BOOK:The Course of Landscape Architecture, Thames & Hudson Publications

In many ways the history of civilization is a history of our relationship with nature and landscape. Christophe Girot sets out to chronicle this intimate connection, drawing on all aspects of mankind’s creativity and ingenuity, and bringing together the key stories that have shaped our manmade landscapes. Starting from the dual inclination to clear land for cultivation and to enclose space for protection there emerges a vital and multifaceted narrative that describes our cultural relationship to, and dependence on, the landscape, right up to the present day.

By Efi Michalarou

After seven years of travel, research and investigation, Christophe Girot has given birth to “The Course of Landscape Architecture: A History of our Designs on the Natural World, from Prehistory to the Present”, a book on the history of landscape architecture. Unlike other publications in the field, Girot’s intent is to show that landscape architecture has a wider horizon and is broader in scope than the horizon of architecture. This is why he shows connections between various artefacts over the course of human culture, from the first gardens in Iran to recently designed projects such as the 9/11 Memorial in New York. Organized chronologically, the chapters consist of a thematic essay that ties together the central developments, as well as a case study illustrated with specially commissioned photographs and meticulously detailed 3D re-creations showing the featured site in its original context. The author puts the focus on the culture that has shaped and reshaped the landscape: “Our manipulation of space and settled exploitation of the land have created a range of artefacts, each with their own atmosphere”.