Pamphlet La_401
CHRISTIAN VILLAGRAN / CPP DPT. OF LA
DISCOVERIES WITHIN THE INTENDED
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ABSTRACT
02 Landscape Architecture is the power to reveal the unseen with the aid of site identity, user, analysis, and provide a beautiful-functional physical form for the user to inhabit, take ownership, and protect The position taken in this pamphlet is the exploration of detail + topography + narrative to create a meaningful project that can be reveal the intention of the designer through the construction and form of the design.
READING
+The Art of Landscape Detail /04 +The Topographical Premise of Landscape and Architecture /08 +The Use of History in Landscape Architecture Nostalgia /12
WANDERING
+911 Memorial, NYC /16 +The High Line, NYC /20
LISTENING
+Jony Ive & Marc Newson Interview +James Corner & Martin Barry Discussion
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LANGUAGE
+Lexicon /32
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READING: The Art of Landscape Detail Detail, personally, serves as an identifier and process. Such that an identifier could reveal site history, period of creation, as well as the design development. It adds another layer of information and narration to a design. Such, brings more complexity, yet in a distill and simple form which tends to be recessive and not gracious at times. Just as with any development there are set of guidelines one must follow in order to stay true to ones intent of development, I like to refer to it as a framework, which allows for imaginative flexibility yet physical limitations. While reading Olin’s interview, one of his frameworks fascinated me because he was able to see two approaches to creating detail. One was to replicate existing form and function from within the time period of the project being worked on or ground the detail development it in the location of the project while retaining simplicity and function. Neither or is right or wrong however, grounding the detail on site specify interest me more because it tells more about the project in terms of narrative as to why it looks the way it does. It migh t look the way it does do to constraints.
Material plays a large role into the creation of detail as material becomes the physical expression of what was revealed on the process. Material aside from being the medium is a narrative of itself, (ie. water = blood, soil = flesh, rock = bone) this contribution is what creates the beauty in detail, providing the opportunity making connections of the reveled with narrative of material and appeal to user by provoking the subconscious. The production is as important as the development, as craftsmanship is the love of producing the vision of a designer who’s intention is to condense into a physical form the emotion of a site while being able to stand the test of time.
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I remember walking on Claremont and wondering why a lot of houses were built from river rock. I wondered it was because the aesthetic value and thinking it might of been a design trend during the construction time. However, I found out why many of the houses along the San Gabriel foothills were build from river rock, as a response to the need for developing a home, but facing the constrains of material an site location, yet opportunities were reveled within those constraints. River rock was an abundant native material which performed very well to the climate and had the strength needed while providing for a great aesthetic value. We often see detail as the appearance of the object and the end result, yet the detail is more about the development and the process which underwent.
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READING: The Topographical Premises of Landscape and Architecture
I’ve been fascinated with topography in the sense of in which it’s been represented and standardized. I see beauty in the way each contour line flows and unwinds. Im able to sense intention, detail, and sense of livelihood. As landscape architect we are able to dig, move, lift the land, and define the intention and creation of that space. This article gave me another perspective of topography, exposed the need for the field of architecture to coordinate design with landscape architects, and essentially the importance of topography and the role it plays in or design environment. It appears to me as if the scope of architecture is focusing in the surrounding and substance which holds their structures. The need to turn into the environment for inspiration and attachment seems to be more important to them than before, yet it shouldn’t off be like this. I agree with the narrator in the sense that I feel as if landscape architecture, architecture, and art should be a whole and not a fragmentation with hierarchy, and I take this position because there are examples of artist, architects, and landscape architect who’ve been able to develop successful projects within the framework of the horizontal plane.
Topography for a designer needs to have a solid foundation of intent, meaning that the emotions and reactions the designer wants to provoke in the user need to be well defined in order to develop such form. This investigation arms the designer with the proper problems to address which allows him to develop a richer and meaningful design while still retaining elegance in form. Artists such as Robert Irwin and Michael Heizer have devoted and entire lifetime to this ideology of provoking emotions and reactions to the environment they’ve built. Projects such as Levitated Mass by Heizer and Central Garden by Robert Irwin shows the intent and manipulation of the terrain to achieve the desired topography to provoke a response to their work. Levitated Mass has a minimal yet powerful terrain change which provokes fear and force, Central Garden is more about the journey and ephemeral changes in light.
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With the privilege of being able to shape the land we have the responsibility to develop comprehensive spaces which perform to designs intent, public spaces are in much more need as we grow denser and run out of room to develop. This problem sparks the focus of landscape urbanism which some believe is a new concept of bringing the “environment� into the city, yet it’s not a new idea, but a new need reason why we see of more and more project in this framework. Projects such as The High Line which encompasses this idea of retaining opportunistic nature as it was found, and crate an open-public space in which people to enjoy their day. Topography essential to the environment in which we leave we must learn to see past form and investigate the materiality which makes it up, why is important and how could it perform aside from function but provide.
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READING: The Use of History in
Landscape Architecture Nostalgia Narratives are essential to a design because it helps the user understand the form of and function of the project, and evolves to a sense of pride and ownership. In order to develop a successful narrative its crucial to position a mood for the narrative and allow for an investigation to take place, such investigation would yield significance to the site and its identity, providing the intention to develop a narration of the site. The article provided three samples on which nostalgia can be implemented into a location, some work and some doesn’t. It touches on American design and the idea on how we borrowed form and aesthetics to develop a design, this was do to the lack of history in which to look back and draw inspiration from. Early American cities were planned and designed in similar retrospect as Europe do to only having such a source of “inspiration�. Central Park is a great example of nostalgia and wondering because of the nature of what was Central Park and the period in which it was developed. Olmstead created a place in which was needed and desirable, which open the window to Nostalgia in the sense that it brought hope and eased the lives of a hectic society in which the sense of nature was only the wealthy or the ones who lived in the pastoral country.
I believe that up to this date, Central Park provokes nostalgia, not because greenery or nature is not available, but because it hasn’t been phased out. The views, changes in elevation, colors, surfaces, gives the user a sublime like feeling to believe that this forest lives within a chaotic and dense city and it was all man-made. Part of being a human being is the ability to recall memories which provoke nostalgia, and every September the 11th we are reminded how human we are by marking another year of the tragic terrorist attacks to america’s freedom. Such human feeling was understood by designers Micheal Arad & Peter Walker in order to develop this lifeless location in lower Manhattan into a healing sanctuary of remembrance.
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The 9/11 Memorial site is composed of an 8 acre site in which two, one acre, pools are set on the twin towers footprint as a void, symbolizing the tragedy and the many lives which were lost there. In addition, the six remaining acres are filled with white oak trees as a symbol of life in the site. The memorial was design and constructed as a place to remember and never forget those who were lost in a positive attitude, since many of the families who lost their loved ones were only tombstones, but no one in it. Sadness and tears have slowly turned into hope and resilience do to the positive recall of events and providing a positive atmosphere of remembrance for the witnesses of that tragic event.
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WANDERING: 911 Memorial, NY, USA 40.7117째 N, 74.0136째 W
Everyone can remember where they were that September morning!! This was the constant statement echoing in the back of my head as I was walking, up the staircase, towards the location in which many innocents lost their lives. It still impresses me the impact of such event made in people all over the world and what has come to be, a place which ones was death itself is now perceived as lively and thriving. Walking into the memorial I was impress with the happiness and livelihood of the people visiting, but what stood out to me the most was the sound. The water feature encompassed the whole place to its orchestration of sound and visual glare and reflection.
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The pools aside from being the representation of the towers foundation and absence serves as an mirror along the edges which provides a sense of grander and pure. The parapets which have the engraved names of the victims of the attacks was another element which stood out to me the most because of how the voids serve a meaning and function. The name voids area a representation of absence of the individual who perish and physical remains were never recover, but it also functions as cabinet for the many flags, flowers, and arrangements. In addition, the survivor tree stood out to me as a narrative piece and physical as well because the narrative is so strong and relates to the resilience and hope of the New Yorkers while being a focal tree during the fall.
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WANDERING: The High Line, NY, USA 40.7483째 N, 74.0050째 W
2:00 hrs and counting, It was the last visit before departing for LAX, I ran to corner of Gansevoort st. & Washington st. and there it was, just as how the pictures depicted it. I was amazed at the fact that I was seeing a marvel or our profession. The juxtaposition of the old and the new revealed the built quality and the craftsmanship dedicated to it. Just as revealing was the design intent and the way in which I was discovering it, even material, connector, and plant placement had a purpose. I was amazed by the design and craftsmanship that went into the concrete-wood bench and the manner in which it peeled form the ground into forming a seating surface.
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The High Line has become what it is now do to its history, context, and constraints. It retains the essence of nature taking over the elevated rail by the preservation of the foundation, rail track and the mimicking of rail tracks on the concrete details and form. The landscape elements and the walking surfaces interweave proving a sense of being a single space, yet offering the path of least resistance as the walking surface. The elevation changes give provide a sense of having a tour of the preserved while being within it. The attention to history, context, and intent creates amazing places such as The High Line which are instigators of subsequent development.
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LISTENING: Jony Ive & Marc Newson Interview
As designers we focus a great deal of time important details which build upon that gr and failing. I admire designer Jony Ive and Marc develop a project within such framework. T iconic products we have come to love over of the final product, which is beautiful, but Processes such as knowing how material p and its limitations, degree of care invested into the development of such project.
Its complex because it’s some material or design in order to make somet as the distillation and refinement of form.
in the “big idea”, yet we sometimes tend to leave the reat idea till the end, which results with a faulty foundation
c Newson because they’re designers who value detail, and These duet has designed and produced some of the most the time. I’ve been fascinated not so much on the shape t in the process of how it came to be. performs d
The detail of simplicity is complex to achieve, but its sensed with ease. etimes interpreted as subtraction of thing “simple”, yet it should be interpreted
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Such ideology inspires me to bring this practice to my future work. I believe simplicity and detail has the potential to tell a powerful message of the site it encompasses. Such simplicity, detail, and elegance has been achieved in project such as the 911 Memorial where detail is everything and serves a purpose. The angle in which the water feature is positioned so that water can fall at certain angle and create an orchestrated sounds and spectacle. The name placement of the victims on the parapets, and why some area carved and others poised. The High Line, where the essence of place wasn’t lost do to the proper inter vention and detail management The incorporation of material, vegetation, and pedestrian makes for an excellent New York City marvel, but still remaining that wild essence in it.
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LISTENING: James Corner & Martin Barry Discussion
James Corner has been the pioneer of our tion, precise orchestration and adaptability public space, which according to Corner, it and obstacles to build agreement. Landsca which he is able to create a place deeply ro a catalyst to initiate engagement within a c engagement has seen the re-birth of neigh adjacent to the intervention. James Corner argues that Landscape Architecture is the solution to developing
sub-sequen infrastructure with
r field in the last couple of years do to the great investigay, and some of his iconic projects have been focused in the ’s a complicated setting do to the constraints set by the law ape Urbanism, it’s among Corners set of skill in ooted in location and tends to become community, such hborhoods r
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spaces needed within the denseness of a city. Public space development will set a foundation and instigate the ntial development of architectural h a city.
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James Corner has become a choreographic designer in a sense that he knows approach and the expected yields of investigation, as visits different places he will experience different responses and therefore different yields, such yields will then be transformed into unique work such as The High Line, which is able to perform the way it does do to the context in which it sits.
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dog·mat·ic
/dawg-mat-ik/ adjective
·
(1) Relating to or of the nature of a dogma or dogmas or any strong set of principles concerning faith, morals, etc., as those laid down by a church; doctrinal: We hear dogmatic arguments from both sides of the political spectrum. (2) Asserting opinions in a doctrinaire or arrogant manner; opinionated: I refuse to argue with someone so dogmatic that he won’t listen to reason.
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pro路sa路ic
/proh-zey-ik/ adjective
路
(1) commonplace or dull; matter-of-fact or unimaginative: a prosaic mind. (2) of or having the character or form of prose, the ordinary form of spoken or written language, rather than of poetry.
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mo路tif
/moh-teef/ noun
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(1) a recurring subject, theme, idea, etc., especially in a literary, artistic, or musical work. (2) a distinctive and recurring form, shape, figure, etc., in a design, as in a painting or on wallpaper. (3) a dominant idea or feature: the profit motif of free enterprise.
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bal路us路trade /bal-uh-streyd/ noun
路
(1) a railing with supporting balusters.
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in·ex·tri·ca·ble
/in-ek-stri-kuh-buh/ adjective
·
(1) from which one cannot extricate oneself: an inextricable maze. (2) incapable of being disentangled, undone, loosed, or solved: an inextricable knot. (3) hopelessly intricate, involved, or perplexing: inextricable confusion.
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stra路tum
/strey-tuh m/ noun
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(1) a layer of material, naturally or artificially formed, often one of a number of parallel layers one upon another: a stratum of ancient foundations. (2) one of a number of portions or divisions likened to layers or levels: an allegory with many strata of meaning.
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trib·u·la·tion /tribye’lāshen/ noun
·
(1) grievous trouble; severe trial or suffering. (2) an instance of this; an affliction, trouble, etc.
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acu·ity
/e’kyüetē/ noun
·
(1) sharpness; acuteness; keenness: acuity of vision; acuity of mind.
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chau路vin路ist
/shoh-vuh-nist/ noun
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(1) a person who is aggressively and blindly patriotic, especially one devoted to military glory. acuity of vision; acuity of mind. (2) a person who believes one gender is superior to the other, as a male chauvinist or a female chauvinist.
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per路go路la
/pur-guh-luh/ noun
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(1) an arbor formed of horizontal trelliswork supported on columns or posts, over which vines or other plants are trained. (2) a colonnade having the form of such an arbor.
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Pamphlet La_401
CPP ENV // LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTUE DISCOVERIES WITHIN THE INTENDED //
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