national mall and union square

Here are some drawings from my studio project for the National Mall and Union Square.

An idea about replacing the worn lawn with a rainwater collection system


A collage looking at ground materials and plants for Union Square


A collage looking at ways to frame the axis from the Capitol through Union Square, to the Washington Monument

Plants Walk

Here are "my" students on the plants review walk last Sunday.

Trick-or-Treating on the Lawn

This year, I made sure to get over to the Lawn to see the Trick-or-Treaters. On the Friday before Halloween, the residents of the lawn host trick-or-treating families, most with very young children. They stand in line and circle clockwise around the lawn rooms for candy, and at the same time, the lawn is full of people taking advantage of the photo opportunity:



Here were a few of my favorites:

The Incredibles


The triplets (I had seen them once this summer at a coffee shop, practicing taking turns-- very important for their family, I am sure!)

Fall in Virginia

I haven't made it out to Skyline, but there are some beautiful colors close to home, too!

Everybody Loves Popcorn (thanks, Mom!)

Thanks Mom-- you made a lot of people happy! Here we are around our studio common table, digging in to the Fisher's tub.

sneaky design students

Some of the planted areas on the National Mall are fenced off for rejuvenation. My friend Chloe and I snuck under to get some photos of some amazing 100+ year old trees.

two silly photos

A group of my classmates and I went to Trenton, NJ to visit brownfield sites that we had been researching. We met with two people who work for the city on brownfield development, who were extremely helpful. The site I am looking at is an overgrown lot with a decaying warehouse. There is no sign that would reveal that it is actually an African-American cemetery that dates to the 1880s.

Overall we got the sense that Trenton really is a tough city. The amount of vacant, boarded up property and the number of brownfield sites is sobering. We started to think about how transformation can begin to happen when the problems are so complex and profound.

On a lighter note, here are a few silly photos from the trip:

We had a delicious meal at the Yardley Inn in charming Yardley, PA


And were very disappointed that DeLorenzo's, rumored to be Trenton's best tomato pie, was CLOSED!