Adriaan Geuze West 8 at Greenwich

West 8. Miami Beach Soundscape - phenomenal structures....and then the sun comes out!

West 8. Rio Madrid - Undulating paving and the road to Lisbon - so my street!

West 8. Madrid...Trees with personality - No lollypops here and red supports for fun!

On Tuesday 21st February, we were incredibly fortunate to have Adriaan Geuze from West 8 give the most inspirational talk. For a man so successful I expected a standard straight laced, sensible businessman, albeit a creative. How wrong was I?

When questioned, he insisted that they had actually constructed 10,000 bridges in the Garden of 10,000 Bridges for the 2011 Xian International Horticultural Exhibition in Beijing. Matthew, next to me, commented...'Is he for Real?'. I checked later; There are 5 ,but it is designed to make you feel 10,000 and thats a very special number for the Chinese.

The slides flashed through with concepts such as US truck wheel hubs - just wish I could remember it all but is was not a note taking kind of talk. Completely off the wall and just what I love! What I loved best was the humour, and the ability to post-rationalise design and the amazing ability to get thing constructed quickly and beautifully by thinking out of the box and getting right into local cultures. It's the only way to get ahead.

In the vast Rio Madrid project, where the traffic was sunk beneath a 10km+ long park , (Instructed by the Mayor in order to be re-elected), everyone loves the beautiful undulating granite set paving. It breaks up the monotony and creates a three-dimensionality. However, it was not by design. It was just because the Spanish workers couldn't build a straight tunnel below, due to the time constraints and maybe manyana! It was all designed in elevation and section with no masterplaning at all? They just made it up as they went along. They didn't have time. West 8 were employed with 3 months notice to achieve a photo of the Mayor standing in front of the Palace with a backdrop of beauty, so he would be re-elected. And West 8 did it, and so did the Mayor!

The follies created by shafts that have been turned into beautiful and functional buildings. And the, 'running out', of the right trees which necessitated a playpark every 400m. And the brown envelope contact with a granite quarry just up the road which had to be used as part of the deal! All the initial aluminum and corten detailed edges disappeared! But it works so well; and I need to go there!

As students, we all have to post -rationalise to justify designs at this stage, but I didn't expect him to and on such a grand scale. - and such a unique salesman too!

Talking of trees. I shall never specify another tree without really thinking of its personality. Adriaans' Rowan Atkinsonesque impressions of trees - hilarious; and to take so much notice if the variances within species. An enlightenment!

I was compelled to thank him after the lecture, (which was too short), I could have listened for hours.

I told him that he had blown away all my preconceptions that proper Landscapes Architects were generally a weirdy, beardy straight lot. It was something I had been worrying about in the big wide world of proper work and wondered if it was all really for me? Anyway, he agreed that fun makes the world go round and if you can have fun while doing a great job that you love...all the better! Anyway, he reckons that, being a Dutchman, he's quite lame and the British are off the scale when it come to enjoying themselves. I do hope he is right?

What I didn't tell him is that he has now been elevated to principle guest at my Hypothetical dinner party in heaven ,where I surround myself with the most talented and inspirational people. In my dreams! But even good proper male, red blooded Grant confessed to being in love with him! And we both can't stop thinking!