It is our passion to design compelling and evocative spaces and places that stir the imagination and stand as precedents of design excellence.
In our approach, we blend innovation, sustainability strategies, ecology and biology, economics, architectural detailing, engineering, and identity of place - all in one discourse.
We work across the globe, conceptualizing and realizing public and private projects of all sizes. These include small intimate gardens, residential developments, private estates, urban master plans, public realms, parks, streetscapes, waterfronts, commercial developments, institutional campuses, the outdoor spaces of museums and recreational facilities, as well as other civic and cultural destinations.
Our attitude is collaborative, positive and optimistic, and we truly work across disciplinary boundaries while embracing unrestrained creativity.
For us, every project deserves a holistic approach in order to achieve the best possible outcome - socially, culturally, economically, and environmentally. We also consider what our design will mean for the adjacent context, as often our projects are found within historic settings. What impact will our design have on the identity of the place as a whole? What is the experience? And most important, how will our design work for people?
As dreamers and pragmatists, we are driven to come up with bold ideas that are rooted in functionality, meticulous detailing, and constructibility.
Our objective is to create designs which have embedded immersive and alluring qualities - that are refreshing, comfortable, and welcoming - spaces that are original and have never been seen before, that exude an inherent positive spirit and carry elements of surprise.
Our goal is always to establish an appropriate and unique character, ultimately resulting in a place that is memorable, frequently used, and loved.
Client: University College Dublin - Architect: Studio Daniel Libeskind
University College Dublin - Dublin
Project Info
!melk served as Co-Masterplanner and Landscape Architect to deliver a design concept for the future University College Dublin campus expansion and master plan. Lacking clarity and cohesion, the old campus was expanding and thus required a careful strategy to synthesize all the various project components and areas. This involved a re-working of the entire site’s organization as well as a redefined overall identity for the place.
The Master Plan – highly driven by strong landscape gestures - was organized around connectivity and open space planning: the landscape and public paths are a network of interlacing patterns; curvilinear paths and green space create a rich new landscape of extensive woodlands and three-dimensional gardens that set the placement for discreet building complexes. !melk’s design carefully locates each building to feature a central courtyard that is reflective of the buildings’ distinct architectural character.
In order to create direct routes of travel throughout the campus, the arrival plaza acts as a nexus from where multiple routes of travel extend into the Entrance Precinct, connecting new facilities, and interlacing with the existing historic campus fabric.
From a biodiversity standpoint the site’s natural resources have been greatly enhanced by expanding the overall tree canopy coverage and defining new trails throughout the woodlands. Special attention is given to the placement and orientation of the proposed buildings and facilities, and the locations of pathways and roads maintain a sensitivity to the existing woodland.
!melk served as Co-Masterplanner and Landscape Architect to deliver a design concept for the future University College Dublin campus expansion and master plan. Lacking clarity and cohesion, the old campus was expanding and thus required a careful strategy to synthesize all the various project components and areas. This involved a re-working of the entire site’s organization as well as a redefined overall identity for the place.
The Master Plan – highly driven by strong landscape gestures - was organized around connectivity and open space planning: the landscape and public paths are a network of interlacing patterns; curvilinear paths and green space create a rich new landscape of extensive woodlands and three-dimensional gardens that set the placement for discreet building complexes. !melk’s design carefully locates each building to feature a central courtyard that is reflective of the buildings’ distinct architectural character.
In order to create direct routes of travel throughout the campus, the arrival plaza acts as a nexus from where multiple routes of travel extend into the Entrance Precinct, connecting new facilities, and interlacing with the existing historic campus fabric.
From a biodiversity standpoint the site’s natural resources have been greatly enhanced by expanding the overall tree canopy coverage and defining new trails throughout the woodlands. Special attention is given to the placement and orientation of the proposed buildings and facilities, and the locations of pathways and roads maintain a sensitivity to the existing woodland.