East Architecture Landscape urban Design

July 13, 2018
ACORNby East Architecture

Global architecture and design firm Perkins+Will announces the expansion of its urban design services with a new team in Dubai. Leading the team is recently appointed Steve Velegrinis, an urban planner and landscape architect with more than 19 years of experience, six of those in the Middle East as well as in his native Australia, Singapore, Brazil and Nigeria.

“The decision to expand our core services to include a dedicated urban design team is a logical next step in our expanding Middle East presence and fits seamlessly with the economic and development vision of the region’s governments as they look to create vibrant sustainable city environments of the future, ” said Steven Charlton, Managing Director at Perkins+Will in Dubai.

“Steve is a fantastic addition to the Perkins+Will team and his wealth of hands-on experience will be complemented by that of an international team of designers that has helped shape cities around the world with imaginative master plans, smart strategic frameworks, innovative infrastructure, animated public spaces and distinctive building complexes, ” he added.

Offering urban design, master planning and landscape architecture expertise across a wide variety of current and pipeline projects, the new team will provide a full range of services from research and conceptualization through to testing and delivery.

Velegrinis has previously worked with a variety of global practices including Woods Bagot, GCLA Landscape Architects and ICN Design International, as well as for government and municipal bodies such as Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority and the City of Yarra, Melbourne, Australia. He is also completing a PhD whose research focus is on landscape urbanism as a compelling model for sustainable urban development. Steven teaches as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Urban Design at the American University of Sharjah and has recently written essays in two forthcoming books on Gulf Urbanism by Cambridge University and Architectural Design.

“I am really excited to join Perkins+Will in Dubai as Director of the Urban Design team. The team is comprised of a range of urban designers, architects and landscape architects who have all worked together before in the UAE and we are receiving strong support from other urban design teams in Perkins+Will. Perkins+Will has a fantastic global approach and a real belief in multi-disciplinary, sustainable design practice, ” said Velegrinis.

Prior to joining the practice, he had also been directly involved in a number of key master planning projects in the region including the Dubai Design District Masterplan, Qatar’s Science & Technology Park master plan, Masdar City Phase 1 Vision Masterplan and the Sharjah Lagoons urban framework plan.

Source: perkinswill.com



Landscaping Tips

Though your home is your castle, there is no necessity to surround it with a moat. Here are 5 tips that will help you to make your landscaping feel more warm, welcoming and cozy.

1. Put some flowers nearby your entrance. Flowers make any area look more welcoming and attractive, so greeting your guests with Petunia, Snapdragon, Lily-of-the-Nile or some other garden flowers is always a great thing to do. What is more, to add some space between your house and the entrance, you can consider adding a little white fence. It will create an illusion that your front yard is bigger than it actually is. What is more, adding fence will create a great space for planting flowers to add some color and coziness.

2. Add rambling vines to make your yard look absolutely lovely. You can not deny that rambling vines always create romantic and even magical atmosphere. So why not to use this tip while decorating your yard?

3. To hide the unattractive driveway, consider adding some color, texture, and height. You can easily do it by adding various sorts of flowers. To start, create an island of green lawn right in the hub of a drive. Then add a couple of low boxwood hedges with flowers toward the back of your island.

4. If you want your yard to blossom and flourish bust still do not have enough time to maintain it, consider planting low-fuss lilies. Such flowers look absolutely gorgeous and come in the variety of rainbow hues, so you can pick the one you love most. What is more, low-fuss lilies do not care about the sort of soil, they love the sun and welcome hot, they do not afraid of drought. In other words, Crinums is an ideal flower for all those who are looking for low-maintenance solutions.

5. The last tip also touches the low-maintenance aspect. To make your life easier, group plantings into beds and islands. This will help you to avoid mowing and trimming around each individual plant, save a lot of time and even money.

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