On making better places

June 2010 — Experienced landscape architects David Jung and Andy Lewis are both Principals working out of the Design + Planning studio in AECOM's Hong Kong office on projects throughout Asia. Here they share some reflections on the nature of their practice within the Asian context.

Practicing in Asia

Andy: When I first came to Hong Kong in 1980, I was one of the first landscape architects to be employed by the Hong Kong government. At the time they really didn't have any understanding of what to do with me. I remember my director asked, "What is it exactly that you do?" That was slightly alarming having just gotten off an airplane from the other side of the world. The difference now, after thirty years, is phenomenal. The perception has changed from landscape as 'icing on the cake,' and there is a much greater understanding and real opportunities for landscape architects to take a leading role in very large projects, in ones that would typically be lead by an engineer or an architect.

David: I think the goals are still the same as anywhere else in the world, to create and build the best projects possible. I hope that never changes. I do have to say that the context does determine the process and manner of working. From language to culture, it is not an easy process. However, I have to say the opportunity to really do significant work is here in Asia. Often we work with a broader brush, and the projects and clients challenge us to be as creative as we can. It is in the details and construction of the projects where there is a challenge. It is truly an exciting time here, and with dynamic changes come opportunity.

Andy: Hong Kong and China embrace Western ideas, while there is still a strong desire to maintain the integrity of their own culture. They are very amenable to that mix and in fact encourage it. To use the old cliché: it's the best of both worlds. What's different? The scale, the sheer variety and speed. Clients are more concerned with end product than the process here. There are demands for instant rewards. Having said that, maybe it's a 21st century thing rather than an Asian thing.

David: I find that the attention to and priority of landscape from the client is greater. They understand its ability to increase quality of life as well as the value of their land. For example, Jinji Lake was basically a tabula rasa site. As development has occurred, the context has changed. New infrastructure is being put in place, and the need to re-evaluate and redesign certain pieces is seen, not to mention the new developments we are designing for the remaining waterfront around Jinji Lake.

Opportunities and challenges

David: The opportunities are the large infrastructure projects. In Hong Kong we are working on a number of projects that will redefine the waterfront. That is a sobering responsibility and an exciting challenge.  I think the challenge is in demanding better quality. The importance of landscape is that results are evident: if it looks bad, you cannot go back and say the client was wrong or the contractor was wrong because ultimately you are the designer.

Andy: There are much more prominent, larger-scale roles for landscape architects to embrace. How do we handle this rise of prominence in a multi-disciplinary world and assure success in projects of increasing scale and complexity? The environment that we have at AECOM, bringing many disciplines together, gives us the opportunity to meet the challenge, in both new markets and geographies — China, India and Southeast Asia for instance. In India, we are still finding our way in how to operate successfully and profitably, but the potential is immense because the development programs are phenomenal in scope and scale.

Leading with landscape

Andy: It's an apt phrase. Of all the professions, I think the landscape architect has the broadest understanding. We might not have the technical ability of a structural engineer, but in terms of understanding all the forces that come to bear on a project, the natural world and human issues, the landscape architect is central. We need to be careful not to be a jack-of-all-trades, but that process of understanding the environment is a key role, which can bring all those other specialists together to enhance the environment. That's the approach we are taking with our work here and really is the future of the profession. That goes hand-in-hand with the greater public awareness of the skills of landscape architects and upsurge in public understanding of environment/sustainability issues.

David: I am a strong believer in the power of design and landscape to affect and influence the course of big projects.  However, one needs also a strong vision and determination to make good things happen. That is not easy when dealing with egos and historic perceptions. But the profession's intrinsic ability to link and connect is paramount to the way projects are being done today. I think we look at the bigger projects like that, but all of our projects are part of the fabric of our cities, culture and society. They are all connected whether as small moves or big ones.

Current projects

David: In Hong Kong we are working on a number of high-profile infrastructure projects. There is the XRL, which is the express rail link to China that terminates in the heart of Kowloon. We are starting the Kai Tak Cruise Ship Terminal with Foster and Partners. We are involved in the West Kowloon Cultural District Competition with Rocco Design, a prominent local architect. We are beginning to work again on the Cotai strip in Macau.

Andy: The Hong Kong office was aimed primarily at the emerging market in China (that's still 50% of our workload), but we are making great inroads elsewhere, here in Hong Kong, in Macau, in India. What's really exciting now in Hong Kong is the fact that we are involved in four of the most prominent projects in the harbor in central Hong Kong. We're very keen to make a big impact here. It's something we and the city both need.

Favorite places

Andy: I think my favorite city would have to be Hong Kong. There's just something about it, the vibrancy and dynamism of the place, which makes it such a fascinating and exciting city to work in. Although the public realm lacks cohesive integration, it still works so well: the fabric of the city and the systems of the city. It's an efficient machine.

David: Why pick just one? Paris and Barcelona — these two have energy and a beauty, and then Los Angeles, which is interesting for completely different reasons because of its diversity and edge, which are ever present.

Andy: In terms of landscape spaces, I might prefer desert landscapes. I have a particular affinity for the Arizonan desert or the Australian Outback with their particular atmospheres of scale and light.

David: I have to say that Millennium Park in Chicago is a great public space, from the quality of space to its multiple activities. It just works on so many levels.

David Jung Andy Lewis