News

We are all absorbed in our everyday lives: moving fast, thinking small, rarely pausing to notice what is changing around us. And yet, something has just arrived.

MENA Logbook is a bi-weekly update by Ahmed Salem, Director of LAND MENA, tracing his journey across the Middle East and North Africa — exploring, collaborating, and cultivating landscapes, partnerships, and ideas.

The Open NEB Day held in Elefsina, Greece, marked an important moment of dialogue on how the values of the New European Bauhaus can be concretely applied to heritage-led urban transformation, building on insights from the HeritACT project.

We are pleased to welcome Ahmed Salem as Director of LAND MENA, based in Riyadh, strengthening the studio’s presence and activities across the Middle East and North Africa.

LAND will collaborate with the Nature Intelligence division of 3Bee Srl on the development of a predictive digital model for the smart management of urban landscapes.

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Martina Erba as Director at LAND Italia. In this leadership role, she will oversee urban and environmental planning and design activities, building on the extensive experience she has gained through long-standing collaboration with public administrations and private stakeholders.

Our project in Montenegro with a-fact architecture factory has received official recognition at the WA Awards 10+5+X 52nd Cycle in the Architecture Designed category.

The beginning of a year is not only a moment of movement, but one of orientation. Before we accelerate, we pause to ask ourselves: Where do we stand? And what truly carries us forward?

The reclamation of public space begins in the heart of Milan’s historic center: from the iconic place inspired by Salvatore Quasimodo, after 1.5 years of works during which 2,700 sqm of asphalt were removed. Today, the square welcomes a 1,000 sqm pedestrian island, framed by 15 trees (Liquidambar styraciflua) and natural stone paving.

During a week of institutional meetings, site visits, lectures and roundtables spanning from Toronto to Vancouver, Andreas Kipar, Nikolas Neubert, and Valeria Pagliaro made significant strides in expanding our network across Canada.

As the year draws to a close, I find myself looking back with gratitude, and forward with curiosity. This December feels like reaching the far end of a long bridge: a year of crossings between continents, disciplines, and generations. And perhaps more than ever, I sense that the challenges we face – environmental, social, and economic – can no longer be addressed in isolation. They demand alignment, collaboration, and courage.

At the end of November, LAND took an active role in shaping the international debate on AI-driven urban planning during the ISOCARP Masterclass, with Nikolas Neubert, CIO at LAND and Managing Director of the LAND Research Lab, contributing as a key voice in the programme.

At the PhD International Conference “Further Crisis Towards Conceivable Futures,” Benedetta Falcone brought LAND’s experience in Nature-Positive Landscapes and community-driven urban transformation into the academic debate.

LAND Suisse, together with Marazzi + Paul Architektur AG, has been awarded 1st prize in a housing competition in Küsnacht, near Zurich.

At this year’s expert conference “Zwischen Alt und Anders. Umbaukultur für eine lebendige Zukunft” in Linz, Michael Gräf, Director of LAND Austria, delivered a keynote highlighting a central message: Sustainable transformation begins with the landscape.

LAND Italia publishes its first ESG Impact Report, marking a voluntary and proactive step toward a new era of transparent, measurable, and responsible landscape practice.

On the occasion of the first MENA edition of the international horticultural and floricultural fair, we returned to Dubai after the Expo 2020 experience with speeches, meetings, and panels. The promotion of Nature, culture and competence shapes the urban green of the future.

November is a month of transition. The light softens. Leaves change colour. The landscape pauses — not to end, but to prepare for renewal.
In this quiet shift I am reminded that true transformation — in nature as in cities — is not a sudden revolution. It is continuity. Care. A patient sequence of regeneration.

LAND Germany is entering an exciting new chapter. With the opening of a new office in Fürth (Bavaria), LAND strengthens its presence in Southern Germany — a region where the demand for nature-based transformation, green infrastructure, and resilient public spaces continues to grow rapidly.

Our LAND Research Lab is developing an AI model for the identification and classification of vegetation using satellite and environmental data — another step toward unlocking new scales and new services in environmental analysis and design across the LAND Group.