David Rubin | LAND COLLECTIVE Vol #7

It's Our New Studio Address:

2013 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Here’s what else is happening:

The Washington Business Journal hails Canal Park as “the very essence of what a 21st century park should be… a glowing example.” Deborah Dietsch writes: “…there is much more to Canal Park than recreation. This striking outdoor space…constitutes the very essence of what a park in the 21st century should be: environmentally responsible, multipurpose and contemporary.” Canal Park was designed by David Rubin while a partner at Olin. Enjoy the rest of the article here.

David Rubin | LAND COLLECTIVE has been asked to participate in the 2013 Mayors’ Institute on City Design in New Orleans, working with mayors from across the country “helping them solve their most pressing city design challenges.” Check out this extraordinary National Endowment for the Arts program here.

“Food for Thought: Sustenance and Symbolism,” a ShopTalk presentation at the American Academy in Rome in March 2012, has been edited by Marsha Moore McKeever and posted to LAND COLLECTIVE’s Vimeo account. Check out this abbreviated version of the full lecture here, and if you like it, enjoy the extended version while you're there.

Washington Business Journal Reviews Canal Park

Canal Park, Washington, D..C.

The Washington Business Journal calls Canal Park, designed by David Rubin while partner at Olin, "A glowing example... of a 21st century park." Read their write-up here.

David Rubin | LAND COLLECTIVE Vol #6

Lenfest Plaza, The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia

Value-Added Design Excellence

Among the many goals for the vision of Lenfest Plaza, three stood out as markers for success: create a unified campus for the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for the first time in the institution’s history; establish a gateway to the “Museum Mile” at the intersection of Broad and Cherry Streets; and identify Philadelphia as one of the nation’s leading art venues, particularly to visitors of the Pennsylvania Convention Center’s main entrance immediately opposite the Academy. Since its creation and as a marker of its success, Lenfest Plaza has graced the cover of numerous magazines and been the subject of countless articles raising the profile of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Lenfest Plaza has improved the Academy’s attendance records, created a sense of place where there was once pass through, and become a symbol for the City of Philadelphia. According to Lonely Planet, “Philadelphia is becoming known as an art capital.”

Most recently, the image of Lenfest Plaza as Philadelphia-identifier was used by Weather.com in their online article, “10 Best Places to Visit in 2013" - Philadelphia ranks number four. This is the strength of design excellence in adding value to place, and indeed, using both art and landscape architecture to create an identity and foster engagement with and for the public at large. Design excellence, and in particular the creation of great public spaces, offers returns that can be measured.