselves are a seating area. You can sit on the stairs, just as everyone does on the Spanish Steps in Rome.

By: James`

James` — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:52:18 +0000

I agree that this is a very nice, and, in my opinion, unique design.

However, I do believe that simple things could have been taken further, and I feel that form has been chosen over practicality.

The biggest example of this is the area of the stairs which have now been rendered useless. I feel that a seating area or something similar should have been placed here to counter the issue.

On the whole though, I find it is a very pleasant creation!

By: Laura C. Bielecki

Laura C. Bielecki — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:23:41 +0000

I wish this could be done in Edmonton but I think the climate is far to harsh to attempt it. What a great living creature and form!

By: Volkan

Volkan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:08:37 +0000

Nice

By: allen

allen — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:29:01 +0000

the first photo looks like a butterfly on a flower with a stem.

By: Kristine

Kristine — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:25:29 +0000

Very very cool!!

By: Nestor

Nestor — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:35:55 +0000

6k Euro only? I’m no architect but it sounds like a steal at that price.

By: Agustino

Agustino — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:20:17 +0000

It’s never a good idea to claim you could do better unless you know the whole story behind a design.

The budget was only 6000 Euros (about $8840 USD). No, they could not ask for more.

By: mykal

mykal — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 07:36:33 +0000

I agree with many of the comments. It appears that this concept was created in plan because it totally lacks perspective in the lower angles as shown by the photographs. As a landscape designer I can say that it would have been easy to add water and boulders (real or textured and colored concrete) to create a dramatic and lively environment that would be engaging and much more dramatic. As to the budget, there is no doubt that a fancy New York company had whatever resources they required and asked for. Give me the same budget and I am sure that I could have created something more dramatic.

By: Herbalife

Herbalife — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:41:41 +0000

That’s pretty amazing. So out of place, and yet it adds character to an otherwise boring set of concrete steps.

By: liv

liv — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:21:57 +0000

it might be a bit difficult to fit boulders around the steps… something about those buildings…

By: sarahelizabeth

sarahelizabeth — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:31:26 +0000

Spectacular and Intriguing. Wonderful design.

By: jim

jim — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:04:49 +0000

Dave,

I appreciated your budget comment. You’re right, of course, but I had the same thought as Danny the instant I saw the picture. “A good idea not taken far enough by at least half”. I still dream that budgets can be stretched and creatively augmented. This is the type of gesture which could have benefitted from some community energy and perhaps even some philanthropic support.

Usually, the antidote for limitations is creativity and energy!

Believe!

Thanks to Balmori Associates for a great idea!

By: Barbara

Barbara — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:15:25 +0000

I think it is lovely. I did expect something a bit more though from the text. I agree that this could have been better…to bad the funds did not allow for some water. Still, it is beautiful, like a piece of art. The designers show both depth and talent.

By: Norm

Norm — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:39:46 +0000

I find all to often that irregular shapes look great on paper but do not transpose to the built environment all that well. Little things like grading get in the way, as evidenced by the ponding in the pictures, and budget as mentioned before.

Perhaps the budget could have gone farther without the irregularity of edges or perhaps there were other boundaries that we do not know about. What the designer imagines and the client allows can be at odds from time to time.

Still none-the-less the concept of slashing or ripping through man’s carefully constructed hardscape and allowing nature to reveal herself is one that I find engaging. Well done.

By: Dave

Dave — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 03:33:44 +0000

Most design projects can be taken a lot further, the reason they aren’t is usually because the budget doesn’t allow for it.

Designers have to work within the budget they’re provided.

Balmori Associates are certainly more than capable of creating a design with trees and waterfalls, but all of that stuff costs money, and unless they’re provided with the budget to do it, it’s not going to happen.

By: danny

danny — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 03:11:09 +0000

Interesting idea but a bit tame and could be taken a lot further. This is a conventional two dimensional flower bed, albeit on steps. Why leave it at two dimensions? Where are the vertical trees, the falling water? Has anybody thought seriously about the colours of the flowers, from a design point of view? Why not all white, or all blue, for a more dynamic statement. At the moment the colours seem arbitrary.
In this design the flower bed is located in the central section of a flight of steps. Why not locate the steps within a hillside landscape of boulders, grass, trees, water, you name it.
There is a supreme example where I used to live in Beijing, in the Happy Gardens Development, Chaoyang Distict. Might be worth a look…..

By: bocefus

bocefus — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:14:38 +0000

It’s like a garden up a hill, but with stairs instead. Genius!

By: infidelnc

infidelnc — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 01:59:40 +0000

extremely nifty…i love cornflowers