Manifold
SubSurface Vol. 2: 2009 ISSUE
Cal Poly Pomona Landscape Architecture Student Publication
Full cover view
Back cover view
Front cover view
Inspiration
As the year comes to a close, with many of us preparing to end our college career and enter a world of uncertainty, we look back, evaluating ourselves to see what we have accomplished in college. We seek to find what we leave behind for people to remember us by, and a reassurance that we somehow affected our school in a positive way. For the past few years, we have surrendered our personal lives to the Landscape Architecture major in order to enter its world full of hard work and sleepless nights. However, this did not go without a pay off which included skills and experiences that will be used throughout life. Now, as a tribute to the major, professors and classmates that have helped shape our future, we look for a way to leave a symbol that will last for a long time and affect people in a positive way. Something that would integrate diverse people with diverse ideas and bring them together in the home we call Landscape Architecture.
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VISION Manifold Magazine is the most functional way to convey our ideas and goals effectively. Manifold as the title characterizes our core idea that various students with multiple ideas are enabled to express Landscape Architecture through their eyes. It is a way of making sense of all the things we have witnessed and learned. It summarizes and communicates to others, allowing for people to enter our lives and understand what we do. Feeling what we feel and seeing what we see, getting our voice heard is beneficial not only for other design students, but also society as a whole. Many ask what Landscape Architecture is, and a student publication will show that we are a community of an assorted number of elements in society. Students are at the forefront of change and the magazine shows the learning process of how we take everything, observe and analyze, then implement it in a bigger or even stronger sense, which has implications of the future of Landscape Architecture. Evolution and adaptation is evidence of how Landscape Architecture shifts with the changing environment. With so many views and ideas, it would be impossible to do it any other way without constricting the students’ creativeness. This is giving the student freedom to express. It is a transparency of who we are and what we do. This magazine is the beginning of an innovative tradition.
EMERGENCE + ADAPTATION
We will not be an idea that is used today and not implemented tomorrow. It has become this staff’s goal to ensure that this magazine succeeds and becomes a future project for the students to remain. We will publish this magazine to initiate the movement of student expressing their perspectives of Landscape Architecture, following up by using and sharing this year’s magazine with various other academic institutions. We will get the word out as much as possible and stimulate enthusiasm for future staff. We will take the initiative to begin a student organization within school with a proper student body infrastructure, taking responsibility for the future publications. We have assured that the faculty will fully support this program and encourage its future success. The idea is that this initiation will grow as time progresses. Today it is a publication that involves the Landscape Architecture Department of our college. Five years from now it will be a publication that features all design disciplines of Art, Architecture, Graphic Design, Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning within our college. Ten years from now it will be a magazine that will begin to show work from design students from all over the country. Where it grows from there is dependent on the student’s passion. There will be no Sponsors. There will be no donors. All manufactured by students from every angle. This magazine will constantly change and adapt to the way students think. It will never be static. It MANIFOLDS from the past and creates a path for the future. Students are and will always be the future. Let the voices be heard… Manifold.2009 // 3
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Luis Cruz Editor-in-Chief
David Vuong Graphic Layout and Photography
Bianca Martono Public Relation and Graphic Layout
Irene Lopez Content Editor
Sebastian T. Johnson Public Relation
Carmen Aceves Content Editor
The Team
Let Them Ride, Let Them Live
Communicating Through Propaganda:
Students Beliefs
Recollection
Landscape Urbanism Post Supercapitalism:
Manifold
Grasping at Landscape Architecture: Thoughts on My First Year
Inside the
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Vertical And Lateral Thinking In Landscape Architecture
Nietzsche on Contemporary Culture: “Green� Movement Conversing Among Women in Landscape Imminent Landscape
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Grasping at Landscape Architecture:
I
don’t know what landscape architecture is. I thought I knew, but I’ve quickly come to realize that it is beyond definition. This occasionally becomes a problem when someone asks me what a Landscape Architect actually does for a living. While the common misconception of a Landscape Architect is that we love gardens; Landscape Architecture is much more than gardens and gardening, its about thoughtful, purposeful and sustainable planning; all of which are important factors that are used when creating these wonderful gardens. We strive for functionality in our spaces. We want places that challenge our ideals and serve multiple purposes. Some of us just need to express our art on a scale so huge that only the vast outdoors will do. We all know that we come from the land, we eat from the land, and then we are ultimately consumed by the land before the cycle begins anew. I know that there is so much ahead of me. Will I really learn all of these computer programs with their 6 // Manifold.2009
By Lauren Walther
seemingly endless commands? Will I actually make plans as gorgeous and intricate as those presented by the seniors? It seems so daunting. As a writer, my thoughts never run in a linear fashion. Few writers begin a book (or even an article) knowing exactly what they’re going to say in the entire piece. They might not know where they want their story to end. Like any other journey, a map helps. Outlining or creating a list the main points I want to make would help me in determine what needs to be said in order to arrive at the final destination. At this point in my first year, I feel like I don’t even have an outline yet.
While holding a glass on my back porch one night last quarter, I tripped and fell - hard. My glass shattered, my hands burned from catching myself on the concrete, and my muscles ached with what would surely become bruises. I had the wind knocked out of me. This is not unlike the kick in the behind that entering the landscape architecture program can be for a student.
Picking myself up and analyzing the various pains I felt, I barely noticed a cool sensation between my right thumb and forefinger. The glass had made a jagged cut in my hand which was dripping blood. It was so cold outside that the blood had lost its heat before it even hit the ground. It made a small puddle, shiny and dark almost like crude oil, in a shape that sort of resembled Florida. Picking myself up with a groan, I held the wound tightly, thinking about how I needed that hand to hold pens for schoolwork. I knew the pain would make it a long night for me and that I would probably not fall asleep for several hours.
Some of our instructors have said that they prefer not to define what landscape architecture is, and that even first-year students should question what limits there are in landscape architecture, or what more it could be. The goal is to throw us headlong into intense work and concurrent projects. We are constantly making mistakes, but our professors tell us that we are making the correct mistakes. Sometimes I think I work too slowly, or that my ideas are the same ideas that others have had, or that I will never be any good at this. It is a very gloomy feeling to believe that I am incapable of creative thought. But the sun always comes out. Just as my wound healed, my thoughts of “I can’t” and “I’ll never” turned into thoughts of “I can” and “I will.” My blood was still on the cement for a couple of weeks. It had turned into a rust-colored spot that was barely visible anymore. I took a hose to the porch, and watched as the remnants of my injury rushed from the concrete into the grass. I had fed the land. We come from the land, we survive on the land, and at last we die and return to the land. It’s not an afterthought; it is everything. I am a part of the landscape in a cycle that never ends.
I began to understand that there are many things landscape architects are interested in. We “do” a lot of things. Some want to be architects and are just as fascinated with interior design as they are with exterior design. Some are interested in creating garden sanctuaries, or encouraging people to “kill your lawn” and plant food for the ultimate and best use of our precious soil. Some are motivated to improve our cities and pursue urban planning. But as I spend more and more time with the people in my classes - the same group of people I will study with for the next three years, the same group of people I may travel the country or even the world with - I find that they are a lot like me. Some of them may doubt themselves or their abilities, but then they learn, take baby steps and progress as I do. We accomplish things we weren’t sure we could. We care about the land because we love it and acknowledge its supreme importance in our lives. A lot of us want to save the world, and we are doing it the best way we know how. We are investing ourselves in landscape architecture so that we may improve the lives of others. We want everyone to see what we see when we ponder our surroundings.
As my wound healed, and as my mistakes yielded lessons, I began counting little victories. I was learning. I was getting better. I was beginning to understand the importance of asking “why not,” the importance of taking accepted assumptions about what can and cannot be done, and violating them. Landscape architecture is as philosophical as it is technical. “Suppose we do this... ah, yes, but suppose we do that” Everything must be questioned; leaps of faith have to be made. I am learning that constantly asking questions is not a bad thing. In fact, it could be the key to solving a creative crisis. Being creatively paralyzed by the fear of failure is not the way for any designer to grow. We
“This is not unlike the kick in the behind that entering the landscape architecture program can be for a student.”
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“Being creatively paralyzed by the fear of failure is not the way for any designer to grow. We must learn from our failures and keep trying, because improvement is inevitable.” must learn from our failures and keep trying, because improvement is inevitable. Landscape is dynamic and ever-changing. As we pass through the seasons in the many years of our lifetimes, so will our projects, our labors of love. Some of the things we design will live on long after we’ve vanished and can no longer affect the landscape. Some of the things we create will endure hardship and survive, as do we, and will eventually die, as we will. Architects invest themselves in the forever, but landscape architects know that what we touch is precious and fleeting. We are in love with the idea of creating something bigger than ourselves, a living piece of art that has the possibility to transcend our lifetimes and conjure emotions in people we will never meet.
This isn’t about choosing among existing styles. What good is re-creating a perfect English garden if it’s not the best use of the land? We must constantly ask ourselves what else there could be, what more we could do. We are not just gardeners. We are not concerned with only the pretty, or the prestigious, or anything so shallow and one-dimensional. We cannot afford to be so selfish. To go into this field with such a mindset would make our work predictable - perhaps the ultimate sin a creative person could commit. It is our duty to generate interest for the people who come in contact with our work. If we add more dimensions, create multiple uses, and make the biggest positive impact we can, then we will make something valuable. We have all had to relearn how to observe, and we cannot observe without questioning and violating assumptions of what good landscape architecture is. I have begun this process of re-learning, and just as importantly, I have begun to accept that it is necessary for me to fail sometimes. I would be doing myself - as well as those I may impact someday - a disservice if I did not fall and pick myself back up again.
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CAPTURE Many times it is easy to look at something from afar, but we must submit to look closer in order to capture its true meaning.
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DE VE RIDE LIVE 12 // Manifold.2009
RIDE LIVE
RIDE LIVE
RID LIV
By Abby Leigh Jones
The idea of using a bicycle has started to become more acceptable to people than it once was. As Landscape Architecture students, we take into consideration the bicycle because it is an efficient and environmental mode of transportation. However, we sometimes don’t realize the environment and life that bicyclist endure in a society that is dominated by vehicles. This article is an example of how important the bicycle is, but also the struggles that are faced by those who choose to make the bicycle their way of getting around. It is not only meant to inform, but also inspire young designers of the different ways to accommodate the bicyclist in a future where the use of it by society is imminent.
W
RIDE LIVE
hy do people hate bicyclists? Maybe not everyone, but as a bicyclist, I have witnessed firsthand several events that make me feel that way. At times people yell things at me trying to make me fall off my bike, then laugh if they think they have startled me. Drivers honk in an angry fashion, even yelling “get off the road” because they feel I interrupt the road’s infrastructure. This type of dislike can be absorbed from the younger public also. I ride by a middle school on my bike route to school, and one day two kids were walking on the sidewalk in the same direction. One kid looked over his shoulder, saw me coming, and shoved his friend walking beside him. The friend lost his balance and nearly fell into the lane. If he had fallen, I would have hit him at a speed of around 20 mph. A collision would have seriously injured both of us.
DE VE
“Drivers honk in an angry fashion, even yelling ‘get off the road’ because they feel I interrupt the road’s infrastructure.”
“..., bicycling is a more realistic and satisfying way to experience the environment than by driving because it engages more of the senses.“ Interestingly enough, all of these people in their cars and on the sidewalks are past me within a second or two—one thousand one, one thousand two. Yet, in that time they have come not only to privately revile me, but must show their violent emotions and harass me with them. I assume it is not just I who experience this harassment but other cyclists as well. If our presence only slows these people down a few seconds, why do they hate us so much?
I have learned from friends and internet articles that people hate us bicyclists because they think we do not follow laws. In my case I know and follow the laws and would like to ask other cyclists and motorists to learn and follow the laws as well in order to alleviate some of the tension of the road. According to the DMV, bicycles have the same laws as motorized vehicles except they should in most cases remain as far right on the road as practical. Some exceptions are that bicycles can use left turn lanes and on one way streets can ride on the left side of the left lane. Also, if there is a right turn lane and the bicyclist is not turning right, that bike should be in the next lane to the left that goes straight. In addition, bicycles should always travel in the same direction as traffic rather than against it. In many places riding bicycles is not allowed on sidewalks, and several studies have shown that more bicycle accidents happen at intersections when bicyclists use sidewalks or similar paths which are removed from the roadway. Manifold.2009 // 13
“I have learned from friends and internet articles that people hate us bicyclists because they think we do not follow laws�.
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Although a bicyclist should try to stay to the right, the law also says that if any obstructions or bad road conditions occur, a bicyclist can ride around them. As a cyclist in the southern California suburban region, I know that there are a lot of reasons a bicyclist cannot ride to the far right. One of these is parked cars. Anytime a cyclist is riding next to parked cars, she has the right to distance away from cars so that if someone opens a car door, a crash won’t occur. Another hazard is street debris such as broken glass, fallen limbs, and gravel. A motorist may not see or worry about this debris, but cyclists do and have every right to avoid it. Furthermore, the road itself can be a hazard. Often the drop from the asphalt to the cement shoulder at the curb can be enough to throw a cyclist who is inattentive. Road grates with long openings can also catch wheels and throw cyclists.
Another frequent complaint I’ve heard is cyclists passing cars on the right when the drivers are trying to turn right. According to the California Driver Handbook, any car turning right should merge into the bike lane
In my opinion, bicycling is a more realistic and satisfying way to experience the environment than by driving because it engages more of the senses. Inside a car a person can control the heat and cold so that he or she never has to acknowledge the temperature outside. Even with the windows down, a driver does not get a real feel of the wind and air resistance from the speed she is traveling. Additionally, on the quietness of a bike, one can hear the sounds of birdsong, people talking, and cars approaching which increases awareness of the surroundings. Inside a car a person does not smell the lawns, the rain, the restaurants, and the road as s/he would on a bicycle! Inside a car a person is also more protected from the hazards of the road. To give a little perspective, the average American car weighs 4000lbs and the average bicycle weighs 25lbs. For most intents and purposes when assessing the vulnerability of a bicyclist, she is merely a pedestrian who may or may not be wearing a helmet made of a thin layer of polystyrene. At a 40 mph
“Several years ago I saw signs at road construction sites that said ‘Let Them Work, Let Them Live.’”
or curb area before turning. The car should also not overtake bicyclists before turning and should use the turn signal. Following all of these laws should prevent any cyclist from “cutting off” a car making a right hand turn.
Despite the negative American stereotype associated with bicyclists, cycling has a plethora of positives. It provides healthy, low impact exercise for people of all ages. It is convenient for short distance trips, especially in heavy traffic. Cycling is more relaxing and meditative than driving a car. It can also be challenging and competitive if the cyclist wishes. Additionally, bicycling can easily be self sufficient with a little knowledge of maintenance. Furthermore, bicycles are relatively environmentally friendly since they do not consume gasoline and cleaning and lube products can be found that are not fossil fuel based. Finally, and most importantly from a landscape architecture student’s perspective, bicycling provides a different means for experiencing the landscape.
collision with a car, pedestrians have an 85% chance of death; at 30mph, a 45% chance of death; and at 20mph, and a 5% chance of death. For most of the roads I bike on, the speed limits are between 30 and 50mph, common speed limits on suburban roads in California. These facts are one of the reasons bicycle safety, road rules, and respect from drivers is very important to me. These facts are the reason I care about all of the small things—the people who yell, the people who honk, the people who cut me off, the people who nearly graze me as they pass—because they make the road more dangerous.
Several years ago I saw signs at road construction sites that said “Let Them Work, Let Them Live.” I never really understood those signs until I started cycling here in California where the car is king of the road and all others should make way or lose their heads. We bicyclists do not need the yelling and the angry displays to remind us we are second rate citizens in this country. We have the threat of death at our heels daily for even the slightest mistake. Let us ride, and let us live.
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In our society’s time of struggles, the power of information and awareness has become crucial to the public. As emerging designers, it is important to understand what our issues are and how we can inform those around us in order to initiate change. In our design lecture class, an assignment was given which enabled students to explore relevant issues and ways of communicating them through imagery. Propaganda usually has a bad connotation, but as an environmental strategy, it can have beneficial components. Students could choose any issue and method that they wanted in order to get their points across. The results were remarkable‌ 16 // Manifold.2009
Communicating Through
PROPAGANDA: Students Beliefs
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FREEWAYS TO FAIRWAYS?
By Jason Traina
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The push for public transportation and less personal commuting will one day leave our highways and freeways abandoned and with little to no program. This is an attempt to explore the future of golf and the definition of a course. Tees, fairways and greens reach to higher elevations and stretch through urban communities with chance for interaction.
“I walked to the tomato section and wondered why they looked perfect. I figured out that they were from another country. It was astonishing to see that my food travelled more than me. Produce gassed to look pretty and perfect, selling fresh whether or not it is juicy and ripe. Eat local and fresh!� By Irene Lopez
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Conservation is Crucial Water Conservation is a pressing issue that affects our everyday lives, the lives of our children and their children to come. For the first time in our state’s history, the water supply and delivery system may not be able to satisfy our growing needs and expectations. Simultaneously, critical environmental and energy resources are in dire need, though in a time of peril the idea of water conservation can be readily obtained.
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By Michael Melanson
There are literally hundreds if not thousands of simple ways to reduce the risk of water depravation. This piece of propaganda is intended to target the conventional American family in a less intense manner like so many other propaganda pieces. By acting now and conserving water on a daily basis we can provide a better and more plentiful future for the many generations to come.
Landscape homogeneity caused by recent business practices that value efficiency over individuality and cultural context has destroyed the unique identity and character of many communities. This threatens the physiological and social well being of future civilizations. Hence, cookie-cutter urban design methods must be controlled. By Noriko Kikuchi Manifold.2009 // 21
BEACON OF HOPE By Reid Katkov
This propaganda piece makes light on our countries dependency on oil. It has become such an important part of American iconography that it has become just as much of a defining characteristic for the United States, as the statue of liberty.
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“There is a sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for man’s greed.”
- Gandhi
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Last Car Train There’s a certain excitement when one steps through the sliding doors People coming from one either side in varying costumes, garbs, accessories and rags, All are working together, exiting, entering, window or aisle, seated watching, standing reading Carpeted floors, maybe cushy sometimes sticky smelly seats. I don’t mind Sometimes it’s quiet; sometimes monkeys hang from the bars Other times the most ornate cattle, metal horses squeeze on by Lots can happen in the last car train, Keep your eyes wide open or you too maybe trained.
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Recollection Oakland Hills Walks in Forest never seen, Shaded green with sunlight, Kisses, memorable moments.
Big Sur
Summer “Bro-mance”
Mist on bare bottom, Rocks, cliff, pampas grass Sandy towel lay.
Travel
Amsterdam
Grey green sardine trees Bright green, reed grass, meadow Train hums in wind. Beers along water Umbrellas rustle over head Friends by side
Italy
Dove soars on wind Vesspa vroom on by Contentment washes me Towers once rained Tourist rule the terrain San Gimignano sang
Sounds pound ear Water slaps stone, Dark, damp, moss grows strong
”
On Board
I sit and watch the landscape whizzzzz by, underground, diving dark tiles reflect light from above. Surging up-words, light squints eyes. I move above house and home, an occasional window at level with my eye On board I listen to music, write thoughts as they flow. The changing scenery affected by what plays in my ear Smiles and overheard conversations had by those close by People exit and enter with stops designated by need. I miss the train, I miss the rain. It’s a shame that there is no one to blame.
Lunch Break Oh empty yellow chair, you sit so bare, A shadow cast, you sit alone waiting for companion Do NOT worry yellow chair for you will not be forgotten You’re bright like the sun And soon shall be gotten.
A Moment in an Unfamiliar Place Fall 1998 At first it’s a sharp prick, The current has taken control over my body Somehow I have fallen asleep? I swish my tale To regain control, right, left Now noticing I am moving against the current
Thinking this will be my final moments I say good-bye to the tiny rocks To my invasive friend the crawdad
I see the roof of my home coming at me The legends of my “Mino-hood” coming true Area’s only seen by a dare devil
My eyes blinded by unfamiliar sensation I react with a strong jolt, I am light I am floating on air
The control is once again mine Home has enveloped me, A little tattered but everything is as it was.
By Sebastian Thomas Johnson Manifold.2009 // 25
WITNESS In order to design for a better tomorrow, it is important to witness and realize the failed infrastructures of today.
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L andscape Urbanism P ost S u percapitalism Vertical and Lateral Thinking in Landscape Architecture
C
hallenges of the future such as rising sea levels, climate changes (which are already apparent), depleting oil reserves, and volatile gasoline and commodity prices are scenarios which will compel Landscape Architects to rethink their profession as stewards of the land. Our global dependence on oil consumption and the anticipated decrease of post peak supply levels is set to force an inevitable change in human settlement. The frailty of our global geopolitical state is even further poised to aggravate the defunct synergy of petroleum-capitalism. These challenges posed by our resource hungry-global economy and, more adversely, anticipated natural resource constraints, will inadvertently
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By Tekena Tamuno-Koko
force a response against the invariance of contemporary landscape architectural practice. Fortunately, Landscape Architects are well positioned to address ecological issues. The emergence of theories such as Landscape Urbanism, attempt to reconcile the lack of an ecological based approach by new urbanists, and the often perceived omittances within the McHargian ecological planning model in dealing with the complex set of social issues surrounding our current settlement typologies. While landscape urbanism is inherently tied to honest virtues of environmentalism, it is however, severely afflicted by performative voids strongly associated with its period of
conception. Landscape urbanism emerged in the late 90’s and was conceived during a period when most economists would have given global capitalism a favorable prognosis. It seems apparent within the projects, or at least in the literature supporting landscape urbanism, that the founding theorists were not anticipating a global financial system failure, hence, the working variables of surface operations they propose often rely heavily on extreme amounts of capital injection1. The absence of modeling the theory on a worst case scenario basis, leads to its parental dependence on financial capitalism. Simply put, one has to be guaranteed deep loads of cash to get the well capitalized projects built.
While landscape urbanism argues that, “landscape instead of architecture is more capable of organizing the city and enhancing the urban experience”, it does not argue that this organization can be actualized independent of financial capital, or can in fact itself, produce significant loads of both financial and ecologic capital respectively2. Landscape urbanism can not merely offer social and ecological harmonious systems. “The fierce urgency of now” as President Obama often states, dictates a scenario in which Landscape Urbanism now has to integrate within its theory: economic self-sustainment by way of eco-capitalism. Giving our current economic state, the discourse pertaining to eco-capitalism will become extremely relevant as we, global citizens, attempt to survive this sickly era of capitalism and the anticipated post peak-oil. As environmental designers, attempts to forge an existence passed this era of failed capitalism; theories like Landscape urbanism will have to be retooled to perform on a worst case scenario basis, a scenario independent of large injections of capital. 1 A portion of highline restoration to cost $117. (crains New York Business.com 6/7/07) 2 Subsurface issue 001, Beyond Landscape Urbanism by Jen Rueda, pages 48- 49.
Landscape Urbanism would also have to overcome the dissociative barrier between environmentalism and capitalism. It also becomes absolutely necessary as environmental designers, to propose multiple variables innovative and highly optimized operative models for land use that encourages ecological regeneration while simultaneously creating financial capital. This can be done by positioning landscape architectural practice as the medium through which products from innovative research fields like bio and nanotechnology and advanced vertical farming can be actualized following ecologically sensitive principles that result in capital and job creation.
Landscape architecture/urbanism has the competitive advantage to move beyond not only organizing the physical attributes of the city, but organizing or at least influencing the economic complexities that are generated. Landscape architecture is inherently well positioned to be the one stop industry for green innovation and design and it is imperative that we exploit this advantage. If we are to attempt organizing the city, we need to have a stronger more assertive involvement in the financial model of the construction industry. To an extent, we need to become capable of funding parts of our projects, so we can acquire the benefits of dictating solutions that are not heavily reliant on public/ private financial support, or hedge fund backed developer funding. We can accomplish this by repositioning ourselves as ecologic venture capitalist, and hence we can begin to have a direct equity stake on the outcome of our projects. This sort of equity stake involvement suggests influences that provide landscape architects authority to propose the most sustainable and regenerative solutions independent of developer desires, which are controlled by poorly rationalized objectives that create unsustainable environments.
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Nietzsche on Contemporary Culture
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“Green” Movement
he modern “green” movement inspired mostly by global warming and in part by other environmental issues suffers from many of the same problems that Christianity suffers from. This model that Nietzsche is critical of permeates through western culture and even into what most would consider a “righteous” way. This way is the “green,” “sustainable,” or “environmental” movement.
Nietzsche argues that “A nation that still believes in itself also has its own God. In him it honors the conditions which enable it to remain uppermost, that is to say its virtues.” Environmentalism and those involved in the “green” movement are equal to a nation. They are a large group of people that believe in their own virtues of environmental goodness. Their God in most recent times is the prospect of global warming. Global warming is that which dictates to people what actions to take lest global warming become a reality. Global warming is not the only God but in modern times it is the most common one as the higher authority. This higher authority commands sacrifices from people whether it is to sacrifice what kind of car one drives or the kind of foods one eats. Another God form is the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The USGBC is a higher authority for the design of buildings to be “green” or environmentally friendly. It is the higher authority in which one must make sacrifices for that are not conducive to instinct and nature. The USGBC provides a rating system in which a building is considered more or less environmentally friendly than another. It focuses mostly on products and technologies that would make this possible. Low tech building methods for environmentally friendly buildings and appropriate technologies for site specific plans are not taken into consideration, a subjective view of a building is not considered. It is frowned upon to question both
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By Andrew Kanzler
the higher authority of the USGBC and global warming; one is seen as a bad person when it is done. As the term “green” is also a higher authority. The word “green” is a label used to define something that is environmentally friendly. Costs for “green” items are higher and become a sacrifice if people want to be righteous and use them. Unfortunately things that are labeled as “green” are not always what people are expecting. The masses of people are expecting “green” products to be less harmful for the environment when there is no proof that it is but instead there is proof that it often is not. This is the domestication of “green.” Nietzsche suggests that the domestication of man in Christianity is a downfall; the domestication of man through “green” is similar. When this domestication occurs, the herd mentality is developed and all tend to follow blindly, disregarding the subjectivity of the environment.
The concept of nature is not what the masses believe it to be. Nietzsche also suggests that nature is bastardized by God. “Once the concept of “nature” was taken to mean the opposite of the concept God, the word “natural” had to acquire the meaning of abominable....” Nature is again bastardized by environmentalism and “green.” It is another concept that permeates western thought. Nature in Nietzsche’s definition translates to nature in modern definitions. The control of nature has been the attempt of people to alter nature for many years. This altering of nature used to be along the lines of the introduction of invasive species into non-native habitats and the heavy altering of surroundings through (sub) urban sprawl. Through environmentalism and “green” it has become the control of nature for the good of nature itself. It does not take into consideration that we are within
the earth system of the environment. Our desire to control nature for the greater good is a desire to control nature into a state of stasis. Nature is in fact in a constant state of flux and our desire is to keep nature in a single state. “Nature” has become abominable in that it is forever changing. “Natural” has become defined as static when it is in fact dynamic and ever changing, it should be subjective to itself.
Nietzsche contrasts Buddhism to Christianity, “... it no longer speaks of the ‘struggle with sin’ but fully recognizing the true nature of reality it speaks of the ‘struggle with pain’.” This is similar to modern environmentalism. In environmentalism people are focused on the “sin” that is committed against the earth. This sin is also pressed with guilt as in Christianity. What happens after death for a sinner in Christianity is a condemnation to hell, with environmentalism it is instead the creation of hell on earth. Both provide guilt for what happens after death. Instead of the possibility of hell, it is the guilt of what might happen to one’s children.
“The hybrid vehicle is expensive and must be refilled constantly; yet it is a “sin” to drive anything other than a hybrid.”
“Through environmentalism and “green” it has become the control of nature for the good of nature itself. It does not take into consideration that we are within the earth system of the environment.”
If one “sins” against the environment, that person’s child must suffer the consequences of the parents’ sin. This also brings to mind Nietzsche’s ideas of pity, “Christianity is called the religion of pity. Pity...: its action is depressing... By means of pity the drain on strength which suffering itself already introduces into the world is multiplied a thousand fold.” Pity on our grandchildren thus brings suffering forth a thousand fold. If we are to be concerned with our consequences and its effect on our grandchildren we are thus causing more pain for ourselves. It is best to focus on the pain and attempt to fix suffering than it is to attempt to fix sin and focus on sin. By following the Gods of “green,” the higher authorities which we do not question, we are attempting to divert what comes naturally. In relation to the “green” movement and environmentalism the answer can be found not in the higher authority but rather in the attempt to divert pain or suffering. “... a causation hostile to nature becomes necessary; whereupon all the forms of unnaturalness follow. A God who demands, in the place of a God who helps, Manifold.2009 // 31
who advises, who is at bottom only a name for every happy inspiration of courage and of self reliance. . . .” Utilizing this model that Nietzsche suggests is superior would in fact create a more environmentally friendly model. Instead of appealing to authorities such as the terms “green” and in the authority of global warming and appeals to the self and the diversion of pain a new method of environmentalism is developed. By becoming self reliant and avoiding the pain of individual economics the inevitable route is environmentally friendly. Instead of utilizing new technologies and products that are developed for “green” buildings, low cost and low tech methods which avoid the use of resources to begin with are more environmentally friendly than the use of high tech and high resource intensive products for energy efficiency. The concept of energy efficiency still utilizes energy, instead of energy efficiency one could instead not use energy to begin with and not suffer economically. An example is gasoline and the use of hybrid vehicles. The hybrid vehicle is expensive and must be refilled constantly; yet it is a “sin” to drive anything other than a hybrid. The focus should not be on driving an inefficient vehicle, but on the suffering of driving a vehicle that uses gasoline (which must be refilled constantly); a solution must be found. If one removes the vehicle entirely there is no longer any suffering from the consistent need to purchase more and more. The economic suffering is thus removed and simultaneously global warming is reduced. This model would continue to work for other issues such as the use of plastics. Instead of using plastics and recycling, which is energy intensive in itself one could instead not use plastic in the first place, instead purchase reusable goods which would save money for the individual. We must instead focus our efforts on the reduction of individual economic suffering instead of the sin of harming the environment. The root of the problem of environmental sin comes from the suffering of economic hardship. The Capitalistic model of progress exemplifies the need to grow (to progress only in growth), but not in the progression of a “higher type.” It is the development of self reliance and the diversion of suffering that would ultimately be good for the environment. It is not the focus on sins against the environment but the individual suffering that simultaneously harms the environment. 32 // Manifold.2009
FREE FROM GUILT Should one feel guilty about harming the environment? Or attempt to mitigate the pain of economic sufferance? One is more liberating than the other, yet they lead to the same result.
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By Carolann Stoney
Conversing Among Women in Landscape
I have subscribed to Landscape Architecture Magazine since 1992. And I’ve purchased every book that gave me information about garden design and the kind of plant material appropriate for my Southern California gardens. Although there were many books available at my local book store, only a handful were useful. After many years of being a loving gardener my new garden had challenges that I seemed unqualified to remedy. A south facing hillside, an enclosed courtyard and a shady front beneath a 100 year old Quercus agrifolia with 90-feet spread. So I began taking classes at community college, one at a time, and got hooked. As my design library grew, I kept saying that someone should write a book about women in landscape architecture (there are lots of books about men). With my growing interest in creating a book about women landscape architects I attended the 2007 ASLA Convention in San Francisco, with the notion on inquiring about which women should be included, I found that someone else was writing this kind of book. Dejected with this idea I decided to create a film on women landscape architects rather than the book.
After returning from the convention, I began contacting Southern California Women in Landscape Architecture. The first on my list was Isabelle Greene. In the past, I had researched her work for an assignment and my admiration for her projects were of great interest. For this reason she was number one on my list. I called her office for an interview and she agreed to let us visit. The day it was scheduled I went alone and recorded the interview on my home camcorder. After editing the film and adding a few beautiful photos of her work, the first portion of the film seemed to be complete. The film was edited down to an eight minute documentary and Isabelle herself LOVED it. Since this first portion had been extremely successful, I decided to interview other women. I made a list of every woman in contemporary California landscape architecture. It became apparent that the most influential were those who had been published. As I studied books, magazines and the web, the list grew to 21 women. As it turned out, the women with
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the most interesting work in California were not young designers. They have been practicing from 25-45 years and ranged in age from their early 50’s to over 70. They have created a body of work that is admired by professionals and laypeople. The list was narrowed down to ten (10) and an extensive file was created on each person. The first two interviews had gone smoothly, but getting other women to grant us an interview seemed more difficult when our third letter came back saying no.
“As my design library grew, I kept saying that someone should write a book about women in landscape architecture (there are lots of books about men).”
Because each woman owns her own design firm, each is very busy. So before approaching others I decided to wait until the ASLA Conference in October, 2008 in Pennsylvania. In the meantime, I asked for letters of introduction from anybody who knew any of these women.
At conferences, people who are very important in their own offices are with their peers. They are more relaxed and more approachable. This turned out to be a good decision. I had written letters to eight (8) more women asking to meet with them during the conference. Two did not reply and six (6) agreed to meet with us. As we met each one, each woman committed to be part of the documentary film. The first step was the easiest of the many tasks that were necessary for the documentary, which was setting appointments and interviewing these wonderful women, filming their gardens, parks, street scapes and institutional projects and put one foot in front of the other.
The list of completed interviews now included, in alphabetical order: Cheryl Barton, San Francisco; Andrea Cochran, San Francisco; Isabelle Greene, Santa Barbara; Mia Lehrer, Los Angeles; Lauren Melendez, Los Angeles; Pamela Palmer, Venice; Nancy Goslee Power, Santa Monica; Katie Spitz, Marina Del Rey. We also asked several men in the industry to make comments on the women and the profession in general. To this end Peter Walker, Berkley; Bob Perry, Claremont; and Ken Smith, NYC were also filmed.
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Sample questions were sent to each woman prior to each appointment. We filmed them in their offices and asked them questions like, “What is a landscape Architect?” “What is California Style?” Getting each woman to relax in front of the camera was sometimes a difficult task. As soon as they knew the camera was running, their speech would change and it often took several questions to get them speaking normally again. We went through much of our film this way because we would chat, or I would ask an extended question with examples, etc., trying to sound more like a conversation that a question.
“So how do these accomplished women use these natural elements in their designs?”
Along the way, the concept of the film began to change direction and now rather than doing features on each of the eight women interviewed, the focus was on California landscape style, how we got here and what does it look like when one of these talented women does it? The rounded shape of trees such as Quercus agrifolia are repeated in smaller plant material such as Ceanothus and Arctostaphylos. Most of the plant materials from California’s Mediterranean climate zones have small leaves with rough texture or larger fuzzy leafy textures to minimize evapotranspiration. The rounded shape evolved to shade the roots during long dry summers. It’s interesting to notice how those shapes mimic the shapes of our local foothill ranges. So how do these accomplished women use these natural elements in their designs? How do they combine color, plant material, light and shadow, stone, metal, sound, wood, glass, water, a sense of time and the subtleties of weathering on materials with competence and ecological sensitivity? Through the interview process and highlights of their work we would try to attempt to define the California Landscape style.
It appears that California is a color. Hopefully the documentary will explain this concept. Vast oak woodlands of California have characteristic mounded shapes. Once covered with an understory of native grasses, the oak woodlands were overgrazed with cattle then inhabited with urban sprawl. Patches of these golden hills can be seen in late summer dotted with the character shapes of the California oaks. Manifold.2009 // 37
SEEING SOUNDS Seeing sounds is an element of the landscape, representing the key idea of spatial interaction with people.
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T
he role of the Landscape Architect will shift in the coming years. The reliance on petroleum will begin to take its toll in the economic and environmental realm. It is an extremely exciting time to become a Landscape Architect. With all the doomsday theories involved in a post-carbon economy, there are opportunities and a necessity to alter the course of history and break away from the existing settlement typologies that have led us to this state of dysfunction. Landscape Architects will be in a unique position to lead the collaborative process with architects, ecologists, geologists, and other planners because of
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the broad nature that encompasses the profession and ability to collaborate or be the intermediary between all the disciplines.
In a sense, a Landscape Architect is a jack of all trades. They are involved in all facets of design from shifting the form and function of the structures on site, to shaping and polishing the land for optimum usage. The role of the Landscape Architect is ever-changing and adapting as the profession continues to grow. The 21st century demands the production of ecological, sustainable, and environmentally cognizant design.
By Pavel Petrov
Considering the global economic crisis, landscape design must be multidimensional. It has to perform beyond the traditional understanding of land usage and aesthetic qualities. With the rising concerns of global warming, economic crisis, and post peak-oil, now more than ever is the importance of ecological and economical capital production as a design consideration imperative. Our former dysfunctional paradigm includes exurban tract housing, big box, loops, green patches, residual, and grid formations. The exciting part of the future is to cultivate a new means to an end and to create a new archetype that transcends
all notions of existing design: to look past all of the dull and banal works of the past and re-imagine a dynamic and sustainable future.
Landscape Architects will be the significant contributors of that movement. The list of issues in California alone are disturbing. If we don’t adapt and reevaluate the infrastructure that holds us up there may be some terrible things that occur. It may be too late but it will be a lesson that will need to be taught. It will center around food, water, and energy. Hopefully we will open our eyes to the larger issues that concern us.
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Photographed by Giovanna Orozco
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INTERPRET It is important to observe as much as possible, but the interpretation of that information is as crucial. As students, we must take from anywhere that fuels inspiration and can inspire creativeness. This is the matchless aspect of being a student designer. Each item a student decides to take is specific to that soul. This means that although we take from everything, each thing we take only speaks directly to our own soul. Everyone can see the same thing, but not everyone will think the same thing about it.
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DON’T WORRY! THEY’LL GROW BACK
STOP TREE TOPPING
? THE NAIL THAT STANDS UP GETS HAMMERED DOWN. WE ARE WATCHING US.