Terrain Work is creating a new landscape, The Black Box, for Warm Springs in Fremont, California, that will be a burgeoning new environment for the district. The project, in collaboration with Studio T-Square and Valley Oak Partners, is located adjacent to a new Bart Station and a recently constructed Tesla factory. Warm Springs is part of a larger transit-oriented development plan that provides residents and technology employees a new publicly accessible civic landscape. The landscape is centered around a large sunken plaza, The Black Box, which serves as a gathering space for the surrounding community and new tenant for the site. The design uses landscape with an array of biotic and aboitic materials to stimulate novel thinking through engaging all of the senses. To learn more about our Warm Springs Black Box Landscape click here.
Happy 2020 from Terrain Work!
All of us at Terrain Work wish you the best in 2020! Special thanks to our clients, collaborators, and friends for making 2019 a special year for our office. We had the opportunity to create some lasting memories including our Malt House landscape in the Manhattanville Factory District with Janus Property Group pictured above. We are excited to see what the new year brings!
Terrain Work Creates "New Doo" for Austin Salon
Terrain Work is working with Wang Architects in Austin, Texas on the design of an Austin Salon that was formerly the site of a gas station. Terrain Work’s landscape is at once a sign and a landscape intervention that can be “styled” and sculpted throughout the seasons and over the years. To learn more about our Austin Salon click here.
Terrain Work Building Connections in West Harlem
Theodore Hoerr, Principal of Terrain Work, was recently part of a special panel event as part of AIA New York's Architecture and Design Month. Theodore presented three Terrain Work projects - Taystee, Malt House, and the 126th Connector - for the panel "Manhattanville Factory District—Building Connections in West Harlem." The event and panel discussion focused on the design and community interaction that has engendered the transformation of the Manhattanville Factory District. This master-planned district of more than one million square feet in West Harlem is being developed by Janus Property Company from underutilized industrial buildings and vacant land from West 125th to West 128th Streets. The District creates a collaborative corridor anchored by Columbia University, Columbia Medical Center, City College, and the New York Structural Biology Center, and brings much needed publicly accessible open space to this re-imagined industrial neighborhood.
Moderated by Pulitzer Prize-winning architectural critic Paul Goldberger, the event featured speakers Elsia Vasquez, Founder and Executive Director of P.A.’L.A.N.T.E. Harlem; Larry English, Chairman of AirRail and former Community Board 9 Chair; Patrice Derrington, Director of the Center for Urban Real Estate and Director of the M.S. in Real Estate Development Program at Columbia University; Scott Metzner and Jerry Salama, Principals of Janus; Stella Betts and David Leven, Principals of LevenBetts, the architecture firm for MFD’s Taystee Lab Building; Thomas Gluck, Principal of GLUCK+, the architecture firm for MFD’s Malt House; and Theodore Hoerr, Principal of Terrain Work, the landscape architect for the District's publicly accessible open space. Photo Credit: Janus Property Group.
Terrain Work Creating A New Master Plan for Peoria Riverfront Museum
Terrain Work is delighted to announce that we have begun work with the Peoria Riverfront Museum in Central Illinois to create a new campus master plan. The new plan will further the museum’s mission to foster learning for all and create a venue that further strengthens the community. The only multidisciplinary museum of its kind in the nation, the Peoria Riverfront Museum uses art, science, history, and achievement to inspire confidence and lifelong learning in the community.
Situated on the bank of the Illinois River, the Peoria Riverfront Museum acts as a essential link between the historic riverfront and broader downtown Peoria. The museum, a Smithsonian affiliate, manages a permanent collection of 15,000 objects and organizes more than 20 self-curated and visiting exhibitions annually in five major galleries and twenty-five total display spaces. Terrain Work is honored to partner with the museum to forge a vision for the future of the campus and downtown Peoria, Illinois!
Come See Terrain Work Present in Harlem on October 30th!
Theodore Hoerr, Principal of Terrain Work, will take part in a special panel event as part of AIA New York's Architecture and Design Month. Theodore will be presenting three Terrain Work projects for the panel "Manhattanville Factory District—Building Connections in West Harlem" on Wednesday, October 30 from 7:00-9:00 PM at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise in the Manhattanville Factory District. Click here to register.
The Manhattanville Factory District is a master-planned neighborhood of more than one million square feet in West Harlem, developed by Janus from underutilized industrial buildings and vacant land from West 125th to West 128th Streets. The District creates a collaborative corridor anchored by Columbia University, Columbia Medical Center, City College and the New York Structural Biology Center, and brings much needed publicly accessible open space to this re-imagined industrial neighborhood.
Moderated by Pulitzer Prize-winning architectural critic Paul Goldberger, the event will feature speakers Elsia Vasquez, Founder and Executive Director of P.A.’L.A.N.T.E. Harlem; Larry English, Chairman of AirRail and former Community Board 9 Chair; Patrice Derrington, Director of the Center for Urban Real Estate and Director of the M.S. in Real Estate Development Program at Columbia University; Scott Metzner and Jerry Salama, Principals of Janus; Stella Betts and David Leven, Principals of LevenBetts, the architecture firm for MFD’s Taystee Lab Building; Thomas Gluck, Principal of GLUCK+, the architecture firm for MFD’s Malt House; and Theodore Hoerr, Principal of Terrain Work, the landscape architect for the District's publicly accessible open space.
Terrain Work Receives New York American Society of Landscape Architects Award
Terrain Work is delighted to announce that we were recently the recipient of a 2019 New York American Society of Landscape Architects award! Our public art installation Broadway Bouquet won a Merit Award for design excellence in landscape Architecture. Thanks to New York ASLA for recognizing our work! To learn more about Terrain Work’s Broadway Bouquet click here.
TERRAIN WORK REVEALS DESIGN FOR ECOTONAL COMMUNITY IN ILLINOIS
Terrain Work recently created a master plan and design guidelines for a 33 acre Ecotonal Community in Illinois. The community will be organized around the ecotones of several distinctively mid-western landscapes: Deciduous Hardwood Forest, Shortgrass Prairie, and Littoral Edge. 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. To learn more about Terrain Work’s Ecotonal Community click here.
TERRAIN WORK HITS THE COVER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE MAGAZINE!
Terrain Work’s Broadway Bouquet public art installation in New York City is featured in the April issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine. We are honored to have our work recognized in one of the leading design journals during World Landscape Architecture Month! Click hereto learn more about the Broadway Bouquet. To access a digital copy of LA MAG click here.
TERRAIN WORK COOKING UP LANDSCAPE FOR TAYSTEE SITE IN HARLEM
Terrain Work is working with Janus Property Group and LevenBetts architects to create a new landscape for the old Taystee Bakery complex in Harlem, New York. The Taystee development will establish a new connection from 125th Street to West 126th Street to become one of the defining landscapes in the Manhattanville Factory District.
The Janus Property Company has built a reputation for creativity, integrity and success, becoming a leader in transforming New York’s obsolete buildings and underutilized land into newly active and lively neighborhoods. Taystee is key anchor development in Janus’ one million square foot master-planned vision for the Factory District that will be a delicious addition to the community. Terrain Work is delighted to collaborate with Janus and their design team on this transformative project for Harlem.
"Unfolding Blooms," Proposal for Chelsea Art Gallery
Terrain Work was recently invited to submit a proposal for a private art gallery in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. The proposal, Unfolding Blooms, is a collaboration between Terrain Work & Behin Ha and takes one of the simple pleasures in life - the unfolding of a bloom - and turns it into a fully immersive experience.
The artwork is comprised of a grid of three hundred and fifty mirrored spheres that each contain a mix of blooming flowers and cut branches in the manner of the art of Ikebana. The spheres float above the ground at different levels and are organized in rows spaced three feet apart to allow people to occupy a the space among the blooms. Unfolding Blooms creates an immersive experience that occurs through space and time where people can celebrate the simple beauty of a blossom opening. To learn more about unfolding blooms click here.
Happy 2019 from Terrain Work!
Terrain Work wishes you all of the best in 2019! Special thanks to all of our clients, collaborators, and friends for making 2018 a special year for our office. We had the opportunity to create some lasting memories including our “Broadway Bouquet” art installation pictured above for the NYC DOT. We are excited to see what 2019 brings!
Terrain Work is Hiring!
Terrain Work is looking for a creative and enthusiastic Landscape Architect or Designer with 1-5 years of working experience. Individuals with strong design and graphic representation abilities who are able to take drawings through construction are preferred. Candidates must be proficient in Rhino, AutoCAD, and the Adobe Suite to be considered for this position. Ability to sketch and/or build models with an interest in hybrid graphic practices is desirable. If you are interested in working in a small atelier practice where you will have the potential to grow with the company, please email your resume and work samples to: thoerr@terrainwork.com. Please no phone calls.
Terrain Work is an international landscape architecture, urban design, and public art studio in New York City. Terrain Work’s landscapes and urban strategies consider how landscape’s innate ability to change create new emergent forms and experiences that synthesize culture, nature, and the built environment. We approach each project with a curiosity and collaborative spirit born out of the belief that landscapes should perform as both cultural provocateur and ecological system.
Theodore Hoerr of Terrain Work Presents at The Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America
Theodore Hoerr, Founding Principal of Terrain Work, recently presented design research for age friendly landscapes at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society Of America (GSA) in Boston. Theodore was part of an interdisciplinary symposia consisting of a diverse panel of speakers, including psychologists, gerontologists, an architect, and a landscape architect, to address the importance of purpose in later life and the design of purposeful living spaces for older adults.
Theodore's talk explored how understanding the etymology of landscape can offer insight into designing spaces to create delight and foster purpose in life through the cultivation of the landscape. It also traced a history of a few key scientific studies that demonstrate the power of landscape to engender mental and physical health while providing promising links to improving self-esteem and fostering a sense of accomplishment in older adults.
This is an exciting point in time where designers have the knowledge and resources to create built environments that go beyond a series of checklists to address safety and accessibility. As evidence based design becomes more commonly relied upon as a tool for designers, it poses questions of how we can creatively design age friendly spaces that capture the imagination of all age groups while providing support for older adults.
A special thanks to symposia chair Professor Wingyun Mak PhD, and fellow panelists Ted Porter of Ted Porter Architecture, Karon Phillips, Ph.D., MPH, CHES, CAPS, Jean Accius, PhD, PMP, and Claire Daugeard . For more information on Terrain Work’s Ageless Design Research click here.
HUDSON COMMONS CONSTRUCTION IN MANHATTAN UNDERWAY!
Terrain Work is excited to announce that our project Hudson Commons at 441 9th Avenue in New York City has begun construction of the landscape! The project, in collaboration with COVE Property Group and KPF Architects, consists of 40,000 square feet of landscape that climbs up a commercial office tower. Hudson Commons offers premier office space in the heart of Manhattan providing an innovative approach to work-space environments that encourages indoor to outdoor interactivity with a landscape that is designed for both work and relaxation. To learn more about Hudson Commons click here or visit www.terrainwork.com.
Terrain Work's Theodore Hoerr Juror for Malecon Competition
Theodore Hoerr, Principal of Terrain Work, is a juror for the upcoming Malecon competition sponsored by Eleven Magazine. The competition, “Malecon: A Sea Defence & Cultural Space Challenge,” takes place in an iconic part of Havana, Cuba, and addresses the coastal vulnerability accelerated by climate change as well as “imagining a new wave of sociocultural design-led revival.” For more information on the competition and the opportunity for the public to vote visit Malecon: A Sea Defence & Cultural Space Challenge.
"QUEENS BLOSSOMS," TERRAIN WORK'S PUBLIC ART PROPOSAL
Terrain Work recently proposed a public artwork for a plaza underneath the NYC MTA station located at 40th Street and Queens Boulevard in Queens, New York. The artwork, “Queens Blossoms,” aims to capture the cultural diversity of the surrounding community while re-imagining a mundane space as a floral explosion. Each flower found in the artwork indicates a different nationality found in Queens, which is one of the most ethnically diverse communities on the planet. “Queens Blossoms” also serves as a virtual map leading people to experience the actual flowers cultivated in and around New York City. To learn more about this project click here.
Terrain Work Celebrates Earth Day with 'Broadway Bouquet'
Terrain Work unveiled 'Broadway Bouquet' on April 21, 2018 for the NYC Car Free Earth Day Event sponsored by the City of New York and NYC DOT. 'Broadway Bouquet' was a 40' feet long by 8' high temporary public art installation that was displayed at the intersection of Broadway and 24th Street in the Flatiron District of Manhattan. To see Photos and Video of 'Broadway Bouquet' Click Here.
The ‘Broadway Bouquet’ takes one of the most familiar and portable landscapes found on countless street corners in Manhattan and turns it into a larger than life experience, which is quintessentially New York. The artwork captures the scale-bending qualities of the city while giving people a glimpse of how introducing plants and urban ecology in civic spaces can pique the imagination.
The art installation was a featured piece of the NYC/DOT Car Free Earth Day event that closed thirty blocks of Broadway from Times Square to Union Square to vehicular traffic, creating a temporary pedestrian space for people to explore for the day. A variety of environmental programming were introduced by city agencies and nonprofit organizations along Broadway to promote activism and education surrounding climate change, sustainability and rethinking how we use our city streets. To see our Interview about 'Broadway Bouquet' on Good Morning America Click Here.
Terrain Work Wins Public Art Commission To Be Featured on Broadway!
Terrain Work is excited to announce that we have won a public art commission through the City of New York and DOT! On Saturday, April 21st from 9am to 3pm, "Broadway Bouquet" will be displayed on Broadway in the Flatiron district of New York as part of the Earth Day celebration. The artwork will be a featured piece in the NYC Car Free Earth Day festivities when Broadway is shut down to automobiles for the day.
"Broadway Bouquet" takes one of the most familiar and portable landscapes found on countless street corners in Manhattan and turns it into a larger than life experience, which is quintessentially New York. The artwork captures the scale-bending qualities of the city while giving people a glimpse of how plants and urban ecology in new civic spaces can spark the imagination. Learn more about 'Broadway Bouquet' here.
Vote For Terrain Work's Park Avenue Proposal: Text F005 to 502-219-3839
Terrain Work's design proposal "The New York Plant Circus" to re-imagine the future of Park Avenue in New York has been selected as a finalist for the Beyond the Centerline international design competition. To vote for our design text: F005 to 502-219-3839 (one vote per phone number allowed). Voting closes at 5 PM EST on Friday, March 9th. You can learn more about the competition by visiting Beyond the Centerline. To see our complete proposal for The New York Plant Circus click here.