SLA

Continuing Wuxi’s wetland heritage Wuxi, located in East China's Jiangsu province, is a city shaped by its lakes, rivers, and wetlands. SLA’s planning and landscape design for the WUXI INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTER builds on this natural legacy. By integrating biodiversity, access to the water, and recreative nature experiences, the project enhances Wuxi’s wetland character while creating flood protection and inviting spaces for visitors, locals, and conference guests alike. Spanning 120,000m², the conference center complex features large exhibition halls, a 1,600-seat auditorium, two hotels, and various conference facilities. We developed this project with our client Wuxi Taihu New City Group and collaborators Henning Larsen Architects and AECOM. 🔗 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/daRtiXfE

Five teams. One Runway. An opportunity to reimagine how to shape this into a landmark for public life, creativity, and connection.   With five landscape architect-led teams shortlisted from nearly 50 submissions, the YZD Runway Design Competition is moving into its second stage.   ➡️ CCxA – with Belleville Placemaking, Partners for Economic Solutions, Creative Restructuring Advisors, Henriquez Partners Architects, Two Row Architect, Dougan & Associates, Ha/f Climate Design, Daily Tous Les Jours ➡️ Field Operations – with HR&A, Belleville Placemaking, SpruceLab Inc, Spiers Major, Pentagram, Cecilia Alemani, Debra Simon Art Consulting, Dbaajmowin ➡️ Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc. – with Henning Larsen, HR&A Advisors, eDesign Dynamics, Lord Cultural Resources, Belleville Placemaking, Bruce Mau Design ➡️ Sasaki – with Heatherwick Studio, Miasto, Buro Happold, Atelier Ten, L’Observatoire, Group Delta Consultants, Two Row Architect ➡️ SLA – with Gehl, PCA-STREAM, AKT II, HR&A Advisors, Trophic Design, Art+Public, AOA, Level Playing Field   From creating iconic public spaces to redefining cultural destinations, these teams have left their mark on some of the world’s most remarkable places. Now, they turn their expertise to The Runway at YZD.   Over the coming months, these teams will create a preliminary Runway Concept Plan. A jury, chaired by Ken Greenberg, will select one team to develop The Runway Roadmap, a foundational toolkit of strategic, long-term guidelines and overall Concept Plan to help shape the future design and development of The Runway.   Read more: https://lnkd.in/gXFK_fRC

FROM GREY INFRASTRUCTURE TO GREEN SOCIALSTRUCTURE "We know that converting grey infrastructure into green socialstructure leads to more inclusive, adaptable, and environmentally resilient public spaces. So, the real question is not whether cities can do this. The question is: Why aren’t they?" This is the question posed by SLA Communications Director Kristoffer Holm Pedersen in his essay ‘From Grey Infrastructure to Green Socialstructure’ in Landezine. “The cities of tomorrow should not be dominated by roads, noise, and pollution. Instead, they should be places where nature, community, and climate resilience converge to shape a better urban condition – for all life.” Read the full essay here: https://bit.ly/LandezSLA

Exciting news! Our pioneering project UN17 VILLAGE is in the finals of the MIPIM Awards in the 'Best residential project' category – and public voting is now open: https://lnkd.in/dfZw_us UN17 VILLAGE is the world’s first property development to integrate all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into a single project. Home to more than 1,000 residents from students to families and senior citizens, UN17 VILLAGE seamlessly integrates nature and housing to foster health, community, biodiversity, and a communal and green everyday life. Read more about the project here: https://bit.ly/UN17SLA UN17 VILLAGE is made in collaboration with our ambitious client Nrep / Urban Partners and our team Sweco Architects Denmark, Lendager, Artelia, CG Jensen A/S, and Udviklingsselskabet By & Havn. #MIPIMAwards #RealEstate #MIPIMSummit

The new ‘Neighborhood Plan for Vollsmose’ in Odense is out — and we’re happy to have contributed to a data-driven foundation for its blue-green future 🌿💧 Through a biodiversity baseline, our biologists provided a clear overview of Vollsmose’s existing nature and ecological values, creating a base for biodiversity tracking over time. This data also guided our recommendations for how nature and water are brought into the neighborhood’s streets and public spaces – to make them as biodiverse, resilient, and vibrant as possible. The project was carried out for Fremtidens Vollsmose P/S. Explore the new neighborhood plan and our biodiversity report here: https://lnkd.in/dh5GW8Wg

We are proud to reveal our new vision and study for the SKJERN Å river system, proposing to set the water free. In close collaboration with ReVærk and Arendse Marie Gulløv, we have developed the vision for a future with more water — at a moment when 15% of Denmark’s agricultural land is set to be restored to untouched nature. A key outcome is our BLUE POTENTIAL MAP, a strategic, geodata-based tool designed to guide land conversions while revitalizing agricultural landscapes and villages. Find our full study (in Danish) here: bit.ly/SkjernAa-Issuu And an English recap on our website: bit.ly/Skjern-Aa The project was developed as part of ‘Vandets Veje’, an Agenda Earth initiative run by Arkitektforeningen, developed with Advokatsamfundet, and supported by DREYERS FOND.

We want your submissions! We are excited to share that SLA partner and design principal Rasmus Astrup has been appointed Guest Editor of the Fall 2025 issue of LANDSCAPES | PAYSAGES – the official magazine of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects. In the issue, Rasmus aims to explore the theme of ‘Natural Capital’ and how we calculate, account for, and define the value of landscape architecture and nature-based design. “Natural Capital is playing an increasing role in shaping policies, guiding funding, and influencing design. We therefore call for all our interdisciplinary colleagues to join us in sharing insights, tools, and data to help us create a practical 'handbook' to allow our profession to make Natural Capital a driving force in creating economically viable, resilient, livable, and biodiverse places for life – all life,” says Rasmus Astrup. Read the full Call for Submissions here: https://bit.ly/cslaSLA The Fall 2025 Landscapes | Paysages is edited together with Laurie Blake, Ryan Wakshinski, Cindi Rowan OALA, APALA, CSLA, ASLA, and Blake Creamer.

How do we design nature that thrives and prospers in a challenging climate like the UAE – just as in our award-winning AL FAY PARK? Of course, choosing the right kind of drought-resistant native species is important. But to create a truly sustainable and thriving City Nature, a much more specialized design approach is needed: 🌳 We use our specialist planting knowledge to design new forms of multilayered forest ecosystems in which each individual tree and plant supports the others. 💦 We design and implement new technological irrigation methods in close collaboration with suppliers. 🌱 We even devise specific ’root designs’ to create an optimal network of root systems to maximize water-retaining capacity. 🍄 Finally, we specially design the soil to attract an optimal blend of microorganisms and fungi which further reduces irrigation needs. The results are resilient native ecosystems with dramatically reduced irrigation needs of up to 75 percent(!) compared to conventional parks. Not to forget a beautiful, lush, and biodiverse local nature that grows stronger each year to be enjoyed by children, adults, and wildlife alike – just like AL FAY PARK 💚

How can we represent the richness of the grown environment in architectural models? And how can new tools strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration in nature design?  (Hint: We don’t think abstract styrofoam models are the answer)     This February, we turned to the arts for new inspiration:      We visited artist Rune Bosse’s studio and forest lab to explore new ways of processing and curating plants and raw materials – and did hands-on crafting in a model-building workshop with artist Lars Arnfred Fynboe.   “A tree is not an object like a light pole is. So, when we build a model with real stones, sand, and branches, instead of white styrofoam, we can better explore the tangible nature experiences we want to create – using a non-abstract language that our biologists, anthropologists, and designers can share with our clients and collaborators when designing the best possible spaces for all life,” says SLA Partner and Senior Lead Designer, Sune Rieper.     A big thank you to Rune Bosse and Lars Arnfred Fynboe for the insights and exchange! 

“A farm-fresh idea for the modern city” The Globe and Mail’s architecture critic Alex Bozikovic covers our "bold vision" for the PICKERING LANDS and its transfer into the ROUGE NATIONAL URBAN PARK. The vision combines agriculture, regional development, and natural restoration to create North America’s largest urban national park and an ecological sanctuary for Toronto, Canada’s fastest-growing city. “This is precisely the approach that Canada needs for its urban regions. In places such as the Pickering lands, it is entirely appropriate to erect a green wall, preserving the natural assets and practices that complement the big city and helpfully hem it in,” writes Bozikovic. Check out the great article and Sammy Kogan’s beautiful photos here: https://bit.ly/GlobeRouge The vision is devised together with Ken Greenberg, WATERFRONT REGENERATION TRUST, Friends of the Rouge, Parks Canada, and a wide variety of local and Indigenous stakeholders.