Atlas by Leah Goossen

grass: functional and aesthetic by: leah goossen

grass: functional and aesthetic By: Leah Goossen A compilation of my work from Advanced Graphic Design, Fall 2013 at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

First Edition 2013 ÂŠ Leah Goossen Typefaces: Helvetica Neue LT Std, airplane UNL Print Services Business Services Complex 1700 Y Street Lincoln NE 68588-0641

table of contents Foreword Preface Introduction Part 1: Placement for Purification and Capture Part 2: A Year in the Life of Grass Bibliography

Grass: Functional and Aesthetic

foreword Mapping For a Narrative Atlas During the Fall Semester 2013 at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, students of “Advanced Graphic Design and Design Studio 421/426” authored a collection of maps, charts and diagrams that centered around the concept of “Water and System.” Each designed artifact addressed aspects of individual design research and illustrates various methods of investigation. Projects engaged students in the invention of unique graphic systems that visualize information about water. The designs represent quantitative and qualitative narratives and illustrate individual perspectives and interests. These visual displays of water and system were compiled into an atlas—a book of maps, charts, illustrations or diagrams united by the subject of water and system. The atlas represents a coordinated body of methods, a scheme or plan of procedure that was used to organize data from design research. Various production methods were considered and students were encouraged to explore a wide variety of media and design strategies. These methods were evaluated on their effectiveness as generators of visual information with respect to their project goals and intended meanings. By Stacy Asher Assistant Professor of Art Advanced Graphic Design Fall 2013

Grass: Functional and Aesthetic

preface The idea for Grass: Functional and Aesthetic was born as I was showing my boyfriend around the Lewis Ball Fields rain gardens. I managed these gardens in the summer of 2013 for my Landscape Design Internship at the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum. He knew about my Graphic Design Assignment and my idea of mapping the water needs of plants. He mentioned I should use this site, which I knew so much about and map the water needs of the plants I had recently planted there. I went with the idea and this book shows all of the research and mapping that resulted. Thankyou to Josh Klooster, who gave me such an awesome idea for this book.

Grass: Functional and Aesthetic

introduction The purpose of this book is to help the reader better understand a very simple thing: how grasses impact a landscape, functionally and aesthetically. Functional impact is explored through the role of grass in rain gardens, and aesthetic impact is investigated through the seasonal interest of each species of grass found in the specific rain garden I researched.

1”=50’ Base of Tree 18"

Base of Tree 20"

Base of Tree 24"

Base of Tree 12"

BLDG. BLDG. BLDG.

ase of Tree 02"

BLDG.

Base of Tree 02" Base of Tree 02"

BLDG. BLDG. BLDG. BLDG.

Base of Tree 02"

Base of Tree 18"

Base of Tree 02"

Base of Tree 24"

Base of Tree 02"

Base of Tree 02" Base of Tree 02"

Base of Tree 02"

part one:

placement for purification and capture

Base of Tree 02"

Base of Tree 30"

The Lewis Ball Fields rain gardens were planned out to have plants that handle lots of water toward the bottom, and plants that need dryer conditions toards the top/edges. This is a study of the water needs of each plant. Base of Tree 18"

Base of Tree 02"

Base of Tree 24"

Base of Tree 18"

Base of Tree 02"

Base of Tree 02" Base of Tree 24"

Base of Tree 03" Base of Tree 02"

Base of Tree 03" Base of Tree 03" Base of Tree 03"

Base of Tree 03"

Base of Tree 03" Base of Tree 03"

Base of Tree 02"

Base of Tree 03"

Base of Tree 03" Base of Tree 02"

Base of Tree 03"

Base of Tree 02"

Base of Tree 03"

Base of Tree 02"

Base of Tree 02" Base of Tree 03"

Base of Tree 02"

Base of Tree 02" Base of Tree 15"

Base of Tree 02"

My idea for Project 1 (quantitative map) was to use a rain garden site I had maintained all summer. These rain gardens were planned out to have plants that handle lots of water toward the bottom, and plants that need dryer conditions toards the top/edges.

I did a lot of my research at Praire Moon Nursery’s website, where they have a plant cataloge with a classification system which I used to find plant heights, sun exposure, and water needs of each of the six plants in the rain garden.

One of the first class excercises was to we create zines, which are quick spreads showing our ideation in the project. I used this activity to think about how I was going to show the data I collected graphically. To collect the plant location data, I went to the actual rain garden site that my co-workers and I had recently planted and mapped out where we had planted each plant. After some progress, my project needed a title, so I summed up what I was trying to get across and decided on Placement for Purification, which would evolve further.

I wanted to depict each of the six different grasses so the viewer could tell that all grasses are not alike. I sketched them, and from there, developed icons.

I organized my process into what things I needed to accomplish; my “To Do List.” This list changed many times depending on feedback I got or new inspiration I found..

I developed a graphic system to represent the plants’ attributes: height, sun exposure, and water needs. In our initial critique, it was suggested to me to think more about how I could show water flow through my typography, organize my information, look at line weight hierarchy, and somehow show why the plants are placed where they are in the rain garden.

Grass: Functional and Aesthetic

Sketchbook Process

In our second critique, it was suggested to me to make sure all of the colors in my layout relate to eachother, change how some of the graphics are displayed because they were hard to read, re-format my brackets, and space out all my information and graphics to two sheets.

Part One | 7

Concrete Curb and Gutter

Geotextile Filter Fabric

Coarse Gravel

Typical Rain Garden Section As seen in this section, the grasses planted in the lower part of the rain garden must be able to withstand more water than those on the outside edges. Those grasses on the outside should be drought tolerant in case the rain garden never fills with water.

Grass: Functional and Aesthetic

Soil Ammendment 18’’ Min. to 24’’ Max 10% Native, 40% Organic Compost and 50% Sand Mixture

Part One | 9

maps Each circle is in the location of a plant in one of the rain gardens in the parking lot of Lewis Ball Fields in Lincoln, NE. The circles’ different colors represent different species of plants. There are six different species in the rain garden I chose to map: bottlebrush sedge, fox sedge, Indian grass, little bluestem, prairie dropseed, and sideoats grama. Those with different stroke weights represent different plant heights. The thicker the stroke weight, the taller the plant is. The plants ranged from two to six feet.

I did a few variations until I found one that I felt most clearly showed differences in species and focused most on water use as opposed to plant height.That map is shown in the next spread. The following is part of an article written by Christina Hoyt that explains what rain gardens are.

rain gardens On rainy days, rain water (or stormwater) flows over our roofs, lawns, and impermeable surfaces, picking up pollutants and carrying them into our stormwater system and ultimately un-treated, into streams and rivers. The volume of stormwater runoff can impair water bodies by changing their natural flow and increasing erosion. The pollution rainwater carries (e-coli, hard metals, oils, fertilizer, sediment etc.) also negatively impacts water bodies. Communities are looking at ways to reduce stormwater runoff and improve water quality by finding ways to slow it down, spread it out, and soak it in before it reaches water bodies. Practices of “Green Infrastructure” can help with this, such as Bioswales, raingardens, and bioretention gardens and green roofs.

A rain garden is a small garden that features deep–rooted plants and is specifically designed to temporarily hold rainwater (24–48 hours) that comes from roofs, lawns, driveways or other surfaces. The water in the rain garden leaves through soaking into the ground, being used by plants, or evaporating into the air. A rain garden is not a pond and is not supposed to stay wet all the time. Since a rain garden does not hold water for more than 48 hours mosquitos are not a problem. Rain gardens are aesthetically pleasing and the best-looking rain gardens are tied into your existing landscape. Usually native or near–native plants are used in rain gardens for their deep root systems that help absorb water and open up pore space in the soil, helping it have better drainage over time. These plants provide important habitat for many beneficial insects. -Christina Hoyt, Community Landscape Coordinator with the Nebraska Forest Service

| 10

Grass: Functional and Aesthetic

Part One | 11

Advanced Graphic Design, Fall 2013 Stacy Asher, Assistant Professor of Art Graphic Design 12 Placement for Purification and Cature | 22

Grass: Functional and Aesthetic Part One | 13

The circlesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; different colors represent different species of plants. Those with different stroke weights represent different plant height. I did a few variations until I found one that I felt most clearly showed differences in species and focused most on water use as opposed to plant height.

Each circleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s color is a different plant species. The larger the circle, the more water the plant requires for survival.

bottlebrush sedge fox sedge Indian grass little bluestem | 14

prairie dropseed sideoats grama

Grass: Functional and Aesthetic

Fill Line Once the level of water reaches this height, the water will begin to flow into the center drain.

Drain The drain in the center directs the water above the fill line to an underground drain in the stormwater sewer system.

Curb Cut The curb has been completely removed letting water from the parking lot drain easily into the depression of the rain garden.

Water Flow

Part One | 15

part two:

a year in the life of grass

There are six different species in the specific rain garden I researched at Lewis Ball Fields. Each one has its own aesthetic characteristics that vary throughout the year. Each species also requires different amounts of water, sunlight, and grows to a different height.

| 16

Grass: Functional and Aesthetic

Bottlebrush Sedge

Fox Sedge

Indian Grass

Little Bluestem

Prairie Dropseed

Sideoats Grama

Part Two | 17

Color swatches selected from each picture for “A Year in the Life of Grass.”

bottlebrush sedge Bottlebrush sedge (Carex hystericina) does well in moist soils, doesn’t need much sun, and gets about three feet tall. It has a long lasting hard seedhead, giving it great seasonal interest later in the fall when many other species have become bare. Its seeds are about an eighth of the size of a dime. This sedge grows in the Northern United States.

climate moisture wet—dry sun exposure 0–100% height: 2–6

| 18

Graphic Design

Color swatches selected from each picture for “A Year in the Life of Grass.”

fox sedge

climate moisture wet—dry sun exposure 0–100% height: 2–6

Placement for Purification and Cature | 19

Fox sedge (Carex vulpinoidea) does well in many kinds of soil, moist to a little drier. It also is not picky about how much sun it receives. This sedge grows to about three feet. Its seedheads resemble a fox’s tale, hence the common name. Similarly to Bottlebrush sedge, its seedheads persist into the fall. The individual seeds are about half as big as Bottlebrush sedge’s. Fox sedge grows in almost every state in the United States.

Color swatches selected from each picture for “A Year in the Life of Grass.”

indian grass Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans) prefers drier soils, can handle many different sun exposures, and grows the tallest of all the grasses in this rain garden: up to six feet tall. Its brown seeds persist into the fall, and are similar in size to Bottlebrush sedge’s seeds. Indian grass grows in the majority of the United States.

climate moisture wet—dry sun exposure 0–100% height: 2–6 feet

| 20

Graphic Design

Color swatches selected from each picture for “A Year in the Life of Grass.”

little bluestem

climate moisture wet—dry sun exposure 0–100% height: 2–6

Placement for Purification and Cature | 21

Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) prefers drier soils, and can handle many different sun exposures. It grows to about three feet tall. This grass’s seedheads break open into white fluffy heads in the fall, creating a beautiful contrast to many darker seed heads. Its seeds are about an eight of the: zize of a dime like Bottlebrush seeds are. Little Bluestem grows in most of the United States.

Color swatches selected from each picture for “A Year in the Life of Grass.”

prairie dropseed

Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) likes a drier soil, and handles a variety of sun exposures. It grows to about three feet tall. Its seedheads are delicately whispy and beautiful, lasting into the fall. The seeds are very small, less than a thirty-second of a dime. This grass grows in much of the Midwest and several of the Eastern United States.

climate moisture wet—dry sun exposure 0–100% height: 2–6 feet

| 22

Graphic Design

Color swatches selected from each picture for â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Year in the Life of Grass.â&#x20AC;?

sideoats grama

climate moisture wet-dry sun exposure 0-100% height: 2-6 feet

Placement for Purification and Cature | 23

Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) prefers drier soils, and can handle many sun exposures. It grows to about two feet tall. Its seedheads are very unique, blooming in the summer time with a bright read anther. Its seedheads persist into the fall as well. The seeds are about one-sixth : of the size of a dime. This grass grows in the majority of the United States.

spring Order from left to right: Fox Sedge Prairie Dropseed Little Bluestem Indian Grass Sideoats Grama Bottlebrush Sedge

| 24

Grass: Functional and Aesthetic

Order from left to right: Fox Sedge Prairie Dropseed Little Bluestem Indian Grass Sideoats Grama Bottlebrush Sedge Placement for Purification and Cature | 25

fall Order from left to right: Fox Sedge Prairie Dropseed Little Bluestem Indian Grass Sideoats Grama Bottlebrush Sedge

| 26

Grass: Functional and Aesthetic

Order from left to right: Fox Sedge Prairie Dropseed Little Bluestem Indian Grass Sideoats Grama Bottlebrush Sedge Placement for Purification and Cature | 27

seasonal interest Each season of the year, grasses provide a beautiful display of unique colors. This is a study on the seasonal interest of six different grasses located in a parking lot rain garden at Lewis Ball Fields in Lincoln, Nebraska. I wanted to take a closer look at something most people often find mundane: grasses. I researched the different seed heads and colors of each of the six species and produced a circular model of their seasonal interest.

| 28

er Novem ber

June

fox sedge prairie dropse ed little bluest em india n side bo oats grass ttle bru gram a sh sed ge

May

ge sed fox ed pse dro irie stem ra p blue little n grass india a s gram sideoat h sedge bottlebrus

ober Oct

ly Ju

August

Sep tem b

fox p r a sed irie ge dro litt pse le b e is d india luest d eo em at n gr sg as s ra m a

e fox sedg pseed prairie dro little bluestem indian grass sideoats gra ma bottleb rush se dge

ed se m op e dr est u ss ie l b air gra pr little ian ma ind s gra e at edg eo sid rush s leb bott

fo xs

e e fox sedg pseed prairie dro em little bluest indian grass sideoats gra ma bottleb rush se dge

pra fox sed irie ge dro litt pse le ed ind blue eo ian stem at s g gras s ra m a

sid

Ap ril

ed se m op e dr est ss ie lu air le b n gra r p litt ia ma ind s gra e at o edg e sid rush s leb tt o b

Grass: Functional and Aesthetic

br e ttl

dg se

March

eb c-F De

Placement for Purification and Cature | 29

fo xs

ttl

fox sedge prairie dr op seed lit tle bluest em india n gra sid e ss o ttle ats g ram bru a sh sed ge

dg e

ge sed fox ed pse dro m e irie luest pra b little n grass india a s gram sideoat h sedge bottlebrus

| 30

Grass: Functional and Aesthetic

bibliography Olson Associates—original AutoCad drawing of Lewis Ball Fields

Page 6

Plant Photos (Left to Right) 20

| 31