COMPANY_PROFILE. Why LPA. March 2015

Transcription

1 COMPANY_PROFILE Why LPA March 2015

2 why LPA_about Lab for Planning and Architecture (LPA) Building the warm side of sustainable life Scopes of work Urban Development Urban Planning Urban Design Landscape Architecture Mobility Infrastructures Product Design Sectors Leisure & Hospitality Mobility & Accessibility Waterfronts & Maritime Commercial & Entertainment Government & Public Sector Mixed Use & Districs Key personae Juan Palop-Casado Founding Partner Principal LPA Fernando Portillo de Armenteras Associate Design & Construcction Director Cristina Suarez Lacalle Founding Partner Managing Director Lab for Planning and Architecture (LPA) is a leading planning and design firm, focusing on the sustainable and organic development of southern regions and territories the socalled subtropics that feature semi-arid and Mediterranean environmental regimes. LPA has a deep commitment to the specific (economic, social and environmental) potentialities of the subtropics, which are deployed in line with the principles and protocols of the philosophy of eco-design thinking. The firm is structured into three divisions that enables the integration of strategic, design and execution phases of the urban development process. With the understanding of urban environments as a complex symbiosis of (ecological, political, infrastructural, psychological ) systems, LPA provides services in the fields of strategic development, master planning, urban design, infrastructures and landscape architecture. LPA has accumulated extensive experience in the practice of subtropical urbanism and its subsequent urban and landscape configurations: waterfronts, tourist destinations, eco-resorts, public spaces, recreational spaces, outdoor commercial areas, friendly pedestrian precincts, mobility infrastructure... The firm has received accolades in various diverse national and international competitions. With offices in the Canary Islands and Madrid, LPA is engaged in projects in the two subtropical strips that run around the globe, where regular collaborations with local partners and consultants are established. LPA has a sister non-profit organization called Twenty Degrees Institute (20ºi). This new concept is devoted to research and speculative thinking on the sustainable urban development of the subtropical south.

3 Lab for Planning and Architecture Divisions LPA Strategy Development + Planning LPA Design Urbanism + Landscape LPA Construction Execution + Management Services LPA Strategy Vision & Briefing Feasibility Studies Strategic Planning Participation & Facilitation Sustainability Consultancy Project Management LPA Design Land-Use Planning Master Planning Urban Design Landscape Design Infrastructure Design Street Furniture LPA Construction Execution Documentation Construction Management Site Supervision BIM Modelling Industrial/Digital Fabrication Sustainable Construction Quality Standards Management / ISO 9001 Environment / ISO Sustainability / BREEAM_ES Product Design Infrastructure Design Urban & Landscape Design Master Planning Urban Development

4 why LPA_approach Strategic Approach We integrate strategy, design and construction thinking We at LPA understand urban design and planning as the spatial and territorial codification of a previously defined strategy. Our vision is that this strategy should be defined within the inclusive framework of sustainable development, and must set the vision and actions for a desired and feasible future. This strategy should be defined at the level of economic, environmental and social dimensions. Once a strategy is defined, urbanism s task will consist in organizing its spatial, functional and environmental parameters and its developmental process. Without a strategic approach, urbanism becomes an empty discipline, unable to improve reality and engage society. In order to articulate this new approach, LPA has set a new division called LPA Strategy that along with LPA Design and LPA Construction, conform our three professional divisions. The combination of these three divisions enable us to envision the whole process of urban and territorial development. Besides this, and thanks to the in-house presence of these three divisions, we are able to combine within the work process strategic, design and construction expertise, informing each other in a nonlinear way. LPA Strategy operates under the mandates of sustainable development, and its main aim is to set the economic, social and environmental ambitions that any urban development process should incorporate. Our client scope includes public institutions and private companies. The services provided by this division include viability studies, social participation, sustainable consultancy, and BREEAM certification. This division counts with a broad range of partners and collaborators in the fields of sociology, tourism, sustainability, environment and economics. By this strategic approach to urban development, LPA is ready to respond to the current world context dominated by issues such as economic uncertainties, post-globalization trends, social empowerment, resource scarcity and the limitation of credit. By setting this new division, LPA aims to respond to this new emerging scenario where new strategies and methodologies will make possible our common necessity of building a truly sustainable world.

5 Lab for Planning and Architecture LPA Strategy Development + Planning LPA Strategy provides consultancy in urban, landscape and territorial development, at the very initial phase - before design work. It provides the vision and the strategy that will make the project succeed. This division operates under the principles of sustainable development, and scopes strategies that engage the social, environmental and economical/market dimensions of the project. Vision & Briefing Feasibility Studies Strategic Planning Participation & Facilitation Sustainability Consultancy Project Management LPA Design Urbanism + Landscape LPA design provides full design and spatial planning services in the field of urbanism and landscape. This division is equipped with a robust design methodology based on the principles of bio-design and eco-systems thinking, which is optimized for regions with warm and hot climates. Land-Use Planning Master Planning Urban Design Landscape Design Infrastructure Design Street Furniture LPA Construction Execution + Management LPA Construction provides full services in execution and construction management for urban and landscape projects. This division engages a team of architects and civil engineers that work with a broad range of collaborators and experts. Execution Documentation Construction Management Site Supervision BIM Modelling Industrial/Digital Fabrication Sustainable Construction

6 why LPA_expertise healthy vibrant prosperous sexy efficient CARBON NEUTRAL CITY LIFE subtropical climate ecological culture smart technologies Advanced Subtropicalism Bio-urbanism Expertise We work inspired and informed by nature s intelligence LPA is an urban and landscape development firm practicing strategic planning, urban design, landscape architecture and infrastructure design. What distinguishes LPA is that it operates under the principles and methodologies of an emerging disciplinary trend called bio-urbanism. This alternative mode of practice understands reality and the territory as a complex and living organism in continuous exchange of materials, energy and information with its surroundings. Under this bio reformulation of the discipline, Urbanisms main task consists in finding optimal forms and urban patterns that integrate organically with this natural system (human, non-human and environmental), avoiding conflicts, producing well-being atmospheres, resilient economies, innovative communities and healthy environments. Based on this rearranged discipline, LPA has developed a robust methodology that makes it possible to put all these principles into practice. This methodology incorporates living systems principles such as bottom-up approaches, feedback processes, fractal geometries, emergent properties, self-organization, etc. With a methodology informed by all these concepts, LPA has developed projects that successfully integrate into their social and environmental context in very sensitive sectors, such as tourist destinations, rural lands and coastal areas. All of them share this bio-approach and incorporate issues such as bio-mimetic models, collective ways of natural intelligence, renewable modes of energy, circular metabolism and eco-footprint assessments. In contrast with traditional ones, this mode of practice has proven to have advantages: it provides open solutions subjected to be upgraded in time; delivers scalable solutions that avoid large financial compromises; intensifies connection with nature (biophilia); saves resources by limiting their necessity. Finally, it contributes to the sustainability of this living organism in which we all are part of, promoting economic resiliency, social innovation and environmental enhancement.

7 Lab for Planning and Architecture Scope of work Urban & Teritorial Development Masterplanning Urban & Landscape Design Infrastructures Product Design Sectors Leisure & Hospitality Waterfronts & Coast Mobility & Accesibility Commercial & Entertainment Government & Public Sector Neighbourhood & Mixed Use Quality Standards Management / ISO 9001 Environment / ISO Sustainability / Breeam_ES

8 why LPA_sensibility Bioregional Sensibility We are experts in good-weather life LPA has focused its professional action in a particular bio-regional condition: the subtropical south, and its singular natural and cultural conditions. This geography of cities and territories are linked by a common climate regime: the subtropics. In contrast with other interpretations of the term regionalism, we support the idea of a grand regionalism of regions classified by climates, as the architect and urbanist José Luís Sert claimed. This climatic geography that conforms the subtropical south is LPA s main field of professional and research action. The subtropical south is concentrated in two strips that run along the planet. Its messy boundaries can be placed between the two tropics (23,43º latitude) and the 38º parallel, in both hemispheres. These two resulting strips concentrate a variety of warm geographies that feature subtropical, Mediterranean and semi-arid climate regimes. The core of these two strips, concentrates the cities with the most pleasant weather on the planet. At LPA we do believe that this particular environmental condition and its modes of urbanization deserve eco-sensibility, disciplinary attention and professional dedication. Since its foundation, LPA has been going deep into the particular dynamics of the subtropics, an environmental and cultural condition in which most northern practices are unfamiliar. Thanks to this, LPA has gained substantial experience in the urban, landscape and infrastructural configurations that emerge out of this particular environmental condition: waterfronts, eco-resorts, coast developments, outdoor recreational areas and pedestrian infrastructures, to name a few. All of these projects share the ambition of building a cultural and territorial identity based on bio-regional conditions. This combination of sensibility and expertise on the singularities of the subtropical south is one of the main strengths of LPA s profile.

9 Lab for Planning and Architecture Projects Eco-resorts Territorial Strategies for Tourist Development Coastal Accessibility Waterfronts Sustainable Mobility Plans Street Design Accessibility Infrastructures Social Participation Processes Public Space Hotel Landscaping Design Guidelines Kiosks Street furniture & Signage Outdoor Commercial Areas Marinas Landscape Tourist Infrastructures Eco-pools and chill-outs Parks Green Rooftops Consultancy & Management Assistance to Municipalities Project Leadership Public-Private Partnerships Sustainable Urbanism Certification

10 why LPA_technology Digital Technologies We are equipped with smart digital capabilities Urban landscapes have become a complex matrix of information and relationships. As a result, reality cannot be addressed (and designed) as a fixed entity, but as a living organism in continuous evolution by feedback processes. This new complex and dynamic condition has forced planning and design practices to modelling systems and patterns, rather than fixed entities. In this new scenario, the mediation of digital (intelligent) technologies has become a critical issue. In order to respond to this new scenario, LPA s team has equipped itself with a robust set of digital technologies. They play a critical part, in either our technical operations, or in management and communication procedures. Although most of these technologies are implemented in-house, LPA counts with technological partners and collaborators, which provide assistance and continuous update for further applications and possibilities. At the level of urban and landscape design, LPA operates with cutting-edge parametric and 3D modelling software. This software enables us to manage non-standard geometries inspired by natural forms and organizations. Thanks to the intense use of this technology, we have developed projects that integrate themselves organically within landscape and environmental dynamics. Furthermore, the combination of this software, with the advanced manufacturing technologies (CAD-CAM) has made it possible to industrialize any project s components, such as street furniture and facades. The use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) technologies are critical in the execution and construction phases. By means of this software assistance, we pre-build a 5D digital model that integrates physical dimensions (geometry, facilities, structure, etc.), along with other non-physical ones such as scheduling, costing and environmental performance. The implementation of all these advanced digital technologies enables us to incorporate intelligent and non-linear working processes that respond to the current complexity of urban landscapes, and its demand for well-informed strategies, integrated approaches, flexible solutions and efficient operations.

11 Lab for Planning and Architecture Software BIM Modelling 3D Modeling Project Management Visualization Environmental Performance Office Applications GIS Mapping Hardware Computers Printers 3D Printing Communication Project Blog Conference Meeting Internet & WIFI Remote Access

12 why LPA_organization Firm Organization We enjoy transdisciplinary work LPA is a group of professionals who share a common vision and team-work methodology. We do believe that as we better internally organize ourselves, we will have the best conditions in order to provide creative solutions to our client s challenges and goals. This firm-like organization warrants the combination of both creativity and accountability. LPA is organized in four Teams plus a Board of Directors. Each Team contains different units and is managed by a Coordinator. The combination of the Management Team with the three other Teams (Strategy, Design and Construction) configures LPA s three professional divisions: LPA Strategy, LPA Design and LPA Construction. The Management Team is responsible for the general business administration of the firm, and includes four units: Finance, Communication, Office and Business Development. It is also responsible for managing the administrative (nontechnical) aspects of each project, including the fulfillment of ISO quality and environmental standards of each project. The three other Teams concentrate our technical expertise: Strategy, Design and Construction. These three teams manage the whole process of urban development. Each team counts with in-house Units along with a set of regular collaborators and partners, and can operate independently from the other two. While the Management Team is based in the Canary Islands, the three other teams can be re-located geographically according to specific situations, such as contraction sites, local partnerships with private and public organizations, or temporal collaborations with other firms. These four teams are complemented by a Board of Directors that oversee the technical development of projects and manage daily business operations. This firm-based organization has allowed us to consolidate an experienced professional team over time, with a shared vision and a tested methodology, ready to deliver creative and feasible proposals.

13 Lab for Planning and Architecture Affiliations BREEAM_ES Accreditation ISB International Society of Biourbanism COAC Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Canarias INTA International Urban Development Association ASA Asociación Sostenibilidad y Arquitectura LPA s workforce Architects Urban Designers Civil Engineers Planners Landscape Architects BIM Technicians Management Staff Strategy Consultants Regular Collaborators Civil Engineering Ecology & Biodiversity Territory & Environment Energy & Sustainability Costal Dynamics Mobility & Transportation Tourist & Leisure Legal Planning Community & Participation Visualization & Communication Acoustics Urban Facilities Building Engineering Urban sociology