MARTHA SCHWARTZ: “AN IDEA IS SOMETHING

THAT ACTUALLY CONTRIBUTES TO THE

MOVEMENT OF CULTURE”
• Martha Schwartz — is a professor at
Harvard Graduate School of Design,
head of her own practice Martha
Schwartz Partners and one of the
most sought-after landscape
architects in the world
Major Projects
Civic
Grand Canal Square, Dublin, Ireland
 Location: Dublin, Ireland
Client: Dublin Docklands Development Corporation
Size: 1 hectare
Status: Completed 2007
• Grand Canal Square is the major public open space in the Dublin Docklands
Development area. It is located on Grand Canal in Dublin and forms the focal point
of this new development. In this setting dominated by contemporary architectural
expression, a public space is created that will offer color and dynamism to Dublin‘s
open spaces. Due to its cultural celebrity setting,MSA have developed a scheme
with a central red carpet that leads from the theatre out onto the canal and vice
versa. A green carpet connects the new hotel to the office development.
• The hardscape consists of a cracked-glass scheme- a series of criss-cross “paths of
desire” stretching across the length of the square connecting various points of
interest for pedestrians. The original square was much smaller. MSP wanted to
enlarge the square by extending the hardscape up to the buildings’ edges. Granite
paving from the previous square, laid out just two years ago, has been recycled in
the new design to create paths across the square in every direction while still
allowing for the space to host major public events such as festivals and
performances.
• Extending out from the steps of the theatre, the red carpet rolls into the square, spilling the
magic of the theatre into the public space and down to the water’s edge. The carpet is
made from bright red resin-glass pavings that reflect and capture light during the day. The
red pick-up sticks imbedded into the carpet provide dramatic light at night.
• The green carpet has a calmer expression and offers ample seating on the edges of planters
of various heights. The planters, extruded polygons of the green carpet, are planted with
marsh vegetation as a reminder of the historic wetland area of this site and some offer
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 for movement across
the square in any possible direction while still allowing big activities such as markets or
fairs. The new square will be an urban magnet with 24-hour activity and is an accurate
interpretation of Dublin’s energy.
• The three triangular objects are the two pavilions and the water feature. The two pavilions
allow access to the stairs and elevator leading to the underground parking as well as add
ventilation. The pavilions are stainless steel mesh with blue walls and blue LED lights. The
third triangle, a cascading fountain, evokes a boulder being pushed from the ground with
different layers representing a “brook in spring”. White LED lights illuminate the water at
night.
Residential
Location: Santa Fe, NM, USA
Client: Nancy Dickinson
Architect: Steven Jacobson
Size: 20 acres
Status: Completed1991
• The Dickinson’s adobe house sits atop the brow of a hill and visually
commands an expansive site with spectacular views to the horizon in
several directions. Responding to these views, the landscape design is
organized as a series of gestures oriented outward into the native
landscape. A central spine is defined by an ornamental fence which
asserts itself at the front of the house and reappears at the back to align
with a long line of purple plum trees that intervene in the scrub
landscape. A swimming pool, pool terrace, and a turfed roof terrace
gesture outward and orient to impressive views.
• In contrast, the entry landscape is self–contained and intimate. A series
of stucco enclosures creates a sequence of landscape rooms and
corridors leading to the front of the house. A visitor to the house parks in
a walled motor court, moves down a walled corridor containing a single
line of poplar trees, and arrives at a sunken entry garden with an olive
grove and four fountains. A gravel panel defines the floor of the room
which is divided by an orthogonal series of brightly colored, tile–clad
runnels. These runnels interconnect the fountains while rocks define a
series of square and circular spaces at the base of each tree. Lit at night,
the fountains, with brightly colored interior metal panels, glow from
within.
Location: Natick, MA, USA
Client: General Growth Properties
Size: 34,850 square feet
Status: Completed 2008
Awards: BSLA Award 2012
• The rooftop deck of the residences at the
Natick Mall has been designed to be
experienced spatially and visually: there are
shifting views and rich colors as one walks
through and the rooftop as a whole presents a
strong and clear graphic identity for those
viewing the roof from their apartments above.
The deck is located at the sixth floor level of
the Residences, above the mall, and in
between the mall skylight, residence amenity
space, and individual condominium units.
Parks
Fengming Mountain Park, Chongqing, China

ChinaLocation: Chongqing, China

Client: Vanke
Size: 16 hectares
Status: Completed 2013
Fengming Mountain Park, Chongqing, China
• The brief was to design a demonstration park and urban public realm to
express a unique indentity in order to market the future development. The
park is required to draw attention to the development sales centre from the
upper main road and entrance from Fengxi Road; and be adaptable for retrofit
and integration for the adjacent future development.
• Extreme topography creates both a functional challenge to facilitate pedestrian
and vehicle movement from the upper carpark to the sales centre at the
lowest point; and a unique opportunity to provide a dynamic landscape – the
‘mountain‘.
• The vision was to create a strong connection between the setting of the site
and the surrounding backdrop of the mountainous peaks, valleys of the
Sichuan Basin; the agrarian patterning of rice paddy terraces; the Chang Jiang
river; and the mysterious white/grey misty sky of Chongqing. These elements
provide the inspiration for the mountain pavilions, zigzag patterns,
orchestrated terrain and the use of vivid colours (to contrast against the sky).
 Saint Mary’s Churchyard Park, London, UK
• The key design goals for Saint Mary’s were to re organise the park while
retaining its positive historic qualities, link the park to the city, incorporate
healthy existing trees into the design, work with the historic railings, and
ultimately to make the park a safe, accessible, and desirable place for the
community. These goals are achieved by incorporating park access, safety
features, and activity into the design.
• While working on the site construction, workmen came across a number of old
vaults and burial plots. These were carefully recorded by an archaeologist and
left undisturbed. Today the site remains a consecrated ground and continues to
be an open space for the use and enjoyment of children and the greater public.
The site has won the British Association of Landscape Industries Award for
Regeneration.
Saint Mary’s Churchyard Park, London, UK
Village of Yorkville
Park, Toronto,
Canada
Village of Yorkville Park, Toronto, Canada
• The landscape design for Yorkville Park is an interpretation of the 19th Century practice of bringing
specimens of the native landscape into the city as typified by the tradition of the Victorian “box collections”
of insects, fossils, bones, etc. Using this theme, the design reflects, reinforces, and extends the Victorian
scale and character of the original Village of Yorkville.
• In this “box collection,” the park is divided into a series of zones, varying in width and filled with a collection
of plant communities ranging from upland communities at the east end, through lowland/ wetland
communities, to shade gardens at the west end. Major plant types and communities include: pine grove,
Ontario wild flowers and grasses, an aspen grove, rock\herb garden, crab apple grove, marsh, Willow “batt,”
mixed herbaceous border, and fern garden. Native plant material is selected to provide longevity, variety
through the changing seasons, and food and habitat for song birds.
• A large “clearing,” a pedestrian plaza, offset from the center of the park, provides a counterpoint to the
general order of the park. This paved area is designed to accommodate the heavy pedestrian traffic in the
area of the site’s subway entrance. Major features of the “clearing” are a new glass enclosed subway
entrance, a large sculptural rock outcropping recalling the native “Canadian Shield” bedrock formation, a
summer “rain/winter icicle” fountain, and portable café furniture. Other features of the park include a
“relic” wall, a bittersweet arbor, and a variety of seating types. Special lighting is designed for nighttime
effect and security.
•
Corporate &
Commercial
Natick Mall, Natick, MA, USA
The landscape of the Natick mall is designed to
establish a visible identity for the mall as a
whole and to provide a rich and varied
landscape at a pedestrian scale. Numerous
plantings soften the experience and transform
the entrance into a public space with strong
Natick Mall, Natick, MA, USA
visual connections to the community and the
outlying roads. A series of low stone walls
reminiscent of the New England countryside
highlights the major entrance to the mall. The
datum of walls remains at a constant height,
highlighting the rolling grades of the ground
plane. Lighting fixtures are embedded within
the stone walls, illuminating their forms at
night.
 Vanke Center, Shenzhen, China
• Vanke Center, a mixed use building in Shenzhen by the largest real estate
developer in China is as long as the Empire State Building is tall. It includes
apartments, offices and a hotel, with a conference centre, spa and car park
below ground level.
• Martha Schwartz Partners (MSP) was appointed as landscape architect to re-
envision and improve the existing landscape, and to transform it into high
quality public and private spaces, both for the neighbourhood surrounding
the development and private clientele.
• MSP came up with a concept termed ‘archipelago’ that aimed at cleverly
maintaining existing structural elements underneath the series of mounds,
and employing a variety of planting strategies to diversify the experience of
the landscape throughout the development.
Vanke Center, Shenzhen, China
Vanke Center, a mixed use building in Shenzhen by the largest
real estate developer in China is as long as the Empire State
Building is tall. It includes apartments, offices and a hotel, with
a conference centre, spa and car park below ground level.
Martha Schwartz Partners (MSP) was appointed as landscape
architect to re-envision and improve the existing landscape,
and to transform it into high quality public and private spaces,
both for the neighbourhood surrounding the development and
private clientele.
MSP came up with a concept termed ‘archipelago’ that aimed
at cleverly maintaining existing structural elements underneath
the series of mounds, and employing a variety of planting
strategies to diversify the experience of the landscape
throughout the development.
Location: London, UK
Client: Barclays Bank
Architect: HOK Architects,
Pringle Brandon Architects
Size: 5 6-story atria
Status: Completed 2004
• The new Headquarters for Barclays Bank, designed by HOK Architects with
interior outfitting by Pringle Brandon Architects, is located in Canary Wharf,
London. Martha Schwartz Partners designed the five interior atria within
this new building. Each atrium is six–stories high and is surrounded on three
sides by offices that look down into the open space.
• The design intention for the atria is to create a unique environment within
each while allowing for various functions to occur. Each atrium is designed
with three–dimensional installations including hanging artificial materials
and floor components of organic plant materials. Each of these five spaces
creates a unique address for its six–story surroundings. For the sixth floor
installation, artificial bamboo rods hang from the ceiling at varying angles,
while below, a circular seating area is delineated on the floor by bamboo
plants. This arrangement allows for vibrant views from above and both
privacy and an outdoor view at the floor level.
Barclays Bank Headquarters, London, UK
Whitehead Institute “Splice Garden”,
Cambridge, MA, USA
• Location: Cambridge, MA, USA
Client: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Design Team: The Office of Peter Walker and Martha
Schwartz (Martha Schwartz, Bradley Burke)
Size: 875 square feet
Status: Completed 1986
• This 25 foot by 35 foot rooftop garden in Cambridge,
MA is part of an adventuresome art collection
assembled by Director David Baltimore for the
Whitehead Institute, a microbiology research center.
The site was a lifeless rooftop courtyard atop a nine-
story office building designed by Boston architects
Goody Clancy Associates. Its dreary, tiled roof surface
and high surrounding walls conspired to create a dark,
inhospitable space, overlooked by both a classroom
and a faculty lounge. The lounge offered access to the
courtyard, making it a potential place to eat lunch.
• This garden is a monster — the joining together like Siamese
twins of gardens from different cultures. One side is based
on a French Renaissance garden; the other on a Japanese
Zen garden. The elements that compose these gardens have
been distorted. The rocks typically found in a Zen garden are
composed of topiary pompoms from the French garden.
Other plants, such as palms and conifers, are in strange and
unfamiliar associations. Some plants project off the vertical
surface of the wall; others teeter precariously on the wall’s
top edge.
• All the plants in the garden are plastic. The clipped
hedges, which double as seating, are rolled steel
covered in Astroturf. The green colors, which are the
strongest cues that this is a garden, are composed of
colored gravel and paint. The intent was to create for
the scientists who occupy this building a visual puzzle
that could not be solved. The garden is an ode to
“better living through chemistry.”
References
• www.slideshare.net
• https:msp.world.