LI London Branch Newsletter March – April 2010
At last we are looking forward to spring – it seems to have taken a long time to arrive this year, even here in London – I wouldn’t presume to mention Green Shoots yet: always beware late frosts. Still, there’s going to be a lot happening at LI London with a mix of social, educational and professional activities.
On 7th April our AGM will include a talk on London’s Natural Signatures, Natural England’s new work on our region’s Landscape Character Types. This is something we all need to know about and many of us will be using in our work on a regular basis.
For our P2C candidates, we are planning a workshop on planning which will be held to help with revision for the May exam and for students or anyone on the pathway. Study Groups are continuing and we plan to build on these, as well as developing our ‘matchmaking’ of mentors and candidates.
To celebrate and help promote 2010 being the International Year of Biodiversity, we will be inviting guest contributors to write for each of our newsletters through 2010. As an introduction to 2010 – The International Year of Biodiversity, Nick White at Natural England has set out the key dates and events which contributed to this global celebration. Throughout the year we will be bringing you information on regional activities and organisations and the work they are undertaking to promote and contribute to the aims and objectives of the campaign.
Susan Lowenthal,
Chair London LI
Guest Contributor: 2010 - International Year of Biodiversity
2010 has been declared the International Year of Biodiversity by the United Nations – the year that celebrates the diversity of life on Earth, including every plant, animal and micro-organism.
The global campaign to conserve biodiversity is being run by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) which was set up after the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Nearly 200 countries have now signed up to the Convention.
In 2002 these countries promised to achieve a significant reduction of the rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level by 2010. In October 2010 there will be a Biodiversity Summit in Nagoya, Japan when each country will report back on progress made towards this target and make plans for the future.
International events to look out for are
- 22nd May International Biodiversity Day
- 20th-22nd September – UN General Assembly Debate (the first one on biodiversity)
- 11th-29th October – Biodiversity Summit in Nagoya, Japan
There will be events in England including some highlighting species extinction in March and ThinkBIG in the summer looking at a landscape scale approach to conserving biodiversity.
And finally have a look at the species of the week.
Nick White,
London Regional Biodiversity Partnership Coordinator, Natural England
nick.white@naturalengland.org.uk
LI London Branch - Committee Snapshot
As ever, our committee is doing a great job making sure that LI London continues to improve even though our funding is not what it used to be. As well as Chair, Secretary and Finance, we have members sharing out the work and contributing on Events, Education and P2C, Communications and Marketing, Policy and Consultations.
The AGM (see below) is an opportunity to have your say on what happens with LI London and to get more involved – anyone who would like to stand on the committee is welcome to stand for election. We aim to represent all of our members but we can only achieve this with your participation and input. The details of the meeting are below, but if you cannot attend and would like to email your thoughts please do so by Tuesday April 6th to mail.london@landscapeinstitute.org
Events
7th April - AGM AND London’s Natural Signatures
Natural England’s new work on our region’s Landscape Character Types.
6:00pm - 9:00pm
The Gallery, 77 Cowcross St., London, EC1M 6EL
Free
19th June – 4th July 2010 – London Festival of Architecture
LIL are set to organise a calendar of events for the LFA 2010 and we need your help. We want to use the festival as a chance to celebrate some of the great work that we do, as a profession, in improving peoples’ environments.
We are looking for landscape practices throughout the capital to participate and showcase some of their work. The events will be promoted through the LFA website and other marketing material as well as through the LIL website and its various ways of contacting members.
If you have a project that has been built in London and you would like to lead an informal tour / presentation then please get in touch so that we can discuss when we can do this. Alternatively, if you know of a space that you feel is worthy of celebration then let us know and we will see if we can find the designer.
As ever, we need your help to make this work, and what better platform to celebrate our work than the LFA!!
Contact us at mail.london@landscapeinstitute.org
Finance
Having reached the end of this tax year, we are pleased to confirm that we remain within budget. The tax year 2009-2010 has seen many challenges in terms of financing for various marketing, CPD, P2C and social events. Nevertheless, the branch has delivered a variety of events which include London Open House, Colin Moore’s Pre-contract seminar, and the Christmas social. All of which were very well received by members.
For the coming tax year, we will continue to increase our events programme, enhance the marketing of landscape architecture in the public interest and where possible provide additional services to support our region’s members. For CPD events, we will continue to offer subsidised rates for members, and provide continued support for p2c members focussing on key syllabus areas.
To help us deliver the services that will help benefit members and beyond, please do feel free to provide your comments and suggestions that will enable us to achieve this:-
mail.london@landscapeinstitute.org
Pathway 2 Chartership
We are delighted to say that at last Chartered members are starting to come forward to offer to act as mentors for P2C candidates. However, we are still urgently looking for more. It is a very rewarding experience to be able to help guide and mentor the candidates and with careful timetabling does not need to be an onerous task. Without mentors, it is impossible for candidates to be able to progress along the system to being able to achieve CMLI status leaving many talented individuals frustrated and potentially stagnating. If you feel you can spare some time to volunteer as a mentor please contact mail.london@landscapeinstitute.org.
Alex Whittaker, Head of Professional Development, has set up a group at http://talkinglandscape.org/group/mentors with full information on how to get started, if you’d like to find out more. lf you have any further questions or comments on how LI London can support you as a mentor or candidate, or how you can get started on the P2C process please contact us.
Policy
The London branch policy group has given feedback to the LI on their forthcoming 'Housing Policy Statement' that is being launched at the Ecobuild event at Earls Court Exhibition Centre on 3rd March. The event should be well worth a visit and includes a series of 3 free seminars about landscape architect's role in housing schemes - these need to be booked through the main LI website.
Council Rep
Full minutes of the recent Council will be available, in due course. Should you like to find out more about LI London involvement response and outcomes of Council meetings, kindly come to an LI London Executive Committee meeting. Please contact LI London Hon. Secretary for copies of the LI Council minutes and details of the next meeting at:mail.london@landscapeinstitute.org
Adam Cook CMLI
LI London Council Rep.
Extra Curricular
Ecobuild Exhibition, 02nd – 4th March 2010, Earls Court
The biggest event in the world for sustainable design, construction and the built environment, Ecobuild has doubled in size every year since its launch in 2005.
Ecobuild strives to reflect the preoccupations of the sector it serves – championing the emerging green construction movement at its start, engaging and encouraging debate and discussion, and now, in the current economic climate, seeking out and highlighting the continuing opportunities for sustainable construction.
Further details at http://www.ecobuild.co.uk/index.html
The Landscape Institute, Housing position statement launch, 03rd March 2010
The Landscape Institute will be launching its latest position statement on Housing at the Ecobuild event on Wednesday 3 March. To mark this launch the LI will host three seminars, which reflect the importance of the landscape profession in the development of housing and communities, at an Ecobuild fringe event.
Further details at http://www.landscapeinstitute.org/awardsevents/HousingSeminars.php
Less and More - The Design Ethos of Dieter Rams, Until 9th March, Design Museum
As head of design at Braun, the German consumer electronics manufacturer, Dieter Rams emerged as one of the most influential industrial designers of the late 20th century by defining an elegant, legible, yet rigorous visual language for its products.
Further details at http://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/2009/2009-dieter-rams
Djenné: African City of Mud, 03rd March – 29th April 2010,
Gallery 2, RIBA, 66 Portland Place, London, W1B
The architecture of Djenné, an island town in the heart of West Africa's Inland Niger Delta, is considered the best example of traditional mud building. Here elegant merchant houses and a world-renowned mosque bear testament to a long history of trade and Islamic scholarship. With its bold compositions and molten contours the town's architecture has given it recognition as an important UNESCO World Heritage Site. Further details at www.architecture.com/WhatsOn/Exhibitions/At66PortlandPlace/2010/Spring/DjenneExh.aspx
Van Doesburg and the International Avant-Garde, Until 16 May 2010, Tate Modern
"He is the coolest cat in 20th-century art" - The Daily Telegraph
Tate Modern presents the first major exhibition in the UK devoted to the Dutch artist and pivotal figure of the European avant-garde, Theo van Doesburg (1883-1931). This is a unique and exciting chance for van Doesburg's work to be seen for the first time in the UK. This follows in the footsteps of a series of exhibitions looking at different aspects of Modernism, conceived by Vicente Todolí, Director of Tate Modern.
Further details at http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/vandoesburg/default.shtm
Henry Moore, Until 8th August 2010, Tate Britain
Radical, experimental and avant-garde, Henry Moore (1898–1986) was one of Britain’s greatest artists. This stunning exhibition takes a fresh look at his work and legacy, presenting over 150 stone sculptures, wood carvings, bronzes and drawings.
Further details at http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/henrymoore/default.shtm