Thalden Corp. Thalden Corporation is a full-service firm which, in addition to landscape architecture and planning, also provides architecture and interior design services throughout the United States and beyond. Founded in St. Louis in 1971 by architect and Landscape Architect, Barry Thalden, the firm and its subsidiaries now has offices in Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Tulsa. Regardless of the size of the project, it is done with a concern for creating a quality environment. And whatever projects the firm undertakes must be rewarding for all parties involved-for those doing the project, for the clients, and for the people who participate in it after it's built. "That is one of the most important things in life ?EUR??,,????'??? enjoying it," says Thalden. "The environment that you're in substantially affects how a person feels. It's important that architects and Landscape Architects understand the opportunity afforded them to use their creativity to enrich peoples' lives," Thalden enthuses. In recent years, the Thalden Corporation has specialized in hotels, resorts, casino and entertainment projects. Major projects include Treasure Bay Casino, and New Palace Hotel and Casino in Mississippi; Trump Casino and Hotel proposals in St. Louis and Kansas City; Potawatomi Bingo and Casino Expansion in Wisconsin; and a number of casino and hotel projects in the Southwest now under development. In and around St. Louis, projects include many of the multi-family housing developments in adjacent St. Charles County, The Pedestrian Mall at St. Louis University, and the master plan for Laumeier International Sculpture Park in St. Louis County-to name but a few. St. Louis University Pedestrian Mall St. Louis University, since its founding as the first university west of the Mississippi in 1818, had grown piecemeal in its urban setting until it was an institution comprised largely of an automobile-oriented series of buildings of mixed architectural styles. The institution lacked outdoor human spaces. This central mall has become the new spine of the campus completely reorienting the character of the institution-from vehicular to pedestrian-strengthening its sense of place, and unifying the campus as a whole. The variety of pedestrian spaces created allow for and accommodate a wide range of activities from outdoor lunching, conversing, and studying to uses such as outdoor classes, concerts, and rushing between classes. The project area that was once a wide alleyway, desecrated with graffiti, is now the central focus of campus activity bringing the students together. Laumeier Sculpture Park Master Plan, St. Louis County Located in St. Louis County, the 96-acre Laumeier Sculpture Park is a delightful marriage of a contemporary sculpture museum and a well-used public park. Laumeier Sculpture Park was launched in 1976 with a donation of an important collection of work to the county. The sculptures were installed on the grounds of the Laumeier Estate, which had been deeded for use as a passive park. The master plan by the Thalden Corporation provides a direction for future development. Topographically, the park is organized along a central open ridge that falls off to heavily wooded or overgrown areas, which will continue to be developed as opportunities for site-specific projects. A proposed lake would create a destination for new trails and would offer artists a different environmental opportunity. The estate house occupies the end of the central ridge near the entrance, and the master plan calls for an additional exhibition building and a formal garden nearby. The park's dual mission as a passive park and sculpture collection demanded careful planning of the relationships among the visitors, sculpture and the park. The master plan augments the park's existing pastoral character. Thalden said he did not want to create powerful landscape features because the responsibly was to create opportunities rather than taking advantage of them. The St. Louis University Pedestrian Mall. Overview of the mall showing the variety of plaza and walk areas as a series of gathering places and transitions which are defined by planted materials. This view shows an existing retaining wall and the lighting designed by Thalden Corporation to ensure the mall has life after dark. Plaza of Champions at Busch Stadium. Street level view of the plaza with surrounding landscape. Detail view of the pavement design shows the important detail and distinct pattern and color of the pavement in the plaza.