As the title suggests, Margitta Buchert’s book deals with landscape – what it means and how it can be applied in architectural practice. Read our review to find out which architects can be found in the sample projects and what exciting facts the book has to offer about Singapore.

As the title suggests, Margitta Buchert’s book deals with landscape – what it means and how it can be applied in architectural practice. Read our review to find out which architects can be found in the sample projects and what exciting facts the book has to offer about Singapore.

What it’s about:

The book explores the question of what landscape means and how it can be applied as a concept in architectural practice. Under the headings Urban Dimensions, Green Architecture: Green City and Spatial Formation and Material, Margitta Buchert describes different interpretations of landscape. She collects outstanding example projects by renowned architects on these topics. These include MVRDV as well as Stefano Boeri Architetti and Peter Zumthor. The variety of projects and design approaches makes it clear how diverse the understanding of landscape is. Buchert thus succeeds in highlighting the relevance and potential of the concept.

What distinguishes the author:

Margitta Buchert was appointed as a lecturer in 20th/21st century architecture and art at the Faculty of Architecture and Landscape at Leibniz Universität Hannover in 2000. Her focus is on reflexive design, urban architecture and the aesthetics and contextuality of architecture, art, city and nature. She is involved internationally, for example in the Communities of Tactit Knowledge research network.

That’s a great statement:

“In this way, designing on site is connected to knowledge about many other places.” (page 233)

That is a statement that resonates:

“Rather than sculptural objecthood, structurally and materially aesthetically complex relations of interior and exterior, and varying degrees of ‘restrained’ multiplicity, overlap and intensification come to the fore in terms of spatial formations and materialist surrounding the perceiving human.”(page 298)

The blurb is fulfilled because …

The blurb promises a comprehensive examination of the concept of landscape through various projects and understandings of architecture. The book fulfills this promise.

This knowledge from the book is something to brag about:

An exciting fact is that Singapore has a so-called Landscape Replacement Strategy. This stipulates that 100 percent of the land area in a construction project must be returned directly through greenery in the building context.

More classic than trend, because …

…it provides a good overview of the topic of landscape. The explanations on the aspects of urban assemblage, sustainability and biophilia and topology and atmosphere provide a basic understanding.

In a nutshell

Haptics: The book with its light blue softcover lies firmly in the hand. The thicker paper creates a high-quality impression.

Design: The layout is clearly structured, the texts are clearly arranged in English and German with supplementary images.

Reading flow: Margitta Buchert finds a comprehensible, sometimes scientific, sometimes poetic language. The sequence of office and project descriptions with general concept explanations makes for an entertaining reading experience.

Visual language: Graphics and images richly illustrate the projects. In this way, the interpretations of the landscape discussed in each case become recognizable.

Information: The project descriptions are supplemented by introductions and summaries on the respective topics. This enables a comprehensive view of the topic.

What else is important:

The book advocates new approaches in design practice. Landscape is not a final theory or all-purpose solution, but can serve as a process for dealing with the challenges of the future in a context-appropriate manner. Margitta Buchert thus succeeds in writing an inspiring review.

More exciting reading material: In his book “Zweifellos”, Ton Matton discusses general developments as well as his own experiences in urban planning processes. You can find the review of the book here.

The pelican is a motif that frequently appears in art. With its distinctive beak and elegant form, it appears time and again in paintings, sculptures, and illustrations. In this article, we explore the depiction of the pelican in art and its symbolic meaning across different cultures and eras.

The pelican is a popular motif not only because of its striking appearance but also because of its symbolic meaning. In many cultures, the pelican is regarded as a symbol of care, self-sacrifice, and fertility. The way it feeds its young—by giving them food from its crop—led to the belief that it nourished them with its own blood. In Christian iconography in particular, the pelican therefore represents charity: In the Middle Ages, it was believed that it fed its young in the manner described above. According to this belief, it was said to tear open its breast and nourish its young with its blood until it died. This made it a symbol of self-sacrifice, devotion, and self-sacrificing love. These qualities made it a popular motif in the visual arts from an early stage. The pelican’s versatility—sometimes depicted realistically, sometimes symbolically—allows artists to use it for both decorative and narrative purposes. The result is a motif that is both aesthetically appealing and profound in meaning.

The Pelican in Medieval and Religious Art

As mentioned earlier, the pelican is frequently found in medieval Christian art. Manuscripts, stained-glass windows, and altars often depict it in connection with representations of Christ or as an allegory for “caritas”—that is, charity. In illuminated manuscripts, the pelican is frequently depicted feeding its young—an image symbolizing Christ’s sacrifice. It can also symbolize the Passion of Christ or Jesus himself. In Fra Angelico’s “Crucifixion of Christ,” the pelican and its young are depicted directly above the crucified Christ. An example of the pelican’s depiction in book illumination is the Prayer Book of Charles the Bold, created in the 15th century. The bird’s fine details, its posture, and the depiction of its parenting behavior symbolize devotion and responsibility—core values of that era.

Renaissance and Baroque: The Pelican Comes to Life

During the Renaissance, artistic depictions shifted toward a more naturalistic approach. The pelican appeared in paintings and sculptures that emphasized precise observation of nature. In this era, the pelican was used not only as a symbol but also as an aesthetic motif. Its curved beak, elegant posture, and impressive plumage made it a popular subject for frescoes, portraits, and decorative works in aristocratic palaces.
The pelican is also frequently found in decorative painting of the Baroque and Rococo periods. These murals are often found in castles. Furthermore, pelicans are depicted alongside other native and non-native birds. Furthermore, it is a popular motif on tapestries and in paintings. The Dutch artist Melchior d’Hondecoeter, for example, is known for his paintings depicting the bird alongside other birds. He found most of his models in court menageries.