LOLA landscape architects is an office for progressive landscape architecture. The name LOLA is an abbreviation of LOst LAndscapes, which symbolizes our focus on spatial optimization of existing cultural landscapes, while embracing and using their local particularities and re-establishing them as strong features for the future. With thoughtful ideas and targeted interventions, LOLA wants to transform those landscapes into beautiful, healthy and sustainable environments.
From its beginning, LOLA put an emphasis not only on landscape design, but also on landscape research. We match knowledge of landscapes and of large-scale ecosystems with contemporary ideas about people, space and nature. A substantial amount of this research went into resiliency, being one of LOLA’s main themes, which culminated in the best-selling book Dutch Dikes. Our research efforts have also been extended into unknown territories like the salt mines of Montenegro and the mother of all lost landscapes, the Chernobyl exclusion zone.
While being mindful of global themes and topics as well as those relevant to the professional field of landscape architecture, such as energy transition, climate change, sea level rise, and biodiversity decline, LOLA has always followed its own agenda in practice. Themes like the far future, linear park structures and the sensory experience of public space have our special attention. Sensory experiences for example: enabling unexpected nature experiences holds a prominent place in our design work, knowing that people need public space to not only be functional and safe, but also to be challenging and surprising. That’s how memories are made.
LOLA landscape architects was founded in 2006 by Eric-Jan Pleijster, Cees van der Veeken and Peter Veenstra. For their work, LOLA received the Maaskant Prize for young architects and the TOPOS landscape award. Other awards are the WAF China Best Landscape Award, the WAF China Excellent Design Award, the WLA Build-Urban Merit Award and the AAPME Award of Excellence. Today we have a total of 34 people work at LOLA in our offices in Rotterdam and Shenzhen, ranging from landscape architects to architects and urban designers. Our projects have been build and/or published around the world. We feel proud of everything we’ve achieved and look forward to what the future holds.
Since the completion in 2020 the forest and sports park became a destination for the Big Bay area. As this metropolitan region finds its success in innovative industries, the park focuses on innovation in sports and ecology. Two R&D centers, one for sports, one for botany are centrally located in the park. From here, a constant evolution and diversification of the park will take place. On the central park loop, a linear plant and tree nursery is integrated.
In a natural forest setting, people are able to get to know new and forgotten sports, as well as the latest techniques used in sports. A range from open valleys to lower hills and mountain forest offers the natural background for these sports and active leisure.
The landmark elevated red path connects the park to the city and the forest; forming a scenic route that passes by all different types of forest. A series of pavilions, that host functions like restaurant, restroom, viewing platform and forest cabin, is modular an prefabricated, to minimize environmental impact. A park for play, sport, work or relaxation.
In the original prison masterplan six towers were linked with a series of courtyards. This island character of prisons enclosed by walls is conceptually preserved in the landscape design. In total 67 different gardens and patios will be developed. Including fruit and vegetable gardens, sports gardens for balls, climbing or fitness, and natural water gardens with reeds and water lilies, where people can swim.
Bajes Kwartier is a nature inclusive stepping stone in the ecological structure of Amsterdam: free nature in a robust framework. Where possible, the prison wall is preserved, as a relic of the past, but with a new use as a climbing wall or vertical garden or outdoor cinema.
98 percent of the material from the prison is reused. Concrete floorboards and facade elements get a second life in the new buildings and the landscape. Concrete and cement are broken and reused using new techniques. Bridges are made with the old cell doors. Bajes Kwartier becomes completely energy neutral.
Adidas headquarters Campus is located in Herzogenaurach in Bavaria, Germany. At this site, the world renowned sports brand, continuously works on the future of sport and fashion. In the coming years, the campus will be expanded through new buildings, added security features, upgraded access, and a complete makeover of the landscape.
After a closed competition, LOLA Landscape Architects has been awarded with the contract, in collaboration with a team of consultants and designers.
The main ingredients of the design are five individual ‘stars’ that link the entire campus together. These twelve meters wide brightly coloured stars are integrated into the fabric of the campus and mark the nodes where employees of Adidas can meet for many activities and events.
On and around the stars are numerous differently designed programmatic elements that refer to the diversity of sports Adidas is known for. The elements of the ‘30 worlds’ stand in the landscape like sculptures and offer unique places for play, sport, work or relaxation.
LOLA landscape architects and Waalpartners won the assignment for the redevelopment of the Hogekamplein at the University of Twente. The square will get a modular design with movable stairs and blocks.
The Hogekampplein is a public square located at the campus located at the Hogekamp building. It is about 75 meters wide, and 250 meters long. The 1960s Hogekamp building is transformed into a residential complex for students with 445 apartments and a hotel with 7 rooms, a conference facility and a restaurant. After the renovation, the adjacent square gets more functions and quality. It will be the public entrance of the surrounding buildings with an open character and a human size. The design strategy creates the conditions for different forms of use of the square, without dictating them. It is an open end approach to square design, which addresses the constantly changing use and changing user groups. By the use of user data, the Hogekampplein layout can be adjusted annually.
The square consists of modular square elements of various dimensions and properties: mainly stairs, boxes and blocks. These modules are movable and stackable, with seats to work and study. The modules make it possible to emphasize and use height differences on the Hogekamplein. The differences in height have many advantages: the modules make places and spaces, increase use possibilities, reduce the scale of the square, make it possible to hide cars and inspire for unplanned forms of use such as sports.
This book takes the reader on a journey, showing them how public gardens and landscapes across the world have been transformed. From the High Line in New York, the gardens of Hauser & Wirth in Somerset, the Star Maze in Tytsjerk to the Leisure Lane in Limburg. Familiarize yourself with Oudolf’s and LOLA’s ultimate vision for the future: a global forest against the warming of the earth. A dream that can start in anyone’s garden, however big or small.
On this journey the reader is accompanied by the artists Joseph Beuys, Kie Ellens, Anne Geene, Giuseppe Licari, Geert Mul, Darcy Neven, Vijai Patchineelam & Adrijana Gvozdenovic, and Sanne Vaassen. In doing so this book presents us an extraordinary perspective on the discipline of garden design, and major issues such as global warming and the impact of nature on our well-being.
The book highlights five dimensions of the contemporary landscape though five chapters: ‘Composing Nature’ focuses on composition as a guideline for new landscapes. ‘Nouveaux Terroirs’ is about our connections with the soil and its cultural history.
