Landscape design USA

This book - Landscape Design USA is a new publication by PACE Publishing Limited, focusing on the excellent projects in USA during recent years. Many of these projects have won ASLA prizes and other national awards in USA. Some projects can also serve as trend-setting indicators for Landscape Architects and students. All of the 70 selected projects have reflected the advanced level of today's American Landscape Architecture.
Besides Landscape Design USA, PACE also published Landscape Design China and Asia Pacific Landscape Design in the last 1-2 years. This collection of books together reflects the recent development of landscape architecture in the USA, China, and the Asia-pacific region. It is refreshing to see a book covering US projects from a Hong Kong based publisher. To appreciate the works presented in this book, one would have to recognize the process that leads to the completion of the projects.
In simplicity, this involves analyzing a problem, designing a solution, and supervising implementation of the project. Every project has some problems, or constraints, or considerations, which translate into opportunities for innovative and creative design solutions. While reading this book, one should be aware of the social, geographical, cultural, economical or political elements behind. The formation of every concept is based on detailed site analysis and logical thinking.
While the format of the book is very good as it is, it would be even better if future publications in this series can accommodate more sketches, plans and sections by the designers to further help us understand more about the design process - from concept to implementation. For over a hundred years, American landscape architecture has made progressive advancement with the evolution of technological development.
One important principle has never changed throughout the years - landscape architects should be responsive and reflective to every context, no matter a small pocket garden or a large urban waterfront park, this should always be an important element leading to a successful project. Creative moves stemming from interpretation or reactions to specific contextual details can be found in most successful projects.
Landscape Design @ ; USA has presented to us some viewpoints that are visually stimulating. However, I must stress that successful landscape architectural works synthesized through an array of concepts and design elements and often involve more than one viewpoint. Landscape, thus, is most appreciated when it is walked through ; elements of surprise might be just around the corner...