vertical gardens for Charlottesville

We had a pin-up (a less formal review) yesterday to look at our most recent work, which considered changing a system or multiple systems in the city. For our last project, we observed how people experience and interact with flows in the city: water, waste, transport, energy, etc. This past week, we considered how to make a big change to the existing systems as a way to make the city more sustainable and potentially more dense (understanding sustainability and density as connected).

I looked at the idea of vertical gardens as a way to make food REALLY local-- recycling water and waste into food production, being able to see your food being grown, etc... It is still a rough idea at this point, and I may end up going another direction.

After this, I am ready for spring break! phew!

field trip 2

Today we took a field trip a ways out of Charlottesville to a private estate garden. "Garden" is actually an understatement-- the land and plantings were so extensive, the place is more like an arboretum AND botanic garden.

One of the gardeners led the tour, and showed us a lot of beautiful and unusual plants. The owner was not around, so we were wondering to ourselves who exactly lives this kind of life, in this kind of place. This photo of the tennis court, weeping Celtis specimen, and the Blue Ridge in the background seemed to me to epitomize the place!

There were several amazing old oaks near the house, including this one, where branches parted then grew back together to form an O!

field trip

Our plants class had its second field trip of the semester, this one to James Madison University's arboretum in Harrisonburg. It is a beautiful drive west of Charlottesville and over the mountains to Harrisonburg. We didn't visit the city itself, but we did drive past a LOT of development popping up along the highway. The arboretum is an odd site, a low-lying bowl that serves as a drainage basin for the surrounding land. The director told us about a wedding party on a rainy day that had to quickly escape from rising waters! It seems like a very challenging site for growing a variety of plants.

envisioning information

Part of architectural education is learning about information design. It is an interesting puzzle to figure out what information you want to present, and how best to do it-- a similar puzzle to writing, but using a visual language instead. We learn through practice and observing each others' work, rather than in a specific class or using a specific text (although Edward Tufte's books are universally recommeded).

Here is one example of mine that I felt worked pretty well, for the joint work between our studio and the Community History class focusing on downtown Charlottesville. It is pretty amazing to think about how quickly and radically the automobile transformed cities, as well as the countrysides, and people's way of life. Today, I don't think there is a single repair garage or gas station downtown, as the Mall area is mostly dedicated to leisure and offices (but there are still large parking garages, of course).

BBQ diagram

My friends Jonathan and Rachel and I went to Belmont Barbecue today for lunch. One item on the menu was the colorfully named "Belmont Slop Bucket." I was very amused to see that they had made a diagram of the Bucket. We talk about diagramming a lot in architecture school, and how to show different kinds of information. I didn't expect I would find a diagram here, too!

Grove

Last night was First Friday downtown, when many galleries have openings. In this installation (by Jeanne Drevas, titled Grove) hundreds of bamboo culms hung from the ceiling, and visitors could walk through them. People were enthusiastically partipating, so the culms were swinging and clacking each other. Walking though it, I found the light and shadow, sounds, glances of other walkers, and the feeling of swaying bamboo all around enchanting. I think everyone in there had a huge smile on their faces!

a secret garden

Last Tuesday morning was pretty magical-- it had snowed the day before, and while it still covered the ground, it was melting quickly in the warm sun. I had an assignment to look at and evaluate an example of planting design. When I woke up I was not so enthusiastic about yet another assignment, but it turned out to be a special morning. I chose the garden behind Pavilion X (off of the Lawn), where there is a sort of "secret garden" formed by huge, old boxwoods. It felt pleasingly secluded, and no one else came by as I photographed and sketched, and sipped from my steaming thermos of tea. My plan sketch shows this part of the garden, within Jefferson's distinctive serpentine walls.

tea egg

I made dinner with my friend Jonathan the other night, and he brought tea eggs that he made. To make a tea egg, you soft boil the egg, then crack the shell all over, then continue to cook it with tea, and spices. The tea soaks into the cracks and creates a spiderweb pattern on the shell and egg. It was like eating a treasure!