Laurie Olin
Encyclopedia
Laurie Olin is an American landscape architect
. He has worked on everything from private residences to large public parks. Olin grew up in Alaska, and earned his degree in Architecture from the University of Washington, in Seattle
where he was mentored under Richard Haag
. After graduating he worked for offices in Seattle, New York City
, and London
. In 1976 he became a Professor for the University of Pennsylvania
, where he offered courses on the design of environments. Ten years later he was head chair of the landscape architecture program at Harvard University
. After serving as chair at Harvard, Olin returned to Penn where he continues to be Practice Professor of Landscape Architecture.
Olin is the founding partner of the landscape architecture and urban design firm OLIN. The firm received the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award
for Landscape Design in 2008, and in 2010 was on the winning team in the competition to design the new United States Embassy in London with architects KieranTimberlake.
Olin is a John Simon Guggenheim Fellow
, an American Academy of Rome Fellow, an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA)
, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
, the 1999 Wyck-Strickland Award recipient, and a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)
. Olin won the Rome Prize in Landscape Architecture in 1972, was the recipient of the 1998 Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and was recently inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Olin has written widely on the history and theory of architecture and landscape, receiving the Bradford Williams medal for best writing on Landscape Architecture. Olin co-authored La Foce: A Garden and Landscape in Tuscany, which includes a historical essay, along with photographs, sketches, and a critical analysis of the early 20th century garden in Italy. Across the Open Field (2000), is both a memoir and series of essays on the evolution of the English landscape. He is also the author of Transforming the Commonplace (1996) and Vizcaya: An American Villa and Its Makers (2006, with Witold Rybczynski
), on James Deering
's mansion in Coconut Grove, Florida.
Landscape architect
A landscape architect is a person involved in the planning, design and sometimes direction of a landscape, garden, or distinct space. The professional practice is known as landscape architecture....
. He has worked on everything from private residences to large public parks. Olin grew up in Alaska, and earned his degree in Architecture from the University of Washington, in Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
where he was mentored under Richard Haag
Richard Haag
Richard Haag is a United States landscape architect. He is famous for his work on Gas Works Park in Seattle, Washington and on the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. He is also noted for founding the Landscape Architecture Program at the University of Washington and for holding multiple design...
. After graduating he worked for offices in Seattle, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In 1976 he became a Professor for the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, where he offered courses on the design of environments. Ten years later he was head chair of the landscape architecture program at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. After serving as chair at Harvard, Olin returned to Penn where he continues to be Practice Professor of Landscape Architecture.
Olin is the founding partner of the landscape architecture and urban design firm OLIN. The firm received the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award
National Design Awards
The National Design Awards, founded in 2000, is funded and awarded by Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. There are seven official design categories, and three additional awards...
for Landscape Design in 2008, and in 2010 was on the winning team in the competition to design the new United States Embassy in London with architects KieranTimberlake.
Olin is a John Simon Guggenheim Fellow
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
, an American Academy of Rome Fellow, an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA)
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
, the 1999 Wyck-Strickland Award recipient, and a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)
American Society of Landscape Architects
The American Society of Landscape Architects is the national professional association representing landscape architects, with more than 17,000 members in 48 chapters, representing all 50 states, U.S. territories, and 42 countries around the world, plus 68 student chapters...
. Olin won the Rome Prize in Landscape Architecture in 1972, was the recipient of the 1998 Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and was recently inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Olin has written widely on the history and theory of architecture and landscape, receiving the Bradford Williams medal for best writing on Landscape Architecture. Olin co-authored La Foce: A Garden and Landscape in Tuscany, which includes a historical essay, along with photographs, sketches, and a critical analysis of the early 20th century garden in Italy. Across the Open Field (2000), is both a memoir and series of essays on the evolution of the English landscape. He is also the author of Transforming the Commonplace (1996) and Vizcaya: An American Villa and Its Makers (2006, with Witold Rybczynski
Witold Rybczynski
Witold Rybczynski , is a Canadian-American architect, professor and writer.Rybczynski was born in Edinburgh of Polish parentage and raised in Surrey, England before moving at a young age to Canada. He attended Loyola High School , located on Sherbrooke street, in Montreal-Ouest...
), on James Deering
James Deering
James Deering was an industrialist executive in the family Deering Harvester Company and subsequent International Harvester, a socialite, and an antiquities collector. He is known for his landmark Vizcaya estate, where he was an early 20th century resident on Biscayne Bay in the present day...
's mansion in Coconut Grove, Florida.
Europe
- BishopsgateBishopsgateBishopsgate is a road and ward in the northeast part of the City of London, extending north from Gracechurch Street to Norton Folgate. It is named after one of the original seven gates in London Wall...
, London, England - Brancusi Ensemble, Târgu Jiu, Romania
- Memorial to the Murdered Jews of EuropeMemorial to the Murdered Jews of EuropeThe Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe , also known as the Holocaust Memorial , is a memorial in Berlin to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold. It consists of a site covered with 2,711 concrete slabs or "stelae", arranged in a...
, Berlin, Germany (with architect Peter EisenmanPeter EisenmanPeter Eisenman is an American architect. Eisenman's professional work is often referred to as formalist, deconstructive, late avant-garde, late or high modernist, etc...
)
United States
- 1 Memorial Drive1 Memorial Drive1 Memorial Drive is the headquarters complex of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.The 618,000 square foot complex consisting of a 14-story tower and two-story base containing its cash processing and operations facilities was designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners was dedicated June 11, 2008,...
, campus of the headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City - ARCOARCOAtlantic Richfield Company is an oil company with operations in the United States as well as in Indonesia, the North Sea, and the South China Sea. It has more than 1,300 gas stations in the western part of the United States. ARCO was originally formed by the merger of East Coast-based Atlantic...
corporate headquarters, La Palma, CA - Atlantic YardsAtlantic YardsThe Atlantic Yards is a mixed-use commercial and residential development project of 16 high-rise buildings, under construction in Prospect Heights, adjacent to Downtown Brooklyn and Fort Greene in Brooklyn, New York City...
, open space around developement, Brooklyn, NY - Battery Park City, New York, NY
- Bryant ParkBryant ParkBryant Park is a 9.603 acre privately managed public park located in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and between 40th and 42nd Streets in Midtown Manhattan...
, New York, NY - Columbus CircleColumbus CircleColumbus Circle, named for Christopher Columbus, is a major landmark and point of attraction in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at the intersection of Eighth Avenue, Broadway, Central Park South , and Central Park West, at the southwest corner of Central Park. It is the point from...
, New York, NY - J. Paul Getty CenterGetty CenterThe Getty Center, in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, is a campus for cultural institutions founded by oilman J. Paul Getty. The $1.3 billion center, which opened on December 16, 1997, is also well known for its architecture, gardens, and views overlooking Los Angeles...
, Los Angeles, CA - Hudson Yards, New York NY
- Mill RiverMill RiverThe Mill River is a river in the U.S. state of Connecticut.The river starts in the town of Cheshire, flows through Hamden and New Haven, and discharges into New Haven Harbor on Long Island Sound. The river's length is...
Park & Greenway, Stamford, CT - Pershing Square, Los Angeles, CA
- Robert F. Wagner ParkBryant ParkBryant Park is a 9.603 acre privately managed public park located in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and between 40th and 42nd Streets in Midtown Manhattan...
, New York, NY - University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, Philadelphia, PA (Campus Development Plan) - Washington MonumentWashington MonumentThe Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington...
, Washington, DC - Toledo Museum of ArtToledo Museum of ArtThe Toledo Museum of Art is an internationally known art museum located in the Old West End neighborhood of Toledo, Ohio, United States. The museum was founded by Toledo glassmaker Edward Drummond Libbey in 1901, and moved to its present location, a Greek revival building designed by Edward B....
, Toledo, Ohio
Awards
- ASLA Merit Award, ARCO Research Center, 1984
- Progressive Architecture Magazine Design Award, Battery Park City, 1985
- Urban Landscape Institute Award for Excellence for Public Projects, Bryant Park, 1996
- ASLA Landmark Award, Battery Park City, 2003
- ASLA Design Honor Award, the J. Paul Getty Center, 2003
- ASLA Award of Excellence, The Heart of the Park at Hermann ParkHermann ParkHermann Park is one of Houston's most-visited public parks. Situated between Fannin Street and Cambridge Street, it is within walking distance from the Texas Medical Center, Rice University, and the Museum District, and within a few miles of the Third Ward, the historic Astrodome and Reliant Stadium...
, 2005 - Mid-Atlantic Construction Magazine Park/Landscape Award of Merit, the Washington Monument, 2005
- AIA Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design, the University of British Columbia, 2006
- ASLA Landscape Architecture Firm Award (awarded to OLIN firm), 2006
- ASLA General Design Award of Honor, Columbus Circle, 2006
- Royal Architectural Institute of CanadaRoyal Architectural Institute of CanadaThe Royal Architectural Institute of Canada , founded in 1907, is a Canadian association representing over 3,600 architects, and faculty and graduates of Canadian Schools of Architecture.RAIC is the voice for architecture and its practice in Canada...
Urban Design Award, the University of British Columbia, 2006 - ASLA General Design Award Of Honor, the Washington Monument, 2008
- Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award (awarded to OLIN firm), 2008
- Urban Land Institute Award of Excellence, Comcast Building (awarded to OLIN firm), 2009
- Building Institute’s Bybee Prize, 2010
- ASLA Landmark Award, Bryant Park (awarded to OLIN firm), 2010
- ASLA Medal, 2011
Publications
- OLIN: Placemaking, 2008.
- Vizcaya: An American Villa and its Members, with Witold RybczynskiWitold RybczynskiWitold Rybczynski , is a Canadian-American architect, professor and writer.Rybczynski was born in Edinburgh of Polish parentage and raised in Surrey, England before moving at a young age to Canada. He attended Loyola High School , located on Sherbrooke street, in Montreal-Ouest...
, 2007. - La Foce: A Garden and Landscape in Tuscany, with Benedetta Origo et al, 2001.
- Across the Open Field: Essays Drawn from English Landscapes, 2000.
- Transforming the Common Place: Selections from Laurie Olin's Sketchbook, 1996.
- Breath on the Mirror: Seattle's Skid Road Community, 1973.
External links
- OLIN Official site of design firm