The LARGE Lecture Project by Chris Valenzuela

The LARGE Lecture Project Chris Valenzuela LA 203 Basic Landscape Design Professor Andy Wilcox

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION ONE: Lexicon Entries Ecology Asignifying Signs Pattern Whole-Whole Relationships Baseline Composition Patches Corridors Mosaics Disperse SECTION TWO: Theory Responses Rambunctious Gardens (Chapter 3 “The Forest Primeval”) Projective Ecologies (Flood Control Freakology) Atlas of Novel Tectonics (Difference in Kind/Difference in Degree) Synthetic Pattern: Fabricating Landscapes in the age of Gren... Fathoming the Unfathomable Augmented Landscapes SECTION THREE: External Discussion Responses Hardware, Software and Emerging Technologies in Practice Patrik Schumacher + Tom Wiscombe: Duel + Duet SECTION FOUR: Individual Insights SECTION FIVE: Photo Essays

ECOLOGY Ecology is a term that coins the study of the distributions and relations of organisms and their interactions with the environment. This includes the study of plant and animal communities, populations, and the ecosystem in its entirety. This can refer to little things such as bacteriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role in nutrient recycling.

SEE THE LEXICON

Pattern of Self-Similar Shapes

ASIGNIFYING SIGNS Asignifying signs are indicators of certain characteristics that serve as a display of properties and tendencies. They operate both in process and in effect meaning these signs can convey end results or can be used as a guide to further explore the unfoldings of certain things.

PATTERN Patterns are often recognizable; however, they may not always physically appear in a space. Patterns, as stated by Karen Mâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Closkey, are diagrams of processes that benefit our ecological systems by seeking order out of the unseen chaos. This is all in response to the environmental functions required of our contemporary

BASELINE Baselines are a point in history where people aim to return our natural environment to. Instead of working to produce or enhance a unique ecological system, baselines are a point in history where few conservationists feel the need to return to, although the degree of difficulty is very high.

Dense, Not reducible to its parts Separate elements, contain their own function

WHOLE-WHOLE RELATIONSHIPS Whole-whole relationships are derived from complex hierarchies in which the whole is not reducible to its parts. This is produced through the altering of material organization that operate in an efficient way, thus new organizations and architectural effects emerge.

BASELI NE

Patches part of a larger system

COMPOSITION The various layers and ingredients used to produce an entire system. In design, every system is composed of different elements that thus form a network. No design is produced without the configuration of different parts and elements. The way these layers are assembled makes the composition that much more dynamic

PATCHES Patches are systems that can occur at small or large scales. These systems contain both plant and animal habitats and are scattered throughout our landscape. The location of these patches have an increasing effect to their surrounding environment. These effects can be beneficial or detrimental to the overall function of a landscape.

MOSAICS Mosaics are exploited through the overall structural and functional coherence of a landscape. Patches, edges, and corridors all tie into creating the larger whole that is the land mosaic. Pattern and scale aid users and fellow landscape architects in best understanding and evaluating a land mosaic.

Area A

Area B

Corridor

CORRIDORS An alignment that produces a network to connect two different systems. Corridors offer migration routes for plants and animals as well as energy and various types of wildlife. Not only do they offer migration routes, but they also serve as barriers or filters to the movement of species.

A New Land Mosaic

DISPERSE Dispersion is the performative action of distributing or spreading in multiple directions from a fixed source. As it pertains to ecology, dispersion is crucial as it focuses on spreading different elements around the landscape thus producing various interactions between species.

RAMBUNCTIOUSGARDENS The Forest Primeval Emma Marris, in her book Rambunctious Gardens, brings up the ongoing discussion and debate about the true definition of pristine nature. Marris believes that the idea of preserving a pristine nature is very well gone as there is nothing left in this world that has not had even the slightest human intervention. Although this is true, it does not foreshadow the demolition of nature. As Marris states, it is up to the human population to produce a hybrid environment of wild nature and human management. Many people have discussions on humans and nature and talk about it as if they are two entities not meant to coexist. The well-being of our environment depends greatly on the efficiency of our ecosystem and what we as humans do to enhance this ecology. Silver Lake Reservoir has a clear distinct ecological system that runs throughout the dead infrastructure. Different species of birds, such as the Great Blue Heron and Egret, nest around the reservoir, specifically the Eucalyptus Grove. Certain planting areas of the reservoir, such as the Salvias and Ceanothus planted on the inner edge of the meadow, attract many wildlife species such as bees and hummingbirds. Previous designs clearly focused on preserving the wildlife of Silver Lake Reservoir, but most of the wildlife is isolated away from humans. It reminds me of a zoo, except at a much smaller scale. Moving forward, we must work to enhance the already unique ecology of Southern California by creating environments that offer coexistence between man and nature.

IN RESPONSE TO READINGS

Nature PROJECTIVE ECOLOGIES

Great proximity between man and nature, mainly in the past.

Flood Control Freakology: Los Angeles River Watershed The Los Angeles River and Silver Lake Reservoir are two very similar infrastructure systems. They both are in dire need of revitalization and both have existing ecosystems that designers must be careful with. In the section written by David Fletcher of Projective Ecologies, the theory of freakology focuses on the unexpected riparian habitats that trash thrown into the river produce. Winter storms wash out all the manmade debris and fine sediments that are crucial to life such as silts and organic materials. The loose debris that remains or is later unintentionally incorporated into the river binds and creates a structural cover that holds much of the organic nutrients of the river. This has thus created a unique ecosystem that derived from infrastructure that has seemed to be “dead” and the surrounding urban environment. Silver Lake Reservoir is very similar to the LA River as it is seen as a piece of dead infrastructure; however, there is still an ecological system that is very much alive. The drainage of the water has removed some of the animals that required the water, such as ducks and fish, but the wildlife around the reservoir is still alive. We must work to strengthen this existing ecology and even bring back the riparian life that has been removed from the reservoir. Though much of the focus has been put on animals and plants in my statements, humans must undoubtedly be a huge focus as well as ecology wouldn’t exist without us.

Mankind

Much debate on the subject of the relationship of man and nature.

Coalescence of Man and Nature

ATLAS OF NOVEL TECTONICS Difference in Kind/Difference in Degree This section focuses on what it means when certain elements of architectural orders are different in kind and/or different in degree. Difference in kind refers to elements that contain their own stable meaning. Whatever action that element commits is a result that directly derives from that stable meaning. Any transformation put forth comes only in the manner of deviation, as any change with the system only occurs in relation to a fixed model. Difference in degree refers to contextual relationships. Each elements has no meaning outside these contextual relationships and are no different from one another. The only meaning acquired are through the relations to the behaviors and effects a designer seeks in a specific aspect of a project. Different degrees of density can convey this difference in degree. For example, throughout my design process for the Silver Lake Reservoir, I have sketched out areas that would have greater and lesser density of plant materials. These plants alone would not have the same effect without the various densities dispersed throughout the site. Planting areas with greater density would attract far more wildlife than areas with lesser densities, although they would attract wildlife nonetheless. This would also accommodate the need for people who do not want to be near as much wildlife. Instead of organizing elements with a fixed relationship, we must work towards creating meaning through process and effect. Elements containing their own meaning off the bat are static and stray away from phenomenological experiences.

Higher Density (Difference in Degree) SYNTHETIC PATTERNS Fabricating landscapes in the age of ‘green’ Patterns have always been a part of our landscape. Some can be seen and some can only be known of through deep analyzing. In our contemporary landscapes, landscape architects have leaned towards ‘green’ goals, such as improving water quality and habitats; however, these have led to limited forms of expression. Through various types of configurations, patterns can link landscape’s utilitarian functions with its aesthetic functions. The criticisms of patterns being uniform, monotone, and static have been thrown out many times but in reality there is an array of patterns that we cannot see with the naked eye. The concept of figure and field came into play and Burle Marx’s Parque del Este was used as an example. As one of the most intriguing projects integrating pattern, Marx uses self-similar shapes that come together to form the structure of the park while producing a variety of spaces as well. These forms have no meaning associated with them, only their physical existence matters. Patterns must be visible in order for a project to be expressive. If these patterns are not visible to the eye, the work is a failure. Patterns should be used as an aesthetic that invokes different processes that still benefit our goals for the environment. Ecological processes can be invoked throughout Los Angeles by designing with patterns that will attract people through its expressiveness. Without this, any new projects done that does not physically express itself and its processes clearly will not contain desired results.

PAMPHLET 34 Fathoming the Unfathomable The different methods of representation and design have always been an important topic discussed amongst all designers. As Kulper states, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Drawings are world-building sites of wonder--visual curiosity cabinets materializing thought to imagine what is possible.â&#x20AC;? Through the conventional methods of drawing (plan, section, diagram, etc.), designers have been able to visually communicate their ideas to their clients while being able to delve deep into their reasoning. Model-making has also been an important method of representation that has constantly been utilized. While these techniques have been of great use, new modes of innovative representation have emerged. One of the most innovative methods, developed by Perry Kulper, is the complex, layered drawing he has been known for. These drawings are cryptic in nature, and I believe only aid the designer in understanding how they move forward in their design process. Our studio was required to produce a complex, layered drawing inspired by Kulper in order to map Silver Lake Reservoir and all its wonders. These drawings not only aid the designer greatly in its understanding of the site and space, but they also exploit topics and goals to focus on and an array of spatial outcomes that are ready to emerge. The content-to-form design approach also greatly accommodates this technique in drawing as issues are first identified which thus expose many ideas, creative program thinking, and other unique design options. I believe many designers should use these approaches in order to enhance their design thinking and processes in order for maximum design potential.

Importance of Figure and Field The negative space and patterns that the figure creates is as important as the figure itself.

PAMPHLET 28 Augmented Landscapes The importance of understanding a site and all its conditions could not be greater. Projects that acknowledge an array of issues, whether it is biased towards people, animals, plants, or all, is a successful one. These acknowledgements lead to augmented landscapes that in turn finalize into a hybrid environment that contains influence form nature but is under the control of man. Geofluidic landscapes are critical in contemporary landscapes as shown through our current studio project in the Silver Lake Reservoir. The reservoir contains a littoral edge that separates the land from water and, of course, keeps the water in the reservoir. No other functions is associated with the edge. The Los Angeles River also has a similar situation in that its edge is a uniform slope created solely for separation and holding water. These utilitarian infrastructures have led to unpleasing results for both the LA River and Silver Lake Reservoir. Transforming the edge into a much more smooth connection between land and water can benefit both areas. Plants can be watered â&#x20AC;&#x153;naturallyâ&#x20AC;? through the water contained in the reservoir and riparian wildlife would be accommodated with extended land giving them a place to accumulate and hide. People would have the experience of walking into the reservoir and the Great Blue Herons would see a slight return of their wetland habitat. The user possibilities are endless once the edge is transformed from a static, concrete, uniform edge to a dynamic, fluid one that transforms the site all together.

Overlaying of different elements and information

Edge Activation

H A R D W A R E, S O F T W A R E A N D E M E R G I N G T E C H N O L O G I E S I N P R A C T I C E by: Cal Poly Pomona Alumni As we move further into the era of advanced technology, many professions have utilized this commodity in order to communicate the values, benefits, and work of their business or firm. Software such as AutoCAD have been around since the early 1980â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and Adobe Creative Suite was initially released in 2003; however, these software have been evolving through time with the evolution of hardware. We now have the Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 Ti, VGAs, and HDMIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s which have brought upon the opportunity to create even more advanced software. Technology undoubtedly has aided the profession of landscape architecture in many ways as we have been able to graphically communicate ideas, construction documents, etc. An important point was made during the panel discussion on this topic held at Cal Poly Pomona by my mentor Bob Borthwick. Although we are given this abundance of technology to use at our disposal, we must not forget the importance of values when applying for a job. Telling a firm about your proficiency at one software program will prompt them to give you a position dealing solely with working with that position. One must have a broad range of skills so that the potential position deals with a variety of issues. In our studio, we have used many different software such as AutoCAD, Rhinoceros. Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, etc. in order to enhance our design process and communication of the Silver Lake Reservoir. Every designer uses these programs while also keeping their analog skills in check.

WITNESSING DISCUSSIONS

DUEL &DUET

Linear and Accurate Productions Derived from Hardware and Software

by: Patrik Schumacher and Tom Wiscombe The lecture at SCI-Arc by Patrik Schumacher and Tom Wiscombe related much to what we have been doing at our studio. Schumacher focused mainly on discussing the topic of creating a set of rules in order to have an identity emerge from one’s site. Through this identity and the reason it derives from, shapes begin to form which thus builds the character of the design. The knowledge of a site must be at its maximum in order for these rules to be developed. For example, in our studio, we were required to map out everything we wanted to find out about Silver Lake Reservoir before we would experiment with what spatial types would emerge. The complex mapping would help us in deriving our rules and from these rules we would thus create our taxonomy of emergent spatial types. Materiality is an aspect that comes from creating rules as well. Once the space is visualized, the question of materiality comes into play. In other words, once the syntax of the space has been established, the phenomenological aspect of the design will materialize. Schumacher referenced Parametricism in where he believes that the urban environment should be an autopoiesis while Wiscombe believed that buildings should exist within their own system instead of the entire urban system. I believe our goal with the Silver Lake Reservoir is to create this autopoiesis. Students are all working on different areas of the reservoir but in the end it will be this “Frankenstein” that will be able to reproduce and maintain itself.

? End of Analog? No.

PERSONAL INTROSPECTION The goal of landscape architecture has always been not only to create wonderful spaces for people to occupy, but also serve to keep the earth clean. Landscape architecture acknowledges that nature is constantly changing and that designing sustainable landscape will accommodate these changes. This process requires projects to focus on wildlife and plants as well. These relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings is called ecology and this term has been used around the world in order to shift our focus to designing with nature. Ecosystems exist within every landscape that we attempt to alter whether that landscape seems alive or dead. I have learned much about ecosystems and how we must utilize everything we have at our disposal to, as Emma Marris stated, create a hybrid environment of wild nature and human management. This year has been one of the toughest years of my life, but my passion for landscape architecture is as alive as ever. Without this passion, I would clearly not be in this major right now. Another thing that has kept me in this major are my friends. Through the tough times and all-nighters, we have stuck by each other and helped each other no matter what. I believe that the close bond our entire class shares is what keeps this passion alive. Choosing this major has already proven to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have faced many challenges throughout this program, specifically this quarter, but I have managed to work my hardest and produce the best work I can possibly do. The knowledge I have gained this quarter will undoubtedly be applied much throughout the rest of this intense program at Cal Poly Pomona.

PHOTO ESSAY 1

PHOTO ESSAY 2

Sustainability is another main concept that we have discussed and worked on this quarter. The photo of the Living Roof by Renzo Piano is a perfect example of sustainability. We were required to implement sustainability into our design by having one of the requirements of our project be to have some sort of filtering task. Many people chose water to filter which is the obvious choice especially when you are aiming to make your design sustainable. Model-making is another element of design that we have worked on much throughout this quarter. This studio undoubtedly has required the most model making out of my two years in this program. Sculpture was discussed a bit in our studio, but nonetheless, it is most of the time a part of design. We had much freedom with the Silver Laker Reservoir and if we wanted to, we could’ve created our own abstract sculptures.

Throughout this course, I have learned much about the theory of architecture and landscape architecture. These theories range from fineness to difference in degree. We have also discussed much about ecology, which I believe was one of the main focuses of this studio. I learned about the small details such as nutrient distribution and water, animal, and plant migration. Emma Marris’ Rambunctious Gardens was another book that we discussed a lot throughout lecture as well. The main topics were about ecology and pristine nature. The photo to the bottom left may seem as a landscape untouched by humans but in reality, there has been human intervention in that area. There are many places around the world that look like wild, untouched nature, but that nature has been intervened with for the purpose of making it look “pristine.” The series of photos I have taken convey this sense of “fake pristine” and areas that undoubtedly have been altered by mankind.