Walter Hood

A palimpsest describes something reused or altered that still bears visible traces of its earlier form. Often palimpsests appear on a surface, but For Walter Hood, a place is a palimpsest. As places go through cycles of growth and decay, each cycle leaves behind visible traces of past landscapes, past cultures, and forgotten visitors. Whether that trace manifests as overgrown vegetation or a particular vernacular architecture, Hood looks to incorporate this history into his landscape design as a means to honor the past. Or rather, when the opportunity to redesign a place and reshape the public’s perception of that place arises, the idea of place as palimpsest begs the question: How do we spatialize our respect for the past but also create a space that caters to the future? This is a question Hood has been focusing on throughout his career, one that has determined some of his most successful projects.