Planted Form

One of my classes this semester is Planted Form, where we look at plants as elements of design: how they shape space and experience. Our teacher is the irrepressible Julie Bargmann of D.I.R.T Studios (http://www.dirtstudio.com/).

Our first assignment asked us to choose a particular biogeographical landscape type, to learn about the plants that would grow in the ground plane, and to design a didactic garden about the landscape type using the plants that would grow there.

I chose the southern (U.S.) swamp, inspired by my recent trip to Ebenezer Swamp with Mom and Dad. It wasn't easy to find information about what herbaceous plants grow in Southern swamps; there was more information about tree species.

My design has a boardwalk stretching from solid ground to a lake edge, with swamp in between. Extending from the boardwalk are walls to partially enclose plants separated by species. As you reach the lake edge and the more natural condition there, the planters decrease in size and give way to the existing lake habitat.

Over time, the plants can grow beyond the planter walls and species may mix, creating a new planted configuration.

Modelling downtown

We have been making models of our transect based on our site visits and our research. Here we placed each model side by side to form the entire downtown area. Some of these models look at topography, public/private space, change in building footprints over time, street layouts, and transportation. Our model (the white one with the T pins) notes where we observed people walking in our transect (on one very cold afternoon-- ugh!).

Studio this week

My studio this semester is considering methods to densify Downtown Charlottesville. This past week our studio worked in collaboration with architectural history students who have been studying downtown since last semester. Our professors asked us to look at a transect of a few blocks and consider:

What is the most significant element that has stayed the same?
What is the most significant change?
What is the most significant trace of something that is no longer there, but can still be read on site?

Here my partners are looking at a place where windows were removed at some point, and painted signs from a time when downtown had more "everyday" kind of retail (now, the Mall is mostly restaurants and specialized retail).

Rebricking the Mall

Workers have begun the process of replacing all the bricks on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville. This has been a controversial decision in part because of its expense ($5 million), and the question of whether the bricks could have been repaired instead.

The greatest problem has been that the city and the firm hired for the project have not understood the Mall as a historic designed landscape. The Mall was designed in the 1970s by renowned landscape architect Lawrence Halprin, as a way to revive Charlottesville's Main Street, then suffering retail migration to suburban malls. Halprin's office conducted an extensive community process in Charlottesville to generate public support for the pedestrianization of Main Street, and the Mall is one of the few successful walking malls from that era (Ithaca has another).

Part of the recent controversy involved additions that seemed incongruous with the original design, like an extra "Sister City" plaza and fountains. The most press was given to the proportions of the new brick. While it may seem like a fussy detail, the longer length to width ratio of the original brick actually creates a pattern and rhythm on the ground that is distinct from the brick building fronts-- somewhat like cobblestones in a European city (or near Aaron and Amy's house!)

Obama

Although I live fairly close to DC, I opted not to go to the Inauguration-- some friends and I watched it at the basketball arena here, along with a pretty big crowd. It was fun to be a part of a large group sharing this moment. I was imagining what Obama must have been feeling at this moment before he walked out onto the Capitol steps.

more Seattle: Bloedel Reserve

After the ferry ride described below, we arrived on Bainbridge Island and made our way to the Bloedel Reserve. The Reserve was established (ironically?) by a former lumber operation owner, and designed by venerable landscape architect Richard Haag.

My experience of the reserve is of the almost overwhelming richness of textures of the Northwest forest. Bark, moss, ferns, needles, decomposing stumps, roots... It is an extremely involving experience of observing details and being in awe by the whole. This time, I decided to focus on photographing "small things," since it seemed impossible to capture the larger spaces.





my host Katie in the Aspen Grove

zumba!?

In the past 5 days, I have been to the gym twice! That is double the number of times I have been in my life up to this point. Hooray for the new year-- I'll try to keep this resolution going.

Today's visit was for a Zumba class. As everyone but me seemed to know already , Zumba is an exercise fad that is sweeping the nation. That said, I'm not sure it will be my favorite drop-in class. It was a good workout and pretty fun, but involved a good deal of slightly embarrassing moves. My friend Maria and I cracked up each time the instructor said in deadpan fashion: "you REALLY want to get low for this one," which meant lots of hip-winding (thank goodness, no photos for this post)!

So, there's still yoga, step, and pilates to look forward to!...

Seattle from the water

In Seattle, you are never far from water. On both of my visits, I took a short ferry trip from downtown Seattle to nearby Bainbridge Island. The ferry ride is a destination in itself-- in a half hour, you can watch the city skyline recede, and the forested island skyline approach. We took an early morning ferry on a cold, overcast day, but it was still a stunning view over the water.

externship week

Beyond sightseeing, I also did some work in Seattle, at Charles Anderson Landscape Architecture. The office is located near the waterfront, but separated by elevated on-ramps and the Alaskan Way Viaduct (this elevated monster is slated to be replaced by 2012, since it is vulnerable to earthquake damage).

My project was to model a courtyard for a mixed-use building designed by Seattle architect Tom Kundig, to be located near Pike Place Market. Charles Anderson is designing the courtyard, which will include a water feature, two pedestrian ramps from the sidewalk, an "outdoor living room" and possibly restaurant seating. We had a meeting gathered around the model to generate ideas for the design. Then I took some photos of the model and used them as a base for perspective sketches to try out some of the ideas. On my last day, we had another meeting to sort through the sketches and pick which ideas would stay on. It will be interesting to see what is eventually built!

more Seattle stormwater fun

These photos are from Vine Street near Downtown Seattle. The street has a few pieces of stormwater sculpture-- the big hand and sleeve that catch and store water from the roof, and another downspout sprouting with plants. The big hand sculpture is not working for me, but I guess they were trying something playful that draws attention to collecting and reusing roof water.

SEA Street in Seattle

My host and I visited one of Seattle's SEA streets (Street Edge Alternatives). The main goal of the SEA street design is to reduce stormwater runoff, and according to the Seattle Public Utilities website, the design has reduced runoff by 99%.

As you can see, the street is narrower than a typical street, and curves in order to slow traffic. Each house has a bioswale (aka raingarden) in the front yard where rainwater is detained, filtered by plants, and absorbed. The overall experience of the street is like being in a garden: diverse, lush plants are front and center, while cars and homes are more shielded from view.

We had learned about these streets in class, so it was interesting to see the effect in person.

more on SEA streets:
http://www.seattle.gov/UTIL/About_SPU/Drainage_&_Sewer_System/Natural_Drainage_Systems/Street_Edge_Alternatives/index.asp

A View of Puget Sound

Here is a view of Puget Sound taken this afternoon-- there is a small bright sliver of sky beneath the gray clouds today. This photo was taken from the Olympic Sculpture Park-- I was treated to a tour by Charles Anderson, the landscape architect for the project and owner of the office where I am interning this week. It is an amazing site near downtown Seattle with a small beach, bike paths, and diverse native planting zones in addition to the sculpture. More to come...

Ebenezer Swamp

Mom and Dad and I visited the Ebenezer Swamp in Montevallo, AL. There was a short boardwalk, and it was generally quiet during our visit. We saw some signs of a woodpecker (see below) and then did see a few woodpeckers in action. We also saw some mysterious fruits on the boardwalk and in the water (water tupelo?).

New Year in Birmingham

Dad and I rang in the New Year at the Alabama Theater, for a concert of polkas, waltzes, and marches (no dancing required). The music was entertaining, but the most special part was the chance to see the ornate decor inside this historic theater. Second best was the festive New Year atmosphere (masks, champagne, and fancy outfits).

According to Wikipedia, the Alabama Theater opened in 1927, showing silent movies, then talkies (and hosting one of the largest Mickey Mouse Clubs in the world). The Theater survived a fire next door, as well as the decline of downtown Birmingham, and was renovated in 1998.