Landscape Journal The Subject of My Home
Biodiversity and Productivity
Sustenance
Beginnings...
Working With Wood
Inaugural Issue
01
Winter 2020
Small Homes For North
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NOTE FROM THE EDITOR - Jonathan Blaseg
Contact: jonathan@pebl.design PEBL Design 3243 Winpark Drive Minneapolis, MN 55427 763-544-8002 www.pebl.design We would love to hear from you! Please reach out with thoughts, questions, critiques, or article submissions.
C
hange is inevitable. Today there is a conversation in society that is unfolding; a conversation about our changing world, the interplay of communities, the individuals that engender them, and the spaces that unite them. Designers do more than just aspire to contribute to a vibrant culture, nevertheless that hope - that ambition - to do more is an essential step. I love the challenge change represents: a distinct opportunity for progress, for discovering solutions that prevail over restrictions of location, time, status, budget, and materials. Through the featured projects we present our viewpoint on change: “Beginnings.” Our hope is that these articles might be informative to introduce who we are as a firm and present our opinion of optimism for the future. We seek to highlight the significance of narrative in landscape and thus our projects focus on involvement, intention, connection, material honesty, process, and projection. I firmly believe that a designer’s job is to
discuss their work such that the intention can be valued, that the process and relative momentum might be known and contribute to dialogue, but ultimately embrace that the result - the outcome - will take on it’s own life and endure separate from any designed ambitions. What does it mean to read a book by its cover? How do we read our landscapes? Embedded in our first reactions are layers and layers of life experience and instinctual response, all unique unto an individual, and all valid. Landscapes are personal, landscapes are invariably relative and constantly evolving. Change is inevitable and so is design. Design is belligerent and inescapable, it impacts all elements of our daily life, shaping our ethos as a society and the health of our environment. We hope that our work is not a oneway vision, not controlled by a certain point-of-view, rather that our projects participate and contribute to the ongoing conversations of our community.
Articles The Subject of My Home
Biodiversity and Productivity
Sustenance
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12
24
1.
2.
3.
Working With Wood
Small Homes For North
Who/What Is PEBL?
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40
46
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6.
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1. THE SUBJECT OF MY HOME
“After having been first matter, and then energy, nature is today becoming an interactive subject. It is ceasing to be an object, bringing it all the more surely into the circuit of subjection. A dramatic paradox, and one which also affects human beings: we are more compromised when we cease to be objects and become subjects.� - Jean Baudrillard (The Illusion of the End, 1992)
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he profession of Landscape Architecture often gets hung up on whether our designed landscapes are with nature or not nature or mimicking nature or contextual nature or whatever... This debate is a disservice as it trivializes the topic, nature is not a sound-bite and it should not be a marketing platform; we must find a way to move on and accept that nature “is” and our work “is” simply part of it. I believe the root of this comes from our profession’s anxietyridden relationship with scale and perception, young designers are so often led to believe that big ideas are the crux to legibility and thus the key to un-tapping the holy grail of nature. Nevertheless the dilemma with this notion is twofold, first-off the large projects are so few and far-between that their impact is questionable as trends shift and neighborhoods are turned over. Secondly, even the grandest gestures are obscured with time; neglected, unmanaged, or simply unused; this is not nature’s insidious trick, rather it is the gift we most often ignore. Our obsession with outcomes only serves to obfuscate the real opportunity to create platforms for our participation with nature and moreover the importance for education when working with clients and collaborators. Usually looking out one’s own front door
provides a diverse palette of precedents for this quandary and a much more scalable opportunity. Why do our neighborhoods look the way they do? We live in a world of half-baked landscapes that are more about obscuring architecture than highlighting it and usually relegated to circulation corridors decorated by the current trends at Home Depot. Vegetation is selected on the merits of its constraints, not its ability to proliferate or contribute; while everyone has an innate and personal relationship with their cultural landscapes, it seldom feels that way when walking down the street. Why are we fighting over the next great urban park when, in a city such as Minneapolis, over half of our land area is consumed by residential properties? Is this not an opportunity for small ideas that cumulatively become massive? This critique does not imply a solution, rather it seeks to own the subjectification of nature and highlight our deference to the residential, it hopes to foreground the necessit y for scr uti ny, provocation, and discourse regarding all of our landscapes. I recall sitting on my front porch - before there were kids involved almost revelling in the messiness of our yards (front and back). We didn’t really have a lawn, unless a mat of creeping jenny counts,
Left: a.) Otto preps planting of quaking aspen whips. b.) After two weeks Little Bluestem seeds are beginning to sprout, complemented by a grid of plugs. c.) Eight weeks of growth and entire planting bed is full. d.) Fall color takes hold. 1: RECTANGLES
and I was oddly proud to not be able to identify the collection of ornamental shrubs that separated us from the sidewalk. At least we had a tall fence to shield the derelict status of our backyard where our decaying deck was providing excellent habitat for wasps and rabbits. I leaned on an adaptation of the old saying “if you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all” and thus my excuse to enjoy the intermittent hostas and daylilies; indeed I did nothing at all. I could share some blame with my wife, a fellow Landscape Architect, we filled out the stereotype of designers who live in un-designed spaces. That is not to say we did not discuss at length the potential for our space, just how great we could make it, if only we could settle on a plan. Of course this is ripe with irony since creating a “plan” is what I preach most to my clients; how a plan shields you from falling into the trap of picking up the blue hydrangea at Menards because “it was a good deal” and then plopping it down in the most random of spots only to plan (and plant) around it for years to come. I am equally susceptible to these whims as anyone else, case-in-point when I was 23 I bought a really great window at a garage sale and decided to add a second floor to my house just so I could utilize it appropriately.
Above: Sumacs and a seeded meadow promote habitat and create privacy. Previous Page: Raised garden bed highlights productive sideyard garden.
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Someday these aspens will tower over Hattie and Otto
When our first child was born it was such a relief, I thought that now I could kick back and really let things fall apart because I didn’t need sham excuses anymore, I had a real one! Who’s going to fault the new parents? And so we learned to avoid the holes in the deck and enjoy our dog’s incessant search for our rascally rabbits. Nonetheless as the wasp stings mounted and time went on I realized that my children were the reason to make a plan, not an excuse to avoid one. We didn’t need much, simplicity and function with a well-crafted frame would do the trick. For the back I proposed to my family a concept of five rectangles: wood, concrete, copper, turf, and meadow. The children countered with a pirate-ship treehouse connected to a princess-tower via a rollercoaster; in retrospect this made a lot of sense but I was worried about costs and hence we stuck with dad’s concept. As with most landscaping projects, our budget was tight, but I like to think that this constraint fit in perfectly with our goals: 1. Simple material palette 2. Highlight space with recycled elements and 3. Watch the space grow. Starting with demolition, we removed everything so that we might have a clean slate. We needed to 1: RECTANGLES
be efficient and thus built the cedar deck, followed by the concrete, turf, and meadow successively. The project was accented via the insertion of three recycled elements. The first was a collection of perforated copper screens, reclaimed from downtown Minneapolis’ Westminster Church. The screens had been designed by my former office and had been procured during a recent renovation that would have required their disposal. Next was the utilization of two precast benches, placed on the concrete patio as an invitation for informal gathering. Lastly, leftover pieces of wood from the deck construction were repurposed to build a dining table. My wife thought I was ridiculous the day I showed up and started jabbing sticks into the “meadow” rectangle; I had harvested the tree whips from my cousin’s property in Frontenac. I relayed the absurdity to my children and they revelled in the quick growth all the more because of how crazy their father was. The beautiful scrim of sumac quickly established and replaced our tall fence, with the addition of grandpa’s bird feeders the trees were soon filled with wildlife. In the understory we sowed a variety of native seeds and each new summer has brought a surprise of color and texture.
Right Clockwise: a.) Demolition b.) Otto & Hattie provide oversight for tree watering c.) Perforated copper screen d.) View of deck and table e.) Birch trees set within deck f.) View of space g.) Sidewalk-chalk art h.) Deck construction
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n the following years we would move around our property, installing various adaptations of our design framework: an overflowing vegetable garden, grove of fruit trees, sycamore in the boulevard, and a sixth rectangle filled with little bluestem and more sticks (this time they were quaking aspen). All these would provide a testing ground for our children’s observation skills and budding green thumbs. I look forward to the day when my trees are overgrown and must be trimmed or removed, when someone is proven correct that my spacing was too close or sycamores don’t grow in Minnesota. I look forward to cleaning up sidewalk chalk and eventually removing the nameless shrubs that hide my foundation. Projects should echo their users, thus the formal organization and materiality is a direct reflection of our “style,” nevertheless the real success of the project will be measured by its ability to provide invitation and provocation to our family. I don’t really care anymore if our landscapes are contextual or fake or pristine or messy; I’ll be happy when our landscapes promote engagement and discourse, I’ll be happy when they own their subjectification of nature. - Jonathan Blaseg is a founding partner of PEBL Design and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota.
1: RECTANGLES
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2. BIODIVERSITY AND PRODUCTIVITY
“The loss of species, ecosystems and genetic diversity is already a global and generational threat to human well-being. Protecting the invaluable contributions of nature to people will be the defining challenge of decades to come.� - UN Report: Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
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n southern Rwanda on a patch of savanna forest and papyrus wetlands lives a small population of the Grey Crowned Crane. A culturally significant species of East Africa, as recently as 2004 the bird’s population was abundant but today only 500 of these birds remain in Rwanda. The Crane relies on the region’s lakeside marshes for food such as fish and frogs, they complement their diet by foraging in the upland savannas for reptiles and insects. Each night, the crane roosts high in the branches of trees such as the native Acacia, while below ground the roots of these trees are producing nitrogen that vastly improves soil quality. The bird requires unique habitat conditions created through seasonal flooding to breed and raise its young. The ecosystem services of these fluctuating wetlands contribute vastly to Rwa nda’s hea lth: filtering stormwater, regulating floods, balancing temperature shifts, and overall maintaining water-quality for the sustenance of plants, animals, and humans. Despite the importance of these environmental relationships, population growth in Rwanda req u i res i ncrea si ng food production and hence farmers clear land for agriculture and grazing, they cut trees for cooking
fuel and construction lumber. Farmers burn off papyrus to clear water routes for livestock and the seasonal wetlands are taken over for grazing and crops. In a world that is increasingly destabilized by the effects of climate change this land conversion expands w ith longer dry seasons & extended droughts. Without food, protection, and the ability to reproduce, the Crowned Crane is further threatened and it’s disappearance from Rwanda is just one sign - one alarm - of the ramifications of such extreme land-use change. The fertility in our soil and quality of our water are only as strong as the environs that nourishes them. As resources are depleted, the ecosystem that has the ability to replenish them is no longer there. This is the challenge of agriculture. This is not just the story of losing a bird...or a tree...or a termite, this is the reality we face of losing the productivity necessary to feed ourselves. Rwanda is a unique country, small in size but vast in diversity. Within approximately 10,000 square miles, the altitude ranges between 3,100 feet above sea level to a maximum of 14,787 feet on the Karisimbi summit. When I first arrived in Kigali I was astounded by the topography and the ability
Left: Precedents of diminishing species that provide significant ecosystem services. a.) Papyrus Gonolek (Laniarius mufumbiri) - An essential habitat for several species, it provides significant sediment retention, flood mitigation, and carbon sequestration. b.) Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) - An indicator species for ecosystem health, the bird’s disappearance highlights the impacts of widespread agriculture: deforestation, removal of wetlands, clearing of grasslands, and topsoil erosion. c.) Aloe (Aloe secundiflora) - Their nectar is used by a wide variety of pollinators and provide water storage for grazers in times of drought. d.) Termites - Breakdown and recycle organic material, dramatically reducing soil compaction and thus increasing soil health. (Photos by Gael R. Vande weghe) 2: BIODIVERSITY & PRODUCTIVITY
RWANDA: LAND USE
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Forest Preserve
Faculty Housing Spine
First Year Farms Buffer
Wetland
Transect through campus Lake
housing reveals landscape matrix and stormwater corridor that promotes ecosystem health.
of the city’s remarkable infrastructure to navigate such drastic conditions. Located in the center of the country, the city is home to just over a million people and continues to grow. Despite the expansion of the capital city, Rwanda is a particularly rural country with less than 1/5th of its people living in urban areas; with a population density of 1,242 people per square mile it is the densest country in Sub-Saharan Africa and ranks 14th in the world. This wide-spread population set within distinct physical constraints has resulted in a dire transformation of the landscape. As a result, land conversion outside of the national parks has been extremely efficient with 99 percent of all unprotected vegetation being replaced by exotic plantations, agricultural fields, or urban development. Desprite 80% of the overall land being employed for food production, 21% of the population remains food insecure. There are no more forests to clear or grasslands to convert, but the need for food persists.
for Rwanda. RICA is founded on the idea that human, animal, and ecological systems are inextricably intertwined and our future relies on agricultural methods that support and revive their balance. The curriculum and campus design at RICA are informed and organized according to “One Health” principles, as described by the CDC:
Without radical transformations to the country’s agricultural production a looming crisis appears unavoidable. Such is the immense challenge put forth to the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA), their mission is to train the next generation of leaders in conservation agriculture with a goal to attain healthy and sustainable food independence
The approach is outcome based and with regards to food production it has been proven to boost yields, reduce pest infestations, enhance disease resilience, stabilize habitat, and improve the health of humans and animals. Our mission as a design team was to make the first ever “One Health” campus by weaving agricultural production and education into the ecosystem, the
2: BIODIVERSITY & PRODUCTIVITY
“One Health recognizes that the health of people is connected to the health of animals and the environment. It is a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach—working at the local, regional, national, and global levels—with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment. A One Health approach is important because 6 out of every 10 infectious diseases in humans are spread from animals.”
On-site nursery provides propogated vegetation. (Photo by MASS)
spatial design would place great importance on biosecurity vectors, promote biodiversity, protect and improve soils, conserve intact ecological zones, create platforms for community engagement, encourage recreation and healthy student lifestyle, showcase applied research, and prioritize space for extension services. Furthermore, the design would incorporate contextual form geometry established through research of historic development patterns, cultural use of space, and geological analysis. Crucial to the success of the campus plan was a multidisciplinary research and analysis effort, our team sought to understand the context via three primary scale perspectives: national, local, and site. The team of designers interviewed various ‘One Health’ veterinarians, doctors, agricultural academics, and biologists. We documented existing models of agricultural education, evaluated the country’s diversity of landscape types, identified opportunities and gaps in pedagogical approaches, and researched the link between biodiversity and productivity. Specifically this included critical case studies of six international agricultural campuses and over a dozen Rwandan agricultural university training or harvesting centers. Amongst the many take-aways from the effort was the opportunity for extensive impact within the
region; similar ecological and climate zones extend through East Africa and therefore practices developed at RICA could be scalable to contribute far beyond Southeast Rwanda. The 1,400 Hectare site turned out to be an ideal conservation agriculture site for a myriad of reasons. It was brought to light that the property had previously been owned by the Rwandan royalty and was utilized as hunting grounds for an unknown number of years, as a result there was an astounding concentration of biodiversity that was relatively unheard of due to the country’s aforementioned extensive land conversion. Furthermore the site rests on a peninsula edged on the north by Lake Kilimbi and south by Lake Gaharwa. Both lakes are part of the Rweru-Mugesera Wetland Complex, the second largest wetland in the country and a major contributor to the region’s ecosystem health. A survey of the flora and fauna confirmed the remarkable condition and setting of the site, discovering certain species that could only be found elsewhere in the country’s Akagera National Park. In addition to the ecological assessment, the team of engineers, environmentalists, and designers conducted analysis of the site’s geology, landform, patch dynamics, topography, micro-climates, soil health, water quality, and opportunity for solar fields. The data would inspire 17
Timeline of phased habitat implementation
sustaining over time.
T E N S I
Introduce native trees and shrubs to research forest
Acacia hockii
Capparis tomentosa
Establish Pioneer Trees/Shrubs for Reforestation and Agroforestry
Golia
Establishing Fruit Trees and Long Term Crops Acacia polyacantha
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E N A
(Graphic by Daniel Coray)
Introduce Apex Tree Species
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the system becomes self-
Pappea capensis
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is maintenance and how
Cyperus papyrus
Re-establish native marshland species
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crucial component to strategy
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displays synergies between productivity and biodiversity;
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Establish Agricultural Plots
Continued Maintenance of Ag
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BIODIVERSITY INCREASE 0
2 Year Student Academic Cycle
Eastern scarlet
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Maintenance intensity of traditional landscapes Native species re-introduction maintenance Agroforestry maintenance Agricultural crop maintenance Marsh re-establishment and conservation maintenance
a multitude of design decisions beyond locating the campus, for example the site’s geology, soil composition, and lumber resources motivated the architects to incorporate stone foundations, compressed stabilized earth blocks, rammed earth walls, and timber roof construction. The accumulated knowledge of the region and property translated to an initial campus siting and programming framework that would be utilized for discussions with the community and government. In order to understand local farming practices and cultural values, the team participated in six engagement meetings and several umugandas - work days - as a means of opening dialogue with the community. This proved to be quite helpful in addressing confusion regarding the property’s development and curbing increasing deforestation of the site through firewood collection. Amongst other aspects, this exchange created a baseline interpretation of the community’s cultural values, needs, current use of the site, utilization of existing site assets, trending development patterns, pedestrian circulation, transportation types/corridors, local water use, and adjacent construction resources. Where applicable the team mapped out these discoveries, these observations included things such as water collection routes, outlying quarry locations, and identification of village craftspeople.
Next Page: Enterprise transect highlights overlays of infrastructure and ecology, while buildings are arranged to showcase movment of “raw” materials into their value-added, “processed,” form. 2: BIODIVERSITY & PRODUCTIVITY
With research in hand, the design team collaborated with the new university’s incumbent teaching staff to develop the curriculum and outline the extensive programming needs. A significant driving factor for spatial and infrastructure requirements was RICA’s decision to be energy and food independent. To address power needs it was determined that a solar array would be the best option, beyond the standard electrical draw of a campus the array would need to support a vast water network of lake pumps, filtering stations, and irrigation systems. Wastewater streams would also become a guiding design factor, a variety of treatment systems were analyzed for their replicability and appropriateness for the property. Ultimately the team elected to utilize a treatment plant for human waste, wherein the effluent by-product could be re-used for irrigation of foraging crops. The animal waste was viewed as a major resource for fertilization and thus collection methods and circulation routes would be provided to ensure appropriate management, composting, and re-use.
Osyris lanceolata
Slender Green Snake
Eastern Dotted Border
Elliot’s woodpecker
Elliot’s woodpecker
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(
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Establishing Fru and Long Term C
Acacia polyacantha White-winged Swamp Warbler Apple-green Swallowtail
Establish Agricultural Plots Maintenance intensity stabilizes
BIODIVERSITYwithINCREASE development of self-sustainable systems 15+ 0
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White-backed Duck
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griculture/Alleycropping
Acacia
White-collared
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Osyris lanceolata
ntinued Maintenance of Agriculture/Alleycropping
rlet
Introduce native trees and shrubs to research forest
N T E N A
White-collared Olive-back
ath beetle
Observation/Stewardship
Establ Eastern Dotted Border
Charaxes hansali
Pappea capensis
Olive-back Establish Pioneer Trees/Shrubs Duiker for Reforestation and Agroforestry
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Goliath beetle
Re-establish native marshland species
Charaxes hansali
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General system maintenance level Slender Green Snake reduces as biodiversity brings stability
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Diversifi Diversification/Irrigation
General system maintenance level reduces as biodiversity brings stability
2 Year Student Academic Cycle
15+
Maintenance intensity of traditional landscapes Native species re-introduction maintenance Agroforestry maintenance Agricultural crop maintenance Marsh re-establishment and conservation maintenance
Circulation routes and division of enterprise are defined by biosecurity vectors. (Graphic by MASS and PEBL)
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Cattle Barn
Goat Barn
Milk Parlor
Value Add
Test Kitchen
Refrigeration & Processing Academics
Postharvest Academics Screenhouse
RAW: MILK
Seed Extraction
Soil Health
PROCESSED: VALUE ADDED
Academics
Agricultural Research - Faculty Research Plots - Student Research Plots - Crop Resiliency Study - Climate Adaptive Species
RAW: CROPS
Propagation & Seed Bank - Seed Bank for Rare Species - Returning Species - On-site propagation of natives - On-site Nursery/Screenhouses
Mugusera Wetlands - Drought storage - Flood control - Source of the Nile - At risk of invasives - At risk of sedimentation
Enterprise: Vegetable & Fruit Crops
Buffer Wetland
Lake
2: BIODIVERSITY & PRODUCTIVITY
- Reuse of L - No Till Agr - Maintain T - Wind Rows - Reuse of G
Energy & Water Infrastructure
Environmental Siting
- Water treatment plant - Lowered carbon footprint - Visible methods - Integrates native vegetation & habitat - Open system reduces maintenance
- Minimize solar gain - Maximize ventilation - Nature daylighting - Preserve trees for cooling
Livestock Manure riculture Termite Mounds s To Reduce Erosion Green Fertilizer
Pasture
Enterprise: Dairy Spine
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roducing enough food, water, and energy for the staff and students would prove to be easy when compared to the challenge of providing for the animals. The campus livestock would include beef and dairy cattle, goats, sheep, poultry, and swine. Due to RICA’s research goals a variety of different feed options would be required for the livestock and this would need to complement the diversity of field and irrigation types inherent to the crop management. Furthermore the team established spatial parameters for the various enterprises, including biosecurity vectors for barns, circulation/feed routes, waste management, and pastures. Inspired by this complexity, the design team saw an opportunity to celebrate the site’s “production;” in addition to food and feed, this would include production of energy, soil/fertilization, habitat, and water. An organizing principle for the masterplan would be the arrangement of “raw” resources along a transparent narrative path toward “processed,” value-added assets.
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A framework for the three year curriculum would be developed: First year students live together on a two hectare plot with the goal of focusing on a smallholder farmer’s experience; they would learn to diversify and intensify agriculture based on the production needs of Rwanda in 2050. In year two students experience each of six ‘enterprises’, learning “value add” agriculture from raw harvest to final process and sale. In their final year students develop specialized expertise in two selected enterprises and work with communities on a practicum project. Similar to One Health, the field of conservation agriculture emphasizes the relationship between ecological and animal health, thus utilizing crop and livestock production practices which maintain or improve the soil and water resources upon which crop and livestock production systems rely. The campus layout would need to reinforce these relationships and support RICA’s unique curriculum. The notion of ‘highest and best use’ led our design team’s translation of research and analysis into design. Based upon a combination of factors including slope, soil types, existing vegetation, on-site development, and existing circulation we located the campus structures on the ideal 40 hectares from the available 1400. Two significant patches of Savanna Woodland were found to provide uniquely valuable ecological habitat and were thus designated for conservation. A wetland buffer
2: BIODIVERSITY & PRODUCTIVITY
was established to ensure appropriate wetland health and a series of ecological corridors were designed to connect the conservation land to the wetlands, increasing patch dynamics and allowing movement corridors for animals, insects, and water. The design includes landscape, housing, academic space, barn storage, and processing space for the institute. The majority of structures are sited on a northern slope that would allow adjacency to the best soils for farming, the location takes advantage of gentle slopes for movement, expansive lake views for housing, and shelter from prevailing winds. Everything is organized from west to east on a continuum of public to private and mechanized to smallholder farming methods. The academic buildings and production facilities for the six enterprises, are organized such that the movement of raw to processed material occurs along a narrative route, providing an additional educational lens for students and public visitors. Embedding the enterprise structures within their subject, both plant and animal based, allowed the site layout to further highlight the necessity and importance of biosecurity. Other overlays from the research phase were incorporated, this included extensive incorporation of agroforestry techniques and the designation of biodiversity areas near the agricultural fields to augment yields and maximize the benefits of their coexistence. Lastly, the campus is connected by a central spine that supports communal movement and social cohesion.
The connective tissue on either side of the circulation corridor is designed to further showcase agricultural techniques and support campus life, the program of these “strips” includes: arboreta collections, test fields, recreational amenities, irrigation demonstrations, botanical collections, habitat specific plantings, and stormwater filtration methods. The over 20,000 square meters of buildings and 140 hectares of landscape are set to open in two phases, with full completion by the Summer of 2020. The breadth of construction work underway continues to be informed by the collaborative problem solving nature of its core principle, One Health. Employment of local workers has been emphasized and currently the site has over 700 workers, 90% of which are from the Bugesera district. The project has developed a locally driven supply chain of harvested, crafted, and proximity sourced building materials with 90% of the budget spent within 500 miles of the site and 96% of materials sourced within Rwanda. By looking at the entire supply chain of the building process: material extraction, manufacturing, transportation, and installation, the project’s embodied carbon forecasts to be 44% less than the global average for institutional works. Nevertheless projecting into the future, the landscape design, reforestation, and infrastructure features are helping to sequester carbon. Based on initial calculations, the RICA campus will be climate
positive by 2074, actually removing more carbon from that point forward than was produced in the campus’ creation and ongoing operations. RICA will empower the next generation of leaders in food production. Students will gain a world-class education emphasizing conservation agriculture principles and acquire practical skills in communication, leadership, and entrepreneurship. The campus experience embraces the essential paradigm of One Health, harnessing symbiotic ecological and agricultural relationships to sustainably achieve greateryields, increased biodiversity, utilized waste streams, healthier soils, and cleaner water. Agriculture has historically been one of the least desirable concentrations for students ranking their desired university tracks. RICA is transforming that perspective. For the first year of students - Class of 2021 - 84 slots were available, RICA received over 7,000 applicants. - RICA is a project by MASS Design Group, designed in collaboration with Arup Engineers, UNL, and PEBL Design. Jonathan Blaseg is a former Design Director with MASS who oversaw landscape architecture for RICA. MASS is a non-profit multi-disciplinary firm with varied work in over a dozen countries. Learn more about RICA at the Smithsonian National Design Museum where PEBL oversaw the curation of an exhibition of the project for the museum’s Triennial: Nature. Aerial view of campus by PEBL Design.
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3. SUSTENANCE
“The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all. It is the healer and restorer and resurrector, by which disease passes into health, age into youth, death into life. Without proper care for it we can have no community, because without proper care for it we can have no life.� - Wendell Berry (The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture, 1977)
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here is someth i ng wonderfully democratic about food, everyone mu st eat! Gat her i ng around the table for a meal reminds us that we also deserve to eat, it is a fundamental human right, and moreover that we have an obligation to ensure that others can too. Understanding the food chain negates the notion that we are autonomous individuals and highlights our interdependence. Not only are we reliant on an extensive worldwide network of farmers, shelf-stackers, growers, chefs, bakers, abattoirs, food scientists, vets, and bus drivers to feed us several times a day, we are even more dependent on healthy soils, bees, rainfall, worms, sunshine, and the rest of the biosphere to keep our food systems humming. This complex reality is so often misunderstood or - even worse - ignored for shortsighted rationale of convenience or profit. Last summer PEBL Design worked closely with Valley Natural Foods (VNF) Co-Op to design and construct an outdoor gathering space for events and casual dining with informational signage that promotes awareness of our world’s interconnected food systems. The Co-op’s mission is to work in partnership with the South Metro community to support health and well-being through education and
expertise in local, sustainable food and wellness services. Two primary avenues for education were selected, pollination and soil health, both highlighting the importance of Minnesota’s native prairies. Pollinators are almost as essential as soil, water, and sunlight to the reproduction of more than 76% of the planet’s flowering species. These plants, insects, and animals are pivotal to the production of the majority of nuts, berries, and fruits on which we and all wildlife depend. Over 155 food crops in the United States are dependent on pollinators and this ecosystem service is estimated to be worth $19 billion. In Minnesota there are thousands of species that contribute to this system, including over 400 species of native bees. Our pollinators face challenges on many fronts, they have experienced declines due to stressors such as habitat loss and fragmentation, depletion of floral resources, non-target impacts of pesticides, climate change, diseases, and parasites. A central design component to the VNF patio is a series of pollinator garden plots that featu re a variety of plants integral to completing the life cycle of these essential species. A series of infographics along the patio’s long bar outline the
Right (Top): Friends enjoy a drink at the patio’s builtLeft: a.) Patio with varied seating provides flexible space for co-op. b.) Kids explore terraced levels.
in bartop; behind them informational signage explains the importance of pollinator species and calls attention to the patio’s planting of pollinator plots.
c.) Signage explaining importance of prairie plants to soil health. d.) Patio in full use. 3: SUSTENANCE
Right (Bottom): Diagram of space after initial installation.
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Planting: Pollinators 1. Sky Blue Aster 2. Nodding Onion 3. Prairie Phlox 4. Butterfly Milkweed 5. Prairie Clover 6. Heart Leaved Alexanders
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Planting: Wetland Signage: Pollinator Species Signage: Root Depths Of Prairie Plants Signage: Soil Health & Ag History Planting: Seeded Prairie
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pollinator narrative and identify plants and rationale for the gardens. The six plots are organized to bloom throughout the season and present specific physical traits such as smell, shape, and color that attract and nourish our diversity of pollinators. The featured pairings include: Sky Blue Aster for Soldier Beetles, Nodding Onion for Hover Flies, Prairie Phlox for Monarchs, Butterfly Milkweed for Hummingbirds, Prairie Clover for Hummingbird Moths, and Heart Leaved Alexander for Bumblebees. Without these interdependent species our environment would look very different. In 2020 the Co-op will be installing honey producing hives on their rooftop and the pollinator plots will provide a visible connection to this feature, highlighting the organization’s commitment to action in addition to education. While the flowers of our prairies supply habitat and nourishment for our pollinators, the roots of their myriad species have provided the basis for Minnesota’s fertile agricultural fields. Soil binds all life on our 3: SUSTENANCE
planet, it fosters innumerable species that make up a dynamic and intricate ecosystem. This precious resource has been severely impacted by our society’s increased need for agricultural commodities, stimulating the conversion of grasslands and forests to pastures and irrigated fields. The transition of natural vegetation to agriculture often undermines soil integrity for a variety of reasons and many of these plants, such as soybean and wheat, can actually increase soil erosion beyond the soil’s ability to maintain itself. This narrative on soil health is explained on the VNF patio through a series of diagrams that outline shifts in agricultural practices over the last 300 years and their relative effect on topsoil depth (see opposite page). While our topsoil was once several feet deep, built up over time by the rich biodiversity of our native prairies, it disappears more and more every day. Replacing our topsoil is not a viable option, thus its maintenance is essential for the productivity of our lands and livelihood of our farmers.
Left: Signage explains to a visitor the root depths of various native prairie species and the
Schizachyrium scoparium
Sporobolus heterolepis
Echinacea purpurea
Poa pratensis
LITTLE BLUESTEM
PRAIRIE DROPSEED
PURPLE CONEFLOWER
KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS
importance of this relative to the soil health of Minnesota’s agricultural fields. Over time a seeded prairie planting will grow in to surround the area and highlight the live species.
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The importance of soil health
Our Land
1/2 OF THE WORLD’S TOPSOIL HAS BEEN LOST IN 150 YEARS
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Soil anchors all life on Earth, it is comprised of countless species that create a dynamic and complex ecosystem and is among the most precious resources to humans. Increased demand for agriculture commodities generates incentives to convert forests and grasslands to farm fields and pastures. The transition to agriculture from natural vegetation often cannot hold onto the soil and many of these plants, such as soybean, cotton, coffee, and wheat, can actually increase soil erosion beyond the soil’s ability to maintain itself. Our topsoil was once several feet deep, built up over time by the rich biodiversity of our native prairies. There is no replacing our topsoil, its maintenance is essential for the livelihood of our farmers and productivity of our lands. Soil quality is affected by many aspects of agriculture: compaction, loss of soil structure, nutrient degradation, and soil salinity are all very real concerns. The effects of soil erosion go beyond the loss of fertile land, it has led to increased pollution and sedimentation in streams and rivers, clogging these waterways and causing declines in fish and other species. Degraded lands are also less able to absorb and hold water, which can worsen flooding. While there are many challenges, sustainable land use can help to reduce these negative impacts and maintain the fragile resource of healthy soil.
Nomadic Hunting
Bison Herds
3-Sisters Planting
Agricultural Village
Riparian Ecology 7.5'
0' -2'
2K ft
1K ft
-6' -10'
1 acre
1 acre
il So le fi Pro
38 Deg. North
• People’s effect on the land was extremely minimal. • Three sisters planting was employed, this holistic method utilized complementary species (winter squash, maize, & climbing beans). • Herds of Bison contributed to the maintenance of prairie ecology, their population was balanced. • Waterways were undisturbed or altered. • Topsoil exceeded 2 feet in most areas.
15-50% DECLINE IN PRODUCTIVITY
0-15% DECLINE IN PRODUCTIVITY
-50%
-15%
0
+15%
+35% No data
Projected changes in agricultural productivity by 2080 due to climate change, incorporating the effects of carbon fertilization
Right (top row): Sample of the on-site
Our Land
Our Land
TODAY
1900
signage that explains the
Feedlots
species; the signs were affixed to lengths of recycled
Livestock
Roads
root depth fo native prairie
Railroad Pivot Irrigation
Larger Farms
Jeffersonian Grid
Flood Prone 7.5'
green metem that represent
bottom rows): explains the evolution of farming systems in the
0'
-2'
2K ft
1K ft
Series of signage that
7.5'
0'
the root depths “to scale”. Rigth (middle and
Homestead
Waterways Diverted
-6' -10'
1 acre
1 acre
-2'
2K ft
1K ft
-10'
1 acre
il So le fi Pro • Native ecological systems only exist via conservation. • Agriculture is largely mono-crops. • Due to loss in soil nutrients, bio-engineered crops receive increasingly amounts of fertilization. • Irrigation systems modify flow of waterways, while native vegetation loss increases occurrence of erosion. • Topsoil has depleted to 6 inches in many areas.
-6'
1 acre
il So le fi Pro • People begin large-scale manipulation of their landscapes. • Agriculture still includes a great deal of diversity, cultivated species replace native varieties. • The bison are eradicated, livestock & farm fields replace the native prairie. • The railroad & ownership create unnatural land divisions. • Topsoil depletion begins due to clearing & erosion.
Midwest and highlights their effects on soil health.
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3: SUSTENANCE
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e cannot sit back and take our food systems for granted, our purchasing and land management decisions have effects that reach far beyond our own dining tables. Stewarding our soil quality and the population of our pollinators should be at the forefront of our decision-making process. Agricultural fields have replaced our prairies and years of over-working the land has led to compaction, shifts in soil chemistry, nutrient overloading, and erosion. This degradation decreases our environment’s essential ecosystem services and its effects reach far beyond the loss of fertile and fertilized land, it contributes to increased pollution, sedimentation in streams and rivers, amplified natural disasters, clogged waterways, and declines in fish and other species. While there are many challenges, education and action to adopt sustainable land use practices can help to reduce these negative impacts and maintain the fragile resources of healthy soil and pollination. - Since 1977 Valley Natural Foods has been a mission driven Co-op and it is owned by it’s 12,000+ members. Text by Jonathan Blaseg.
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4. WORKING WITH WOOD
“Wood is universally beautiful to a man. It is the most humanly intimate of all materials.” -Frank Loyd Wright
Photo by Peter Kerze
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I
n the spring of 1983 my family’s Nebraska farm was struck by a tornado, I was four years old and most of my childhood memories are filled with pastures and forests littered with felled trees. My sisters and I would explore the tipped over root systems and pull the frail bark off to find miniscule worlds: roads and valleys carved out by the tree’s insect inhabitants. We were drawn to the knowledge revealed in our investigations, counting rings to approximate a tree’s age and learning to understand which species were valuable for re-use and which were best left to decay. When I was six, while playing in our front yard, a towering cottonwood was struck by lightning, severing a massive branch that narrowly missed our house. Within a week the debris was cleared and a nest of honeybees had formed within the tree’s cracked trunk. For years I watched the colony so full of life - they had found a home as a result of an otherwise wholly destructive moment. I have witnessed the planting of small trees to protect farm fields and the clearing of forests to accommodate farm fields. In so many ways trees have stood (and fell) in my life as a representation of the persistence, adaptability, and resilience of nature. As a maker of landscapes, it’s easy to be inspired by nature’s palette of materials, be it the seasonality of native plantings or the complexity of establishing habitat. Time and time again I am drawn to the challenge of utilizing
wood for its warmth and ability to bring life into projects. The nuances of different species’ form and function provide a seemingly endless array of possibilities; wood is honest, it degrades, it warps, it fades, it expresses cracks, and it forces designers to think differently when planning for a project. In this section we want to highlight a small sampling of projects wherein wood was a driving force for design decisions. From 2014 to 2017 (wh i le employed at Coen + Partners) I was lucky to design and oversee the construction of five ecological art installations on a private 22-acre property adjacent to Lake Minnetonka. The project included a restoration of degraded wetlands, shoreline, and forests, along with the addition of a halfmile trail system. The art pieces work hand-in-hand with the path network, pulling visitors past what seems like a dead-end, providing thresholds, or marking the topographic shifts. Each “line” was constructed from different types of salvaged wood, a buckthorn bundle runs along a hillside deerpath while cedar branches overlay one another in a serpentine river. Over time the pieces will fall to ruin, decompose, and provide the echo of new life. Beyond the art pieces, the project utilized thermally modified ash in two boardwalks that navigate the restored wetlands. This material is particularly special because it employs ash trees which will inevitably disappear from the Minnesota landscape due to the
Left: a.) Construction of timber framed butterfly roof at RICA. b.) Thermally modified ash boardwalk meets concrete path. c.) Enlargement of the emerald ash borer. d.) Boardwalk at Lake Marion with custom hanging bench. (Photo by Peter Kerze) 4: WOOD
Top: Installation process of five ecological art lines at Lake Marion.
Bottom: Salvaged black locust timbers provide detail and complement timber frame narrative.
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Recycled Pavers
Acid Etched Concrete
Granite Cobbles
blight of the Emerald Ash Borer. Instead of allowing the trees to rot away, the wood is harvested and modified by a controlled pyrolysis process wherein it is heated in the absence of oxygen, thus preventing the wood from burning at temperatures that exceed 300F degrees. This heating process renders changes to the wood’s chemical structure and the result is a significant increase in the wood’s durability, providing a local material as an alternative to rainforest hardwoods such as ipe. The versatility of wood should never be underappreciated and as carbon conscious clients are challenging designers to innovate, sometimes it is best to look back-in-time for solutions. Intriguingly PEBL has worked on two vastly different projects in the last year who’s architects employed the time-tested technique of timber framing for its engineering qualities, aesthetics, and sustainability. In downtown Minneapolis we have been engaged by Dwyer Oglesbay Architects to work on the TMBR condominiums, a project that features an exposed mass timber frame structure and is poised to be the tallest structure of its kind in the United States. Significantly decreasing the amount of concrete essential for the tower, the construction methods 4: WOOD
Wood Pavers
Black Steel
considerably reduce the building’s carbon footprint. The PEBL designed streetscape and roof deck both focus on high-quality materials that are sustainable and local, utilizing reclaimed wood benches, recycled pavers, and native plantings. As a new addition to the North Loop neighborhood, TMBR hopes to highlight a model for sustainable construction and reinforce the collective character of the historic district. On the other side of the planet, PEBL was excited to work with MASS Design Group on the development of the Rwandan Institute for Conservation Agriculture. Structures on the huge campus employ timber framed roofs, with a portion of the material being harvested from the site itself. The choice of timber is part of a greater carbon offset plan for the entire project that will nullify the school’s carbon footprint within 50 years. This effort includes a massive reforestation initiative and implementation of a net-zero energy infrastructure. Whether it’s saving a tree, installing an art-piece, or building a high-rise, the utilization of wood has the ability to add depth and relevance to any project. Beyond its advantages as a renewable and scalable construction resource, its beauty attracts generations of engaged users. (text by Jonathan Blaseg)
Left: The TMBR project utilizes a simple palette that complements the mission and character of the exposed timber frame structure.
Right: a.) Sawtooth roof structure highlights timber framing and collects water for appropriate mitigation and reuse. b.) Timber frame provides a beautiful complement to compressed soil earth blocks c.) Worker installs butterfy roof members. (Images by MASS)
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Above: Five art lines lead visitors through the site, extending circulation routes and providing counterpoint to topograchical shifts. (Photos by Peter Kerze and J. Blaseg)
4: WOOD
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5. SMALL HOMES FOR NORTH
“The Hawthorne EcoVillage’s collaborative and visionary approach provides a model for sustainable and affordable redevelopment across Minneapolis and our entire state. The work taking place in the EcoVillage, and the vision that project partners have established for the future, demonstrates that sustainability and affordability is relevant for everyone, everywhere.” —Diane Hofstede, City of Minneapolis Councilmember
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Balance of Turf & Natives
Shared, Active Courtyards
Affordable
Save Space For Habitat
People + Cars
Prefab Construction
Maximize Shared Resources
Soft Edges & Safety
Utilize shared green space in order to increase the efficiency and flexibility of that space as well as provide larger contiguous patches of space for native vegetation zones that promote water infiltration and pollinator habitat.
With limited space, approach design of parking lot as a flexible event space. Provide safe access from vehicle to parking.
Shared ownership reduces per person maintenance costs while communal ammenities such as shared lawn, gardens, and veggie garden allow for high utilization.
Create semi-private transitions between homes and shared green space via porches. Create a line of sight between units and circulation zones.
Healthy Lifestyles
Spatial Enclosure
Promote recreation by providing larger spaces for play and activity. Support healthy diets and exercise via on-site community garden.
Create a human-scaled courtyard. Define the entry threshold with material changes and a narrowed entrance-way. Arrange the dwell ings to face the courtyard and define its edges.
Above: The masterplan framework highlight’s the community goals through transparent spatial and material design decisions.
+
Use factory constucted modules in order to reduce overall material and contracting costs. Lowers waste and carbon footprint
Smart Shopping
Use premium finishes and materials where they matter: windows, entry areas, etc. Minimize the number of differ ent window sizes.
$$ $
Density
Distribute the cost of development by increasing density without compromising design and open space considerations.
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hy is Marie Kondo so popular? Why do so many people dream of downsizing? Very likely we all feel the weight of our possessions and we assume that simply reducing square footage or discarding unnecessary items directly equates to a simpler, less-troubled life. Obviously this is much harder than it sounds, it requires much more than an attraction to minimalism or a big dumpster. It requires a myriad of compromises and - for most Americans - a drastic change to one’s lifestyle. Nonetheless as our populations grow and land remains static, we are continually challenged to question our utilization of space and downsize for reasons far beyond aesthetics. In the city of Minneapolis 70% of residential land is zoned for detached single family housing and this accounts for 53% of the city’s land area, people here love their independent home ownership. What if there was a way to get more single family homes within the same area? In 2012 I began working with the non-profit developer Project For Pride In Living on the masterplan for a four block redevelopment located in North Minneapolis. The Hawthorne Eco-Village is committed not only to rebuilding the community, but to incorporate a sustainable and affordable lifestyle for its residents. An Eco-Village is a type of community that intentionally integrates ecological, economic, social, and cultural aspects, to create a healthy, sustainable, and natural environment. Before the Eco-Village project began, the neighborhood was struggling - from rampant crime to high foreclosure rates - it was time for a change. Economic downturn and disinvestment in the area pushed the City and the community to work together to develop a plan that would foster development, rebuild, and revitalize one of the City’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. The ultimate plan would create a
5: SMALL HOMES FOR NORTH
Context-Sensitive
Diversity of Community Homes
Sustainable Construction
Scale & Height
Diverse Home Types
Energy
Blend new homes into the neighborhood by matching existing heights and providing 2-storey dwellings
Porous Street Facade Create concentrated pedestrian connections to sidewalk with view corridors that link to central activity spaces.
Materials + Proportions Use the architectural language of adjacent community homes. Materials selection and proportions were accounted for in order to appropriate blend into community.
Provide a variety of homes to encourage a diversity of residents, promoting pride, community, and Greenbelt ownership Homes
Rehab Single Single Family Family
Duplex Rental/ Condo
Grow in Community Diversity of homes allows people to stay in community as family’s evolve over time.
Multipurpose Spaces
Create spaces that serve multiple functions such as driveway, play ground, workspace and social gathering. Use vegetation to serve multiple purposes: plants for defining space, eating, etc.
framework that reinforced the neighborhoods diversity by providing a wide variety of housing options: rehabilitation of homes, in-fill single family, duplex, four-plex condos, apartments, and multi-family. Six years later PEBL was engaged to design a unique neighborhood within the Eco-Village, the Greenbelt Community. Working with Lunning-Wende Architects, the planning builds on the work of the masterplan by adding to the variety and quality of the existing housing stock. The need for affordable housing is dramatic in North Minneapolis and a study of neighborhood demographics and trends reinforced a development strategy that prioritizes home ownership and place-based community improvements. The design team worked to explore the relationship between minimum house size, density, market-desirability, and constructability with the underlying necessity for affordability. Based on Enterprise Green Communities Criteria, the team set measurable targets integrating these goals with the project-specific considerations. The design team investigated cost-effective, time-saving construction delivery methods
Use energy-saving strategies: 1) natural cross-ventilation 2) efficient appliances 3) orient trees, gardens, and windows to optimize solar gain.
Water 2018
2026
2040
Retain all stormwater run-off onsite with bio-swales. Re-use rainwater for all onsite irriga tion and to flush toilets. Install water-efficient fixtures.
Toilets
Irrigation
Infiltration
C: Materials
Buildings: establish a sustainable spec with low voc paints, certified wood, etc. Landscape:use native vegetation to minimize water use and shaded/lightcolored hardscapes. Edible vegetation for residents and neighbors.
SPEC GREEN
paints Low VOC es. esiv and adh d d Woo Cer tifie Star Energy es Applianc
to meet these criteria. The outcome was a master plan with eleven 650-850 square foot houses that will be constructed as factorybuilt modules to be assembled on site along with detail features such as porches and porch roofs. Eleven homes constructed on seven lots! The ambitious goals of the Eco-Village led PEBL to consider a wide range of scales. Analysis of the regional watershed revealed the site’s unique relationship to the Mississippi River and that adjacency inspired the design to strengthen the neighborhood’s relationship to water, embedding ecosystem services that align with the natural systems already present in the region. The final layout was chosen because it minimized hardscape and maximized contiguous shared green space. Beyond a shared community lawn, the remainder of the site will be planted with a mix of native species that will become established per their various light and water conditions. This resultant “mass” of meadow will not only develop into a low-maintenance lawn replacement, but also provides habitat for animals from the scale of pollinators to birds traveling through the Mississippi River Flyway. 43
shrinking households...
Over the past two decades, as affluent boomer families sought suburban housing, by far the greatest growth was in the largest-sized home (Census Bureau: 9 rooms or more).
But the number of families with kids is dropping as the number of one and two-person households soars. This will have major consequences for the Twin Cities suburbs in the next 20 years.
The master plan takes full advantage of site assets, combining hydrologic performance with open space design in order to reduce impervious surfaces and absorb runoff. PEBL utilized the site’s natural water flows; attention to the current topography and variable soil types led to a transparent design that remains cost effective and educational while maximizing function. Stormwater flows will be directed toward densely planted tree rows, where infiltration will be promoted before it has the chance to reach the conventional stormwater system. Additionally, the trees have been sited to complement the solar gain of a northern climate. Although it has a definitive site boundary, the Greenbelt Community creates an approachable and inviting landscape to the Eco-Village and provides a model for change in the greater North Minneapolis area. The combined identity and precedence of shared open space promotes pride in the Greenbelt Community and, thereby, stimulates maintenance, empowers ownership, and encourages participation in the success of the greater neighborhood. The planning encourages social interaction and a 5: SMALL HOMES FOR NORTH
unified identity by maximizing occupation and use of common spaces. In addition to siting structures, the design team provided guidelines for optimal architectural form in order to maximize passive solar benefits, potential for solar energy production, crime reduction, and water collection. The Greenbelt Community master plan adds to the gradient of structures within the Eco-Village in order to establish a natural transition from the residential to mixed-use scales. The smaller homes invite a unique buyer and make ownership easier. Porosity of landscape and architecture provides access to natural light and views into and through the site. The character of new structures and the landscape builds upon the existing physical form and history of the site, with all proposed vegetation to be native. The landscape is dynamic and functional, careful to avoid high-maintenance ornamentation and with precedence placed on use and occupation. Affordability and marketability were at the forefront of the PEBL’s work, nevertheless the importance of building pride and ownership in one’s community was always the driving factor.
married, no kids, under 55
marriedd with kids
-7,200
6,400
24,000
Minnesota growth, 2005-2015
-24,000
Minnesota growth, 1990-2009
living alone, under 55
number of rooms
9
or more
other
8
29,000
7
single parents
6
77,800
5
living alone, 55+
4
married, no kids, 55+
29,975
3
2
77,413
25,963
1
21,206
0
4,203
50,000
18,752
54,432
100,000
72,725
160,753
150,000
127,700
bigger homes for...
Left: Analysis of U.S. Census data shows that even though the size of families is decreasing, the square footage of family homes is increasing.
Right: Rendered views of the community show how the development utilizes small homes to promote shared amenities and fit into the existing neighborhood character.
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6. WHO/WHAT IS PEBL?
(to) make /mÄ k/ verb 1. Form (something) by putting parts together or combining substances; construct; create. 2. Cause (something) to exist or come about; bring about. 3. Compel (someone) to do something. 4. Constitute; amount to.
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Above: A review of 2019 in pictures, PEBL worked on a vast variety of design, design/build, and construction projects. We know our diverse backgrounds make us stronger as a company.
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e make things: we are builders, fabricators, creators, and designers. We believe in design solutions that are framed by those who will live in the spaces we construct. We are client-centric and thus embrace the unique needs and tastes of each of our clients. We seek to highlight the importance of narrative in the landscape and prioritize involvement, intention, connection, material honesty, place-making, and discourse. We believe design impacts all elements of our daily life, shaping our ethos as a society and the health of our environment. For over 35 years, Terry and Troy Sanders have been actively involved in landscape construction at all scales; from sensitive shoreline restorations to meticulous high-end residential projects. The construction team has seen and done it all. Our expertise in construction stems from a love of materiality and craftsmanship. Moreover the team believes in providing value to our clients by leveraging the design/build model and pride ourselves on delivering projects on-time, on-vision, and on-budget.
Next Page: PEBL’s mission statement. Image of nature-based playground at University of Minnesota Child Development Center, designed by PEBL. Photo by Chris Sticha 6: WHO/WHAT IS PEBL?
Our design team is led by Jonathan Blaseg and Leif Peterson, they have worked at every scale of Landscape Architecture for over 10 years and garnered praise for work ranging from master planned communities to urban parks. Their work has been recognized nationally by the AIA, LILA, and ASLA, with exhibitions at the Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Museum and Cube Gallery. Both stay active with design critiques at the University of Minnesota’s College of Design where Jonathan has been an adjunct faculty member since 2012. For them, design is not an ego-driven endeavor—it is a revealing and rewarding
process of investigation. Their goal is simple, make sense of a place via solutions that are derived from a site and its users; they pusue ideas, constructs, and materials that are in concert with the region, architecture, and client mission. As a multidisciplinary landscape architecture and construction practice we are interested in design at every scale, from the city to the object. We know that a successful project requires collaboration, to us this is a simple fact of our daily lives. We are trained in working together to solve problems and create better futures. Such partnerships are driven by our shared respect for the skills of each individual within the firm, as well as our admiration for our clients and consultants. Our team of designers and builders sit at the same table because we know that good ideas can come from anywhere and we work together to solve problems at the masterplan and detail scale, linking all aspects of a project’s context, programmatic needs, materiality, and financial parameters. We know the importance of process, doing things as well as we can rather than as fast as possible. We choose to make landscapes because it’s what we love to do; we choose to collaborate because we know it’s the right thing to do.
Services: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Residential & Commercial Shoreline/Bluff Stabilization Stormwater Management Excavation & Grading Lighting Design & Installation Irrigation Design & Installation Walls: Stone/Precast/Mortar Foundations & Helical Piers Fabrication Planting Design & Installation Native Restoration Hardscapes: stone, pavers, aggregate Wood Decks Concrete Water Feature Design & Installation Pool Design Site Design Master Planning Wayfinding Design & Fabrication 3-D Modeling Rendering/Visualization Animation & Video Editing Permitting Construction Documents Client Relations Management Cost Estimation 49
“We make landscapes for all. We design, envision, and construct in collaboration with our clients. We appreciate sites for what they were, what they are, and what they might become.�
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pebl design www.pebl.design Contact: jonathan@pebl.design Phone (763)-544-8002 3243 Winpark Drive Minneapolis, MN 55427