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Nitra Wisdom
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Summary Sentence: The Elegance of Topology: a Return to Site Design
Full Summary: The Elegance of Topology: a Return to Site Design
Christophe GirotThe annual Douglas C. Allen lecture was established by Georgia Tech alumni, faculty and friends in appreciation for Allen’s long-time dedication to the College of Architecture as a teacher, colleague and leader. Christophe Girot, Professor and Chair of Landscape Architecture at the Department of Architecture of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, will give the 2014 Douglas C. Allen lecture entitled "The Elegance of Topology: a Return to Site Design."
Topology is a term in landscape architecture which equates with the term tectonics in architecture. Broadly defined, it is about an intelligent and structured response to terrain. Topology encompasses the entire range of scales from the specific to the local and from the local to the regional, both in scope and in meaning. It is precisely the underlying logic of any physical design, to want to restitute a certain sense of continuity on the ground we tread upon. Topology delivers clear and simple solutions to very complex problems, by making the obvious physical choices pertaining to a site knowingly. One could say that it heralds a return to an elegant vision of the world, where landscape architecture can rise to the expectations of future city dwellers and their lot. This presentation will endeavor to show a set of concrete landscape projects and examples at a large scale where topology contributes actively to the recovery the spirit of place.
Christophe Girot is Professor and Chair of Landscape Architecture at the Department of Architecture of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. His research address new topological methods in landscape design, new media in landscape analysis and perception, and the recent history and theory of landscape design. Emphasis is placed on the fields of action in contemporary large-scale urban landscape with a particular attention given to sustainable design. Girot practices landscape architecture in Zurich and has built projects in Berlin and Paris. His work has been published and exhibited in several countries including “Groundswell,” the first exhibition on Landscape Architecture at the MoMA in New York.
