Mirte van Laarhoven Mirte van Laarhoven

Living Landscapes is an landart and landscape architecture practice that focuses on self-generating, sustainable, and biodiverse environments.

The practise works on climate adaptive landscapes, strategic planning, and art interventions in public space.

News

Next phase of ‘Zandkasteel’ rooftop design started

The former ING-bank headquarters designed by Alberts & van Huut will be transformed from mono functional offices into a mixed use building. This requires a set of new functions implemented in the existing plan. Together with LOLA landscape architects Living Landscapes will work on the follop up of the design of the new and existing gardens.  These gardens which will be designed as ‘sand gardens’ with a rich ecology, a broad range of customised functions and an art-concept implemented over multiple layers of the building.

Habitatelement on show at Droog Design Gallery

Habitatelement ‘A Cake For Biodiversity’ will be on show at Droog Design Amsterdam from September 24th till January 12th. This work, created at Sundaymorning@ekwc, proclaims new ways for humans to become part of the natural world and creates understanding about the life of small species. The design is part of the exhibition The World As We Don’t Know It, A New Bond Between Human And Earth Curated by Renny Ramakers.    

Living Landscapes selected for Young Innovators program

Living Landscapes is selected for the Young Innovators Program of the board of government advisors (atelier Rijksbouwmeesters). We will work on a strategy for 1000 ha of new forest for the province of South Holland.  

Portfolio

Thriving Forests

Cake for Biodiversity

Garden for 100 species
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Planet Texel

The island of Texel wanted to move towards a more sustainable future. A unique challenge as Texel combines all the different Dutch landscape qualities.

Sailing Ecology - Good Hotel

Biodiversity experiment, where native planting becomes exotic, by sailing the world, acclimatising to different destinations.

Meandering streams and forests of Brabant - OpportuniTEA

Brabant is characterised by a mosaic of cities, forests and agricultural land. These different fragments are interwoven bij a refined water structure; a true nature network with high potential.

Haringvliet - Underwater forest

In this former estuary new impulses are created to improve the water quality, its marine life and the recreational facilities. The Underwater Forest taps into these developments.

Rhine river - Flowing Force

At this location the Rhine river enters the Netherlands. Here an old river basin shows traces of its original DNA. An opportunity to distill guidelines for more climate adaptive landscape development.

Amsterdam centre - Garden for 100 species

This design creates a piece of nature within the urban tissue of Amsterdam. A rooftop garden which promotes communal living amongst different species, humans and non-humans alike.

Habitat element - Cake For Biodiversity

this customised log provides a habitat for hundred different organisms. 99 of these species can find food or shelter inside or on the tree trunk. The hundredth species, humankind, is given a layer of its own on top of the wood.

Eemsdollard - Retract replete

Eastern Groningen is a region that faces different challenges both on land and underwater, caused by gas mining and harbour activities. The challenges aren't easy to solve, but it does fuel interesting innovations.

MiddenWaal - Room for Living Rivers

In this bend the river Waal and river Meuse nearly congregate, with sandy shores and extensive routing along the dikes, a perfect location for a Living-River pilot by WWF.

Hover over the image, and click to view living landscape locations.

Van Laarhoven Living Landscapes © 2018 | Website by CNCPT Studio