michele richmond | portfolio
Lava Garden Hawaiian Mountains
Canopy & Ciruclation Keyaki Plaza, PWP, Japan
Massachusettes Military Reserve Cape Cod, MA
Science Center Plaza, Harvard Unviersity
Michele Richmond 67 Marion Street, Apt #2 Somerville, MA 02143 srichmon@gsd.harvard.edu 610-724-7707
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Franlkin Park Boston, MA
Programmatic Detail Winding Stairs
Kolkata Reserach Project Kolkata, West Bengal, India
City Hall Plaza Boston, MA
Lava Garden Landscape Architecture Core Studio 1 GSD, Fall 2011, 9 day project Ink on Mylar Drawings Laser cut plexi model The goal of this project was to use vegetation to control and guide people’s movement through a space as well as to block and guide people’s views to the rest of the site. This lava garden is located on the Hawaiian volcano mountainside. The plants are used to block people’s views of the Mud Volcano located at the end of the path. The vegetation is also used to emphasize the constriction of the path as you move closer to the Mud Volcano. The porosity of the pavement dictates where people walk (the least porous), where the vegetation is to be planted (moderately porous), and where the boiling mud hole is (the most porous).
Laser Cut Plexi Model View of model down walkway
Section through center of site
Laser Cut Plexi Model
Shrub Layer Bocconia frutescens, Plume Poppy Ageratina adenophora, Sticky Snakeroot
Perennial Layer Deschampsia nubigena, Alpine Hairgrass Vaccinium reticulatum, ’Ohelo
Groundcover Layer Sedum divergens, Cascade Stonecrop Dubautia menziesii, Kupaoa
Grade & Sub-grade Granular Material, Crumbled Igneous Rock, Alkaline Suite Unit Pavement, Igneous Rock, Alkaline Suite Boiling Mud Hole, ‘Mud Volcano’
Composite
Original placement of Canopy on Circulation
Canopy & Circulation Landscape Architecture Core Studio 1 GSD, Fall 2011, 9 day project Plan: Keyaki Plaza, Japan, Peter Walker Partners Canopy: Orquideorama, Medellian Jardin Botanico, Plan B Architects Graphite on Bristol Three Canopy & Circulation Studies
The goal of this project was to merge two existing projects using canopy from one and circulation from another. The original plan is meant to overlay the canopy onto the site plan as a starting point for further manipulations. Exploration of new circulation and canopies was drawn and analyzed through plan and section. Further studies were done through sections to explore the interaction between the new canopy and the existing ground elements which would guide circulation. In the final plan, the canopy is used to emphasize the entrances to the site. It is possible to walk completely under shade while moving through the entire site. Seating is available in both the sun and the shade, throughout the entire site. The northeastern corner is left open to allow for fairs and festivals to take place.
Sections through site
Final Canopy & Circulation Plan
Massachsetts Military Reservation Landscape Architecture Core Studio 3, GSD, Fall 2012 Group project with Zhewen Dai & Alicia Gomez Jimenez The Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) is a 22,000 acre site located on Cape Cod, MA. The site has a complex history of military use and ownership, which has created a plethora of environmental issues prevalent on the site today ranging from groundwater contamination of a single source aquifer to destruction of a main ecological corridor. Our strategy is to implement a biomass system to generate sustainable energy for the operations on base as well as remediate the contaminated soil and groundwater. The program (to be implemented by Army Forestry) would implement the biomass in disturbed areas interacting with the ecological corridor on one side and with the remediation process on the other side. We conceptualized our strategy into three cycles: the ecological cycle, the remediation cycle, and the biomass cycle. The ecological cycle will protect the continuity of the floral and faunal corridors. The corridors will be reinforced through securing vegetation coverage and limiting human access. The remediation cycle builds upon existing wastewater infrastructure and plume monitoring system. By reusing the wastewater collected from the surrounding neighborhoods as fertilizer and plume water as irrigation, the biomass cleans the site while producing renewable energy. It also minimizes the environmental impact of the exiting wastewater system by reducing nitrogen discharge into the ocean. In the biomass cycle, the yields are used to support the remediation eort (requiring 900 acres of implementation) in addition to another 2,100 acres to be implemented to be used for energy of on-site military facilities. The last 2,000 acres will be used for surplus biomass production.
Exploded Axonometric, Massachusetts Military Reserve
Training on top of remediation modules
Training throughout biomass and ecological corridor
Ecological Corridor
Biomass transported for use in MMR buildings
Biomass Crop Production
Capping berms Preservation of critical habitats for use of wildlife
Section from Canal through MMR to surrounding towns
Continuation of military training in the forest
Groundwater pumps to bring contaminated water up to irrigate phytodegredation biomass plants
Groundwater pumps to bring contaminated water up to irrigate phytodegredation biomass plants
Transportation of fertilizer for biomass plantations Biomass
Military Training Air Force Base
Wastewater Treatment Plant, MMR
nitrogen extraction
Wastewater Collection
Criteria for placing biomass
Example biomass implementation areas
Physical implementation of biomass comes from a study on site topography. After the highest and lowest points are mapped, the crop fields are woven through to avoid steep slopes and to connect to the central road for ease of management. It’s worth noting that the crop fields do not take on a static physical form, but the implementation is a flexible process as described in the drawings below. The boundary of the forest and crop field fluctuates over time depending on the disturbances in the area. The military will continue to use the area for training including bivouacking, protection exercises, and fire training. The implementation of the biomass provides the opportunity for a greater variety of training exercises and situations because of the spatial qualities of the crops. For example, the miscanthus grass acts as a visual wall because of the thickness of the growth while the coppiced trees act as a screen creating dierent spatial situations for training and maneuvers. We chose plants based on their variations in height and thickness to ensure enough variability to enhance military training on the site. In addition the plants were selected for their high yield rate to ensure that the program is a financially sound investment which has the potential to provide energy beyond the Massachusetts Military Reserve.
Growth Pattern for Coppided Trees
Growth Pattern for Grasses along Contours
Grasses for biomass
Trees for coppicing for biomass
Trees for 10 year growth for biomass
Science Center Plaza Landscape Architecture Core Studio 1 GSD, Fall 2011, 3 week project The Cambridge Street underpass is sandwiched between the northern and southern campuses of Harvard Unviersity. The project is situated on the publically owned spaces directly on the overpass between the two campuses. The edges of the project define the public/ private division. The east west axes are defined by a regularized zigzag line emphasizing the tension between the public and private space and reflecting the gate that borders it on the south side. The landform is derived from the circulation of the site creating two main crossing points. In addition, public spaces are carved out of the landform to create areas of rest and areas of gathering. The landform is sloped to create surfaces on which people will sit in addition to benches located on the edge and woven in towards the center of the landform. The vegetation is used to create distinct areas within the site. The middle area acts as a small performance space with sloped seating and benches looking down on a performance area. Process of landform creation
Site plan, Cambridge Street Overpass
View of Overpass from Eastern Edge
Detail Plan, Eastern Edge
View of Cambridge Street Overpass from Western Edge, Winter
Overpass Landform Model, Handcut Bristol
Overpass Detail Model
A Series of Studies: Masterplans
MoMA Sculpture Garden Isometric Study, Ink on Mylar
Landscape Masterplan, 40-acre park Deborah Nevins & Associates, 2008-10, Photoshop & Hand Drawing
Flow: A Franklin Park Intervention Landscape Core Studio 2, GSD, Spring 2012, 7 week project Franklin Park lies at the end of Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace in Boston, MA. Originally intended as a ‘country park’, Franklin Park today is in need of repair and maintenance; While the golf course is well used by the community, the rest of the park is often sparse of people. Our goal was to create an intervention into Franklin Park. In the original plan, the water used in the duck pond was to be pumped from Jamaica Pond and then transported through a pipe down to the pond. I was interested in exposing this unrealized plan by creating a stream from the underground water reservoir down to the duck pond. The intervention explores four different types of flow on the site: water, circulation, canopy, and topography. By overlapping these flows, different spatial conditions are created on site allowing for a diverse set of experiences centering around water to take place.
Sequential Sections along River
Site Plan, Franklin Park Intervention
Flow diagrams
Before & After Intervention
Sections through Franklin Park Intervention
View from intervention pathway towards Franklin Park Golf Course
View from top of top of lawn down towards water flow
Franklin Park Site Model, Bristol
Intervention Area, Bristol
Intervention Detail Area, Bristol
Programmatic Detail Design 2, Barnard College, 2009 Programmatic details show the complexity of activities on a site at a specific moment in time. It is meant to transform a static program into a dynamic space that examines the relationship between the body in space and its movement in time. Steps are particularly interesting because they facilitate both stationary and mobile programs. Changes in the rise and tread create opportunities for many dierent programs. A winding, interweaving and carved out set of stairs was created. The programmatic section was then taken through the carved space, the internal stairs, and external viewpoint. A set studies was then done, exploring the rhythm and movement of people on the stairs - a child jumping from a higher level to a lower level and running back again, a meandering journey through all levels, and the quick walk of a hurried businessman. The unfolded sections give a sense of the distance, elevation, beginning point and ending point of dierent paths. Overlaying these sections allows you to gain an understanding of the relationship between these paths.
Site Model
Programmatic Detail Model, Wood
Programmatic Detail, View A
Programmatic Detail, View B
A Series of Studies: Tree Architecture
Ulmus americana American Elm Harvard Yard, Cambridge
Rhus glabra Smooth Sumac Otis St, Newton, MA
Acer Saccharum Sugar Maple Hillside Ave, Newton, MA
Quercus alba White Oak Park Rd, Somerville, MA
Hugli River Distributary Research Project, GSD, Fall 2012, Group Project with Christina Antiporda Ninety percent of Kolkata’s water resources are drawn from surface water sources. These are mainly composed of rivers, the primary of which is the Hugli. The Hugli River is beset with many problems. Industry is heavily present along the Hugli, especially at the northern and southern ends of the urban region. There are very few regulations concerning pollution along the river, leading factories (e.g., textile mills, chemical plants, slaughterhouses, tanneries) to dump harmful chemicals and waste directly into the water. As can be seen from the map, these factories are located very close to religious sites and bathing ghats creating unsuitable conditions for people to bathe. In addition, many sewer pipes lead directly to the Hugli, often just north of a bathing site along the river.
The Farakka Barrage controls the amount and timing of freshwater flowing from the Ganges down into its main distributaries: the Hugli River and the Meghna River. Historically, the Hugli was the main distributary of the Ganges. However, over the last 400 years a series of tectonic shifts of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates has shifted the water flow away from the Hugli and towards the Padma. In addition, sedimentation, pollution, trash, and silt from the Ganges watershed (the largest drainage basin in the world) is settling in the Hugli River disrupting the flow of water. The Farakka Barrage was constructed by India in 1975 as a way to protect Kolkata’s water resources and decrease silt build up along the Hugli. In 1991 a 30 year agreement was signed between India and Bangladesh detailing the amount of water each country would receive. However, the terms of the agreement are detrimental to the health of the Hugli River. India has two main seasons: the monsoon and the dry season. This leads to an incredibly uneven distribution of water over the year. The signed agreement led to a surplus of water during the monsoon season (causing flooding) and a deficit of water during the dry season (causing silt build up). As a result of tectonic shifts, increased sedimentation, pollution, and bad politics, the Hugli river is also facing an increase in salination as there is not enough freshwater to keep the salt water from the Bay of Bengal from encroaching up the Hugli.
The Hugli River is supplied with freshwater from Ganges through the Farrakka Barrage and saltwater from the Bay of Bengal. A treaty signed by India and Bangladesh determines how much fresh water is delivered to the Hugli (India) and the Padma (Bangladesh). The terms of the treaty, however, do not allow enough fresh water to travel down the Hugli to combat the salination from the Bay of Bengal. As a result, salt water from the Bay of Bengal travels much further up the Hugli River than in previous times resulting in heavy salination of water in heavily populated areas. In addition to increased salination of the Hugli River Distributary, pollution from sewers, body dumping, and industry also contaminate the waters. Religious sites dot the Hugli River (it is considered a continuation of the Ganges and therefore holy); these sites are often located downstream from sewers and industrial dumping locations causing water borne disease to be prevalent. These diseases range from Cholera to Japanese Encephalitis to Typhoid. In addition, floods carry these diseases further in times of excess rain such as the monsoon.
Kali Temple Ghat - Ghats are located up and down rivers throughout India. They range in function and formality from bathing ghats (uncontrolled and unmaintained) to ghats for religious rituals (well maintained and controlled). Here, people bathing in the river are surrounded by trash as religious ritual oerings wash up on shore from the Hugli River. In addition to trash, the water of the Hugli is highly contaminated from unregulated industries along the upper part of the river (e.g., textile mills, chemical plants, distilleries, slaughterhouses, hospitals, tanneries); billions of liters of untreated raw sewage flow directly into the river; and the depositing of human bodies and cremated remains for religious ceremonies is common. This pollution is highly dangerous for people bathing and performing religious ceremonies in the river. Waterborne diseases are prevalent in Kolkata with frequent outbreaks of cholera, cyclosporiasis, tapeworms, typhoid, and dysentery. Large scale infrastructural projects are prevalent in Kolkata (as can be seen in the photo above regarding the bridge); however, projects dealing with the river are often blocked by religious groups citing that the river is holy and altering it would be disrespectful. (Ricci Lorenzo, Flickr)
Boston City Hall Plaza Landscape Architecture Core Studio 2, GSD Spring 2012, 2 week project Bristol board model Boston City Hall Plaza is under used as a public space within Boston for a few reasons. First, there are very few places to sit within the plaza. Second, the plaza is open to the elements such as wind, sun, and rain. Third, there is very little vegetation to provide shade on the plaza. Last, when looking at the plaza from Congress St. there is a brick wall that you see rather than the plaza. My goal was to visuall connect Congress St. and Cmabridge St. to invite people into the space. A ramp was designed to allow people easy access to the plaza. This ramp then morphs into seating as you approach the center of the plaza. The seating is located beneath allees of trees to provide shade in the summer months. In addition, a mound was created to provide impromptu seating and seating for events and performances.
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Site Plan, City Hall Plaza
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Section A-A’, from Congress St to Cambridge St
Section C-C’, Ramp and Water Detail
Site Model, City Hall Plaza, Laser Cut Bristol Board
A Series of Studies: Landform & Water Movement
Landform Studies & Water Movement Core Studio 3, Landform Workshop with Philippe Coignet
before earthquake
transformation 1
transformation 2 Earthquake in the Los Gatos Mountains Located along the San Andreas Fault Line, this mountain range is earthquake prone. This study looks at the impacts of an earthquake, exploring the landform transformations from before and after a major event.