Land Collective In Dialogue @ NYBG
Designing Third Spaces at the New York Botanical Garden
Land Collective’s Founding Principal, David A. Rubin, will be the final featured speaker in the New York Botanical Garden’s 2021 Portfolio Design Series on Monday evening, November 1st. His presentation will focus on his concern that the connective tissue of our cities — the “third spaces” between work and home — are not truly public or wholly reflective of the general population. Through representative work, he will reflect on the studio’s belief that “accessibility begins with the invitation to participate.” In this presentation, “Empathy and Inclusivity in the Public Realm,” Rubin will illustrate how his design practice explores issues of identity and accessibility with a focus on Franklin Park and the National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C., as well as Eskenazi Health Hospital and the Cummins Distribution Headquarters in Indianapolis. The lecture will be virtual, and tickets can be accessed here.
Managing Change in Modernist Settings
Modernist landscapes are of an age where stewardship is essential to ensure relevance and resiliency in contemporary times. Working with project lead Penn Praxis, owner Newfields, and Scattergood Design, Land Collective has been collaborating on the “Keeping It Modern” Landscape Preservation Getty Foundation Grant for the J. Irwin & Xenia Miller House in Columbus, IN, originally brought to life by a trio of renowned designers at the top of their fields: Eero Saarinen, Alexander Girard, and landscape architect Daniel Kiley. At the request of Scattergood Design principal and Weitzman School of Design Professor of Practice Pamela Hawkes, David Rubin presented “Managing Change: Contemporary Designs in Historic Settings” at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate Program in Historic Preservation seminar. Rubin’s presentation focused on “lifting the bell jar” off of historic sites to ensure their relevance to 21st century society, with an emphasis on managing change as landscapes balance both static and living systems as they age. His presentation highlighted four key studio projects: Miller House, Cummins Global Headquarters (by Kevin Roche), both in Columbus, Indiana, Pershing Park (by landscape architect M. Paul Friedberg) and the National World War I Memorial, as well as Franklin Park, both in Washington, D.C.
2021 Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library Garden Symposium
Gardens are both written and read. They are expressive of their authors and inform those that participate in these landscapes over time. And they are nothing if not politically charged — a direct reflection of culture and time. “The Secret Garden: Landscapes Through a Gardener’s Lens” explores Land Collective principal David A. Rubin’s love and design of horticulturally-rich civic spaces, his meditative explorations in his personal garden, and the extraordinary and often joyful collisions between these two universes. Reaching back through childhood inspiration — from Star Trek and Swanson TV Dinners to suburban hideaways and reflections on “being different” — David explored the fundamental attraction to gardens and their influence on his ongoing design legacy, including his work on the Winterthur Visitor Center Vision Plan and the visitor experience, beginning with matriculation at Henry Francis du Pont’s estate entry to the approach and entry sequence both on car and on foot. The written landscape reflects the rich traditions of the site, from pre-settlement, to the traditions of gentleman farmer, and the often under-represented narratives of those less seen in our nation’s cultural estates.