Peter Walker (landscape architect)
Peter Walker is an American landscape architect and the founder of PWP Landscape Architecture.
![](../I/Nichols_Prize_Luncheon_Peter_Walker%252C_Laureate_2012_(8467494497).jpg.webp)
Early life
Peter Walker[1][2] grew up in California and attended the University of California, Berkeley. Walker started out studying Journalism but quickly changed his field. He received his Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture in 1955, and did his graduate studies at the University of Illinois where he studied under Stanley White.[3]
Walker attended the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, where he received his master's degree in Landscape Architecture in 1957, and won the school's Jacob Weidenmann Prize[4][5] that year.
Career
At Harvard, Walker had been deeply influenced by his professor, Hideo Sasaki. After graduating, he worked for Sasaki. Shortly thereafter, they both went into partnership to form Sasaki Walker Associates in 1957.
Peter Walker and Sasaki went their separate ways in 1983, and Walker went into partnership with landscape architect Martha Schwartz.[6]
In the early 1990s Walker formed Peter Walker and Partners.[6] In a 1993 review, Walker was one of four landscape architects named as representative of the new generation.[7] The company developed into an interdisciplinary firm that employs around thirty to forty landscape architects. The company has received many awards[8] and co-designed the World Trade Center Memorial in New York with architect Michael Arad.[9]
Walker designed the garden for the Nasher Sculpture Center. In 2013 he was involved in a public argument with the architect of a neighboring building, Museum Tower, because the glare from the glass was damaging the vegetation. Walker described it as "public desecration".[10]
Peter Walker is also a co-author of Invisible Gardens, which touches on the modernist movement in America and the comparison of other landscapes to those in Europe. The book discusses influential landscape architects, such as Hideo Sasaki.
Awards
- 2004 - The ASLA Medal,[11] the highest medal of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
- 2004 - ASLA Honor Award: Design, Nasher Sculpture Center[12]
- 2005 - The Geoffrey Jellicoe Gold Medal[13] from the International Federation of Landscape Architects.[14]
- 2008 - The ASLA Landmark Award for Tanner Fountain at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts[15]
- 2010 - Knight Management Center: Stanford GSB awarded Green Project of the Year by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal[16]
- 2012 - The J.C. Nichols Prize Winner for Visionaries in Urban Development from the Urban Land Institute[17]
- 2012 - Peter Walker & PWP Landscape Architecture awarded the Liberty Award by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.[18]
- 2012 - The ASLA Medal Recipient.[19]
- 2014 - The James Daniel Bybee Prize Recipient.[20]
Notable projects
Australia
- Barangaroo Headlands Park in Sydney, New South Wales
Europe
- Novartis Headquarters in Basel, Switzerland
- The Sony Center in Berlin, Germany
- Munich Airport - Hotel Kempinski in Munich, Germany
United States
- National 911 Memorial in New York, New York
- Transbay Terminal in San Francisco, California
- Jamison Square in Portland, Oregon
- Pixar Headquarters in Emeryville, California
- Constitution Gardens in Washington, D.C. (won competition for partial redesign in 2012)[21]
- Glenstone in Potomac, Maryland[22]
- Newport Beach Civic Center and Park in Newport Beach, California
Asia
- Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore
- Marina Bay Sands in Singapore
- Ciudad de Victoria in Bocaue, Philippines
Publications
Books
- Walker, Peter, and Leah Levy. Peter Walker: Minimalist Gardens. Washington, DC: Spacemaker, 1997. Print.[23]
- Invisible Gardens: The Search for Modernism in the American Landscape. Walker, Peter, and Melanie Simo. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT-Press, 1998. Print.Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT-Press, 1998.[24]
- Peter Walker and Partners: Defining the Craft. Walker, Peter. San Rafael, CA: ORO Editions, 2005. Print.[25]
Sources
- Mozingo, Louise A. (2011), Pastoral Capitalism: A History of Suburban Corporate Landscapes, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, ISBN 978-0-262-01543-1
- Treib, Marc (1993), Modern Landscape Architecture: A Critical Review, Mit Press, ISBN 978-0-262-70051-1
References
- The Cultural Landscape Foundation, The Cultural Landscape Foundation.
- ASLA- The Dirt, ASLA- The Dirt Bio.
- "Stanley White Papers, 1925-1977 | University of Illinois Archives." Stanley White Papers, 1925-1977 | University of Illinois Archives. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2015.
- "The Cultural Landscape Foundation." Jacob Weidenmann. The Cultural Landscape Foundation, n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2015.
- Weidenman Prize Prize Description
- Mozingo, Pastoral Capitalism, Notes p. 255
- Treib, Modern Landscape Architecture: A Critical Review, page viii
- http://www.pwpla.com/frm_awards.php
- "9/11 memorial by Michael Arad and Peter Walker", dezeen Magazine, August 22, 2011.
- Granberry, Michael (June 13, 2013). "Landscape architect Peter Walker, who designed the Nasher garden, strongly denounces Museum Tower and its ownership". GuideLive arts blog. The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- The ASLA Medal 2004: Peter E. Walker, FASLA, ASLA.org
- "ASLA.org." © ASLA.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2015.
- "Landscape Awards." Landscape Awards. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2015.
- "2005 SGJA · IFLA World." 2005 SGJA · IFLA World. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2015.
- "ASLA 2008 Professional Awards." ASLA 2008 Professional Awards. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2015.
- "New Home of Stanford GSB Honored for Sustainability." Stanford Graduate School of Business. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2015.
- 2012 Nichols Prize Winner, Peter Walker wins 2012 ULI J.C. Nicols Prize.
- "Lower Manhattan Cultural Council." Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2015.
- "2012 ASLA Design Medal Recipient | Asla.org." 2012 ASLA Design Medal Recipient | Asla.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2015.
- "Frasca-1.jpg." Building Stone Institute RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2015.
- "Winners announced for the National Mall Redesign Competition", Archdaily, May 3, 2012.
- Mendelsohn, Meredith (2018-09-27). "Tour the New $200 Million Expansion of One of America's Most Important—and Unknown—Museums". Architectural Digest. Archived from the original on 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
- Horsley, Carter B. "Books: Minimalist Gardens by Peter Walker." Books: Minimalist Gardens by Peter Walker. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2015.
- "Invisible Gardens." Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2015.
- "Peter Walker Partners." Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2015., Peter Walker and Partners: Defining the Craft.