LANDSCAPE
LEXICON
INTERPRETIVE AND SPECULATIVE
TERMS OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
University of Waterloo School of Architecture ARCH 225 Theory and Design of Contemporary Landscape Architecture Sarah Gunawan (Coordinator) Eveline Lam (Teaching Assistant)
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ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
LANDSCAPE
LEXICON
Landscape architecture, like any specialized practice, utilizes a unique vocabulary. Within it, familiar words take on alternative meaning, vocabularies are borrowed through associations with other disciplines, and new terms arise through the progress of theory and technology. Students composed Interpreted Definitions which situated selected terms within the discourse of landscape architecture. Based on their research, students also invented a Speculative Definition which imagined future issues, principals, and typologies of landscape architecture
University of Waterloo School of Architecture ARCH 225 Theory and Design of Contemporary Landscape Architecture Sarah Gunawan (Coordinator) Eveline Lam (Teaching Assistant)
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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INDEX OF TERMS pg 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 48 51 54 57 60 63 66 69 72 75 78 81 84
AESTHETICS AMBIENCE ANACHRONISM ANTHROPOCENE ARMATURE ART ARTIFICIAL ATMOSPHERE AUTHENTICITY AXIS BATHYMETRY BIOME BIOPHILIA BIO-REMEDIATION COLLAGE COMPLEXITY COMPOSITION CONCEPT CONTEXT CONTINUITY CORRIDOR CRITICAL REGIONALISM CULTURE DECONSTRUCTION DIVERSITY ECOLOGICAL ECOSYSTEM SERVICES EIDETIC
87 90 93 96 99 102 105 108 111 114 117 120 123 126 128 131 134 137 140 143 146 149 152 155 158 161 164 167
EMERGENT ENVIRONMENT ETHICAL EX-URBAN FIELD FLEXIBILITY FRAGMENTATION FRAMEWORK FUNCTIONALISM GARDEN GARDEN CITY GRID HABITAT HIERARCHY HYBRID HYDROLOGY IDENTITY IDEOLOGY IMAGE INFRASTRUCTURE INTENT INTERACTION INVASIVE LANDSCAPE MAP MATRIX METABOLISM MODERNISM
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170 173 176 179 182 185 188 191 194 197 200 203 206 208 211 214 217 220 223 226 229 232 235 238 241
MOSAIC NATIVE NATURE NETWORK NON-HUMAN OPERATIVE ORDER PASTORAL PATCH PERCEPTION PICTURESQUE PLACE PROCESS RESILIENCY REWILDING RIPARIAN SCENIC SUBURBAN SUCCESSION SUSTAINABLE SYMBIOTIC SYNTHETIC URBANISM WATERSHED WILDERNESS
245 SPECULATIVE DEFINITIONS
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
AESTHETICS noun, plural / εs’θεtıκs / 1. A set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty. 2. The branch of philosophy which deals with questions of beauty and artistic taste. noun, singular / εs’θεtıκ / 1. A set of principles underlying the work of a particular artist or artistic movement.1
The term aesthetics is derived from the Ancient Greek aisthetikos, meaning that which pertains to sense perception, and from aisthanomai meaning to feel, perceive or sense.2 Initially, the term refers to ideas of proportion and harmony, and those ideas refer almost specifically to architecture and music. In the 1700s, philosophers such as Edmund Burke and David Hume attempt to explain aesthetics with empirical evidence, to find a sense of objectivity in perception that would allow one to find a predictable response to various stimuli. Immanuel Kant, in the 1800s, insists aesthetic concepts are essentially subjective, though there is some objectivity because pleasure and pain can be universal responses to certain stimuli. As late as 1912, it is assumed that all art aims at beauty, at creating an “aesthetically pleasing” or picturesque image, while aesthetic has begun to take on a more social meaning in contemporary times.3
A Mandelbrot Set, demonstrating mathematical proportion and therefore a specific aesthetic. Wikipedia. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
In its singular noun definition, aesthetic refers to a set of principles underlying the work of a particular artist or artistic movement. During the landskip movement, landscape painting is devoted to the representation of the picturesque, that which is beautiful enough to be represented in a painting. The principles of this movement include a balance of foreground, middleground and background; lush greenery; and fantastical and literary scenes being depicted in a painting 5 1
as though the artist is genuinely able to see that view. As landscape painting develops as an artistic movement, it becomes less about capturing the picturesque and more about representing colours or patterns or textures, as with the Group of Seven painters. The constant principle of the movement, and therefore the constant aesthetic, is to capture nature at its most beautiful so that a wider variety of audiences can appreciate it. 1. Oxford. n.d. Oxford Dictionary of English. 2. Douglas Harper. n.d. Aesthetic. Accessed July 3, 2016. http://www.etymonline. com/index.php?term=aesthetic. 3. 2016. Aesthetics. June 19. Accessed July 3, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Aesthetics.
Lauren Nayman ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
AESTHETICS AESTHETICS adj.
1. a. of, relating to, or dealing with aesthetics or the beautiful b. artistic c. pleasing in appearance 2. appreciative of, responsive to, or zealous about the beautiful; also : responsive to or appreciative of what is pleasurable to the senses aesthetic. 2015. In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved July 4, 2016
The Making of the Leica M9-P »Edition Hermès« Série Limitée Jean-Louis Dumas on Vimeo University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition An object’s aesthetic is an expression that exists beyond its function. It relates to the visual and the tactile experience immediately and relentlessly felt by the user. An object’s aesthetic can be used as a device to hide, deemphasize, emphasize, or reveal, as well as inject or subtract meaning from a particular object. This can take the form of colour, material, or geometry— in order or in disorder. In his Ten Books on Architecture, Vitruvius determines that successful architecture embodies three qualities: venustas, firmitas, and venustas— that is usefulness, solidness, and beautifulness. Venustas states that an object’s user is just as important as the object itself; therefore, the object must appeal to the senses of said user1, otherwise the relationship between object and user will be a negative one, and the object will be discontinued, forgotten, or demolished. Two millennia later and the world’s most reputable designers still agree about the importance of aesthetics: in Dieter Rams’ 10 Principles of Good Design, he claims that “Good design is aesthetic,” and that “the aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products we use every day affect our person and our well-being.”2 One Chuck Palahniuk character would claim that, “The things you own end up owning you.”3 Through our dependency on material things, built objects become just as essential as electricity or education. Consequently, through the visual aesthetic of everyday items, one establishes one’s identity. Mies Van der Rohe coined the term “Less is more” in reference to distilling 6 1
a buildings’ ornamentation to the craftsmanship and details of structurally imperative elements, thus creating the modernist aesthetic (which is often referred to as minimalism). The aesthetic and the individual are deeply intertwined, in that one chooses how an object expresses itself much in the same way one would choose to express oneself through language or humour. In landscape architecture, a project’s motifs should be clear as expressed through its comprising elements. The use of local materials express a contentiousness, for example— an otherwise immeasurable trait. Formal responses to program express whether the designer is resisting or listening to the needs of the site and its citizens. Perhaps a dull, monotonous site is contrasted with bright colours and unnatural forms— this expresses the designer’s desire to challenge the design paradigm of her predecessors in a particular location. Through aesthetic, deeply human qualities of otherwise sterile and inanimate creations— or rather, the ideals the creators of said creations projected upon their creations— are readable. Made measurable. Material. Vitruvius. Ten Books on Architecture, Ed. Ingrid Rowland with illustrations by Thomas Noble Howe (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press: 1999) Karissa Rosenfield. “Dieter Rams 10 Principles of “Good Design”” 09 Jan 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 4 Jul 2016. 3 Palahniuk, Chuck. Fight Club. New York: W. W. Norton, 1996. Print. 1 2
ien Boodan ARCH 225 ARCH 225| Spring | Spring 2016 2016
AMBIENCE AMBIENCE noun | am·bi·ence | \ am-be-en(t)s, äm-be-än(t)s \ : a feeling or mood associated with a particular place, person, or thing. (Merriam-Webster)
Interpreted Definition The word ‘ambient’ has roots in the Latin word ‘ambire’, meaning all surrounding and all encompassing - an experiential understanding of our environments. Ambience in landscape architecture is about a reading of the sensual nature of an environment, its sounds, sights, and smells, developed through a continuing set of experiments with people and their relationships to landscape. Artist and landscape architect Bernard Lassus distinguishes the tactile and visual scales of the landscape as a means of distinguishing between the immediate sensory knowledge of place derived by touch and smell and the more integrative vision derived from an overall view.
certain moods. Landscape features that contribute to an overall ambience can include plant massing, screening and enclosure, fire pits, and water features. These physical details work to produce elements such as fragrance, sound, movement, and composition, which subconsciously shape our sensory experience of an environment. This naturally incites a positive or negative reaction in us that we later associate with that place in our recollections of visiting it. The responsibility of the landscape architect is to provide high quality outdoor environments with landscapes that can engage people and shape emotion in positive and lasting ways.
Our psychological and physiological experience of landscapes is informed by the way in which sensory elements work together to create a unifying ambience. The human central nervous system determines how we experience these environments the brain controls our thought, emotion, and sensory process; the peripheral nervous system controls how we perceive the landscape through vision, hearing, touch and smell.
Ambient Landscape, www.ambientlandscapes.com.au
According to the American Society of Landscape Architects, ambient design can be achieved through incorporating details into landscape architecture that engage with our senses. This can be done through light and reflection, or colours that reinforce
University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
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Bianca Weeko Martin ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
AMBIENCE noun a feeling or mood associated with a particular place, person, or thing
Interpreted Definition The word ambience was directly derived from the French term ambient in the late 19th century. The use of the word peaked in the late 20th century, though is now seeing a growth in popularity once again. (Google Analytics) This relatively modern term is subjective, as it is used to describe the feeling or mood that a space generates, though frequently has positive connotations. Culturally, this word is very important as well, as it has ties to style, vibes, or aesthetic, all of which describe the character of a place, and often relates to the popularity of public places, such as restaurants, stores, etc. Ambience also seems to relate to the lighting of a space, whether it be dramatic, natural, diffused, etc. these types of lighting frequently determine the ambience that a space has. The term directly relates to landscape architecture, which is defined as “the art and practice of designing the outdoor environment”(Webster). Therefore, landscape architecture is a practice of designing ambience; designing spaces with character that make the occupants feel something.
Unkown, Pinterest University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Within the design process, there is often a certain feeling that a space or landscape is designed to have; the landscape architect hopes one will feel a certain way when entering the designed landscape, therefore designing ambience. This 8 1
description of a character of a space has always been a part of landscape and architecture, although the word itself is relatively new to the English language. “ambience.” Merriam-Webster.com. 2011. Accessed July 03 2016. http://www.merriam-webster.com “ambience.” Google.com. Accessed July 03 2016. http://www. google.com “landscape architecture.” Merriam-Webster.com. 2011. Accessed July 03 2016. http://www.merriam-webster.com
Elizabeth Lenny ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
AMBIENCE noun (WEBSTER) 1. a feeling or mood associated with a particular place, person, or thing: Atmosphere
Interpreted Definition
Foggy Forest, hdwallpaperfun.com.
The word ambience originates from the French word ambient, meaning one’s surroundings. Commonly associated with concepts of underlying layers and background action, the word ambience invokes the image of a supportive purpose. In variant forms of art, such as music, architecture, and film, the word also serves to describe the mood/atmosphere of the piece as well as the tools that are involved to create it. Subtlety plays a huge role in this sense, as in this case, the word describes a role that is not the protagonist of the situation at hand, but merely an undertone that harmonizes with the main focus to create depth and volume to the reality. When associating the word in the sense of landscape, one begs to question if ambience is merely a tool and a building block, or if its definition holds enough to regard the word itself as a full representation. As an inhabitable space of the human scale, landscape serves to shape the area that in between the buildings and its voids. In shaping those spaces, what the landscape is defining are the textures, the smells, the warmth, and the sounds of the environment. By definition, these exact motives is ambience. Ambience is the memory of the space imprinted to your body: ambience is landscape. Peter Kwak
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ANACHRONISM noun the state or condition of being chronologically out of place Marriam-Webster
It could be said that public sculpture can be seen as anachronism, especially free-standing sculptures in landscape that may not have any relation to the environment itself. It may be the most apparently form of this as some may be pre-fabricated prior to the installation on the site. This means it was not developed with the surrounding and hence aesthetically may look “out of place”. Simultaneously, even when looking at ancient marble statues, despite it being distinct to a particular time in history and their beliefs, the subjects are not of identical time frame or chronology. In this sense, it is even more obvious that these decorations in landscape be anachronistic. On the other hand, it is not to say that all sculptures are anachronistic. For example, Richard Serra’s “Shift” in King City responds to the changing landscape; adjusting in the same time frame which the landscape. Similarly, Calder’s Flamingo in Chicago relates to the site in terms of materiality; therefore, it is not to say that all
Hercules Statue in Ballarat Botanical Garden, Wikipedia. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Similarly perhaps it can be said that wind turbines can be described as anachronistic. These structures although reacts with time the environment of the landscape, do not relate in any way structurally and are freestanding on a large field. Audrey Leung 10 1
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ANACHRONISM Direct Definition 1.0 A thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned 1.1 The action of attributing something to a period to which it does not belong origin Mid 17th century: Greek anakhronismos ana- ‘backwards’ + khronos ‘time’ Oxford Dictionaries, 2016
Ippuku Electric Pole, Akira Yamaguchi. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition In the etymology of anachronism, the notion of reflecting upon time that is past, or backwards, is critical in understanding its relationship to landscape design. The most explicit examples of anachronism can be seen in Post Modernism, employing references and attributions that are well intentioned but occasionally misplaced. Playful forms and ambiguous centers were indicative of rises in cultural exchange, globalism, and technologies that made it more difficult to ignore the unwavering principles of modernist design, and all the more required attention to the immediate geographical and cultural context. However, this opposition from modernist ideals was for a pluralist and inclusive design ethos; the reintroduction of historical didactics served not as an isolated source of knowledge but a recognition of the opportunities that exist in previous knowledge. Therefore anachronisms allows the development of landscape design as a tool that can address issues of contemporary urbanism and architecture, intervening at both spatial and temporal levels. As such, the growing discussions around principles like critical regionalism and vernacular design exist because of their sensitivity to established practices and cultural indicators, embracing the past as a means towards successful design rooted in community and cultural relevance.
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It can be argued that all practice can only be concerned with the present, and the future. All that is past is unchangeable, static, and can only be subsequently documented, copied, pasted, reiterated, etc. But our ability to reflect at the scale of landscape, unlike architecture which can be obliterated down to the tabula rasa, demands operations which will exist on a palimpsest of old growth, scars, detritus, topography, or geology. If designers wish to embed their landscapes intelligently, then anachronism is the medium that engages the cyclical nature of the land itself.
Jeffrey So ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ANTHROPOCENE Direct Definition noun /anTHrəpəˌsēn/ 1. the Anthropocene, a proposed term for the present geological epoch (from the time of the Industrial Revolution onwards), during which humanity has begun to have a significant impact on the environment Collins English Dictionary, 2015
Interpreted Definition The anthropocene, in relation to landscape architecture, is the current period in which human intervention has advanced to extent of altering and creating landscapes at the scale of traditionally defined naturally occurring landscapes and landforms, such as mountain ranges and valleys. Beforehand, human intervention was seen as “other” to natural processes and changes within the Earth. The introduction of the term “anthropocene” into the vocabulary of geological epochs marked the acknowledgement of the breadth and power of human intervention on a massive, geologic scale. Acknowledging the anthropocene thus represents a claiming of responsibility as a species for the effects of our actions, and a movement away from the mindset that our actions are too miniscule in a geologic timeframe to require careful consideration.
Terraced rice fields in Yuanyang, China, Art Wolfe. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Not only is it a call to endeavor towards a more careful and sustainable lifestyle, it also highlights the potential for human intervention in a positive manner. Projects like Freshkills Park in New York begin to operate deliberately on a geologic scale, as the capping of landfill in order to construct a usable landscape not only addresses the manmade conditions of waste sites but also proposes a method for revitalization and positive intervention. “Landfill Engineering Archive - Freshkills Park Alliance.” Freshkills Park Alliance. Accessed July 4th 2016. http://freshkillspark.org/landfillengineering
Jenny Xia 12 1
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ANTHROPOCENE Adjective /'anθrəpə,si:n/ 1. relating to or denoting the current geological age, viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment. Resource: “Definition of Anthropocene in English:.” Anthropocene. Accessed July 04, 2016. http:// www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/ anthropocene. (Online resource was used since the vocabulary
is relatively new thus couldn’t be found in older versions of Oxford Dictionaries.)
Interpreted Definition The term Anthropocene is made up of two Greek roots in which anthropo- means human and – cene means new. The first appearance of the name Anthropocene was in the early 1960s, when it was employed by Soviet scientists to refer to the Quaternary. Nevertheless, it was not widely accepted and used by the majority of geologist until the mid-1970s. Atmospheric chemist Paul J. Crutzen, pointed out that humans are in a distinct geological epoch from the Holocene since the mid-20th century, thus a new geological epoch should be recognized as well as named properly. His theory states that this new geological epoch is defined by the significant impact of human activities on Earth in the past centuries. The Anthropocene era has not yet been formally accepted as one of the unit of geological epoch divisions by the Stratigraphy Commission of the Geological Society of London. However the term is already widely used among many other scientists and geologists; in fact, the Geological Society of America entitled its 2011 annual meetings as Archean to Anthropocene.
Industrial Farming - Almeria Province, Spain, Kolbert, Elizabeth. “Enter the Anthropocene: Age of Man.” National Geographic Magazine, March 2011. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
In despite of the dispute over the starting point of the Anthropocene to be the Industrial Revolution, the rise of agriculture or the Neolithic Revolution, it should be commonly agreed that humans have destroyed Earth so massively and significantly that 13 1
a new geological epoch has to be assigned. The activities of endlessly building towers, expanding cities, burning fossil fuels and destroying forests or other natural landscape have brought disastrous results to the climate, ecosystems and biodiversity of Earth. The rise of this term should be alert to humans.
“We have unconsciously become a major geological force on the planet and that is a huge responsibility.” ----Elizabeth Kolbert, contributor and author of National Geographic Magazine
Resource: “Enter the Anthropocene: Age of Man.” | Architects and Artisans. Accessed July 05, 2016. http:// architectsandartisans.com/index.php/2011/03/ enter-the-anthropocene-age-of-man/.
Janice (Ye) Chen ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ArmAture [noun] 1. Armour 2. In biology, it is the protective covering of an animal of plant, or any part serving for defense or offense. 3. a frame used by a sculptor to support a figure that is being modeled
Interpreted Definition The term armature has been appropriated in many different fields. In biology, it is a protecture cover of a living organism. In electrical engineering, it is a component in a generator that rotates with magnetic flux. In sculpting, an armature is a frame that supports the sculpture when it is being modeled. David Gouverneur, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania appropriated the term to landscape architecture as ‘pre-emptive systems for the upgrading of the informal city’. These armatures assist the settlements in achieving what they would not be able to do on their own. This includes improving the land by avoiding loss of resources and protect fragile ecosystems that were not prepared for urbanization. Gouverneur’s concept of an armature can be reappropriated to the general role of landscape design in nature, where we see landscape archiecture as an armature to the combination of man and nature’s desires. Afterall, the forces that allow landscapes to flourish is natural and has little to do with human interference. Landscape architecture merely provides a platform that anticipates nature to progress in a desireable way.
River Aire, Landzine. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
In sculpting, the term has a temporal nature since once a sculpture is completed, the armature 14 1
may disappear. A similar temporal nature of the armature seems to resonate in landscape architecture with projects that seek nature to flourish and overgrow the lines that the architect first set forth to create projects that seem less manipulated. An example is the River Aire Renaturation project which seeked to destroy an existing canal to restore the area. The foot of the old canal is left as a reminder of the temporality of human interference and strengthen the idea of landscape architecture as an armature.
“Landscape Strategies For Informal Settlements: Creating Armatures To Shape Urban Form” last modified July 1, 2013, http://scenariojournal.com/ landscape-strategies-for-informal-settlementscreating-armatures-to-shape-urban-form/. “Definition of armature,”, http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/armature.
Tsz Kit Justin Ng ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ARMATURE noun ar·ma·ture | ‘är-m -,chūr e
1. an organ or structure (as teeth or thorns) for offense or defense 2. the part of an electric motor or generator that produces an electric current when it turns in a magnetic field 3. a frame used by a sculptor to support a figure that is being modeled
Interpreted Definition Although the word armature is commonly associated with the operation of motors, in landscape architecture it is more closely related to its artistic and biological definitions. An armature is therefore a framework or underlying structure. Many landscape architects use the concept of laying out or creating a framework that then develops and changes as nature grows over it and as humans interact with it. These changes can be formal, textural, programmatic or simply organic if the framework involved is designed to welcome new species into its environment.
Park in Zurich by Burkhardt + Partner AG. The firm created “the largest pergola in the world”, using a double walled, steel frame structure, and inserting stairs, raised walkways, furniture and lighting to create a dynamic park that would change drastically over time as more plants grew over and around the original framework. By designing an intelligent armature and placing it strategically within an environment, the landscape architect can catalyze new relationships between species sustainably.
Oyster-tecture, the landscape project designed for the MOMA Rising Currents exhibition by SCAPE Studio, is an example of the implementation of a framework or armature into a landscape to alter it in a positive way. The firm describes the project as “ [an] armature for the growth of native oysters and marine life... constructed from a field of piles and a woven web of “fuzzy rope” that supports oyster and mussel growth and builds a rich threedimensional landscape mosaic.” This reef made of oysters is then intended to create a buffer between the threatening currents of the Atlantic Ocean and downtown NYC.
MFO Park, Zurich, www.burckhardtpartner.ch
Another project that uses the idea of an armature in order to create or improve a landscape is MFO
University of Waterloo Waterloo School School of ofArchitecture Architecture University of
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Olivera Neskovic ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ARMATURE ARMATURE noun 1. the rotating coil or coils of a dynamo or electric motor.6 2. a metal framework on which a sculpture is molded with clay or similar material.6 3. Biology: The protective covering of an animal or plant.6 Interpreted Definition The word “Armature” was originally derived from the French word armare which meant ‘to arm’ and therefore to provide a ‘protective covering’.1 However, the meaning of the word has shifted from being the final protective covering to being the basis of which an entity is built upon. In sculpture, the armature is the framework of the art that provides a structure and can be easily manipulated into shape.
Venice Canals, Venice Travel Blog
Wansheng Stone Forest, MyDomaine University of Waterloo School of Architecture
An armature in landscape is also know as a structural framework, but works on a much larger scale. It helps structure the process of settlement in a landscape and “provides the framework to guide the location and the transformation of the predominantly informal city, operating at different scales.” (David Gouverneur) In Theory in Landscape Architecture: A Reader, Simon Swaffield states that “geological landforms provide a spatial armature for the arranging, shaping, and sizing of the three adjacent landscape types – the Beautiful, the Picturesque, or the Sublime”. To get a better understanding of an armature defined by Siman Swaffield, we can consider all things that are known as landscape to have been built on top of an armature, whether they were formed with the help of humans or not. For instance, the natural landscape of the canals in Venice helped form the beautiful twisting city. The canals in this case are the armatures, and the city built between the canals is the landscape that is formed. 16 1
Shaina Coulter ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
ART Direct Definition 1. Something that is created with imagination and skill that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings 2. Works created by artists: paintings, sculptures, etc., that are created to be beautiful or to express important ideas or feelings 3. The methods and skills used for painting, sculpting, drawing, etc.
Interpreted Definition Throughout history art has played an important role in documentation and communication. Art gives artists the power to communicate ideas and emotions unknown to the viewers. Landscape paintings have evolved throughout history but it still serves the purpose of bridging the connection between man and nature.
Rain,Steam and Speed , http://www.william-turner.org/Rain,Steam-and-Speed-The-Great-Western-Railway--1844-large.html
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, https://arthistory327. wordpress.com/2012/10/08/then-and-now-a-changingrelationship-between-artist-and-landscape/.
University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
Artists use paintings as a method of recreating the experience of standing in the midst of a landscape relatable to the audience. With the arrival of future styles, such as impressionism and expressionism, artists use different techniques and they start infusing their emotions with their vision of the world. As a result, viewers are not only seeing the landscape, but also experiencing it in the perspective of the artist. This development found in art can signify our changing perspectives towards landscape. Similar to art, landscape architecture should focus in the representation of landscape itself. With landscape paintings, artists are trying to recreate the purity that is found in nature visually. Landscape architecture should not just focus in creating a man made structure that closely resembles nature, but should use design as a method in complementing nature, heightening the experience between its inhabitants. Similar to the way art evolves through history, landscape history also documents how the world sees nature as well. Its design adapts to the 17 1
priorities that are currently considered in the world.
Halprin, Lawrence. “Nature into Landscape into Art.” Ekistics 55, no. 333 (1988): 349-54. http://www.jstor. org/stable/43620657. “Then and Now: A Changing Relationship between Artist and Landscape.” National Parks Landscape Art American Imagination. 2012. Accessed July 04, 2016. https://arthistory327.wordpress.com/2012/10/08/ then-and-now-a-changing-relationship-betweenartist-and-landscape/. Tristan Sito ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ART Art noun \ärt\ 1. something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings 2. works created by artists : paintings, sculptures, etc., that are created to be beautiful or to express important ideas or feelings 3. the methods and skills used for painting, sculpting, drawing, etc. Merriam-Webster.
The general definition associated with art is visual beauty and creativity, so naturally good landscape architecture is also a good piece of art. In order to create landscape architecture the architect or designer must consider composition, style, and materials like painters or sculptors. The scale of the work is simply larger.
designed and loaded with built forms expresses the architect’s ideas about how people should interact with nature, each other and the built environment. The overall composition may only be seen by satellites and planes but the effects of a good composition can be experienced from our day to day interactions.
While a painter composes objects in a painting with a colour palette in mind, the landscape architect situates buildings, considers elements of the surrounding like trees, water and topography. The designer of the landscape is an artist that seeks to stimulate all the senses of those who experience their work. Other than visual impact, the feeling of materials, the sound they make when interacted with or simply left to their own devices, and sometimes the smells they emanate are all carefully planned in good landscape architecture. The sound of a trickling stream or the difference of grass or pavement underfoot are just immediate examples that come to mind, there are infinitely more varied design elements in landscape architecture.
Central Park top view, AirPano.com University of Waterloo School of Architecture
In that sense, the canvas of the landscape architect is the earth itself. How it is harnessed, 18 1
Diana Si ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ARTIFICIAL Direct Definition 1. Opposed to natural. Made or constructed by human skill, especially in imitation of, or as a substitute for, something which is made or occurs naturally; man-made. 2. Brought about by human skill or intervention; that does not occur or result naturally, spontaneously, or in the expected manner. OED 3rd Edition, December 2008
Interpreted Definition In landscape theory, there is plenty of discussion surrounding what makes something artificial. If a landscape, a park for example, is entirely man-made, is it no longer a truly natural space? Although it may not have existed in the first place, the park is soon left mainly to its own devices which would then render it natural. The base definition of artificial is something that is built by man to recreate something natural. In the photos of manmade landscapes by photographer Edward Burtynsky he questions what it means to actually be a landscape. Through these explorations he asks us to decide whether or not they could be considered “artificial landscapes” in that it is something man-made being viewed as landscape.
Artificial is now being used to describe something that has been re-imagined to fit an idea of landscape – looking at piles of tires and imagining how it represents hills creating valleys or a pit mine being a natural, yet barren crater in the landscape. Artificial in the case of landscape is still meaning man-made, but never something man-made that initially set out to mimic nature, just something man-made that is imagined as a landscape.
As artificial is tied to landscape, it seems to take on a different definition. Most of the images of Edward Burtynsky are not in fact intended to be landscapes, but to have their own (albeit human) function – a series of highways intersecting, or a hydroelectric dam were never intended to be a landscape, yet we are now interpreting them as a new type of landscape. This new type of landscape is being called artificial, although it was never created to mimic or actually “be” a landscape so it doesn’t fit the dictionary definition of the word.
Mines #22, Edward Burtynsky University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ARTIFICIAL adjective /,ärde’fiSHel/ 1. made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally, typically as a copy of something natural 2. insincere or affected
The term artificial was first used in 1425 to mean “constructed by human skill in imitation of, or as a substitute for, something which is made or occurs naturally”1 and evolved into creating an assumption about the object constructed to be deceptive. This concern about artificiality within landscape architecture is a great one as it brings up moral concerns of the damage made through interventions made by man in natural landscapes. The battle against artificiality stems from the referencing of nature as truth - leaving its anti, artificial, to assume itself as the lie. This makes the artificial needing to be analyzed in respect to this dichotomy, defining what is truly inauthentic by first establishing what is.
The Truman Show, Peter Weir. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
There is a primacy in the artificial which begins to draw larger questions of the true authenticity of the supposed natural. It can be argued on an ontological level that all being is constructed through some method of organization and modes of interaction, resulting in an organically-derived artificiality. The environment is constructed through constant interaction between entities, making our insertion in landscape crucial to its natural flux. The ethical discussion on the human intervention of natural landscape relies heavily on the acceptance or denial of human beings being considered exempt from the tier of mammals or a part of it. If we considered ourselves as much 20 1
mammal as deer, our consumption of nature wouldn’t be considered as immoral since we are just exploring the landscape in the way that our evolution has granted. Human beings strive for an authenticity but also an innate idealism of a space, a utopia, that is to cater to their own existential needs. This is the ordered landscape. The image on the left is taken from the film The Truman Show where he is physically confronted with the artificial arrangements in his life. He chooses to exit this projection of his perfect world and enter the real world, where he would eventually find out, if the film were to continue, that the modern world is just as constructed (suburbia, zoos). This brings us to the growing concern over the effects of an entirely constructed landscapes that stores the aftermath of these ordered landscapes. In the documentary Manufactured Landscapes (2006), we can see civilizations debris from its attempts to acquire ideals artificially, forming its own landscapes that, while reminiscint of natural landscapes, are morally damaging. 1 “Etymology of the Word ‘artificial’ - Margaret Cavendish’s Blazing World.” Etymology of the Word ‘artificial’ - Margaret Cavendish’s Blazing World. Accessed July 05, 2016. https:// sites.google.com/site/margaretcavendishsblazingworld/ etymology-of-the-word-artificial.
Samiha Meem
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ATMOSPHERE noun \\ a : the gaseous envelope of a celestial body (as a planet) b : the whole mass of air surrounding the earth 2: the air of a locality 3: a surrounding influence or environment 4: the overall aesthetic effect of a work of art b : an intriguing or singular tone, effect, or appeal <an inn with atmosphere> Merriam-Webster
Snow Storm - Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth by Joseph Turner, TATE. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition Long before the word atmosphere was invented, the artist had begun the unconscious act of painting the atmosphere through capturing the effect the atmosphere has on the appearance of an object as it is viewed from a distance. Across culture and history of time, there are multiple and ongoing attempt at capturing the beauty and the mood of landscape through representing or mimicking the visible atmosphere. English Landscape painting in the 17th to 18th century such as painting by Claude Lorrain truly capture such act of painting the atmosphere. Thus the word atmosphere connotate realism, mood and beauty. Yet the term atmosphere was invented as a scientific term. The term atmosphere is derived from Greek atmos ‘vapor’ + sphaira ‘ball, globe and was first used by mid 17th century scientist,in reference to the “sphere” of activity of the Earth or another planet. Bp. J. Wilkins, first used the word in In Discov. World in Moone x. “There is an Atmo-sphæra, or an orbe of grosse vaporous aire, immediately encompassing the body of the Moone.” A rational and logical way at looking at atmosphere began to take place as this object with invisible material composition. Atmosphere was not subjected to invoke feelings; but instead, it was an object under examination detach from any emotion to it.
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Then as the environmental movement began in 20th century, atmosphere became a word within the setting of environment as the environment became subjected to preservation and began to invoke people’s emotional relation to earth. As global warming was discovered in 1950s as an effect on atmosphere caused by CO2 emission, the subject of atmosphere began to be a part of the languages used for raising awareness for global warming and environmental conservation.
Alice (Jie Jie) Huang ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ATMOSPHERE Direct Definition, Merriam-Webster 1 a) the gaseous envelope of a celestial body (as a planet b) the whole mass of air surrounding the earth 2 the air of a locality 3 a surrounding influence or environment <and environment of hostility> 4 a unit of pressure equal to the pressure of the air at sea level or approximately 14.7 pounds per square inch (101,325 pscals) 5 a) the overall aesthetic effect of a work of art b) an intriguing or singular tone, effect, or appeal <an inn with atmosphere>
Holocaust memorial, Angus Dunn
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition Atmosphere is typically referred to as the layer of various gasses that surrounds the earth and separates the planet from the vacuum of space. The all-encompassing or enveloping aspect of the atmosphere is what led the world to start being used to describe the emotion or mood felt of a certain place by merely occupying it. Atmosphere can influence how a space is used or inhabited, such as the difference between a park like Central Park by Fredrick Law Olmsted and Novartis Campus Park by VOGT. The simple addition of the fence around the Novartis Park results in a very closed off and private atmosphere rather than the very open and accessible Central Park. A spaces atmosphere also effects how it is occupied and how one should act when in it. For example The Gardens of Versaille by Andre Le Notre has a very regal atmosphere to it, the way everything is groomed, planned and structured gives the space an air of royalty. The sheer size and beauty of the space results in its occupants meandering through the space trying to take it all in at once. Conversely the Holocaust memorial in Berlin by Peter Eisenman is a very heavy landscape with deep historical ties enveloping it in an intense atmosphere of remembrance and reflection. As people walk through they are slowly engulfed more and more by the massive blocks leaving most occupants silent. 22 1
Atmosphere is the emotion of the scape, effecting the use of the site and the mood one feels occupying it.
Gardens of Versaille, Angus Dunn Angus Dunn ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ATMOSPHERE noun / ‘atmes,fir / The pervading tone or mood of a place, situation, or work of art. Oxford Dictionary.
Interpreted Definition The word atmosphere originated from the Greek word atmos, which means vapour, and sphaira which means sphere. It refers to the sensorial qualities the space emits in a building, and the immediate form of physical perception, which can be recognized through emotional sensibility. According to Peter Zumthor, it is “this singular density and mood, this feeling of presence, well-being, harmony, beauty... under whose spell I experience what I otherwise would not experience in precisely this way.”
mood of the room depending on the intensity and colour, from being exhilarating to gloomy. The way objects are places in the spaces, such as furniture, can set the mood between close and cozy to formal and business like. The air that flows through the building forms an atmosphere in itself as Steven Conner states, “like the sky, space [is] mobile, mutable, perturbed, polymorphous, subject to stress, strain and fatigue. The most important agitations of space [are] sound, heat and odour.” Materials create architectural atmospheres by having the ability to transform in a variety of ways.
The atmosphere that architecture creates has a lot to do with bodily interactions with the buildings, since architecture is measured to the human body, it also determines the atmospheric qualities. As reported by German philosopher, Gernot Bohme describes the atmosphere as “the nature of space as the physicality of an actual space and the atmospheric qualities that are embedded with a space.” In order to experience it in its complete entirety, people must be physically present, as inhabiting the space can change the sense and character around them. In addition to the people, there are other elements that create a sense of atmosphere in architecture such as light, object, air, materials, and sounds.
Forest Suburbia, Konrad Wójcik. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
With light, when it fills up the rooms, it can set the 23 1
Christy Cheng ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
AUTHENTIC AUTHENTICITY 1 2 3
conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features not false or imitation true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character
Merriam-Webster. Authenticity of landscape architecture is often questioned when a project has repurposed a space, is labelled as belonging to a specific culture, or tries to recreate nature. From 1934 to 1980, the High Line in New York City existed a set of train tracks used for daily transportation of goods to Manhattan. The tracks still lie up above the streets today, but the High Line now exists as a public space. The High Line’s railroad tracks, however, have not always been a constant - they were removed and reinstalled during construction - so are they authentic? They are authentic in the sense that they are the original tracks, not fake ones. But, after the reinsertion one must ask what purpose the tracks now serve. One could argue that the High Line is not authentic since the tracks do not perform their original function.
Reinstallation of Tracks on the High Line, Friends of the High Line, Rail Track Reinstallation. 2008. Available from: Flickr Commons, https://www. flickr.com/photos/friendsofthehighline/2598665875 (accessed July 5, 2016).
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Japanese landscape gardens now exist not only in Japan, but all over the world. David Slawson, a famous landscape artist trained in Japanese garden tradition, writes that the key to designing an authentic garden is based in inspiration rather than materials. Like in Merriam-Webster’s third definition of the word authentic, he states that the underlying principles of an object are more important than the stereotypical physical details. This definition allows for more innovation - a Japanese garden does not have to conform to the original to be authentic, but should rather have the same spirit as those preceding it.
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When designing parks, trees can be planted in straight lines to frame a space or completely randomly to reproduce a forest. The random placement of trees often seems more authentic since a natural landscape is being reproduced, but perhaps it is less authentic since it is trying to imitate something natural when it really it is human made.
David Slawson, “Authenticity in Japanese Landscape Design,” in Japanese-Inspired Gardens: Adapting Japan’s Design Traditions for Your Garden, ed. Patricia Jonas. (Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 2001). Friends of the High Line. “Action-Packed Construction Update.” Last modified February 24, 2008. http:// www.thehighline.org/blog/2008/02/24/actionpacked-construction-update. Friends of the High Line. “About the High Line.” Last modified February 24, 2008. http://www.thehighline. org/about.
Liga Brammanis ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
AUTHENTICITY Authentic, adjective, au·then·tic, /ôˈTHen(t)ik/ 1. of undisputed origin; genuine 2. not false or imitation 3. true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character Interpreted Definition Authentic, derived from Old French from late Latin authenticus, from Greek authentikos, meaning “principal, genuine.” The term “authenticity” in relation to the human nature was first introduced by philosopher Descartes as “following a moral inner voice”, meaning individuals must think and act responsibility, then carried the consequences of their own actions. Rousseau further develops the term and proposed thhat moral sense and authenticity is a voice of nature within us. Herder takes this idea and extrapolates that creativity, authenticity, and originality are measures of existence. Therefore, he argues that mankind’s identity is based on the past and how the interpertation of those experiences.
In that sense, authenticity in landscape architecture design means to embrace the underlying spirit and principles of both an area of natural landscape and human culture, and design according to these principles. For example, the design approach of Japanese gardens are a deeply embedded way of thinking design landscape through two aspects - the source of inspiration and the choice of materials. After careful extraction and understanding of the enviroment, design principles of the gardens such as proportion, level of planes and the S-curves could be applied in different countries, but the authenticity of the Japanese gardens would be retained through maintaining the key spirit of the native landscape.
As the word develops, the notion of authenticity was taken from the exteral world as a synonym for tangible, real items to the core value that defines human existence, which includes one’s inner voice and interpertation of past experience.
Image Title, Image Source. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
The combination of the three interpertation was then concluded by Grimmett, which stated that authenticity is “to draw on a ‘body’ of knowledge and to speak and act from those moral spaces with a confidence that is rooted in a conscious, collective understanding.” This then becomes applicable to human’s understanding of all knowledge is based on consciousness, experience, and reflection. 25 1
Lucy Lin ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
AUTHENTICITY AUTHENTICITY Direct Definition The quality of being authentic: 1. made or done in a traditional or original way, or in a way that faithfully resembles an original 2. based on facts; accurate or reliable Oxford Dictionary
Interpreted Definition Authenticity is highly questionable in landscape architecture because nature is constantly evolving and changing. It is also dubious whether a landscape can be considered authentic after heavy human intervention because this depends on one’s interpretation of the definition of landscape. Whether something can be considered authentic is particularly debatable in conservation and restoration. Replanting and replacing elements of the architecture can recreate the original appearance of a work, but its essence is no longer the same as the original. It is impossible to call a changed work authentic in the traditional definition of the word, but it can be referred to as such in aspects of landscape architecture. This is because “when using the term authenticity in landscape conservation it relates to how historically correct we can be...” (Palang, 351).
Muir Inlet 1941 and 2004, U.S. Geological Survey University of Waterloo School of Architecture
decades of study and documentation. Perhaps it was chosen that the landscapes must be kept to look as they did 100 years ago, but it is difficult to rationalise why that time period was chosen when it should be considered more authentic if people chose to imitate the region’s landscapes from 1000 years ago or even 10 000 years ago. The latter options are remarkably more difficult to achieve, but should be considered no less authentic. Thus it is paradoxical that humans work so hard to maintain the appearance of landscapes untouched by man when people’s actions are preventing natural evolutions to a landscape. Hannes Palang and G. Fry, Landscape Interfaces: Cultural Heritage in Changing Landscapes (Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003).
In some countries, farmers are subsidized by the government to ensure conservation of plant species and to keep their fields looking what is considered traditional and authentic (Palang, 351). This act does ensure the survival of native plant species, but the authenticity of the farmers’ landscapes is highly questionable. Even in untouched nature, the form and vegetation of an area will change over time. What the farmers are paid to imitate is only a human interpretation of what is authentic. The aesthetic of traditional is defined by people, drawing from just
LING YI ZHENG 20569336
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ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
AXIS AXIS 1. an imaginary line about which a body rotates. 2. MATHEMATICS - a fixed reference line for the measurement of coordinates 3. a straight central part in a structure to which other parts are connected 4. ANATOMY - the second cervical vertebra, below the atlas at the top of the backbone 5. an agreement or alliance between two or more countries that forms a center for an eventual larger grouping of nations
An inferred pivotal moment within a landscape that alters program, circulation and/or experience through a change in orientation, altitude, medium or reflection. An axis is not necessarily fixed or a distinct form but can be present through empty space or moving elements. Axes offer a focus point for the surrounding design to be created; these features give structure to the landscape. An axis can also be a central feature required for the design to function, such as a path in a park, that partly dictates the rest of its organization. These features are integral in the landscape and are likely to be major aspects of the program. The axis is also is not limited to one dimension but can be oriented in an infinite amount of ways creating a variety of different relationships within a landscape. Axises also vary in magnitude and function according to scope; an axis can be implemented as a fixed element to divide an entire city or can be a dynamic spine where several elements in a landscape meet. Multiple axes combined create different organizational systems such as grids or radial sectors (ie. New York or Arc de Triomphe in Paris, FR). An axis is a central, dictating point, that the rest of the landscape rotates around and depends on.
Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France, Airpano.com University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
Mariah Palantzas 27 1
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
AXIS Direct Definition Noun. (pl. axes) 1. A straight line about which a body rotates or may be conceived to rotate. 2. A center line to which parts of a structure or body may be referred. 3. An imaginary line to which elements of a work of art, such as a picture, are referred for measurement or symmetry. 4. One of three mutually perpendicular lines from which distances or angles are measured. (American Heritage Dictionary)
Interpreted Definition [Distinction: axis vs grid While both axes and grids order landscapes through straight lines, an axis is a single major straight line whereas a grid contains many minor straight lines arrayed at regular intervals. An axis is authoritative while a grid is democratic.] An axis creates order by creating symmetry and/or by providing a framework on which to sequence elements. In ancient walled gardens, order separated the cultivated land from chaos. In Renaissance gardens, order proved wealth and power. An axis might provide a sightline to the seat of power, such as in the plan of Washington D.C., or it might provide a space for the social ritual of promenading, such as in Central Park.
contemporary landscapes might refer to the dominant direction of travel, the dominant linear element, the dominant view, or all three. The “major axis” is the line off of which all other elements hang. The coordinate system of axes is also a design tool. Landscape architects use the x-, y- and zaxes of the coordinate system for reference when designing digitally. Landscapes may be described as possessing long or short x-, y- or z- axes. For example, most buildings can be measured with a large z- (vertical) axis and small x- and y(horizontal) axes, while most landscape projects have long x- and y- axes and short z-axes. Gunawan, Sarah, ed. ARCH 225 Case Study Database. 2016.
Axes have been used in formal gardens from the Persian gardens of the 6th century BC to the French gardens (such as Versailles) of the 17th century to city parks (such as Queen’s Square in Galt, Ontario) in the 19th century. However, axes began to be used less frequently during the Romantic period of the 19th century as formal gardens became less popular, and pastoral landscapes, more popular (see “Pastoral”).
Versailles, The Most 10 http://www.themost10. com/beautiful-gardens-in-the-world/
Landscapes today are generally, like pastoral landscapes, informal and natural rather than formal and artificial. Reference to axes in
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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Heather Friedel ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
AXIS Direct Definition (noun) •
an imaginary line about which a body rotates.
•
a straight central part in a structure to which other parts are connected. Interpreted Definition
Axis is one of the simplest principle of organizing. It is used as an imaginary line to organize the components of a design. Thats why designers, architects planners use it in the schematic design and design development phases of a project. Axes are usually related to the external factors like site context and views. Axis is used to align elements or reinforcing the axis with other elements like in city grids.
As a conclusion, axis is a bridge between the design and the surrounding, and a way of organizing the design elements, and setting boundaries for the programs and territories.
For Instance, first development phase of Washington D.C., which has designed by Pierre Charles L’enfant in 1791. He has inspired from prominent European city plans. His proposal was split the city by multiple non parallel axes. The intersection of the axes creates nodes where they used as public spaces and has become the relief points for the citizen of Washington D.C. The axial relationship of the wide diagonal avenues have a critical role on the creation of multi centered urban plan. The boundaries of the regions are covered with wide avenues and filled within a human scale grid. As an overall design L’enfant combined the radiating axial avenues from the central node and the pattern covered with a grid system.
L’enfant Plan of Washington D.C. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Roni Haravon 29 1
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
BATHYMETRY Direct Definition Pronunciation: / NOUN
/
[MASS NOUN] The measurement of depth of water in oceans, seas, or lakes. Interpreted Definition
OXFORD DICTIONARIES
Bathymetry of Lake Huron, NOAA University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Bathymetry, as the study of depth of a body of water, is a field that has only truly come into its own over the last century. Before the 1930s, and the invention of sonar, the only way to get a measure of water depth was to look, or measure it with rope strung out over the side of a boat. As waves can lift or drop a boat at any given time, and water diffraction can fool even the most experienced eyes, bathymetry remained a rather inaccurate study until the proper tools were created for it. Since its rebirth in the twentieth century, bathymetry has progressed from single-pulse sonar, to narrow and wide-beam sweeps, lidar, and even satellite scans from orbit. Now, high-definition scans of ocean floors have become basic and indispensable tools for any form of oceanic transit or subsurface travel, impacting shipping, mining, warfare, and, to a lesser extent, architecture. For much of its history, architecture was concerned with bathymetry in reverse. That is, designing artificial bodies of water, and filling them in once they had been constructed to specification. Such activities have been performed by ancient peoples as far back as the Ancient Egyptians with the dredging of canals and fountains. Bathymetry in and of itself hasn’t had a large impact simply because people do not live underwater. Now that bridges are beginning to traverse larger and deeper spans, and cities are becoming more 30 1
and more concerned with the erosion of their coastlines, architecture is finally paying attention to landscapes hidden beneath the waves. In the realms of ecology and marine biology, the undersea landscapes that make up most of our planet’s surface are important and undiscovered territory that are under increasing threat. Not because of the 24-hour news cycle and global warming, but more immediate, impactful things on our everyday lives as simply reclaiming land. As populations, and thus cities, grow, they require more land, for buildings, yes, but also for parks, and recreational centres, and schools. As it becomes increasingly necessary for architects to redesign shorelines and channels, they will have to expand their arsenal to describe and catalogue the landscapes that are their canvases, even those that exist beyond their purview, with the fishes.
Olsen, R. C. Remote Sensing from Air and Space. Bellingham, WA: SPIE Press, 2007. “What Is Bathymetry?” What Is Bathymetry? February 26, 2015. Accessed June 29, 2016. http://oceanservice. noaa.gov/facts/bathymetry.html.
Sean Tong ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
TERM 1 BATHYMETRY BATHYMETRY noun the measurement of water depth at various places in a body of water; also : the information derived from such measurements Merriam-Webster
Interpreted Definition Bathymetric information can help scientists identify the materials that make up the lake floor, such as rock, sand, or mud. Data can shed light on the volcanic history hidden by the waters of craters. Since the first bathymetric maps and dredge haulings were completed dozens of years ago, scientists have sought to determine the nature and timing of vents and landslides that are hidden beneath the water. Most of what we know today comes from the early bathymetric researches, dredge samples, submarine video, and samples collected by submarine from the lower caldera walls. Scientists hope the new, detailed, bathymetry study will shed light on certain submerged volcanic landforms and may even lead to the discovery of new vents. In the design process of landscape as well as considering the physical elements of landforms such as (ice-capped) mountains, hills, water bodies, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of land use, buildings and structures, topographic information; and, bathymetric features created by physical or chemical processes operating at or near Earth’s surface should be considered.
Lake Topography , Etsy.com/shop/Crafterall. University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
To understand why landscapes look the way they do, to understand landform history and dynamics and to predict changes through a combination of field observations throughout the existing area are such 31 1
important attempts before starting an intervention. Moreover, due to the rapid urbanisation processes of cities marine bathymetry has been drastically altered by deep dredging and the ongoing effects of nitrification from waste water treatment plants. This has threatened its value as precious marine habitat of cities. I can identify importance of being responsible about marine bathymetry basically in two terms. Firstly protecting nature in the sense of ecosystem and reducing environmental impact of what we design are essential attitudes for the purpose of leaving a livable world for future generations. Additionally, in the near future who knows we might like to go for a walk(?) on seafloor and enjoy higher levels of health and well-being when walking among seascape become easily accessible in our communities.
Bibliography
“Cartographic Grounds“, last modified january 2013, https://placesjournal. org/article/cartographic-grounds-projecting-the-landscape-imaginary/ “Gardening the Bay” http://www.rebuildbydesign.org/project/gardeningthe-bay-jamaica-bay-nyc/ “Bathymetry Survey” http://oe.oregonexplorer.info/craterlake/bathy_survey. html
Naz Özkan ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
BATHYMETRY Merriam Webster Dictionary Definition: The measurement of water depth at various places in a body of water; also: the information derived from such measurements.
Bathymetric information is derived from highly accurate laser surveys and echo soundings, as well as traditional methods such as lead line soundings, which is dropping and measuring a weighted rope (EMO). The topography of the seabed is cataloged for safety, research, and economic interests. It is necessary for ship navigation to have an accurate depth analysis of the ocean floor in order to avoid hazards such as underwater volcanoes. This data is also used by engineers implementing infrastructure that uses the ocean as a base such as, oil platforms, bridges (NOAA). It is also necessary information for companies like Google who just executed a cross continent undersea Internet cable, they would have relied on bathymetric data to plan their cable location and length required (Telegraph).
Water Depth, Google Earth. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
The study of bathymetry plays an important role in climate change today, bathymetric information is gathered from topographic floor to water surface. Scientists are able to track rising water levels and identify where flooding may become a problem first (OF). Studies of the ocean topography also can identify where tsunamis will become most deadly due to topographic influence of the ocean on wave strength. Biologists use bathymetric data to correlate quality of ocean life, species habitation, and migration to geological mapping. In the Great Lakes bathymetric data is used to keep track of coastal erosion and the threats to lake ecosystems 32 3
and the fishing industry (NOAA). Bathymetric data is gaining importance as natural disasters are gaining frequency. Architects and landscape architects are using the study of bathymetry to mitigate potential flooding risks and identify safe building opportunities.
“Great Lakes Bathymetry.” NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Accessed July 03, 2016. https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/ greatlakes/greatlakes.html. “Bathymetry.” EMODnet Central Portal. Accessed July 03, 2016. http://www.emodnet.eu/bathymetry. “How Is Bathymetric Data Used?” Ocean Facts, Accessed July 03, 2016. http://oceanservice.noaa. gov/facts/bathyuses.html. “NCEI 3 Arc-Second Coastal Relief Model Development.” Coastal Relief Model Development. Accessed July 03, 2016. http://www.ngdc.noaa. gov/mgg/coastal/model.html. “Google Launches Giant Undersea Internet Cable.” The Telegraph. Accessed July 03, 2016. http:// www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/06/30/ google-launches-giant-undersea-internet-cable/. Kelsey Dawson ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
Biome noun \â&#x20AC;&#x2122;bÄŤ-,Ĺ?m\ 1. a major ecological community type (as tropical rain forest, grassland, or desert) Interpreted Definition Historically comprised of the greek word -bio, meaning life and -ome which denotes specific parts or objects, biomes have originally defined the biological aspects of similar ecological types across the world. Already affected by the combination of both biotic and abiotic factors, current intervention by humans has shifted the definition, resulting in an anthropogenic type of biome; anthromes. Bedrock turns into concrete, rivers into shipping routes, flat plains into crops and so on. Within the anthrome, multiple types of communities can be classified; most significant ones including dense settlements such as cities, agriculture, pastures, forests and indoor communities. Ideas of equilibrium and sustainability in these built types comes into question. Metastability can more accurately represent this notion of fragile limitations within the community put under constant pressure from human intervention onto existing ecologies. The result of this is dramatic changes to the atmosphere, softscapes and hardscapes.
Conceptual framework for anthropogenic transformation of terrestrial ecosystems, Ellis EC. Anthropogenic transformation of the terrestrial biosphere. Philos T Roy Soc A University of Waterloo School of Architecture
With the extinction of so many species and organisms within different ecosystems, it is becoming clear that biomes can no longer define the instability within the ecosystem caused by human life. Conservation within these communities will have to be initiated in order to combat the transformation of these specific communities, bringing the definition of biome closer to its original context again.
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Sean Quach ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
BIOME noun / ‘bī,ōm/ 1. A large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g., forest or tundra. Oxford, 2016.
Interpreted Definition This term originated as a combination of two English terms in the early twentieth century. The prefix bio- meaning life, and the suffix -ome indicating things with a specified nature. Anything defined as a biome appears almost categorized in its own little bubble of nature. Ecologically speaking, a biome is defined when similar climate conditions within a continent results in plants and animals which have like characteristics across species. Initially the biome was classified in 1978 due to a study on North American grasslands found in a published journal article titled, The Structure and Function of Ten Western North American Grasslands: III. Net Primary Production, Turnover and Efficiencies of Energy Capture and Water Use by Phillip L. Sims and J. S. Singh. It was determined that precipitation and water use directly affected primary production above-ground, whereas solar energy and temperature affected primary production below-ground. Through a mixture of the above attributes, multiple biome classification schemes were created.
Taiga Biome, Bioexpedition. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
In terms of landscape architecture, biomes help define a typology in terms of design. Within the same biome type regardless of geographical location, the same architectural strategies can be used to create strong architectural works across the board. Designing within a biome requires the designer to consider the specific climatic 34 1
conditions within the biome. Attributes developed as a result may be used in different geographical locations with the same biome conditions. The landscape portion of a project in this case is the controlling factor to the project, and the architecture comes second as a development on the first condition. Referring back to the research initially done on biomes, it appears as though the conditions present within biomes pose as points of origin for attributes or ideas later on. The availability of certain resources within a biome determine the outcome of all things which prosper from it, as seen in the climatic effects on primary production.
Winston Yew ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
BIOME noun | bi·ome | \’bī-,ōm\ a major ecological community type (as tropical rain forest, grassland, or desert) -Merriam-Webster
Interpreted Definition Biome is an early 20th century word from the english language, the first word of the composition is from Greek bios, meaning life. The suffix, -ome, derived from Ancient Greek -ōma and related to sôma (body), means a mass of something. The second etymology of -ome could mean the entire class of entities of a species. Biomes are almost like a colossal ecosystem, they draw out geographic regions of earth and are classified by prominent life forms living in it. Interdependent communities of organisms that form a biome is also dependent on the light and water supply as well as the temperature and soil condition. A biome is a condition where the boundaries are not clearly distinct and inevitable movement and shifting occurs, following climatic changes.
Gara Plains / Chad, nationalgeographic.org University of Waterloo School of Architecture
The ideas within a biome can be compared in relation to the structure of a society and its environment. In an utopia, just as a biome, a society is a natural equilibrium which exists in coherence within its communities to create a self sustainable entity that is also interconnected and working in coherence to other societies. However, within the real world, both biomes and societal environments are sensitive changes and are susceptible to transformations over time. Both ideologies are metastable and only remain stable over a limited set of parameters. Once the set parameters are pushed to a critical 35 1
threshold, radical transformations might begin to occur within the biome or society. A biome has a scale dependent nature, not unlike societal environments where an ecosystem or community may seem too distinguished at small scales, but are actually an integral part of the whole at large.
Chieh Hung ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
BIOPHILIA Direct Definition Merriam-Webster Dictionary: 1 : a hypothetical human tendency to interact or be closely associated with other forms of life in nature
Interpreted Definition
responses they evoke from viewers.
The term “biophilia” was coined by Erich Fromm, who was a psychoanalyst in the 1960s. Breaking down the word into ‘bio’ – meaning life, and ‘philia’ – meaning ‘friendly feeling toward,’ he used the word in his own work to describe the biological drive that living organisms have to self-preserve. A decade later, the biologist Edward O. Wilson used it as a descriptor for “the rich, natural pleasure that comes from being surrounded by living organisms.” Recently, “biophilia” is the title of Icelandic singer Björk’s new project, a multimedia album that “celebrates how sound works in nature, exploring the infinite expanse of the universe, from planetary systems to atomic structure.”
Biophilia, Christopher Marley ‘Biophilia’ Book Cover.
Bjork is probably the most well-known artist to use the term biophilia in his work, but other artists and designers have explored the term in their projects as well. Christopher Marley, for example, is an artist who creates images and mosaics out of insects, aquatic life, birds, and minerals. Ingo Ardnt is a photographer who captures animalmade shelters. Ardnt’s book, “Animal Architecture” showcases these photos and provides a clear basis for biophilia as it exists in landscape architecture. Landscape architecture may be inspired by the forms, patterns, and relationships of these natural constructions, as well as the positive emotional
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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It makes sense to assume that landscape architecture is a result of biophilia, if it’s existence is driven by the human desire to be surrounded by living organisms (according to Wilson’s definition) and it’s form and function is inspired by that of animals and their own architecture in nature (like the work of Ingo Arndt, Christopher Marley, and Bjork).
Arndt, Ingo, and Jürgen Tautz. Animal Architecture. 2014. Marley, Christopher. Biophilia. 2015. Merriam-Webster. Accessed July 03, 2016. http:// www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biophilia.
Daniela Lopes ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
BIOPHILIA A hypothetical human tendency to interact or be closely associated with other forms of life in nature. Merriam - Webster
The etymology of the work can be broken down into the Greek bio, meaning life or organic life, and philia, meaning love. Biophilia, from its Greek roots, can then be defined as love for organic life. The term is also defined by Edward O. Wilson in his book, Biophilia, as “the innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes.” This love or focus can be seen in the success of the Sierra Club campaign or the photography of W.H. Jackson to increase popularity of nature for the purpose of preserving it. Each camp uses the capturing of nature through photography in order to evoke the affinity we have for the life processes which produce these landscapes. In this sense, biophilia is a driving force that views life beyond our own species as an object for our own enjoyment – regardless of a desire to preserve or abuse. As demonstrated through the effectiveness of the Sierra Club, it can be utilized as a selling point for ideas – regardless of whether they are meant to exploit or not. A possible example of the exploitation of biophilia for monetary gain could be aquariums displaying exotic species of fish to attract visitors. That is not to say, however, that monetary gain cannot be made through thoughtful reintroduction of nature, and ecosystems which accompany it, into urban areas. Edward O. Wilson, Biophilia, (Harvard University Press 1984), 1. Ron Adriano
Tenaya Creek, Dogwood, Rain, Ansel Adams. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
Biophilia noun \bī-ō-’fi-lē- \ [Merriam-Webster] 1. a hypothetical human tendancy to interact or be closely asociated with other forms of life in nature e
Merriam-Webster, 2016
interpreted Definition Derived from the Greek words bios meaning organic life and philia meaning fondness, biophilia is the term attributed to the human psychological orientation of being attracted to all that is alive. The term was introduced and made popular by the biologist Edward O. Wilson in his book Biophilla (1984). In his work Wilson suggested that humans have a deep bond with other life forms and our connections with nature are rooted in our biology. Wilson is not the first to draw these conclusions, Aristotle put forth the concept of how friendship between man and nature is beneficial to both parties in more way than just one, but is particularly impactful on happiness.
The High Line , New York City Image From: https://paulienemily. com/2015/05/14/panorama-view/ University of Waterloo School of Architecture
In the early 1990’s the green building movement began and with it connections were made between improved environmental quality and the productivity of employees. The financial gain for the employers was the initial benefit, but the increased productivity was seen as an indicator of health and well being of the employees. The studies conducted by Roger Ulrich helped to cement the concept that having a view of nature aided in the mental and physical state of employees. His findings showed that workers with a window looking out to nature report less stress, better health status, and higher job satisfaction, than their counterparts with a view out to built environments or no windows at all. 38 1
It is our biological need to be around nature that causes our architecture to bring it into built environments. The High Line for example brings a park through some of the most dense parts of New York. Allowing for people to connect with nature on their commute, or observe it from their offices.
“Biophilia Hypothesis.” Wikipedia. March 06, 2016. Accessed July 05, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Biophilia_hypothesis. Browning, William, Catherine Ryan, and Joseph Clancy. “14 Patterns of Biophilic Design.” 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design. 2014. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www.terrapinbrightgreen.com/ reports/14-patterns/. Ulrich, Roger S., PhD. “Effects of Healthcare Environmental Design on Medical Outcomes.” CAPCH. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www. capch.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/RogerUlrich-WCDH2000.pdf. Ethan Schwartz ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
BIO-REMEDIATION BIOREMEDIATION Direct Definition Noun; The use of either naturally occurring or deliberately introduced microorganisms to consume and break down environmental pollutants, in order to clean a polluted site. (Oxford Dictionaries)
Interpreted Definition The term ‘bioremediation’ is combination of ‘bio’ and ‘remediation’. ‘Bio’ stems from the Greek word ‘bios’, meaning one’s life, course or way of living, lifetime. Remediation comes from the Latin ‘remedium’, which is a cure, or remedy. The use of microbes to remove contaminants from the environment is not a new idea, there is evidence of the Roman’s using it as early as 600 BC to clean waste water. The term first arose however in the research of George M. Robinson in the 1960’s, where he experimented with different microbes in contaminated jars to see which could be decomposed at what rates. Bioremediation had its first commercial application in 1972 when it was used to clean out the fuel tanks on the RMS Queen Mary. It now has widespread commercial use, and the term has now been further broken down into microbial bioremediation (use of microbes to break down contaminants), phytoremediation (use of plants to clean up pollutants such as pesticides, petroleum hydrocarbons, metals, and chlorinated solvents), and mycoremediation (use of fungi to break down contaminants such as pesticides, hydrocarbons, and heavy metals).
Soil Bioremediation, Casella Organics. University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
Emma Moseley 39 1
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
BIOREMEDIATION noun: / bīōri,mēdē,āSH,n / The use of either naturally occurring or deliberately introducing microorganisms or other forms of life to consume and break down environmental pollutants, in order to clean up a polluted site. “Bioremediation,” last modified 2016, http:// www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/ bioremediation
Interpreted Definition Bioremeditation has been reportedly in use since 600 BC by the Romans, where they used microorganisms in their aqueducts to purify their waste water. However it wasn’t until the 1960s that this process was “officially” discovered by George Robinson. His first attempt was the use of microbes inside polluted glass jars to purify the water. In 1972 these microbes were used to clean out the fuel tanks of the RMS Queen Mary, which lead to a widespread knowledge of this solution. The necessary components for bioremediation are microorganisms capable of degrading the pollutant, moisture, nutrients, correct pH and proper temperature. The most primitive form of bioremediation is biodegradability. The chemical energy present in the waste is used by microorganisms to propagate while they convert the carbon and hydrogen into CO2 and water.
Close up of oil eating bacteria, Bureau of Land Management
One of the most hopeful uses of bioremediation is for oil spills in water. Not only does the water become a toxic environment for any creature, but the shoreline and ocean beds also become contaminated. In the Gulf of Mexico scientists are releasing thousands of gallons of chemical dispersant to break up the oil so that the microbes (Alcanivorax borkumensis) can easily use the hydrocarbons as food. They start by eating away the ring structure of the hydrocarbons in oil
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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using their enzymes and the oxygen found in the seawater. This process creates food for the microbes allowing for growth and reproduction of the species. However, with the increase in microbe population their is a decrease in the amount of oxygen found in the water. Therefore even if the quantity of oil is decreasing, large dead zones are created thanks to the lack of oxygen. The success of this process in the future will require collaboration between designers and scientist to create strategies using bioremediation and good design to navigate the fine line.
References: “Bioremediation”, last modified 2009, http://ei.cornell. edu/biodeg/bioremed/ “Bioremediation: Does it work?”, last modified 1993, http://www.nap.edu/read/2131/chapter/4. “Bioremediation,”United States Geological Survey, accessed June 21, 2015, http://pubs.usgs.gov/ fs/1995/0054/report.pdf “How microboes will clean up oil spills”, last modified May 25, 2010, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/howmicrobes-clean-up-oil-spills/
Caitlin Paridy ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
BIOREMEDIATION noun \ 'bī-(,)ō-ri-,mē-dē-’ā-shƏn\ 1: the treatment of pollutants or waste (as in an oil spill, contaminated groundwater, or an industrial process) by the use of microorganisms (as bacteria) that break down the undesirable substances Interpreted Definition The chief meaning of bioremediation refers to the restoration of a natural environment through the use of microorganisms. This term has often been used to describe processes such as the cleanup of oil spills using bacteria that breakdown the harmful chemicals through natural processes and turn them into harmless by-products. Essentially, it is refers to harnessing the use of biological processes to remediate and area that is damaged or polluted. In recent years, bioremediation has begun to integrate into landscape architecture projects, creating landscapes that are not only aesthetically and programmatically successful but sustainable and beneficial to the environment as well.
bioremediation; utilizing the natural biology of the landscape to reduce pollution and improve the environment. It is integrated into the landscape in a way that not only improves the natural environment but also creates a space that is of value to the community surrounding it. In the future bioremediation as a form of sustainable landscape development will likely continue to flourish and expand. Projects will further utilize the natural biological functions of the natural environment to create and enhance a landscape, both at a micro- chemical level, and at a more macro scale utilizing biological processes and habits.
A perfect example is the Gowanus Canal Sponge Park™ in Brooklyn. The park is a large network of environmental strategies all designed to minimize the damage caused by polluted rainwater, from minimizing runoff to using plants and soils to remove the chemical toxins and pollutants found in the rainwater.
Gowanus Canal Sponge Park™ Site Plan, dlandstudio. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
The later would be a conventional example of bioremediation, using microorganisms in the plants and soil to remediate the rainwater toxins at a chemical level. It seems however, that the project as a whole is essentially a project of 41 1
dlandstudio. "Gowanus Canal Sponge Park™." dlandstudio: Architecture Landscape Architecture Pllc. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www.dlandstudio.com/projects_gowanus.html
Genna Kalvaitis ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
COLLAGE Direct Definition 1a: an artistic composition made of various materials (as paper, cloth, or wood) glued on a surface b: a creative work that resembles such a composition in incorporating various materials or elements <the album is a collage of several musical styles> 2: the art of making collages 3: hodgepodge <a collage of ideas> 4: a work (as a film) having disparate scenes in rapid succession without transitions -Merriam-Webster
Interpreted Definition Historically, this term is used to describe a collection of different elements, allowing the borders of each element to read differently from the adjacent. However, the collective work when viewed as a whole is a functioning holistic entity that exists better together than separately.
I can envision the term “collage” being used to describe the landscape created in the urban context, where there is a heterogenous mix of buildings of various time periods, new technological advancements, parks and green spaces, and as a whole the region reads as a mosaic of sorts.
An example of a landscape architecture project that embodies the term “collage” is the Emerald Necklace (a.k.a. the Boston Park System) by Frederick Law Olmsted. This chain of parks comprises of 7 individual parks; Franklin Park, Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Pond, Olmsted Park, The Riverway, Back Bay Fens, and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. Olmsted was commissioned to create a system that uses infrastructure and landscape architecture to create a connected body of parks for the City of Boston. Each park individually offers its own particular set of accommodations and facilities, but effectively as a whole the system allows for the reach of each park to be extended. The connection of these parks allows for a greater unity in regards to the population of Boston, as park users begin to flow and wander into the neighbouring parks. Each park is still distinct and clearly defined by its borders and paths, but the chain of parks provides a recreational hub for Boston.
Back Bay Fens, Landslides Aerial Photography University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Marco Chow 42 1
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
COLLAGE NOUN A piece of art made by sticking various different materials such as photographs and pieces of paper or fabric on to a backing. (Oxford Dictionary) Collage is essentially the arrangement of found objects. It is an additive process and has no ending, serving more effectively as a design tool rather than a means for visualizing a ďŹ nal product. (Martin, 2007) The layering of different ideas and materials creates new architectural possibilities. Collage is about the interaction between introduced elements and the discovery of opportunities in their interrelations. (Martin, 2007)
digitally and by hand as artistic and architectural technique. Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and Daniel Libeskind are all known for using collage as representational tool.
The history of collage can be traced to abstract art and cubism. Pablo Picasso, amongst others, used cubism to portray a spatial moment from different perspectives. Henri Matisse collaged cutouts of varying shape and colour to create abstracted visual narratives. Collage has since been used both
Collage is a process of fragmentation, aggregation and synthesis (Shields, 2014). In designing landscapes, collage becomes a tool to juxtapose programmatic relations and material compositions. It gained notable popularity with post-modern architects trying to communicate speciďŹ c metaphors and historical references in their work.
Collage is widely known as method of visualization, however it can also be recognized as distinct style of architecture involving the same underlying processes.
Current conditions are promising for the continued use of collage as means of representation and landscape design. Easy access to precedent projects and graphic libraries diminishes the need for invention and allows architects to compose existing elements to communicate and design faster and more effectively.
Landscape Concept Diagram, Village of Yorkville Park, 1991 competition submission University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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Conrad Speckert ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
Complexity Direct Definition 1. the quality or state of not being simple: the quality or state of being complex 2. a part of something that is complicated or hard to understand Merriam-Webster, 2004
Interpreted Definition According to chaos theory, complex systems are highly composite, consisting of smaller units which interact to form connections which contribute to a greater overall behaviour of the system as a whole. These systems are capable of coping with the loss of smaller parts by adapting to the change, and they recycle outputs or byproducts as new inputs for the system. Typical characteristics of complex systems include nonlinear relationships, unpredictable action, and self-organization.
NYC’s Urban Landscape, Yale University UEDLab. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
This theory, generally applied to medical research, is also applicable to ecological systems, where organisms form relationships that together compose a web of interaction and an overall complex system. Changes in the environment affect aspects of the system, which must inform itself of this and adapt to maintain balance. To implement impactful landscape strategies whose results align with an architectural project’s interests, there must be a deep understanding of the ecological systems which the project is affecting or imitating and the outcome of inserting the project into the environment. Alex Felson’s Building the Urban Forest project analyzes landscape infrastructure within New York City with the goal of understanding how constructed landscapes can most efficiently feed back into the system on a global scale. In some cases, it may be more efficient to plant invasive species rather 44 1
than native ones if invasive species will inevitably take over an area. Because we are part of the global system and inherently want to keep it afloat for self-serving purposes, it is important that we carefully consider the consequences of human interventions. However, the unpredictability of a non-linear system makes it very difficult to predict the outcome of an action without testing it first. This is the problem we face while attempting to fix problems we create.
Natalie Kopp ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
COMPLEXITY noun \k əm-’plek-s ə-tē, käm-’plek-sə-tē\ 1. the quality or state of not being simple : the quality or state of being complex 2. a part of something that is complicated or hard to understand - Merriam-Webster Online
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complexity
Interpreted Definition In landscape ecology, the interconnectivity of an ecosystem’s network promotes complexity, requiring a deep understanding of the function of the projected landscape. Complexity Theory is rooted in the belief that all ecosystems are inherently dynamic, and that landscape architecture should seek to achieve a nonequilibrium which understands that ecosystem behaviour is not projectable or linear. It also marks a shift from an anthropocentric mentality to humans as only a small part of the greater ecosystem. Complexity is achieved in landscape architecture when the designers look not to the final design product as a static outcome (like a blueprint) but rather as a dynamic process (like a recipe), with phases taking into account the natural growth and decline which occurs in an ecosystem. A complex ecosystem does not seek a constant status quo between its species, but encourages natural cyclic processes such as the rise and decline of a population within its boundaries.
Laguna System Timeline, Emerging Realities 2012. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Complexity in landscape design is discussed at TU Graz’ Emerging Realities annual conference in Venice. Seeking solutions to establish the Venetian Lagoon as a productive landscape capable of selfsustaining its communities through biodiversity, energy cycles, and human use production.
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Regional planning inherently is a complex subject: a landscape architect must look years into the future to envision the various stages of project implementation over an extended period of time. Many competitions also address the complexity of designing for hybrid projects, such as the MoMA Rising Currents competition and the Changing Course Design Competition. It is important to note that in geology, a complex landscape is also defined as a landscape with a large degree of variation in topographical elevation, such as the Appalachian Mountains. Although not directly relevant to landscape architecture, this alternate definition should be taken into account when using the term ‘complexity’ while speaking with geologists. Green, David G. Complexity in Landscape Ecology. Dordrecht: Springer, 2006. https://www.academia.edu/4446060/Ecological_Design_for_Dynamic_Systems_ Landscape_Architectures_Conjunction_with_Complexity_Theory?auto=download http://www.doorsofperception.com/place-bioregion/venice-from-gated-lagoon-tobioregion/ http://www.gat.st/sites/default/files/workshop_einladung_programm.pdf https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150403095929.htm
Natasha Klink ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
COMPLEXITY COMPLEXITY Direct Definition “the quality or state of not being simple : the quality or state of being complex; a part of something that is complicated or hard to understand” Interpreted Definition Source: Merriam-Webster
When speaking about complexity in a general sense, one may grasp images of multi-layered issues that face the world, i.e., war and conflict, personal relations, or even mathematical equations. Complexity, colloquially, means multi-faceted, layered, and at times even hypocritical and impure. In the sense of landscape architecture, complexity can describe the way in which humans perceive landscape, when in fact the landscape itself is pure; when humans view landscape we must associate it with existing ideas in order to tackle its percieved complexity in our heads. For example, in D.W. Meinig’s essay ‘The Beholding Eye’ “it will soon be apparent that even though we gather together and look in the same direction at the same instant, we will not – we cannot – see the same landscape. We may certainly agree that we will see many of the same elements […], but such facts take on meaning only through association; they must be fitted together according to some coherent body of ideas. Thus we confront the central problem: any landscape is composed not only of what lies before our eyes but what lies within our heads.”
Responsible Travel Policy, http://www.go-africasafaris.com/photos/policy/social/visit-to-masaivillage.jpeg University of Waterloo School of Architecture
The phenomenal realization here appears to be that the complex aspects of landscape are the ideas that humans apply to what we see, rather than any inherent complexity in nature itself. A small-scale metaphor can be applied when thinking of the human body; a series of systems that hold much complexity when humans try to make sense of them, but when merely observing the human body it is inherently simple, methodical, and pure. Thus in the greater context of landscape architecture, the term complexity is a description of the way in which humans perceive what they see perhaps more so than any properties of the landscape itself.
Martha Trivett 46 1
ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
COMPOSITION COMPOSITION com·po·si·tion 1. 2. 3.
the nature of something’s ingredients or constituents; the way in which a whole or mixture is made up. a work of music, literature, or art. a legal agreement to pay an amount of money in lieu of a larger debt or other obligation.
Composition VIII, Wassily Kandinsky. “Composition VIII - Kandinsky Wassily.” Www.wikiart.org. Accessed July 03, 2016. http://www.wikiart.org/en/wassily-kandinsky/ composition-viii-1923?utm_source=returned.
University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition Composition is the act of combining parts or elements to form a whole, what once was an empty canvas gets composed into an intricate work of meticulous details which lend to form a landscape. Whether we understand a “wild” landscape as a creation of nature or God, with thousands of different elements coming together or as a clean, mathematically thought-out landscape created by an architect, it is composed of hard, soft and fluid scapes mixing together to create unique iterations of landscapes. A composition within landscape can be seen as the lake laying still, reflecting the snow-capped mountains that surround it and the pine trees acting as a dense layer hiding the fauna within it. However a landscape composition can also be understood as a highly controlled and much less ‘wild’ site. Dan Kiley’s NationsBank Plaza is an excellent example of the latter, where a composition of a concrete grid meeting the low cut grass create a sense of control and order, achieved through the use of clean and simple elements to compose the specific landscape. A composition could be the hot-cross-buns in A minor or Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, a tomato based penne pasta or an almond-prosciutto quiche, a suburban garden 47 1
with a gravel path or OMA’s parc de la Villette; each are composed differently to achieve various planes of enjoyment.
“The Definition of Composition.” Dictionary.com. Accessed July 03, 2016. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/ composition. “The Landscape Architecture Legacy of Dan Kiley | The Cultural Landscape Foundation.” The Landscape Architecture Legacy of Dan Kiley | The Cultural Landscape Foundation. Accessed July 03, 2016. http://tclf.org/ landscape/kiley-legacy/KileyGarden.html.
Amanda Reyes-Martin ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
COMPOSITION Direct Definition 1. The nature of somethings ingredients or constituents; the way in which a whole or mixture is made up. 2. Creative work, especially a poem or piece of music. 2.3 The artistic arrangement of the parts of a picture: none of the other photographs shared this particular composition
Interpreted Definition
Sources:
As indicated by the wide range of definitions of ‘composition,’ in the Oxford Dictionary, the word is understood in many different ways depending on the context in which it is used. These definitions quite often have to do with levels of judgment and artistic condescension but are rarely associated with landscape design. The most common use of the word, according to the oxford dictionary is, “The nature of somethings ingredients or constituents; the way in which the whole or mixture is made up.” This is the fundamental of the definition in regard to landscaping but it allows for a much wider application. This is often how we consider the term composition. If fact, the composition of a landscape is rarely considered amongst the average observer. Rather, landscapes are seen as complete views or individual elements but rarely as a deliberate arrangement of these elements. Although this does not impact the appreciation of landscape in and of itself, the exclusion of the word ‘composition’ from the critical viewing of landscape largely removes any trace of an architect’s intent from the appreciation of the space. As long as ‘composition’ and ‘landscape’ remain in isolated spheres of lexicon, architectural intent will be lost on the viewer.
“Composition.” Oxforddictionaries.com. Last modified 2016. http://www.oxforddictionaries. com/definition/english/composition.
Rational, Generated by author. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Levi van Weerden 48 1
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
CONCEPT CONCEPT noun \ˈkän-ˌsept\ 1. something conceived in the mind : thought, notion 2. an abstract or generic idea generalized from particular instances Merriam-Webster Interpreted Definition The emergence of conceptual art in the 1960s introduced a radical plane in contemporary art. It insisted, “concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art. (Sol LeWitt, Paragraphs on Conceptual Art, 1967) This of avant- garde movement questioned the notion of art itself, challenging the “importance artists have placed on how they have laboured, in contradistinction to, or identification with, how they perceived others (non- artists) labouring.” (John Roberts, “The Intangibilities of Form: Skill and Deskilling in Art After the Readymade”, 2007)
piece “rocked the art establishment by creating a physical representation of an action to change a landscape.” (Harry Seymour, “Shifting the Earth’s Landscape to Create Conceptual Art”, 2016)
Spiral Jetty, http://minimalexposition. blogspot.ca/2010/03/robert-smithson-spiraljetty-nowand.html
As part of the wider counter-culture movement happening in the 1960s, a number of artists began their exploration out of the confinements of galleries, creating art in the landscape-- from which conceptual land art was born. One of the most iconic works is Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty, located at Rozel point peninsula on the northeastern shore of Great Salt Lake. The artwork consisted of over 6000 tons of rocks and earth, forming into a coil 1,500 feet long and 15 feet wide, winding counterclockwise off the shore into the water. Among other works, this
January Muhua Chen
University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
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ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
CONCEPT Direct Definition (Webster’s) 1. Something concieved in the mind 2. An abstract or generic idea generalized from particular instances. Interpreted Definition Originally derived from the word conceptum, concept is something conceived in the mind. It is a driving force in which ideas are transformed in reality as well as in the form of the abstract. A concept may be complex or quite simple. It is constructed by raw ideas and notions that are organized in way that may resolve, undertake or answer a question that takes form of imagery, illustration and physical representations. A concept must carry a form of representation to exist in our world otherwise it is something intangible, which cannot exist. The ‘concept’ can be extracted from anything within our existence. James Corner – “Landscape and image are inseparable. Without image there is no such thing as landscape, only unmediated environment.” Landscape architecture is a form of representation that embodies a concept or an image. Corner says they two are inseparable, in that sense, the one is a product of the other. In traditional works, such as the Garden of Versailles the landscape was the reconstruction of the picturesque - to display supreme grandeur and self-confidence through decorative and glorious forms of landscape, considering this to be a representation of their ideals of greater power at the time. This is also evident within recent works of Corner, The High Line – a space that facilitates public space in efforts to revitalize the use of unsuccessful infrastructure that aims to choreograph intimate movement with alternating vistas and experiences. Although the implementation of the two works occurred in different time frames, the notion of the landscape and image being inseparable is evident throughout. The two works express a core concept(s) suggests innovative or alternative solutions that intervene with their respective landscapes in an architectural manor.
Branco Safra Headquarters, https://frieze.com/sites/default/files/jewishmuseum_marx.jpgv University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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Johnathan Subendran ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
CONCEPT noun /ˈkɒnsɛpt/ 1. 2.
something conceived in the mind : thought, notion an abstract or generic idea generalized from particular instances
Merriam-Webster, 2016 Stemming back to the 1500’s, the classical idea of concepts can be related to Aristotle’s definition of terms, although in a Platonist mind, concepts are seen are abstract objects, tied deeply with ontological thinking. The idea of ‘concept’ can be stemmed back to as long as time persists, and can be applied to virtually anything, as it consists of a conceived thought. Concept can be closely related to idea or notion. What is interesting is that these terms remain simply what is, an abstraction, purely conceptual. The interest befalls what gives concept credence, the internal structure – disposition of elements across networks of associated and disassociated concepts is what de Bolla calls the architecture of a concept. In historical times, the term was used to identify a particular idea, similarly to the term theory, a means in the scientific world to provide proof of a certain idea in regards to the inner workings of the universe. With the starting point of the representational theory of the mind, we can look back at early advocates such as Locke and Hume, in relation to the conscious mind and the association of ideas towards the foundation of the self.
CCN Diagram, OMA. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
As a term widely used in the architectural language, concept in this case, refers to an early thought, a driving force behind the formulation of a method of construction towards developing a set of rules to forward a particular project. When the 51 1
word concept is used in relation to a noun, one sees the departure of the word and its literal relation to its direct representation but as a broadening of the term to outside of the physical world, and perhaps to its relation with other ideas and workings. This theory can be applied to the word landscape. The direct connotation of landscape is a vast natural scene, although when one applies the concept - in the form of landscape as a concept, or the concept of landscape, this starts to poke at the underlying questions and influences behind the workings of landscape, its benefits, its economic power, it’s ability, etc. From this one can pull away 1 idea, the power of the word concept, and its influence with it’s associate.
de Bolla, Peter. The Architecture of Concepts: The Historical
Formation of Human Rights.
Cindy Cao ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
CONTEXT CONCEPT Direct Definition 1: the parts of a discourse that surround a word or passage and can throw light on its meaning 2: the interrelated conditions in which something exists or occurs: environment, setting <the historical context of the war> (Merriam-Webster)
Environment, Google Images. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition Context in relation to landscape and architecture describes the surrounding conditions in which an element in notice is positioned. This would mostly include the environment that the element is in, however it is not limited to simply natural factors. The context of the subject could include its relation and influences by external cultural factors. As monuments are built to commemorate political, cultural, economic, and social contexts, these human influences can determine what and how something is created. Context can then refer to time, as certain ideologies become unique in specific instances of human history, and would therefore influence the subject in how it is regarded to in the past, present, and future. Viewers can therefore comment on past events, and can build up the importance of an object within this historical context. Context is everything that has to relate to the subject, whether it be a landscape element or a building or sculpture, but isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the object itself. It is the immediate environment, the human influences and interactions, and even its own meaning and importance, all that build up the context of the subject. Therefore, context become the setting that the object interacts with. It is the physical aspects of the space and boundaries, and the social elements that humans impose on the setting. The context is everything one can sense about the environment, and everything one can impose onto and from. 52 1
Mikalai (Nick) Makhalik 20559331 ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
CONTEXT CONTEXT Direct Definition (Noun) 1. The parts of something written or spoken that immediately preced and follow a word or passage and clarify its meaning. 2. The circumstances relevant to something under consideration. Oxford Canadian Dictionary Second Edition, 2006.
Interpreted Definition Designed landscapes are intended for human view and occupancy. The people who occupy the space provide context and meaning to the organization and materials of the site through the individual perception and collective mental attitude (Baker, 1992). Without Context to clarify the meaning of the spaces humans occupy it would be impossible to truly understand the spaces because the relationship of the landscape to people is obscured.
circumstance of a word defines it, within a sentence, chapter, or book, the context of a landscape defines itself as well. (Spirn 1998).
The term context is derived from the latin words; con meaning together, and textre meaning to weave. This notion of weaving together can be applied to the process of site design where in the space being designed exists within a larger environment and thus must weave not only natural cues but also social, political, cultural, and historical elements together into an appropriate contextually aware response. The context of a site is unique, and because of this the design for that site must also be unique and must consider the restraints and additive values of their specific sites, as the sites do not exist within a vacuum. (Leupen 1997).
Stowe, As Modifed by William Kent 1769 University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
The act of weaving the events and features of each landscape together with their unique context is what shapes them and gives purpose, without which they would exist only as potential. Landscapes are nested; small within medium within larger within larger still, and do not exist otherwise. Similar to how the 53 1
Meaghan Mckinley ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
CONTEXT CONTEXT noun con·text \ˈkän-ˌtekst\ 1. the words that are used with a certain word or phrase and that help to explain its meaning 2. the situation in which something happens : the group of conditions that exist where and when something happens Merriam- Webster, 2011
Map of Stowe Landscape Park, Image Source: Collins, Paul, The Entrance Hall of Chatsworth. June 9th, 2008. July 5th, 2016. http://www.chatsworth.org/press-and-filming/ filming/chatsworth-as-a-location University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Knowledge is contextual and contexts are sets of cognitive elements that are all relevant to one another. Thus knowledge cannot be isolated from the context which depends and conditions its validity and use. What differs humans from animals is that we desire for more scientific reasons, knowledge, and contexts in the world; humans are driven to explore the unknown, discover new lands, and push boundaries further. The intangible desire to discover and understand the knowledge in context has benefited human evolution for centuries.
opportunities to collect and absorb data in context to the world and can be brought back to one’s next destination either it’s their mother land, home land, or new land. In general, comprehending context guides to the encounter of countless facts, properties and laws of nature, social life and man. Resource: Gunawa, Sarah. Theory and Design of Contemporary Landscape Architecture. Lecture at University of Waterloo, Cambridge, Ontario, May 2016.
A way of seeking knowledge comes from external senses gained from physical experiences and exposures and the Grand Tour during the enlightenment period, was an educational experience for the rich aristocracies. The Grand Tour exposed the young and educated aristocracies to new countries, landscapes, cultures, markets, and high socialites of Europe. Many travelled to Paris to analyze social etiquettes, politics, and philosophy, whereas Rome offered classical world of cultural treasures and astonishing landscapes. And in order to preserve their experiences and adventures, they purchased arts of set genres like historical paintings, portraiture, landscape, and city view. Travelling is one way to seek the contextual knowledge of the world for better understanding the current position of where we stand. It reflects 54 1
Min Kyung Cho ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
CONTINUITY CONTINUITY Direct Definition Direct: 1. the quality of something that does not stop or change as time passes : continuous 2. something that is the same or similar in two or more things and provides a connection between them Source: Merriam-Websterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Learnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dictionary
Central Hong Kong, Adam Frampton, Jonathan D. Solomon, Clara Wong, 2012 CITIES WITHOUT GROUND University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition
nature of the French River, its role as a tributary waterway of the Great Lakes, mossy rocky land, and boreal coniferous forest can be compared to Central, Hong Kong. The diagram of Central, Hong Kong outlines the hierarchy of roadways, pedestrian paths, in relation to landmarks in the district.
Continuity describes how designers utilize the ideals of modernist, natural, and classical structures. In the book, Making a Landscape of Continuity, author Gary Hilderbrand focused on the work of landscape architecture firm, Innocenti and As such the multi-layered system of Webel which utilized the inherent method of mathematical structure and naturalistic nature continues into the planning of city systems to generate landscape designs. The infrastructure. author states how successful spatial design is created by addressing contemporary issues inspired by natural intuitions. Similarly, an ecosystem or biological community of interacting organisms in the physical environment and its complex network of interconnected systems is used for spatial interpretation of the built form. More specifically, the dynamic, hydrology of a water basin consisting of the tributary waterways, lakes, soils, and vegetation is a metaphorical precedent for the infrastructure of a city serving the growing demands of the population. For example, the dynamic 55 1
Felix TY Chan ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
CONTINUITY TERM 1: CONTINUITY Direct Definition The unbroken and consistent existence or operation of something over time. A state of stability and the absence of disruption. Oxford Dictionary Interpreted Definition
Interstate Highway System, http://transportationfortomorrow.com/ University of Waterloo School of Architecture
An endless chain: one that connects the succession of the past, present and future. Continuity commemorates memory and in that the context of time- both that neither have a definite beginning nor end. (Lynch, 1972) This linkage is one that arises daily in landscape architecture. Landscape architecture in itself revolves around patterns, colours, lines, etc; items that can be described as being continuous. In the context of landscape, pathways can be considered as a prime example of continuity. Paths and roads are designed to connect a number of towns, cities and resources in order to create continuous spaces. These spaces express a physical form of visual continuity in addition to one that is psychological and personal. A strong sense of visual continuity can be seen through a repeated pattern of elements in the landscape, such as trees aligning a riverside or the repetition of specific flowers in a garden. In addition, the connection between social places for gathering and work create memories that become associated with the landscape. (Lynch, 1972) For example, areas of community gathering that have existed for hundreds of years become 56 1
significant in the continuity of personal and historical memories of the landscape. The landscape, however, is one that is continually changing through infrastructures and urban development, which affects the continuity of the spaces. (Carr, 1992) Urban development around existing pathways/roads enhances the physical and psychological form of continuity where new and old are able to coexist: new houses meet the old country pathways, while new areas of recreation are built over the old. In doing so the landscape itself is continually growing and changing both physically and psychologically but remain linked together through time and the physical land it occupies.
Citations 1. Carr, Stephen. “The Value of Public Space.” Public Space. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1992. N. pag. Print. 2. Lych Kevin. “What time is this place?” MIT Press, Cambridge p.3. Print. Jasdeep Multani ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
CONTINUITY noun / ,känte’n(y)ōōedē/ 1. The unbroken and consistent existence or operation of something over time 2. The maintenance of continuous action and selfconsistent detail in the various scenes of a film or broadcast (Oxford Dictionary). Interpreted Definition In the discourse of landscape architecture, the term ‘continuity’ refers to a quality of design that is both humble and responsive in manner. More specifically, the term ‘continuity’ highlights the subtle way in which nature meets artefact. The seamless integration of architecture and design into the Earth’s landscapes is a significant element in landscape design in which the architect is hyperaware of the way built forms meet the ground. In Richard Serra’s Shift, continuity is achieved through literal discontinuities. Large, linear concrete forms define the topography of the land in a broken, zigzagged path, drawing a continuous line of passage across the hectares of land. Although the concrete forms are separate objects, a sense of continuity exists in the way the forms sit on the site. Overtime, wild plants have grown around the concrete, embedding the sculpture into the landscape and integrating it as part of the land. Here, the connection between nature and artefact is in fact, continuous.
Image from: “King Centric.” King Centric RSS. http://kingcentric.ca/shift_article_2003-htm/.
Similarly, a house built by Frank Lloyd Wright in Lansing, Michigan depicts the continuity between nature and artefact through a gentle, winding path. Georges Perec describes this continuous nature in his book, ‘Species of Spaces’:
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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Richard Serra’s ‘Shift’ in King City, Ontario.
“Bit by bit, as if by chance, without thinking, without your having any right at any given moment to declare that you had remarked anything like a transition, an interruption, a passage, a break in continuity, the path became stony, that is to say that at first there was only grass, then there began to be stones in the middle of the grass, then there were a few more stones and it became like a paved, grassy walkway…In actual fact, it was already too late to know whether you were indoors or out.” (37-38) In this example, continuity is evident in the smooth transition between indoors and outdoors – between man-made forms and nature.
Mayuri Paranthahan ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
CORRIDOR 1 a : a passageway (as in a hotel or office building) into which compartments or rooms open b : a place or position in which especially political power is wielded through discussion and deal-making <was excluded from the corridors of power after losing the election> According to Richard Forman’s Land Mosaics, corridors are “strips that differ from their surroundings”. Together with the patches and matrices, they form the structure of landscape. Corridors are linear forms: they may be roads, trails, power lines, or streams, ridges, animal trails.
Unlike a stream that can be bridged by stones, a road does not have gaps. Continuity is needed. This makes it difficult for terrestrial species to cross, as evidenced by roadkill, but may be remedied either by overpasses for humans or underpasses for animals. This renders the corridor permeable.
Corridors can either be a conduit speeding up movement or a permeable barrier preventing movement depending if an object or living being is moving parallel or perpendicular to the corridor. Footpaths and trails are corridors created through repeated use, while paved roads are laid down by people to increase the effectiveness of transportation. Roads are also a barrier to animals crossing from one side to the other, as are valleys.
Wild Corridors, Conservation Resource Alliance University of Waterloo School of Architecture
One solution to the habitat loss of animals due to suburbs is to plant or preserve a forest corridor for species to inhabit. These “greenways” reduce the fragmentation of habitats, connecting to the lager forest matrix and allowing animals to travel shorter distances to other patches and corridors of land to propagate. However, the width and variation of these large-scale plantings are important to the species within: some species cannot dwell on corridor edges, only the core. Some species may use the corridor for movement, while others will use it for travel. Some corridors might be designed for specific species.
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Kelley Gu ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
Corridor noun | cor·ri·dor | ‘kόr-ǝ-dǝr 1. a passageway into which compartments or rooms open 2. a usually narrow passageway or route 3. an area or stretch of land identified by a specific common characteristic or purpose - Merriam-Webster
Corridors are passageways: interstitial spaces historically used only as circulation. Weaving through buildings, cities, and regions, corridors efficiently link rooms, neighbourhoods, and urban centers. The modern corridor, however, must be seen as much more than just a passageway, but rather as the connective tissue of the built environment, providing an essential service in linking otherwise fragmented spaces. Amidst an increasingly dense, urban society, corridors contain incredible potential for landscape architecture. Circulatory spaces often define how people experience and perceive cities. If seen as an opportunity, landscape corridors can become celebrated spaces, creating healthier, more holistic urban environments. Numerous landscape projects have already established the role of green corridors in the urban environment. High Line, for example, creates safe passage for pedestrians above the streets of Manhattan, connecting previously disjointed elements of the city as well as providing much needed green space. By also creating opportunities for recreation and repose the High Line has improved both quality of life and real estate value in addition to functioning as a circulatory corridor.
The High Line, Landslides Aerial Photography
The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway above the I93 in Boston is another successful example
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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of using landscape corridors as both circulation and amenity space. Prior to the Big Dig, the I93 existed as a transportation corridor, connecting automobiles to various parts of the city, however, the interstate itself divided the downtown core, interrupting the fabric of the city. Repurposed as a series of parks, the project still functions as a circulatory corridor but now better integrates different areas of the city into a connected and cohesive whole through a continuous public green space. Corridors also have potential as wildlife amenities. Expanding cities disturb and fragment natural environments, but green corridors have the potential to unite these divided ecosystems. Establishing a system of wildlife corridors between otherwise isolated green spaces would prove valuable in the synurbization of species, helping to restore natural patterns of interbreeding and migration. Wildlife remediation should be carefully considered in the future development of urban corridors. In considering the potential benefits to both man and nature, landscape architecture has the ability to make corridors more than just passageways, but rather means of integrating the built and natural environments to create healthy cities, lifestyles, and ecosystems. Devin Arndt ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
CORRIDOR Direct Definition noun / cor∙ri∙dor 1. a long, narrow passage inside a building or train with doors that lead to rooms on each side 2. a long narrow piece of land 3. a narrow area of land that is known for something specified (Merriam-Webster)
Figure 1: Wildlife Corridor, http://www. treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/ wildlife-bridge-being-built-over-ontario-highway. html University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition
south of Sudbury.
Within the context of landscape architecture, ‘corridor’ is used as an abbreviation of the terms ‘green corridor’ or ‘wildlife corridor’. With expansion of human impact on natural environments, many small fragments of nature with a limited amount of biological diversity are being created. Isolated lengths of land that emulate the ecosystem of these patches, ‘corridors’, are used to connect them together. Corridors result in increased biodiversity by allowing for easier migration of species, preventing interbreeding and ultimately avoiding species extinction.1 If, for example, a natural disaster such as a wildfire were to severely destruct the habitat in one green patch, the implementation of a wildlife corridor would allow the species to relocate to another unaffected plot of land. As Daniel Rosenberg, Barry Noon and Charles Meslow explain, although corridors are praised for their potential, a lack of data and analysis of existing corridors makes it difficult to examine their performance. Many of the studies conducted did not precisely document the travel of species through the corridor, but instead only compared the performance of the species in both of the green patches connected by the corridor. Figure 1 is a rendering of a proposed corridor connecting two habitats separated by a highway 60 1
Rosenberg, Daniel K., Barry R. Noon and E. Charles Meslow. “Biological Corridors: Form, Function, and Efficacy.” Bioscience (1997): 677-679. Giulia Kiernan ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
CritiCal regionalism Direct Definition Noun: A style of architecture that views factors of geography and cultural relevance through a modern perspective to create places tied to both universal and local languages of design. (Self-defined) Interpreted Definition
Jorn Utzon’s Bagsvaerd Church, Flickr User seir + seir, Creative Commons University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Critical Regionalism is a style of architecture, addressing the specific geographical and cultural context of a site, from a modern perspective, with modern techniques and materials. Arguably first formally addressed in Kenneth Frampton’s essay, “Towards a Critical Regionalism: Six points for an architecture of resistance,” the style emerged as a response to the universality and placeless quality of modernism, as well as the whimsical – and similarly placeless – post-modernism. The style pursues sustainability, both culturally and ecologically. Critically regional buildings are often characterized by their emphasis on tactility over sight, referencing phenomenology. Examples of architects known for employing critical regionalism include Alvar Aalto, Jørn Utzon and Tadao Ando, all of whom employ a combination of local, vernacular techniques and materials, and modern design principles. Although Critical Regionalism is often thought to be about creating a sense of place by addressing site-specific contexts, inversions are also possible, where elements are taken out of context and used in unfamiliar ways. This, argued by Alexander Tzonis and Liane 61 1
LeFaivre, is another way of being critically regional - to create disruptions in a building’s sense of place, and force occupants to selfreflect and re-evaluate - a technique that is most effective when a project’s sense of place has already been deeply established. A further implication of Critical Regionalism is that every area has an embedded “style”, and its emergence as a concept has spurned certain architects of younger countries to seek their own national style.
Ihroom Eric Oh ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
CRITICAL REGIONALISM Noun Critical regionalism is an approach to architecture that strives to counter the placelessness and lack of identity of the International Style, but also rejects the whimsical individualism and ornamentation of Postmodern architecture.
- Wikipedia, 2016
In the Vitruvian sense of the word, Critical Regionalism describes an architectural process based on building a region rather than a style. Traced back to the writings of Vitruvious in the first century, he suggests that the physical, intellectual, and cultural aspects of architectural form were to be completely fixed on the geography of place. Although the term was not generally accepted until the 1980’s, we can look at critical regionalism in the same sense we look at vernacular architecture. It is important to understand that there is a difference between architecture as a building style and architecture as a strategy. The end product is not to replicate the style of the vernacular but to become critical of its features and how they pertain to the performance of a project given the specific area of interest. In comparison to the more prominent movements of the twentieth-century, we see that building architecture and landscape artifacts from a vernacular perspective starkly contrasts with the international style - a style that disregards the notions of culture and geography. According to urban historian Jane M. Jacobs, critical regionalism is an attack on the practice of international style. She states “Just as post colonialist tendencies have always been produced by colonialism, so colonialist tendencies necessarily inhabit often optimistically designated post colonial formations.”
Icelandic Turf House, Wikipedia Commons University of Waterloo School of Architecture
If there is to be no new style, critical regionalism 62 1
is an appropriate response to new questions of design which relate to both cultural sustainability as well as environmental sustainability. Design based on successful historical precedents become key moves in contemporary design practice that seeks a site responsiveness based on regional thinking, the end result, a more cohesive organic method of design. Eggener, Keith L. “Placing Resistance: A Critique of Critical Regionalism.” Journal of Architectural Education (1984-) 55, no. 4 (2002): 228-37. http://www.jstor.org.proxy.lib.uwaterloo.ca/stable/1425724. Frampton, K. (1983) Towards a Critical Regionalism: Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance. In, Foster, H. (ed). Postmodern Culture. London; Pluto Press
Steven Lin ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
critical regionalism An architectural method that rejects the universality of International Style and the overembellishment of Postmodern Style, attempting to merge local vernacular with the reality of globalization.
Interpreted Definition
the surrounding environment or local vernacular.
CRITICAL adjective 2. Expressing or involving an analysis of the merits and faults of a work of literature, music, or art.
In relation to landscape, this analysis should not only cause the building to reflect the materials and shape of local buildings, but should also highlight the importance of the location that the building is placed on. The features of the site should again shape the form of the building to create a discourse between them.
REGIONALISM noun 1. The theory or practice of regional rather than central systems of administration or economic, cultural or political affiliation. Definitions from: Google The main question that critical regionalism attempts to address is posed by Paul Ricour: “How to be modern and to continue the tradition, how to revive an old dormant civilization as part of universal civilization.” From the root words, critical regionalism can be interpreted as the analysis of a locality. This analysis becomes the main tool that critical regionalist architects use to Ricour’s question.
Dune House, Marc Koehler Architects University of Waterloo School of Architecture
In relation to architecture, this analysis must somehow inform the building. In a way, this can be imagined as a reshaping of a modernist building; the overlay of the mapping on the building molds its shape to suit the sites environmental needs and react to its context, and the materials are changed to those that reflect 63 1
Nathanael Scheffler ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
CULTURE Direct Definition 1. The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively 2. The ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society 3. Biology, The cultivation of bacteria, tissue cells, etc. in an artificial medium containing nutrients 4. The cultivation of plants Source: Oxford Dictionary
Therme Vals by Peter Zumthor, http://amagazine. com.au/austerity-and-sensuality-therme-vals/ University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition The use of the term culture has evolved over time and its use has changed alongside social shifts. Originally, the term was used in terms of “growing” or “cultivation of soil” during the Medieval Times. By the 17th century the social changes of the Renaissance began to reflect in the use of the term culture as it began to be used in reference to “cultivation of the mind”. It is important to recognize the shift in the use of the term culture since it became more focused on human reflection rather than a word specific to farming. It is these types of cultural shifts that began to influence the way we view and inhabit our landscape. Globally, architecture resonates strongly with is regional place, reflecting on the culture of the context. Our ideals as a social whole are reflected in the built form and its interaction with the landscape that surrounds us. Culture’s relation to landscape architecture is rooted in understanding the individual characteristic of an environment, driven by the people that make up that place. Kenneth Frampton discusses the importance of critical regionalism as a tool to help distinguish cultures of different places rather than to gloss over the unique and inherent differences through “global modernization”. The response of architecture in a tactile sense, (e.g. Therme Vals by Peter Zumthor) allows for the beauty of a place and its culture to be at the focus rather than purely 64 1
aesthetic. His theory presents the thought that the way we approach and resonate with landscape should be driven by our social evolution and its impact on culture. Culture’s relation to landscape must be specific to place in order for our relations to our environment to become stronger. Sources: A Magazine. “Austerity and Sensuality – Therme Vals.” Accessed July 2, 2016. h t t p : / / a m a g a z i n e . co m . a u / a u s t e r i t y - a n d sensuality-therme-vals/ Oxford Dictionary. “Culture.” Accessed June 28 2016. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ definition/english/culture Frampton Kenneth, Towards a Critical Regionalism: Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance, 1983.
Monica Patel ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
CULTURE Direct Definition The beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time.1
Interpreted Definition Derived from Latin ‘cultura’ and French ‘culturer’ which means ‘growing’ or ‘cultivation’, the term ‘culture’ first appeared in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries which implied the process of cultivation or improvement in agriculture or horticulture, which later developed to refer to the improvement of the individual through education. In the 20th century, the term “culture” meant the distinct ways that people living in different parts of the world acted creatively and classified or represented their experiences.2 4
Santorini,
photo captured during co-op in Greece.
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
According to The Center for Advance Research on Language Acquisition, culture is defined as “shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs and understanding that are learned by socialization”.3 Culture can be grouped according to their geographic region such as Western culture, Eastern Culture, Latin Culture, Middle Eastern Culture, African Culture, etc. However, many countries are largely populated by immigrants who influence and spread their own culture. This is part of a growth of a country as it experiences cultural diversity.3 65 1
Culture in landscape architecture may refer to the evolution of landscape that is designed and crea ted intentionally by humans. Throughout the history of mankind, landscape has been altered both naturally and/or artificially and this process of modification has influenced the culture of humans. The landscape inhabited by humans becomes a platform to represent the culture of not only individual people but the society as a whole.
1) Harper, Douglas. “Online Etymology Dictionary.” Online Etymology Dictionary. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www.etymonline.com/index. php?term=culture. 2) Merriam-Webster. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture. 3) Zimmerman, Kim Ann. “What Is Culture? | Definition of Culture.” LiveScience. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www.livescience.com/21478-what-isculture-definition-of-culture.html. 4) “The Origins of Culture - Boundless Open Textbook.” Boundless. Accessed July 05, 2016. https://www.boundless.com/sociology/textbooks/ boundless-sociology-textbook/culture-3/culture-andadaptation-31/the-origins-of-culture-199-3031/.
Saadman Ahmed ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
CULTURE Direct Definition 1. the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time 2. a particular society that has its own beliefs, ways of life, art, etc. 3. a way of thinking, behaving, or working that exists in a place or organization (such as a business) Merrian-Webster, 2016.
North Cappadocia, Hot Air Ballooning Cappadocia University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition
Works Cited
The development or transformation of a landscape due to a particular society, location, or time.
“Derinkuyu Underground City.” Wikipedia. Accessed July 05, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Derinkuyu_underground_city.
When human influence is incorporated into an area of land that replicates or is nature, the product is culture. This is seen throughout history in many places by numerous ethnicities. The precedent image shown below is an example of the Byzantine Era in Cappadocia, Turkey. Before human interaction, the natural landscape consisted of unique volcanic rock formations, known as hoodoos. However, during the ArabByzantine war (780-1180), citizens took refuge in the hoodoo landscape. As a result, inhabitants excavated a vast amount caves and tunnels, creating an underground city. The civilians of this society revolutionized the existing landscape to a landmark that symbolizes an important aspect of their culture. This is a representation of culture and landscape becoming cohesive. From human influence on natural surroundings, we can identify another aspect of what defines culture; the landscape architecture. “There is still a dominant view of landscapes as an inscribed surface, akin to a map or a text, from which cultural meaning and social forms can simply be read” (Pannell, 63). Therefore, when understanding and examining an environment influenced by human activitylandscape architecture, we must also acknowledge that it means we are exploring a distinct society, religion, ethnicity, place, and time. 66 1
PANNELL, S (2006) Reconciling Nature and Culture in a Global Context: Lessons form the World Heritage List. James Cook University, Cairns. Page 63 “North Cappadocia (Red Tour) - Daily Tours & Activities | Hot Air Ballooning Cappadocia, Cappadocia Turkey.” North Cappadocia (Red Tour) - Daily Tours & Activities | Hot Air Ballooning Cappadocia, Cappadocia Turkey. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www.hotairballooncappadocia.com/ North-Cappadocia_Red-Tour.html.
Winona Li ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
DECONSTRUCTION Direct Definition 1 : a philosophical or critical method which asserts that meanings, metaphysical constructs, and hierarchical oppositions (as between key terms in a philosophical or literary work) are always rendered unstable by their dependence on ultimately arbitrary signifiers; also : an instance of the use of this method <a deconstruction of the nature–culture opposition in Rousseau’s work> 2: the analytic examination of something (as a theory) often in order to reveal its inadequacy Source: Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary
Parc de la Villette, Bernard Tshumi Architects University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition Landscapes can be analysed through a series of lenses, including, spatial, biological, social, and geological. This process of deconstruction allows for a critical understanding of the present, thus, more informed future landscape plans could be made. The process of breaking down a whole into the fundamental components allows an understanding of the landscape’s nature. In the example of Bernard Tshumi’s Parc de la Villette, a simulation of how humans interact in a larger urban setting is created by the clear intention of organizing on a grid what are planes, points, and surfaces. The distinct separation of the natural and artificial allows for the state of reconfiguration and discovery to the viewed without the distractions of traditional landscapes. This canonization of the deconstructivist method in 1982 push forward an architectural thinking in direct reaction to postmodernism. Much of the original philosophy is from the work of Jacques Derrida. He argues that much of western culture has been uncritical with the influencers of its consciousness. This “metaphysics of presence” should be exposed and undermined through 67 1
deconstruction. When represented in built forms, the process of deconstruction is characterized by unpredictably and controlled chaos.
Sources: “A History of Architecture - Deconstructionism.” accessed July 05, 2016. http://www.historiasztuki. com.pl/kodowane/003-02-04-archwspdekonstrukcja-eng.php. “AD Classics: Parc De La Villette / Bernard Tschumi.” ArchDaily. 2011. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www.archdaily.com/92321/adclassics-parc-de-la-villette-bernard-tschumi.
Vincent Min ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
DECONSTRUCTION Simple Definition: a theory used in the study of literature or philosophy which says that a piece of writing does not have just one meaning and that the meaning depends on the reader Full Definition: 1. a philosophical or critical method which asserts that meanings, metaphysical constructs, and hierarchical oppositions (as between key terms in a philosophical or literary work) are always rendered unstable by their dependence on ultimately arbitrary signifiers; also : an instance of the use of this method <a deconstruction of the natureâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; culture opposition in Rousseauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work> 2. the analytic examination of something (as a theory) often in order to reveal its inadequacy (Merriam Webster)
Demolition Goes Green, Journal Sentinel. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition Deconstruction is an important part of understanding philosophy and literature. The term first came to mean a strategy of critical analysis in 1973 based on the works of French philosopher Jacques Derrida. Using this method, one should, through close reading, analyze ideas in context of their opposites to uncover logic. The basis is that nothing can make sense without context; things only have meaning in existence with an opposite, i.e. light and dark, life and death. Starting in the 1980s, it began to denote several radical movements in the arts and sciences; architecture being one of them. In the 1990s to present day popular definition, deconstruction means undoing traditions and traditional ways of thinking. As a theory in architecture, Deconstructivism takes the general organized form of architecture away from itself. This style thrives on radical free forms, unhindered by traditional right angels and strict program. It has its roots in Postmodernism, but tosses off the shackles of purity of material, form, and function. It focuses on manipulation and fragmentation of volumes and surfaces. With the most recognizable forms of a traditional building taken away, and piece of deconstructionist architecture looks verging on chaotic and unpredictable.
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When it comes to physical buildings, deconstruction is NOT the same as demolition. Demolitions involve the complete destruction of a building, implying no material recovery. Deconstructions on the other hand, involve the careful dismantling of a building, with the recycling and reusing of materials as a primary focus. This process decreases the need for new raw materials, therefore helping the environment. As a reiteration of the meaning of the original term, it takes the materials in context of one building, and transfers them to a new context in a new building, changing the materialsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; meaning in the process.
Amy (Yun Ru) Bao ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
DECONSTRUCTION DECONSTRUCTION Direct Definition a theory used in the study of literature or philosophy which says that a piece of writing does not have just one meaning and that the meaning depends on the reader 1. a philosophical or critical method which asserts that meanings, metaphysical constructs, and hierarchical oppositions (as between key terms in a philosophical or literary work) are always rendered unstable by their dependence on ultimately arbitrary signifiers; also : an instance of the use of this method 2. the analytic examination of something (as a theory) often in order to reveal its inadequacy --Merriam-Webster
Intelligent Deconstruction, Blueist Training: http://blueisttraining.com/intelligent-deconstruction/
University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition Merriam-Webster defines it as a method of dissecting something (often literature) to examine and discover its meanings. The origin of the word comes from French, “dé“ and “construction.” “de,” stands for “the opposite of,” “remove.” Thus, deconstruction, means the act of reverse construction. In architecture, deconstruction describes the act of dismantling components of a built structure. It requires careful planning of how to deconstruct so that the material are still valuable for recycling or reuse. The act is sustainable and green by giving the material a lengthened life cycle. This is different from demolishment, which has a result of a completely destroyed ruins left at the site. These ruins eventually become landfill, instead of being reused. Other than physically deconstructing a built structure, we can also deconstruct an environment metaphorically. Landscape is usually understood as a whole, as a scenery of a collection of species or components. As we deconstruct this collection into individuals, we can discover the difference between these individuals and uncover the relationship between these components of the landscape. The “Landscape Deconstructed” project by Ingvar Kenne, Australia, is a series of collaged photography of nature. “The land is altered, dug, shifted, rebuilt, fenced, grazed, logged, paved, poisoned.” He said that the 69 1
landscape “is a resemblance of times past.” The photography metaphorically deconstructs the story of the land through capturing the evidences of change and alteration of the film.
“Deconstruction versus Demolition.” Metrovancouver. http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/solid-waste/ business-institutions/construction-waste/deconstructiondemolition/Pages/default.aspx “Landscape Deconstructed.” Behance. https://www.behance.net/gallery/19749359/LandscapeDeconstructed
Zi Qing [CJ] Yang ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
DIVERSITY Direct Definition 1. The state of being diverse; variety: ‘there was considerable diversity in the style of the reports’ 1.1. [USUALLY IN SINGULAR] A range of different things: ‘newspapers were obliged to allow a diversity of views to be printed’ From Oxford Dictionary Website
Interpreted Definition Landscape architecture has grown in diversity over the years. Where diversity in biology is called biodiversity, including diversity of plants, animals, habitats and more, diversity in landscape architecture includes its form, shape and organization. Landscape architecture has taken more and more forms from when it was first percieved as a term in the Middle Ages for their “ornate villas, and great outdoor piazzas”. (American Society of Landscape Architects). Landscape architecture developed into a larger city scale in the late 1800’s when individuals like Olmsted have widened the scope of the profession. Adding onto the picturesque framed landscapes like the Stowe gardens, suburban gardens and city parks were added to the idea of landscape architecture. An example where it began to widen its scope and be incorporated into more places than purely natural settings would be Central Park in New York. Olmsted and Vaux were the main forces in this project where its “success fostered the urban park movement” (Central Park Conservancy).
Manufacturing #17, Edward Bartynsky. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Moving towards present time where we’ve discussed the multiplicity and diversity in class, the ideas of how infrastructure, painting, photography and others are also under the heading of landscape architecture. One of the most interesting 70 1
developments of landscape architecture would be how Edward Burtynsky manipulates factories, grocery stores and production lines into scenes of landscape architecture. The photo with the factory workers create a piece of landscape architecture that would not be considered as landscape architecture centuries ago. The idea of landscape architecture has become so diverse in the way that any particular setting could be described as landscape architecture in which the scene articulates any kind of view, whether it be a site wide scale or a miniscule scale. From the perfectly articulated English gardens with piazzas highlighting intersections between crossing paths to large urban city greenscapes among skyscrapers to workers in uniform outfits lined in rows, it is safe to say that the diversity of landscape architecture has grown and expanded many times its own size from the very beginning. With that being said, diversity in landscape architecture allows almost anything to be considered a part of its description.
Hollie Sin ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
DIVERSITY DIVERSITY Direct Definition 1. the condition of having of being composed of differing elements. 2. an instance of being composed of differing elements of qualities.
Merriam-Websterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Learnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dictionary. 2011 Interpreted Definition Landscape diversity is a combination of different vegetation types, landforms, land uses, or all of the above. This can best be seen when flying in an airplane looking downward upon the land. There are usually patches of different land representing the different textures from grass and forest, to roads and subdivisions. The diversity of a landscape can also be viewed in farmland where there are sectioned off areas for shrubs, trees, and different crops at a human scale. Diversity can be found at any scale even down to a micro scale when analyzing plants or chemicals underneath a microscope. In landscape there are hills, wet spots, soil types and vegetation that define change and variety. Natural disasters can also create a landscape change from a post forest fire, hurricane, tornado, etc possibly wiping out any diversity leaving a completely monotone landscape. Human activity can lead to a change and create a different visual landscape diversity; in suburbs there is a distinct separations between roads, driveways, houses, backyards, and pools. As long as there is a difference in elements that come together within a landscape, there is landscape diversity, however diversity can occur at any scale.
Richard Forman, 1995
Ariel Landscape, rachelleb.typepad.com University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
Shevaun Mistry 71 1
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diversity DIVERSITY noun | di·ver·si·ty | 1. the quality or state of having many different forms, types, ideas, etc. 2. the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization The term diversity comes from the word diverse, which means to be composed of “ distinct elements qualities or characteristics” or “ differing from each other” according to the Merriam Webster dictionary. The specific root of diverse is the Latin verb , divertere. The prefix di, means to turn aside and the word diversus means turned aside, separate and different. The word diversity first appeared as a noun in the 14th century and simply meant ‘varied’. One way to understand the term diversity, especially in relation to landscape, is through understanding the different components that make up a landscape. A specific example of this can be found in Washington D.C through the Dupont Circle. The Dupont Circle landscape is composed of several components that are completely different from one another, but together make up an interesting and a diverse landscape. The components are concrete paving, greenery, benches, streetlights and the monument. The landscape of Dupont Circle is considered to be diverse as it is made up of different components materially, and structurally.
The World Through The Eyes of Sammy , Sammy Slabbinck Yatzer | mixed media collage University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Looking at a larger scale, one can define Australia’s landscape as diverse as it has different types of landscapes that make up Australia’s geography. Australia’s geography can be divided into different types of landscapes: Australian desert, Australian coastline, Australia Tropics, and Australian Mountains. These landscapes 72 1
differ from one another and as a result, it can be said that Australia has diversity when it comes to landscape. When it comes to landscape architecture, the term diversity refers to the different species. When a landscape architect designs, he/she should keep in mind when designing for human beings or for other species or both, as they have different needs and as a result, result in different designs. Nowadays, architects disregard other species or plants and focus solely on the needs of humans and because of that, certain species suffer. One issue that occurs when disregarding diversity in landscape is the growth of invasive species which are ,”plants, fungus’, or animal species that are not native to a specific location (an introduced species), and which have a tendency to spread to a degree believed to cause damage to the environment, human economy or human health.” (Wikipedia) citation 1. “AUSTRALIA GEOGRAPHY.” Geography Of Australia: Scenery and Landscape. Accessed July 04, 2016. http://geography.murwillumbahhigh. nsw.edu.au/. 2. “Diversity / University.” The Word Detective. Accessed July 04, 2016. http://www.worddetective.com/2013/02/diversity-university/. Nitzan Farfel ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ECOLOGICAL ECOLOGICAL adj. derived from the noun Ecology. 1. a branch of science concerned with the interrelationship of organisms and their environments 2. the totality or pattern of relations between organisms and their environment 3. human ecology 4. environment, climate <the moral ecology>; also : an often delicate or intricate system or complex <the ecology of language> ecological play \
Interpreted Definition Coined by the biologist and philosopher Ernst Haeckel. Ecology is a network of living organisms that are dependent on each other. These organisms maintain and sustain a thriving environment through shared organic interactions. The study of ecology extends multiple disciplines of science such as human, geographic and economic studies. As Ernst Haeckel says “nothing is constant change! All existence is a perpetual flux of ‘being and becoming!’ that is the broad lesson of the evolution of the world.” Landscape ecology challenges the ordinary setting of biodiversity by introducing different organisms that are interact with one another interdependently in an unobstructed environment. This environment is susceptible to any type of change such as the introduction of new organisms through migration, natural disasters, human action etc.
Ecorium of the National Ecological Institute, South Korea. http://grimshaw-architects.com/sectors/ https://www.samoo.com/
University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
An example of the human action is the introduction of golden mussels into Argentina via the Parana River. The mussels were introduced through the trade boats that would dock at the pier. The mussels multiplied rapidly. “Ecosystem Engineering” caused the mussels to efficiently and severely clean the ecosystems that they were in thus causing a big change to the existing ecosystem.
1http://blog.ted.com/a-ted-fellow-wields-genes-toprotect-the-amazon/ 2- http://www.rugusavay.com/ernst-haeckel-quotes/
HAGOP TERZIAN 73 1
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ECOLOGICAL ECOLOGICAL Direct Definition ADJECTIVE Relating to or concerned with the relation of living organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings: pollution is posing a serious threat to the ecological balance of the oceans one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worst ecological disasters
Interpreted Definition For thousands of years, humans have built in order to shelter themselves from the uncontrollable and untamed natural elements. The built environment which contained human activities displayed a clear separation from the natural world, a move labelled as a huge step forward from prehistoric cave dwellers. As civilization progressed, the integration of ecology began to re-emerge in the form of garden cities and chateau gardens. However, these privately owned landscapes were not accessible to the general mass audience but instead a luxury owned but the rich and royal. Fast forward to the late 1800â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, countries starting seeing the importance in balancing nature with the new rapidly expanding city. The idea of creating public gardens and parks to harmonize the modern urban-ecosystem thus led to the rise of a global environmental movement.
Ecological architecture is an extension created from the realization that cities cannot exist in isolation from nature. As a collective of architects, landscape planners, city planners, scientists and even consumers, we began to merge and integrate our human interests and needs with the sensitivities of the natural environment. Architecture began to transform in all aspects; projects became more site-sensitive, and less intrusive. New technologies, in all shapes and sizes emerged to make architecture even more green such as solar panels, living walls and co-generation energy systems. Ecological design learns from natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s processes, structure and functions and imitates it in order to create a more sustainable and efficient builtenvironment.
Lumen Building, Wageningen University.
Alyssa Tang University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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ECOLOGICAL adjective 1. Relating to or concerned with the relation of living organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings:1
Ecological Levels of Organization, https:// theotherdada.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/ untitled-12.jpg University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Ecology is the branch of biology which deals specifically with the relations of living things to one another as opposed to the individual organisms themselves. This includes their competition for survival and resources, their situation in the food chain, their impact on the physical environment, etc. 2 Ecological data represents a wide network of interconnected activity sensitive to changes and fluctuations.
are tightly interrelated.
The word ecological comes from the root Greek words “oikos”, meaning “house”3, and “logos”, meaning “reason”.4 In the context of landscape, I interpret the word house more broadly as “home”. The home in question is the environment, and the study of ecology is therefore the study of what reason makes that home a home. A home must be a place of comfort and security. An ecological system maintains its comfort and security for the organisms within it if it has well-balanced populations, is free of pollutants, and has abundant resources.
REFERENCES
Ecological systems, however, do not exclude human beings: indeed, humans are often the most significant variable in any ecological system. Much like putting an addition on a physical house, if these ecoological homes are to remain homes, any new construction must preserve the comfort and security they offered before. It will take a paradigm shift in public thought to recognize that the distinction between “natural” landscapes and “human” landscapes is a false dichotomy, as they 75 1
Ecological landscaping (“eco-scaping”, see page four) recognizes this by using environmental principles to guide built transformations of natural landscape, aiming to harmonize the two rather than demarcating them in a disruptive way. These practices include planting native flora, use rain barrels, and building with renewable resources.5
1. Oxford Dictionaries, s.v. “ecological”, accessed July 4, 2016, http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ definition/english/ecological 2. Ibid. 3. Oxford Dictionaries, s.v. “ecology”, accessed July 4, 2016, http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ definition/english/ecology 4. Oxford Dictionaries, s.v. “logos”, accessed July 4, 2016, http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ definition/english/logos?q=-logos 5. “What is Ecological Landscaping?”, Credit Valley Conservation, accessed July 4, 2016,http://www. creditvalleyca.ca/your-land-water/green-cities/ ecological-landscaping-restoration-resources/ Philippe Fournier ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES Direct Definition ecosystem services: plural noun the important benefits for human beings that arise from healthily functioning ecosystems, notably production of oxygen, soil genesis, and water detoxification. Interpreted Definition ecosystem: noun, Ecology. a system, or a group of interconnected elements, formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment. service: noun, an act of helpful activity; help; aid.
source: dictionary.com
hypar-nature ,www.mvvainc.com University of Waterloo School of Architecture
An ecosystem is composed of biotic and abiotic components which function together by nutrient cycles and energy flows. It is the network of interactions amongst organisms and organisms and their environment. In laymanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s terms ecosystem services are the benefits provided by a functioning ecosystem to human beings. These benefits are generally characterised into four types, provisioning, and regulating, supporting and cultural services. Specific benefits generated by ecosystems, is an ecosystems ability to provide systems that provide food for human consumption. Ecosystems also provide raw materials needed for construction and fuel. Humans benefit from improved air quality, waste water treatment and erosion prevention. While these are just a few of the benefits, human altered landscapes in urban areas look to capitalize on other ecosystem services. In urban areas today there is a larger focus towards air filtration, microclimate regulation, noise reduction, rainwater drainage and recreational and cultural values. However not purely an ecological benefit for humans, the cultural services provided by ecosystems is very important to the mental and physical health of humans. Simple green space plays a vital role for humans and their health, spaces such as Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway and Millennium Park. 76 1
Acting as an artificial recreation to ecosystem services, operations such as water filtration plants attempt to do their part in assisting ecosystems with the added pollution created by ourselves. A healthy ecosystem is only meant to handle a certain amount of external stress that is why there has been a greater need for intervention. Some of the greatest threats to healthy ecosystems is urban development, fisheries and lakeshore development. These issues have brought forth many ideas in regards to maintaining and reintroducing ecosystems. Projects such as hypar-nature by MVVA proposes a solution to urban expansion that allows for ecosystems to continue to grow without limitations due to our desire to develop.
Joshua MacDonald ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES noun /’ēkō sist m ‘s rv s/
Interpreted Definition
1. The benefits people obtain from ecosystems. 2. Four categories of ecosystem services: supporting, provisioning, regulating and cultural.
Recognition of how ecosystems could provide more complex services to mankind date back to as early as Plato (c. 400 BC), who understood that deforestation could lead to soil erosion and the drying of springs. In 1970, Paul Ehrlich and Rosa Weigert called attention to “ecological systems” in their environmental science textbook and “the most subtle and dangerous threat to man’s existence... the potential destruction, by man’s own activities, of those ecological systems upon which the very existence of the human species depends”. The term “environmental services” was introduced in a 1970 report of the Study of Critical Environmental Problems, which listed services including insect pollination, fisheries, climate regulation and flood control.
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- Wikipedia
“About 90 percent of commercially grown field crops, citrus and other fruit crops, vegetables, and nut crops currently depend on honey bee pollination services that in some cases could readily be provided by native pollinators living in natural ecosystems”. Goldman, Rebecca L. “Ecosystem Services: How People Benefit from Nature.” Environment Magazine. September/October 2010. Accessed July 04, 2016. http://www.environmentmagazine. org/Archives/Back Issues/September-October 2010/ecosystem-services-full.html. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
The human population is expected to reach 9 billion people by 2050, and with that increase will come a greater demand for many natural resources. Hand in hand with this growing demand for resources is the conversion of native ecosystems to meet growing needs. Making choices that can benefit both us and nature may be our best option for securing our livelihoods. Ecosystem services provide a means for people to understand the link between their choices and the natural world. Underlying all the resources we use, the species we see, and the foods we eat are ecosystem processes: the biological, chemical, and physical interactions between components of an ecosystem (e.g., soil, water, species). Ecosystem processes create our natural world, while its services are the link between this natural world and people - the specific processes that benefit people. Ecosystem goods are created from processes and services and are the tangible, material products we are familiar with. 77 1
Ecosystem services can provide a means to value people’s well-being in conservation projects and can help advance a set of on-the-ground actions that are equitable, just, and moral. Ecosystem services can be a basis for sustainable development by providing a means to think through how to retain our natural resources for people and for nature with a growing population and therefore an ever-increasing demand for them. As benefits of nature, ecosystem services are often discussed in the context of conservation, but as all goods and products originate from nature and its services, our choices depend on and affect flows of services from nature. Not understanding nature’s role in the products we use means we won’t conserve nature sufficiently; this in turn will compromise our ability to access products we need, or we will have to find sometimes costly alternatives for what nature could otherwise provide to us. Incorporating the full suite of costs and benefits into decisionmaking means evaluating all costs and benefits associated with nature, too. Ecosystem services help connect people to nature and allow us to make more informed decisions by underscoring all the component pieces of the products we value. “Ecosystem Services.” Wikipedia. May 29, 2016. Accessed July 04, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Ecosystem_services#Definition. Goldman, Rebecca L. “Ecosystem Services: How People Benefit from Nature.” Environment Magazine. September/October 2010. Accessed July 04, 2016. http://www.environmentmagazine. org/Archives/Back Issues/September-October 2010/ecosystem-services-full.html. Kelsey Malott | 20564258 ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
EIDETIC adjective / Ʌıdεtıκ / 1. Relating to or denoting mental images having unusual vividness and detail, as if actually visible.1
Eidetic is a variant of the German word eidetisch, and derives from the Ancient Greek word eidos, or
form.2
1. Oxford. n.d. Oxford Dictionary of English. 2. 2016. Eidetic Memory. July 2. Accessed July 3, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Eidetic_memory. 3. McKormick, L. 2015. Photographic and Eidetic Memory. May 08. Accessed July 3, 2016. http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/lmccormick/photographic-andeidetic-memory.
Eidetic is used almost exclusively to describe memory, as in eidetic memory, but it is not quite the same as a photographic memory. An eidetic memory maintains physical qualities such as spatial organisation, colour and texture, and is usually lost after blinking. Like any other memory, eidetic memories are subject to alteration upon recall, and once the memory has faded, it can rarely, if ever, be retrieved. A photographic memory, however, means the memory is an exact replica of an image (like a photograph) and can be recalled perfectly later.3
Photographic Memory, darozz.tumblr.com University of Waterloo School of Architecture
As it applies to landscape, landscape paintings are similar to eidetic memories. Landscape painting in its earliest stages captures literary scenes using details that have actually been seen before by the artist, and they are structured exactly after the story from which they originate. The paintings become eidetic memories; they maintain the physical qualities of their inspiration – the colours, the textures, the organisation – but they are still subject to affection by the artist as the artist interprets the scenery he or she is painting. Additionally, much like an eidetic memory, landscape paintings are not an afterimage, that is it does not move and it is the same colour as the inspiration for the painting. 78 2
Lauren Nayman ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
EIDETIC EIDETIC Direct Definition
Interpreted Definition
Relating to or denoting mental images having unusual vividness and detail, as if actually visible:
In Eidetic Operations and New Landscapes, James Corner explains that the term eidetic is used in relation to landscape, “to refer to a mental conception that may be picturable but may equally be acoustic, tactile, cognitive or intuitive.” And “…thus, unlike the purely retinal impression of pictures, [they] contain a broad range of ideas that lie at the core of human creativity.” Eidetic is a term used to describe the landscapes, architecture, environments, atmospheres, in images or in real life, which are active, ever changing, and can grow to be more. Therefore, the term relates to its direct definition in that it is ‘something more’ than an image, it takes into account time, history, future, and change. As landscape architecture develops in the future, its design moves towards the need for sustainability, which is something that has to be successful even as the users of the infrastructure change. The architecture has to be designed to take account of future occurrences and changing ‘things’. In order to be sustainable, the program should be multi-faceted and multi-purpose, to grow with the needs of humans. The employment of eidetic design is more vital now more than ever as resources such as land become limited in cities.
an eidetic memory Oxford Dictionary, 2016.
Sources:
Bonfire, Water Colour Sketch by me. The following is a rough sketch done at the French River. I worked on it passively for about 25 minutes, as the sun set and it got darker, and also as everyone shuffled around the wood. The elements I was sketching were very different when i began the painting, and as i added layers, it changed drastically. The photograph has eidetic qualities as it changed with time and atmosphere. University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
Corner, James. Recovering Landscape: Essays in Contemporary Landscape Architecture. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999. Shanze Shahbaz 79 2
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EMERGENT EMERGENT adjective | emer·gent | \ i-mer-jent \ a : arising unexpectedly b : calling for prompt action (Merriam-Webster)
Interpreted Definition Emergent refers to coming into being, or evolving, or simply coming out into view. In discussions related to emergent architecture, the key principle is the notion of being unintentional. While there are intentional architectures that are carefully planned, emergent architectures are thought to be accidental.
is emergent in itself, as one would not predict that such a quantity of public space would be inserted into New York, much less on an unused railway, had it not been for the Friends of the High Line program that crowdfunded and brought awareness to the project.
In an article on Domus, the High Line is considered to be an example of an “emergent species of public space that binds landscape architecture and architecture with planning and preservation”. Of course, the High Line is a carefully planned project, each part designed and specified meticulously - environments with names such as the Thicket, the Lawn, the Seating Steps, and the Radial Bench are clearly all designed with seasonal transition and program (such as looking, moving and gathering) in mind, This begs the question - can landscape architecture ever truly be accidental, in the “emergent” definition of the word?
The High Line, www.thehighline.org University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Inherently, design is never accidental, as informed human decisions make up a large part of the design process itself. However, oftentimes there are elements that can be considered emergent in the inception or extended lifetime of a project, as is true in the case of the High Line. This can be a result of unpredicted human use, shifting of architectural elements to accommodate for unforeseen program or circulation, or even simply the freedom for plants to grow. The whole conceptual basis of the High Line 80 2
Bianca Weeko Martin ARCH 225 ARCH 225| Spring | Spring2016 2016
EMERGENT adjective 1a : b: 2a : b:
arising unexpectedly calling for prompt action : urgent rising out of or as if out of a fluid rooted in shallow water and having most of its vegetative growth above water 3: arising as a natural or logical consequence 4: newly formed or prominent
Interpreted Definition The word emergent was first used in the English language in 1593, emerging from the Latin word emergere, which can be translated to arising out of (Webster). With regards to landscape architecture, emergent defines what the practice must be. As R Buckminster Fuller stated “A designer is an emerging synthesis of artist, inventor, mechanic, objective economist and evolutionary strategist.” The Landscape Architect must recognize the emergent, as they are designing spaces for future use.
that landscape architecture tries to solve are natural and logical consequences, need to be solved urgently, and will use new technologies, emergent in all senses of the word. “emergent.” Merriam-Webster.com. 2011. Accessed July 03 2016. http://www.merriam-webster.com
Emergent and modernism also have a correlation, modernism is always emerging, to be modern, is to be at the cusp of what is new, the latest, the emergent.
BIG U, Biarke Ingles Group/Rebuild Design University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Furthermore, the relationship between emergent, urgent, and emergency is interesting. Recently, there have many landscape architecture projects that are responses to climate change, rising ocean levels, etc. The proposals are responses to these emergent or urgent problems and propose that through landscape architecture the problems can be solved, at least temporarily. This also ties to the Webster Dictionary’s definition of emergent as “arising as a natural or logical consequence” – which climate change is. Many of the problems 81 2
Elizabeth Lenny ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
EMERGENT adjective (WEBSTER) 1.a. arising unexpectedly 1.b. calling for prompt action: Urgent 2.a. rising out of or as if out of a fluid 2.b. rooted in shallow water and having most of its vegetative growth above water 3. arising as a natural or logical consenquence 4. newly formed or prominent Interpreted Definition
Snow Flakes, Wilson Bentley.
Crossing over from different arts, sciences, and philosophy, the word emergence describes the process when a larger entity or form is created through the interaction of smaller scaled individual items. Although this concept had been around since the early Greek thinkers, the first person to bring the term into being was a philosopher named G.H. Lewes. He explains that the resultants must be either a sum or a difference of the co-operant forces. When their directions are the same, it is the sum, while it is the difference if the directions are opposite. (Lewes, 1875) Emergent elements are the conceptual and structural cores of landscape. Much like how random connections of miniscule ice crystals form snowflakes, arbitrary interactions between the vegetation, inhabitants, and natural events within a space create landscape. The unexpected elements of the landscape are as crucial as those that are pre planned and anticipated as they are the complimenting co-operant forces that produce the resultants of experience within the landscape. The emergent aspect of landscape and its arbitrary components function together to create the sense of a living space.
Peter Kwak University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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ENVIRONMENT noun the aggregate of social and cultural conditions that influence the life of an individual or community the position or characteristic position of a linguistic element in a sequence Inevitably landscape influences and nurtures various processes of civilizations. This relates in terms of the resources the landscape provides a community to the modes of transportation. The Great Lakes region displays this quality strongly. While many cities have developed along the coastline of a continent, in-land water bodies such as those of the Great Lakes have shaped and built cities in North America. Chicago being an example can display such idea. The growth and development of this city can be understood through the Hoyt city model, where the canal plays a major role in the structure of various districts. The Hoyt model highlights that the factory and industrial district is along the canal, which acts as an important mode of transportation of goods into and out of the city. In this way, the existing landscape of this area conditioned the workings of the city as it grew time. In the same way, River Thames became an important environment in shaping London, England. However as technology advances, the scale of containerization has caused the London docklands to no longer serve the purpose they used to. The environment hence caused depopulation in the area, and later gentrification as a solution to the deprivation that was caused.
Great Lakes Region Population Distribution, Ontario Sasquatch Research Group University of Waterloo School of Architecture
The mountainous environment in Hong Kong also causes many problems to the city dealing with population density. The vast number of 83 2
mountains around the city has caused problems in construction and was hence followed by major land reclamation processes. In this case, the environment has caused a chain of processes and problems for the community, including increased housing prices and micro-communities due to the boundaries these mountains create between territories of the city.
Audrey Leung ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ENVIRONMENT Direct Definition 1.0 The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates 1.1 The setting or conditions in which a particular activity is carried on 2.0 The natural world, as a whole or in a particular geographical area, especially as affected by human activity Oxford Dictionaries, 2016
Interpreted Definition Environment comes as a loaded word in landscape architecture, daunting in both its generic envelopment of nature as an entity and the consequent responsibilities that landscape design is taxed with: floral species, carbon footprint, and other “environmentally-friendly” features. I would like to unload the word ‘environment’ to encourage a more specific vocabulary as a way to start conversations with focused, manageable, and tangible goals. In consideration of anachronism’s ability to observe context in a layer of time, the environment implicates the totality of layers, such as time, that can be associated with any given subject. The psychological and physical matrix of an environment is limited only by the specificity that one is capable of, or wishes to, delineate. Herein lies the rub as it is difficult to discuss an environment without setting some sort of parameters in which the conversation shifts to those parameters and the topic of said ‘environment’ becomes irrelevant.
unknown source, Tumblr. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Therefore, I tend to associate environments and their respective centers as an infinitely graduated sphere of entangled elements radiating from its core. The number of connections is densest when closest to the center, and simultaneously the most relevant elements compose the immediate environment. As you trace the entanglements 84 2
farther away from the center, the connections between elements and number of elements also becomes sparser. However the elements and connections have no hard limit and could go on forever as you trace farther and farther back in time, walk farther and farther away, or observe more and more. We need environments to sustain life and arrange these infinite elements, as no operation occurs in isolation. Our capacity to interact with the environment is defined by the limits of our understanding, the actual environment placed as an abstraction far beyond complete comprehension.
Jeffrey So ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ETHICAL Direct Definition adjective \ˈe-thi-kəl\ 1. pertaining to or dealing with morals or the principles of morality; pertaining to right and wrong in conduct 2. being in accordance with the rules or standards for right conduct or practice, especially the standards of a profession: It was not considered ethical for physicians to advertise 3. (of drugs) sold only upon medical prescription Collins English Dictionary, 2015
Interpreted Definition The denotation “ethical” implies a carefulness to not infringe on the rights and sanctity of other beings, organisms, and forms. As ethics is viewed through a human-oriented lens, typically what is considered ethical privileges the agency and convenience of people over the ill-effects the project would have on the environment or nature. When matters of ethics impact human well-being, the ramifications are usually seen as undeniably of importance, whereas the call to action in regards to environmental ethics that do not appear to directly impact people are often seen as less important to follow through on.
In addition, the creation of large luxury landscapes for private use can be seen as unethical, as the occupancy of land and cost to create the landscape for the enjoyment of the select only does not have the greater good in mind. For example, the Novartis Campus Park in Basel occupies prime real estate along the Rhine, but is only accesible to employees of the company and is otherwise gated to the public. “Novartis Campus Park | Vogt Landschaftsarchitekten.” VOGT. Accessed July 4th 2016. www.vogt-la.com/en/project/novartiscampus-park
In landscape architecture, whether or not a project is ethical can be in reference to its ecological and environmental impact, as well as its intended usage. For example, the destruction of forested land and animal habitats to make way for farmland can be seen as unethical due to the infringement of natural territory and the act of violence upon animal species who cannot advocate for themselves, but is done anyways to meet the needs of human consumption.
Rainforest fragment surrounded by farm land, Frans Lanting. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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ETHICAL ETHICAL Direct Definition :involving questions of right and wrong behavior : relating to ethics : following accepted rules of behavior : morally right and good -Merriam-Webster
Interpreted Definition In landscape architecture ethical refers to the moral or immoral nature of a human act or intervention in relation to the environment. This can be further analyzed in two parts: whether or not a given human formed landscape is moral and ultimately if human interventions on the environment can ever be ethical.
Operation “Hello Eden”, Tumblr.
The first part of this interpretation questions under what circumstances human interferences can be considered responsible or ethical both environmentally and morally. An example of this is the Operation “Hello Eden” project proposed by Fionn Byrne which proposes using drones to bomb an otherwise desolate landscape with bio-matter in order to revitalize the local ecology. This project is controversial as the use of drones is often considered morally unethical while the biological regeneration of human impacted landscapes is typically thought of as environmentally responsible.
The second part of the interpretation inquires whether any human intervention in nature can truly be considered ethical. This suggests that any lasting impressions human kind makes on the environment are detrimental as they interrupt or alter natural cycles and systems. Global warming could be seen as a large scale precedent for this type of interpretation as it suggests that human actions on a whole tends towards the degradation of the environment.
Haley Gamble University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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ETHICAL Adjective /'εθık(ə)l/ 1. of or pertaining to morality or the science of ethics; pertaining to morals 2. dealing with the science of ethics or questions connected with it 3. in accordance with the principles of ethics; morally correct, honourable; conforming to the ethics of a profession etc Resource: Soanes, Catherine, and Angus Stevenson. Oxford Dictionary of English. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Interpreted Definition The border of right and wrong is relatively vague in landscape architecture or architecture in general. Whether or not certain movements or decisions are valid and moral do not depend on a simple, personal judgement. However, it is more or less commonly agreed that everything that’s harmful to nature is immoral and the design of landscape architects should be as sustainable as possible. Humans have realized what they have done to Earth and are trying to save it. Although it is never easy to define an ethical landscape, it is time for architects to focus on the nature instead of themselves. Zaha is a brave architect with strong personal style. Her work stands out every time no matter what the context is. Nevertheless, she is also attacked by this dominant style since it can be seen as a disrespectful attitude towards the surroundings. Ethical architecture or ethical landscaping nowadays should focus on a larger context, instead of a single parti which expresses one’s own interpretation of the context.
Render of Al Wakrah Stadium by Zaha Hadid, “Pins from Designboom.com on Pinterest.” Pinterest. Accessed July 05, 2016. https://www. pinterest.com/source/designboom.com. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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ex-urbAn [noun] a region or settlement that lies outside a city and usually beyond its suburbs and that often is inhabited chiefly by well-to-do families
Interpreted Definition Ex-urban was first mentioned in 1955 by Auguste Comte Spectorsky’s book, The Exurbanites, to describe the prosperous commuter towns beyond the suburbs that served the urban area. Most ex-urban areas start with a decline in employers in the city along with a rise in population leading to people seeking employment in neighbouring cities instead. Unlike suburbs, most ex-urban areas are located in the pastoral landscapes and lack the history and culture of more established cities. Many early 20th century exurbs were organized on the principles of the garden city movement by Ebenexer Howard. An example of an ex-urban area is King City located just outside the ring of suburbs of Toronto. It is surrounded by farmland and heavily relies on the highways that run past it since there are very few businesses within the city.
King City, Sargent Planning. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Ex-urban sprawl has intensified in recent years with higher population growth than other cities in the United States. Reasons behind this increase include the changing economy that has become less reliant on location with technologies that allow for improved long distance communication. The improved highway systems also help reduce the commute time between the ex-urban areas 88 2
and city centres. On top of that, with rapid urbanization the aesthetics of living in a more natural environment is more alluring than in the past. Ex-urban areas are an extreme reflection of the urban sprawl of large economical centres. These low density towns feature an excess of empty lots and homes, creating a heavily car dependent city. Without further government intervention, the situation would only worsen. Denser cities need to begin raising the standard of living to compete with the ex-urban areas for better quality of public transportation, reduced crime rate and improved aesthetics.
“Living Large, by Design, in the Middle of Nowhere ” last modified August 15, 2005, http://www. nytimes.com/2005/08/15/us/living-large-bydesign-in-the-middle-of-nowhere.html. “Commuter town”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Commuter_town
Tsz Kit Justin Ng ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
EX-URBAN EXURBAN adjective | ex·urb | ’ek- ,s rb, ‘eg-,z rbz | e
e
1. describes a region or settlement that lies outside a city and usually beyond its suburbs and that often is inhabited chiefly by well-to-do families origin / etymology: EX- + SUBURB 2. Very low density rural areas where more than half the workers commute to the central core. The commuters come from low-density rural estate subdivisions or houses scattered along rural roads. (canadianurbanism.ca)
Interpreted Definition The terms “exurb” and “exurban” saw it’s first use in the 1950s, when people began to move out into the peripheries of the suburbs in search of greater parcels of land. The word “exurb” is used to describe the the furthest extent of the suburbs. The exurbs are more rural than regular suburbs, have lower density housing, larger estates , lack commercial development and are considered wealthier than regular suburban communities. Many of these exurbs have names which aim to emphasize the elevated class of their inhabitants such as “High Point Equestrian Estates”, in BC.
Active Core and Transit Suburbs grew by 160,000 people, while Auto Suburb and Exurban areas grew by 1,330,000 people, absorbing over 90% of the nation’s population growth.” This population shift to areas that are entirely dependant on cars in order to commute to work and acquire basic life necessities raises an important question of the future of Canada and its environmental sustainability.
In Canada, the exurbs have seen an increase in population growth beginning in 2006. Studies in Canadian urbanism confirm that these automobile-dependant communities have been more desirable in the last decade. “In 2011, about 8% of the Canadian metropolitan population lived in Exurbs. The smaller metro areas had much higher proportions of Exurban residents, presumably because the commuting is easier from their rural areas” (canadianurbanism.ca).
A suburaban house on High Point Equestrian Estates (Langley, BC) , cressey.com University of Waterloo Waterloo School School of ofArchitecture Architecture University of
If one examines a singular metropolitan city in Canada, such as Toronto, exurban communities are currently growing at a rate five times greater than urban growth rates. On a greater scale, a study by Canadian Urbanism shows that from 2006 to 2011, “Across Canada, the more sustainable 89 2
Olivera Neskovic ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
EX-URBAN EX-URBAN Noun 1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of exurbs or exurbanites. Derived from the term exurb. 6 Exurb: 1. A district outside a city, especially a prosperous area beyond the suburbs.6
The term Exurban is derived from the term exurb, and exurb is broken down into ex meaning “out of” and urbs meaning “city”. Therefore, it is understood that exurban is the land outside the cities and the suburbs. Some might argue that the land outside of the cities is called rural, and although they have similar meanings, exurban and rural are not the same. “What differentiates a rural from an exurban landscape is the degree of human settlement outside the urban density villages and small towns.” (Timothy P. Duane) Rural areas consist of dwellers working the land on which they live on and own. Exurban land is “inhabited by individuals and families who do not depend directly on the production of commodities on the land”. (Timothy P. Duane) Generally, exurban areas are known as prosperous, growing at a rate of 10-15% per year. This is because “people in established suburbs are moving out to vast sprawling exurbs that have broken free of the gravitational pull of the cities and now exist in their own world far beyond.” (David Brooks)
Large home in exurbia, Iowa Dream Homes. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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FIELD Direct Definition 1. An open area of land without trees or buildings 2. An area of land that has a special use 3. An area of work, study, etc.
Interpreted Definition The most common similarity found in the definitions of field is that it means an area of land. A “field” can imply many programmatic functions. It can refer to a farmland, where there is a field of crops or animals contained within a fenced area. It can also be a recreational area like a park, where people can take walks, work or play sports such as baseball. For example, Central Park in New York contains large areas of open land, which is used by people as a place for leisure and enjoyment. Both a park and a farm are different in terms of how they are used, in the end however both are just fields. The ambiguity that comes the use of field can be applied to the programmatic value that landscape architecture can hold.
the program of landscape architecture, but rather it provides a backdrop that the public can use to expand upon.
The design for the Village of Yorkville Park divides the park in multiple segments. Each segment houses its own character making it different from each other. Despite the fragmentation of the space, there is still a strong sense of unity that is prevalent in the project. This shows how a versatile and flexible a park can be in terms of how unrestricting the program is.
Village of Yorkville Park, https://www.asla.org/2012awards/034. html
University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
There are no necessary restrictions on how landscape architecture can be used. Its purpose can be to provide a space for entertainment or it can be a sculptural figure. It can be used for agriculture, for the growing of crops. The public does not rule 91 2
“Village of Yorkville Park”Landmark Award. Accessed July 04, 2016. https://www.asla.org/2012awards/034. html Tristan Sito ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
FielD noun \fÄ&#x201C;ld\ 1. an open area of land without trees or buildings 2. an area of land that has a special use 3. an area of work, study, etc. Merriam-Webster
The concept of a field has existed since 14,000 to 12,000 years ago because the idea of farming and domestication of certain plant and animal species existed since then and probably earlier. Without a field, agriculture would not be possible therefore the general definition of a field also existed at the same time.
a large proportion of people are living in the city with barely enough room for a garden let alone a field. In this case the field is only component in the landscape architecture. The key question here is how to design the field so that each citizen can experience it. Urban farming is one branch of exploration in attempt to engage citizens in the spirit of landshaft.
Shifting from a nomadic, hunter/gatherer culture to an agricultural one ensured better survival for humans thus the continuation of farming practices till today. From this we can conclude that the feeling of security and happiness when gazing upon luscious rolling hills is due to a primal instinct which tells us that the scenery in front of us is plentiful and worthwhile securing. This calls to mind a word, landschaft, one of the origin terms for landscape, meaning that the scene of productivity concerning activities of preservation are favoured.
Naussicaa of the Valley of the Wind, matome.naver.jp university of waterloo school of Architecture
The field is both a setting and a component in the landscape architecture. Primeval instinct attracts us to design and situate ourselves in a field as a setting because of the sense of comfort and security offered. Seeing the landscape as potential for landshaft, so to speak. Currently, however, 92 2
Diana Si ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
FLEXIBILITY FLEXIBILITY Direct Definition
Interpreted Definition
(noun) 1. capable of bending or being bent 2. easily changed : able to change or to do different things. 3. willing to change or to try different things.
Flexibility can be referred either physically or mentally, while both definitions to a certain degree reveals the ability to change according to certain conditions. The flexibility in landscape can be considered in different ways as well. The first is shape and forms, related to the arrangement of different elements on the site. The flexibility can be dwelled into the flow of water feature, an artistic arrangement of tree blocks and grass blocks, or a zigzag pathway situated along the shoreâ&#x20AC;Ś On the other hand, the flexibility of the landscape can be described within the landscape and designing themselves. As the season changes, the landscape changes. For instance, a natural field covered by greening during spring could become golden in the fall and turn into totally pale in the winter. A barren ground abandoned by people could transform into an artistic and vigorous landscape after being watered or flooded with sunlight. The landscape, in that case, should be considered as a changing, floating and unstable piece of the nature. When architects looking at the landscape, a broader and more imaginative imagery should be captured in their minds in order to create a more corresponding space and atmosphere. In that, the term also refers to the flexibility of thinking and designing from the architects themselves when viewing a piece of natural landscape.
Four Seasons in One Shots, Stockshare. University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
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FLEXIBILITY Direct Definition 1. The quality of being flexible. A capability of being bent; pliancy. 2. Susceptibility of modification or alteration; capacity for ready adaptation to various purposes or conditions; freedom from stiffness or rigidity. OED, 1896
Interpreted Definition Landscape itself is something that in definition is very flexible, needing to adapt to whatever climate change, weather patterns and natural phenomena are thrown at it. In that sense, flexibility as regarding landscape would be quite true to its original definition. As we discussed in class about landscape ecology and how that refers to a “land mosaic” being a “heterogeneous land area composed of a cluster of intersecting ecosystems…” this would imply that a landscape needs to be flexible in order to accommodate any variety of conditions imposed upon it. Whether these conditions are by humans or influences of nature, landscape needs to be flexible enough to accommodate changes and continue to thrive.
Modern Forests of the Great Lakes States, US Geological Survey
As discussed by Richard Forman in his book “Land Mosaics: The Ecology of Landscapes and Regions” the variety of conditions by which a landscape is influenced directly correlates to the rigidity of the land mosaic. In a mountainous region the land mosaic would be more compact and distinctly shaped as compared to the region spanning the Great Lakes region which is more diverse and contains many intertwined ecosystems that compose a mosaic that spreads across a sprawling landscape. A city or human development would also be influential to the land mosaic that comprises the surroundings. By adding a city, town or group of buildings you remove
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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a piece of the mosaic, however the landscape is flexible enough to re-arrange itself to continue functioning around whatever was built. The same for a forest fire or natural disaster. Nature uses its natural flexibility to take in stride what is thrown at it. This is something that landscape designers strive to accomplish and assist nature with in conditions where it has gone past its point of flexibility and needs to be given assistance to return to its natural, flexible condition.
Mitchell Martyn ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
FLEXIBILITY noun /,flekse’biledē/ 1. the quality of bending easily without breaking 2. the ability to be easily modified 3. willingness to change or compromise
The term flexibility was first used in 14th century to mean “to bend” and evolved with more emphasis on the ability to be modified. Architecturally, it makes more sense to view it as management of variation over time. We can explore the idea of flexibility in constructed landscapes by first contextualizing it with the natural. Our interaction with objects in nature prove itself very primal - adapting them to serve as seats, shelter and nutrition. Meanwhile, its able to sustain its original form, more or less, without detracting from this adaptability. With growing concerns over creating a sustainable future, changing economical and geopolitical conditions rendering existing infrastructures obsolete, it is evident that we need to analyze these contingencies to design for succession - to readapt conditions within new contexts. There would need to be an overarching division between land-use classificiations for infrastructural systems and landscape framework that would allow for strategic connections and flexible design that priveleges changing ecological systems to evolve. 1 Hung, Ying-Yu. Landscape Infrastructure: Case Studies by SWA. Basel: Birkhäuser, 2011.
The High Line, James Corner Field Operations. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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FRAGMENTATION Noun 1. The act or process of fragmenting or making fragmentary 2: the state of being fragmented or fragmentary Merriam-Webster
Interpreted Definition In avant-garde contemporary practice of landscape, Ideas represented through fragmented representation and drawing can prompt new ways of thinking. Fragmentation of ideas can forces us to break traditional pattern and ideology in order look at practice in different way. In James Cornerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s essay eidetic operation and New Landscape, He argues for new modes of representation as a process of thinking in order to come up with innovative solution to an existing problem instead of falling into the loophole of making drawings of the past and repeating traditional thinking.
Deforestation, WWF. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Yet in landscape architecture, fragmentation is often an approach that may not be well suited as landscape requires a holistic approach to truly grasp the multiple layers of ecosystem. Also, the current condition of landscape fragmentation is one with detrimental effects on the ecology and associated parts. Urban developement and economy-driven development has created linear and insensitive boundary to the landscape thus causes habitat, ecological and landscape fragmentation. Man led act of building and destruction break land into smaller fragments and force the breaking of functioning ecological system and at times causes the recreation of ecological system within the smaller islands. For instance, the deforestation of the Amazonian Rainforest has cause the creation of islands of 96 2
self-contained ecosystem. Ironically, Our process of building community and urbanity through unity is affecting pre-existing ecological and biological system of nature.
Alice (Jie Jie) Huang ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
FRAGMENTATION Direct Definition, Oxford 1 the process or state of breaking or being broken into fragments
References
Interpreted Definition
Forest Fragmentation, https://goo.gl/XtuFK0 University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Fragmentation is formed from fragment which in latin, “fragmentum” is literally “a piece broken off” which is from the root of “frangere” which is “to break”(http://www.etymonline.com). Fragmentation is about breaking up a whole into pieces and separating the continuity of the whole. In landscape fragmentation is being used to describe phenomena such as habitat fragmentation, forest fragmentation, and population fragmentation, which all became more prevalent due to human intervention in nature. Habitat fragmentation is the result of one continuous habitat being broken into smaller and isolated habitats which can affect the type of species that occupies that habitat or even alter the inhabiting species on a genetic level. Forest fragmentation is a form of habitat fragmentation that is a result of deforestation, or forest fires that leaves patches or islands of forest leaving the rest of the original forest having been clear cut around it. This sudden and drastic change in the landscape results in a split of all of the current inhabitants of the forested habitat to break up into the smaller pockets of tree’s that have been left, this results in population fragmentation. Population fragmentation is a type of segregation that describes a decline in variability between a species and within a species, essentially inbreeding, which in the long term leads to a species inability to adapt to a changing environment. 97 2
“Habitat Fragmentation and Landscape Change - Oxford Scholarship.” Habitat Fragmentation and Landscape Change Oxford Scholarship. 2010. Accessed July 04, 2016. http://www. oxfordscholarship.com “Forest Fragmentation” - Oxford Scholarship. 2010. Accessed July 04, 2016. http://www.oxfordscholarship.com
Angus Dunn ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
FRAGMENTATION noun / ,fragmen’tāSH(e)n / The process or state of breaking or being broken into small or separate parts. Oxford Dictionary.
Interpreted Definition A characterization of fragmentation in architecture was Deconstructivism, which was developed during Postmodernism. It is the interest in manipulating a structure’s surface, skin, nonrectilinear shapes, which can appear distorted and chaotic.
It was known as abstract architecture, and seemed to be completely anti-functional. It only seemed to complicate things as they were expensive to build, and very non-user friendly.
It made its first appearance in 1982 with the Parc de la Villette architectural design competition with many well known architects involved including Franky Gehry, Daniel Libeskind, Rem Koolhaas, and Zaha Hadid. There were architects that called Deconstructivism a “movement” or “new style”, however Bernard Tschumi disagreed and thought it was more of a move against Postmodernism, and said it involved “making doric temple forms out of plywood.”
Earth Sculpting, Daniel Ost. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
The term “Deconstructivism” is known in contemporary architecture to oppose the ordered rationality of Modernism and Postmodernism. It took a disruptive turn in architectural history by wanting to “disassemble” architecture by arguing with the purity, clarity and simplicity of modernism. The complication of geometry started to question the funtional, structural, and spatial aspects of the building.
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Christy Cheng ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
FRAMEWORK noun, frame-work, 1. a basic conceptional structure (as of ideas) 2. a skeletal, openwork, or structural frame 3. the larger branches of a tree that determine its shape
Interperted Definition “Framework” is a combination term that consists of the word “frame”, and the suffix “work”. The word frame was deriveed from old english “framian”, which was to be useful, and the English word “From”. As it further develops, it was used to describe the action to “make ready for use“. The use of this word was further taken as a noun, givven the specific meaning of “prepare timber for use in building” or “make the wooden parts of a building”. This is the early stage of development for the workd “framework”. The suffix “-work” in combination with “frame” denotes the structure and mechanism of timber frames when used to describe a physical strucure. However, when it comes to using the term in ideas and concepts, it mainly describes the underlying principles that supports a theory or concept.
Image Title, Image Source. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
As theories of landscape architecture develops, all design process essentially follows a framework that includes various aspects for the both building and the enviroment. For example, the basic design frameworkd for contemporary landscape architecture consider aspects such as the ecosystem, human culture, energy efficiency, infrastructure and etc. The framework is also further developed as architecture shifts style within different time periods, and as the environment changes and new problems occur then need to be solved. 99 2
However, many might argue that since the thoeries of landscape architecture are characterized by contradictions and inconsistencies, it is almost impossible to generalize the filed into a particular framework. For example, James Gibsons Affordance theory aims to construct a framework for landscape architecture from the in the perspective of ecology, but when the field itself is relevant to infrastructure, urbannism and etc,, how to integrate all relevant elements into a coherant system becomes a challange.
Lucy Lin ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
FRAMEWORK FRAMEWORK Direct Definition 1. an essential supporting structure of a building, vehicle, or object 2. a basic structure underlying a system, concept, or text Oxford Dictionary
Interpreted Definition In landscape architecture, framework refers to the approach people have when designing a landscape or to the site of a project. The contemporary framework that landscape architects follow is often geared towards sustainability and conservation. Although there is not one framework that works for all projects, most take into account similar factors during design. Common aspects of the design framework are detailed analysis and documentation, multi-functionality of land, user friendliness, and stakeholder participation (PNAS). A thorough understanding of the existing land must be achieved before any plans of development can be formed. This process is necessary to encouraged a well-informed design. Multi-functionality of land is critical in contemporary design due to increasing land shortages from land degradation. Next, the user friendliness of the landscape architecture will largely dictate the success of a project, so it is another important aspect to consider. Finally, a project will always involve stakeholders and their involvement in the project can greatly influence the results. It is important the various stakeholders are actively participating in the project and able to collaborate well collectively.
Terraced Farm, Wikipedia University of Waterloo School of Architecture
land forms, but with current concerns about the condition of the planet, landscape architecture is likely to avoid drastic changes to the existing site. Thus, architects are further exploring “the role of the region as a framework for design thinking...” (Swaffield, 207). Simon Swaffield, Theory in Landscape Architecture: A Reader, (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002). “Ten principles for a landscape approach to reconciling agriculture, conservation, and other competing land uses,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, last modified June 21, 2012, http:// www.cifor.org/publications/pdf_files/articles/ASunderland1302. pdf.
The site can also be considered the framework of a project because it often dictates much of the design process. Humans can do much to reshape existing
LING YI ZHENG 20569336
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FRAMEWORK FRAMEWORK 1 2
a basic conceptional structure (as of ideas) a skeletal, openwork, or structural frame
Merriam-Webster.
Framework gives landscape architecture a basis to grow on. Framework is both found in the landscape and imposed by designers upon it. It is necessary to have framework at large and small scales, since it is crucial for a clear idea. Landscape has always been the framework for built environment. People have built cities where they have due to the natural resources, forms, and systems found in the built environment. The landscape dictates in what direction planning should go.
Stourhead, Stourhead House & Garden. Bath, UK. From: Bath UK, http://www.bath.co.uk/bath-surrounding-area/ stourhead-house-garden (accessed July 5, 2016).
University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
along the way. Stourhead was designed so that the trees frame the monuments from certain angles.
Claude Lorrain, Vista of Delphi with Sacrificial Procession. 1643. John Claudius Loudon, Proposal for the City of London. 1829.
Framework can also be imposed on a landscape just as John Claudius does in his proposal for London. He draws alternating rings of country and city around a centre. This conceptual structure is drawn so that the city never becomes too crowded and there are open spaces to retreat to. Framework also creates a connection between various projects, or even various mediums. The framework of English Landscape Gardens designed in the 18th century is the same as the framework of landscape paintings from the 17th century by painters like Claude Lorrain. The basic structure of these paintings always included trees in the foreground, a meandering path or body of water, and monuments. These landscape paintings were never an accurate depiction of reality, but English Gardens strived to reproduce them literally by constructing the picturesque. The Gardens of Stowe lead one through a winding pathway, framing views perfectly 101 2
Liga Brammanis ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
FuNCTIONAlISM FUNCTIONALISM 1. belief in or stress on the practical application of a thing, in particular 2. ARTS - the doctrine that the design of an object should be determined solely by its function, rather than by aesthetic considerations, and that anything practically designed will be inherently beautiful 3. SOCIAl SCIENCES - the theory that all aspects of a society serve a function and are necessary for the survival of that society. 4. PHIlOSOPHY - the theory that mental states can be sufficiently defined by their cause, their effect on other mental states, and their effect on behavior
Functionalism has taken many shapes throughout the years, from the variety of ways an object can be used to the interaction between structures and the nature that surrounds. A well known example is the use of timber. At the earliest stages of life, timber was used for fire, which in turn gave warmth and the ability to cook. Timber went from being used to make fire to being used for the creation of structures. These structures included Teepees, longhouses, walls, and watch towers. When observing the use of timber at inception, its objective was initially to serve, and then its purpose later became to protect.
of a landscape serve some sort of purpose and it is the concept of functionalism that sways people to design landscapes in certain ways. There are infinite amount of functions a landscape could have such as agricultural fields, to providing circulation or being a habitat for entire ecosystems. A functional design is entirely subjective and therefore functionalism as a belief of having practical design varies drastically and is dependant on need over want.
The changes in functionalism have guided a cycle of innovation and inspiration, where the available uses now lie in the imagination of the user. Whether to adapt, be of use, or aid in achieving an end goal (utilitywise or esthetically), the range of possibilities, is in the perceived mind of the creator and/or observer. Therefore, continuing to the modern era with the increased appeal of a seamless interaction between man and earth, we observe the increased performance of everything that surrounds us including program and structure within a landscape. This structure, when organized in a way to be seen as useful or practical, falls within this ideology of the entire design being dictated by function.
South Pointe Park, Inhabitat.com University of Waterloo School of Architecture
When looked at from a broad perspective, practicality at its core is empty; only when an object is used or seen in relation to its expected objective can it acquire the attribute of functional or not. All aspects 102 2
Mariah Palantzas ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
FUNCTIONALISM Direct Definition Noun. 1. (Design movement) The doctrine that the design of an object should be determined solely by its function, rather than by aesthetic considerations, and that anything practically designed will be inherently beautiful. (Google) 2. (Sociology) A theory that stresses the interdependence of the patterns and institutions of a society and their interaction in maintaining cultural and social unity. (Merriam-Webster)
Interpreted Definition Functionalism is both an architectural principle and a landscape ecology principle; both rose in prominence throughout the 20th century. In architecture, functionalism strips away style and includes only deliberately useful elements to provide the desired environment for human use and occupancy. Ideally, a functional building becomes beautiful because it uses an economy of means. In landscape ecology, functionalism is a method of assessing natural elements by describing the role they play in the ecological system. This view is useful when evaluating existing landscapes or deconstructing natural systems for use in landscape architecture. However, at its core, functionalism in landscape architecture is a method of designing for human needs.
Land Use, Mass.gov, last modified January 2002. http://www.mass.gov/anf/images/itd/massgis/ datalayers/lus.jpg Human economic and infastructural uses of landscape are only one layer of landscape function. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Our perception of our needs may change over time. For example, in the late 19th century, Frederick Law Olmstead emphasized that open spaces provide fresh air and that natural objects calm the mind, while in the early 20th century, Dutch architect G.N Brandt focused on creating rational or sachlich gardens which were inexpensive, easy to maintain, useful, and flexible.
Contemporary landscape architects may address the ecological, spiritual, cultural, economic, infrastructural phenomenological and/or recreational functions of landscape as they affect the well-being of humans. Within this framework, beauty can be a functional goal as well as a natural product of good design. Alternative methods of formfinding include biomimicry, tradition, symbolism/metaphor and artistic caprice. Imbert, Dorothée. Between Garden and City: Jean Caneel-Claes and Landscape Modernism. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2009. Hall, Donna L. “Landscape Planning: Functionalism as a motivating Concept from Landscape Ecology and Human Ecology,” Landscape and Urban Planning, 21 (1991): 13-19. Czechowski, Daniel, Thomas Hauck. “Green Functionalism: A Brief Sketch of Its History and Ideas in the United States and Germany.” In Revising Green Infrastructure: Concepts Between Nature and Design, edited by Daniel Czechowski, Thomas Hauck and Georg Hausladen, 5-26. CRC Press, 2014. Heather Friedel
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FUNCTIONALISM Direct Definition (noun) belief in or stress on the practical application of a thing, in particular. •
• •
(in the arts) the doctrine that the design of an object should be determined solely by its function, rather than by aesthetic considerations, and that anything practically designed will be inherently beautiful. (in the social sciences) the theory that all aspects of a society serve a function and are necessary for the survival of that society. (in the philosophy of mind) the theory that mental states can be sufficiently defined by their cause, their effect on other mental states, and their effect on behavior.
Interpreted Definition
Functionalism is “a term used in architecture, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, and sociology. It has a slightly different meaning in each context, but in every case it implies a conscious emphasis on delineating how things function within specific field of inquiry. In architecture, which is in many ways emblematic of the term’s meaning across all disciplines, functionalism refers to a style of building in which design reflects purpose. The so-called *international style architects were adherents of this Principle.”(Oxford Critical Theory) The roots of functionalism in architecture are determined by Louis Sullivan, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe. The term implies that if the functional aspects are satisfied, architectural beauty would naturally and necessarily follow. Walter Gropius defines functionalism with these words, “A thing is defined by its essence. In order to design it so that it functions well – a receptacle, a chair, a house – its essence must first be explored; it should serve its purpose perfectly, that is, fulfill its function practically and be durable, inexpensive and ‘beautiful’.”
A New Urban Ground, http://cdnassets.hw.net/dims4/GG/daced2e/2147483647/thumbnail/876x580/ University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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Functionalism, gradually find a space for itself in Landscape architecture too. In landscape architecture, function describes how species, energy, water and mineral nutrients flow across the landscape. It is the tensile stress among the landscape elements, it is intertwined with structure. It orients the structure according to the necessities of the program. MoMA’s Rising Currents exhibition is a great example to show the part of the functionalism in Landscape architecture and how it juxtaposed with the structure and the concept. The exhibition is consisted from five zones in waterfront of the New York harbor. In zone 0, Aro and dland studio proposed to change the pavement of New York streets with a mesh of cast concrete and engineered soil and salt tolerant plants which and creates natural greenways by absorbing the rainwater.
Roni Haravon ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
GARDEN Direct Definition Pronunciation: / NOUN
/
1)Chiefly British A piece of ground adjoining a house, used for growing flowers, fruit, or vegetables. ‘A herb garden.’
1.1) (gardens) Ornamental grounds laid out for public enjoyment and recreation. 2) [IN NAMES]
British A street or square:
‘Burlington Gardens.’
North American A large public hall:
‘Madison Square Garden.’
OXFORD DICTIONARIES
Garden History and Philosophy, Spon Press. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition The tale of humanity’s love affair with gardens is an epic that spans the eons. From the early days of Mesopotamia, hidden within magnificent cities of sun-fired clay, to the entire garden cities of the Incas, to the explosion of gardens in every major house of Renaissance Europe, there has been a fascination with ensuring the ability to experience nature, even as advancements in technology necessitated the construction of ever-larger cities and empires. It is one thing that has remained constant, even as various civilisations across the world rose, flourished, and fell in complete isolation from each other. A garden is a planned space. Sometimes it’s with plants, sometimes it’s with animals, and sometimes it’s with almost none of those at all. There are many different types, from the hyperorganised and manicured of the Middle East and Baroque France, to the exceedingly random and sprawling environments of Ancient China and Victorian England. Gardens reflect less their environment, and even their design than they do the overriding motivation by mankind to control their surroundings. To produce a useful space, to creating a safe space, and finally, as Man was able to advance to the point where they freed time in their lives for something else other than feeding and defending themselves, to create a place of relaxation and enjoyment. This multilayered 105 2
purpose shows through every era, every style, and every place worthy of the title ‘garden’. As gardens increased in utility, the term began to connote any place used for these purposes, for example Madison Square Gardens; a sports arena. Being a garden does not limit a space to being used for plants in someone’s backyard, but rather connotes a range of possibilities for an architect to choose from, for whichever purpose they need.
“A BRIEF HISTORY OF GARDENING.” A History of Gardening. 2012. Accessed June 29, 2016. http://www. localhistories.org/gardening.html. “Shenstone and the Creation of the Natural Landscape.” Revolutionary Players. Accessed June 29, 2016. http:// www.revolutionaryplayers.org.uk/shenstone-and-thecreation-of-the-natural-landscape/.
Sean Tong ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
TERM 2 GARDEN GARDEN noun 1. a plot of ground where herbs, fruits, flowers, or vegetables are cultivated 2. a rich well-cultivated region 3. a container (as a window box) planted with usually a variety of small plants 4. a public recreation area or park usually ornamented with plants and trees <a botanical garden> 5. an open-air eating or drinking place 6. a large hall for public entertainment Merriam-Webster
Unlike works of architecture that are housed inside buildings, a garden is rooted inextricably to the land within which resides. Plants native to a region, the composition of soil, pavilions, follies and viewing platforms enabled one to enjoy picturesque views of the land, while through a process of selectively disallowing someone to access these structures established social hierarchy. I lingered in order to rediscover hawthornsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; invisible and unchanging odour, to absorb myself in the rhythm which disposed their flowers here and there with the light-heartedness of youth, and at intervals as unexpected as certain intervals of music; they offered me an indefinite continuation of the same charm, in an inexhaustible profusion, but without letting me delve into it any more deeply, like those melodies which one can play over a hundred times in succession without coming any nearer to their secret. I turned away from them for a moment so as to be able to return to them with renewed strength.
Young Girls in a Mediterranean Landscape, Henri Lebasque
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
The flowers which played then among the grass, the water which rippled past in the sunshine, the whole landscape which served as environment to their apparition lingers around the memory of them still with its unconscious or unheeding air. At one spot the light grew solid as a brick wall, and like a piece of yellow Persian masonry, patterned in blue, daubed coarsely upon the sky the leaves of the chestnuts; at another, it cut them off from the sky towards which they stretched out their curling, golden fingers. Half106 2
way up the trunk of a tree draped with wild vine, the light had grafted and brought to blossom, too dazzling to be clearly distinguished, an enormous posy, of red flowers apparently, perhaps of a new variety of carnation. Plants are perceived as a material to enclose space, to give shelter and shade or to frame pleasing views as well as being shown off in their own right individual beauties, a design skill itself. But are garden able to play the role of antidote to wearout of nature images? In the garden, we learn how to deal with nature without denying the creative forces within us. Garden becomes a model and test case for the way we handle our entire natural and build environment.
Bibliography
Rahoul Singh, Gardens of Delight (Pavilion, 2008) Udo Weilacher, In Gardens (Birkhauser Verlag AG, 2005) Brian Clouston, Landscape Design with Plants (Heinemann Professional Publishing, 1990) Dieter Kienast, Garten+Landschaft (Birkhauser, 2005) Marcel Proust, In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower, (Penguin Classics, 2005)
Naz Ă&#x2013;zkan ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
GARDEN Merriam Webster Dictionary Definition: A) A plot of ground where herbs, fruits, flowers, or vegetables are cultivated, or a container planted with a variety of small plants. B) A public recreation area or park usually ornamented with plants and trees. The historic arc of the garden closely follows the curve of mankind, it can be studied in any time period as an insight to how man viewed themselves in relation to the natural world (Pizzoni). The garden’s history is woven through time as a place for human cultivation or human contemplation or human manipulation, as each of these concepts carried larger societal weight. Gardens represent the relationship of societies to nature at different times, the garden acts as a threshold, operating at a smaller scale to create a relation between humans and the larger natural world. The oldest ideology is the garden as a harmonious relationship of give and take, a utilitarian source of food and medicine in return for care and cultivation. This relationship was viewed as rebounding; man is small and nature is large. Any negative impacts were absorbed through time, “Man may make mistakes, damage nature and thereby himself, but in the long run man learns and nature heals. Thus even when landscape seems to display some maladjustment, it is only a phase in man the domesticate working toward symbiosis,” (Meinig).
Salad Garden, Kelsey Dawson. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
The garden was re-introduced to Europe as a pleasure space through the arrival of the Arab garden during the crusades (Pizzoni). The Arab garden was an anagogical space, using symbolic planting and ornament designed for contemplation. The word Jinnah in the Qur’an translates to both garden, and paradise. The Arab garden was immensely important to the space 107 1
of the home, it originated the idea of an outdoor room (Pizzoni). James Corner’s view of the garden as a “provider of both salve and respite from the deleteriom effects of urbanization” also focuses on the individual’s experience (Corner). However, gardens can exist at the scale of the city, representing a larger civilization’s collective relation to the natural world. Human manipulation of surfaces collides with the designed art form of the garden, this occurs as infrastructure allows for gardens at skyscraper height, to be vertically hung, or of massive and miniature scales. James Corner identifies that, “contemporary interest is in surface continuities where roofs and grounds become one and the same,” the future idea of a garden will not only conceptually shift with societal values, but also alter in scale.
Corner, James. Terra Fluxus. Meinig, D. W. The Beholding Eye Ten Versions of the Same Scene. Pizzoni, Filippo. The Garden; A History in Landscape and Art. New York, NY: Rizzoli International Publications, 1999. Kelsey Dawson ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
garden City noun \ gärdn sidÄ&#x201C;\ 1. a planned residential community with park and planted areas
Interpreted Definition Initially created by Sir Ebenezer Howard in 1898 to describe a typology of urban planning which encompassed a balance of living within both urban and rural constructs, current activities within society have now shifted these types of communities which have begun to interweave into each other. What we are witnessing now is an infiltration of garden into dense cityscapes, such as the highline in New York, which represents a smaller scale of intervention. Garden cities did not intend to develop into the current suburban housing boom, but rather exemplify a contrasting experience of both the city and the forest. Successful examples of this at a larger scale could be Central Park, but due to its bounded nature of the site into a rectangle, inhabitants of the city can never experience this all the time. Future concepts such as Beirut Wonder Forest attempt to combat its political corruption and hot, arid and polluted climate by placing large potted trees onto every rooftop in the city. In turn, the entire city would become a more comfortable place to live and breathe in, literally defining the term of the two words being put together. This can also encourage development of communities within each building by providing accessible greenspace for all residents, and possibly reducing the cost of living by goverment tax reduction through a well maintained rooftop.
Beirut Wonder Forest, Studio Invisible. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Simple installations like this may need to be forced upon if humans continue to ignore the fact that placing a few small trees along a street is going affect the enviroment in any way. 108 2
Sean Quach ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
GARDEN CITY noun 1. A new town designed as a whole with much open space and greenery. Oxford, 2016.
Interpreted Definition The idea of a garden city was started in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard as a proposal to intentionally planned communities. The main idea of a garden city was that these self-contained communities must be embedded within green spaces of predetermined ratios. When these cities were filled to their population capacity, it was theorized that more garden cities would be constructed adjacent to the existing ones to slowly form clusters of communities as satellites from a central community. In the concept of selfcontainment, the garden cities would have to contain their own industries, residences, and agricultural productions. The diversity of land use in the city would have to be planned for, so the concept of zoning was also developed in the process.
Three Magnets Diagram, Sir Ebenezer Howard.
One notable example of this type of development is Letchworth Garden City located in Hertfordshire, England. The town was an experiment on city planning as it was the first of its kind. It later sparked the development of other garden cities, one of which being Welwyn Garden City. The town was based on a diagram found in the book titled Garden Cities of Tomorrow, by Ebenezer Howard. This diagram was most commonly known as the three magnets diagram. This diagram illustrated how the zones of town and country would be either separated or
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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brought together as a town-country. In addition, it also showed how industry would be separated from residential areas, so zoning parameters were developed. Letchworth was often seen by outsiders as too idealistic and â&#x20AC;&#x153;otherworldly,â&#x20AC;? so it was often mocked by the public. The concept of a garden city is a perfect example of prescribed landscape architecture. The landscape is altered in a way that allows the architecture to exist long-term. City planning balancing residence, industry, and agriculture results in an architectural work which is accommodating to landscape. In this way, the two work together to form the final composition.
Winston Yew ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
GARDEN CITY noun a planned residential community with park and planted areas -Merriam-Webster
Interpreted Definition The garden city ideology was first introduced in 1898 by English town planner, Ebenezer Howard, in his work ‘To-morrow: a Peaceful Path to Real Reform’ as an urban solution to overcrowded and congested cities caused by the rapid population growth after the Industrial Revolution. Howard’s planned cities would improve the quality of life by combining the luxuries from urban life and the natural landscape from rural life. The emphasis on having permanent ring of open and agricultural land that surrounds the town later developed into the doctrine for British planning. In order to improve the quality of health and comfort of all workers from whatever class, Howard needed to create a “healthy, natural and economic” (Reps, John) hormone between town and rural life. The model garden city would be built and constructed according to a set of guides and parameters. His proposal was based on a concentric pattern that had regulations that included the population and size of each town to specific number and placement of public spaces and boulevards.
Garden CIty Diagram, urbanplanning.library. cornell.edu. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Howard’s ideal garden city evokes a strong sense of community that is self sufficient where the quality of life for an individual is improved with a thriving community life. This is evident in his concentric diagram where there is a place for everything. The public garden and, civic and cultural programs, such as hospitals and 110 2
theatres, are in the centre of town in which all the roads stem from. A ring houses and gardens circles this central park which is surrounded by a ring of factories and warehouses. This entire town is then surrounded by open agricultural land full of farms of various type. Howard’s scheme raises the question of whether or not garden city is an utopia and whether it can be successful anywhere because even though it satisfies the fundamentals of society, people, function and life, it is only designed for a specific type of human society. Or maybe Aristotle was right when he called man a “community animal”(Macfadyen, Dugald).
Chieh Hung ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
GRID Direct Definition Merriam-Webster Dictionary: 1: (a) : a perforated or ridged metal plate used as a conductor in a storage battery (b) : an electrode consisting of a mesh or a spiral of fine wire in an electron tube (c) : a network of conductors for distribution of electric power; also : a network of radio or television stations 2 : a network of uniformly spaced horizontal and perpendicular lines (as for locating points on a map); also : something resembling such a network <a road grid> 3 : gridiron 3; broadly : football
Interpreted Definition We use grids on varying scales, from the smallest (an InDesign template) to the mind-bogglingly large (densely populated cities). The ‘grid’ is a fundamental part of landscape and city planning. Examples of landscapes based on a grid include: the Chelsea Physic Garden, the Vaux-le-Vicomte Gardens, and the North American Agricultural Plains. The system comes from antiquity, and originated in multiple cultures. It is affected by landscape, but can disregard landscape where it is necessary. For example, grid systems often do not respond to topography (ie, San Francisco’s grid system).
Crop Fields in Kansas, USA, http://architizer. com/blog/the-largest-landscape-the-grid-ofamerican-agriculture/
However, landscape and city grid systems are rarely modular or perfectly fixed. They provide a structure that allows planners to anticipate future development, so that cities or landscapes can continue to grow. In most cases, it is cities and urban spaces that grow and expand, but grids can be used to preserve landscape like it has in the picture to the left. The North American Agricultural Plains, designed by Thomas Jefferson, are called ‘the largest landscape’, and are preserved because of how they were organized. Architizer describes the grid, stating: “These weren’t just lines on a map but Jefferson’s way of designing the entire future of the American way of life.” Squares in the grid were distributed to be privately owned by the people, and while parts of the grid developed into
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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towns and cities in the Midwest, those who wished to remain farmers kept their rural squares, and much of the original landscape was preserved. Merriam-Webster. Accessed July 03, 2016. http:// www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grid. “The Largest Landscape: The Grid Of American Agriculture.” Architizer. 2013. Accessed July 03, 2016. http://architizer.com/blog/the-largest-landscapethe-grid-of-american-agriculture/. Note: I reffered to information from lectures in this class.
Daniela Lopes ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
GRID
1: Grating 2 a (1): a perforated or ridged metal plate used as a conductor in a storage batter (2): an electrode consisting of a mesh or a spiral of fine wire in an electron tube (3): a network of conductors for distribution of electric power; also: a network of radio or television stations b: a network of uniformly spaces horizontal and perpendicular lines (as for locating points on a map); also: something resembling such a network <a road grid> c: gridiron 3; broadly: football 3: the starting point of cars on a racecourse 4: a device in a photocomposer on which are located the character to be exposed as the text is composed Merriam - Webster
Berlin at Night from the International Space Station, NASA Johnson Space Centre.
The grid, which takes its origin from the gridiron, calls to mind the idea of uniformly spaced parallel and perpendicular lines. However, the grid has also been appropriated by many fields to describe an ordered framework. For instance, a power grid describes the system which delivers electricity to an area efficiently. Therefore, the grid, with its many working definitions, generally describes a rationalization or organization of spaces and things on a network. In that sense, the definition escapes its association with the physical gridiron and moves into more abstract interpretations and uses, still maintaining its essence of rational organization. The grid, as it pertains to landscape architecture, can be interpreted the same way. By imposing a framework upon land it primarily serves as a way to more easily construct on even to simply monitor it for record. For example, a grid in the context of the city may be the result of all infrastructural elements and human interventions on these elements as they create an ordered system that can be observed and intervened on. In nature, the grid may describe any human intervention which organizes, be it marking it down on a map or erecting a cell phone tower.
Ron Adriano University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
griD noun \’grid\ 1. a pattern of lines that cross each other to form squares on a peice of paper, a map, etc. 2. a network of electrical wires and equipment that supplies electricity to a large area Merriam-Webster, 2016 interpreted Definition The grid is a mathematics concept consisting of two sets of parallel lines running perpendicular to each other, forming a set of repeating quadrilaterals. This method of dividing landscapes has been traced back as far as 2600BC, being used by the Indus Valley Civilization in two of their major cities. It has been used as the layout for many cities throughout history, but has not had such a large impact on landscape until 1785.
The National Land Ordinance of 1785 was drafted and passed by Thomas Jefferson, which created the sprawling grid pattern that covers the majority of the US farmland throughout the country. This human construct has changed the face of almost an entire continent worth of land. The grids were based on what Jefferson thought was the ideal plot size for a single family homestead. He was not trying to be precise but instead was trying to shape the future of the American way of life. As industrialization occurred less people became farmers and more moved into cities that used the grids as the underlying infrastructure routes.
North Dakota Image From: Google Earth
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Today the grids of old family homesteads can be seen, denoted by the major roadways that run in the cardinal directions of large cities. These road ways act as the fastest ways to travel from urban center to the suburban outskirts. When these roads are particularly busy it can result in 113 2
a modern phenomenon brought on by the mass production of automobiles, known as gridlock.
Edelson, Zachary. “The Largest Landscape: The Grid Of American Agriculture.” Architizer. September 16, 2013. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://architizer.com/blog/the-largest-landscapethe-grid-of-american-agriculture/. “Grid Plan.” Wikipedia. May 16, 2016. Accessed July 05, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_ plan. Ethan Schwartz ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
HABITAT HABITAT Direct Definition Noun; The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism. (Oxford Dictionaries)
Interpreted Definition
Habitat Conservation, California Department of Fish and Wildlife. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
The roots of this word can be traced back to Carl Linnaeus, when he developed a taxonomy system to classify all living things. The word was a literally translated from Latin to mean ‘it inhabits’, which is the third person singular indicative of ‘habitaire’ (to live, inhabit, dwell). In more recent history, the term was used by Gordon Orians at the University of Washington to develop ‘Habitat Theory’, which is the theory that all living things are aesthetically drawn to landscapes that have the basic forms and elements needed for the continuation of their particular species. This would explain why humans are naturally drawn to parks, meadows and grasslands as these landscapes emulate the landscapes we originally evolved from in Africa. This theory is closely related Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution as individuals of a species that are compelled to live in habitats with the right resources will be more reproductively successful than their peers who stray to harsher landscapes. The word habitat however, when it pertains to humans, has a slightly more fluid definition. Unlike other species humans dwell in every corner of the earth, so when we describe ‘human habitats’ they tend to be driven by our cultural affiliations for certain environments more so than our biological survival. We find ourselves naturally drawn to places that reflect our values and sense of home in the same way that plant and animal species are drawn to places that suit their reproductive needs.
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Emma Moseley ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
HABITAT noun: / ‘habItat / 1. The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organisim: “wild chimps in their natural habitat” 2. informal: A person’s usual or preferred surroundings. “Habitat,” last modified 2016, http://www. oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/habitat.
Interpreted Definition Derived from the Latin words ‘haëre’ (to have, to hold), and ‘habitare’ meaning to in habit. Habitat has been used since the late 18th century as a scientific term to describe where certain plants and animals were situated. Habitats are usually defined by a population or group residing in a certain location instead of an individual. For example, when describing the habitat of a single black bear, one may not find any particular bear but a group of bears that make up a breeding population and occupy this specific spot, making this habitat particular to this group, as another group of bears could live in a completely different situation.
Habitat 67, Safdia Architects University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Habitat 67 is in many ways the perfect name for this project. Each cube contains a micro-habitat that suits the needs of survival for the inhabitant. These separate micro-habitats are all joined together in this larger context of habitat for the entire complex. Finally, the complex is situated in the habitat of Montreal. Each one holds a particular set of conditions and environment that are preferable to some, but allow for everyone to survive together .
Habitats can be further reduced to micro-habitats, which describe a small scale physical location, an example being insects and fungi living on a fallen log, with the log being both the shelter and nutriments.
References:
There are also human habitats, where we gather in populations, such as a house, school, or city. Like the example with the bear, people can adapt depending on their surroundings, therefore making any place that we are surrounded by our habitat for that time so long as it provides for our needs.
“Habitat,” last modified 2016, http://www.britannica.com/science/habitatbiology
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“Habitat,” last modified 2016, http://environment-ecology.com/what-is-habitat. html.
“Habitat,” last modified 2016, http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=habitat Caitlin Paridy ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
HABITAT noun \'ha-bĆ?-,tat\ 1 a: the place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows b: the typical place of residence of a person or a group c: a housing for a controlled physical environment in which people can live under surrounding inhospitable conditions (as under the sea) 2: the place where something is commonly found
Interpreted Definition A habitat is a term referring to a place that is natural and comfortable for it's inhabitants. There are often certain things that make a habitat specifically desirable for certain species, and as a result there is often a commonality between certain types of habitats and their inhabitants. In animal species it is fairly regular and predictable, based on scientifically quantifiable factors that make a place suitable and comfortable for a species.
development and cultivation was that landscape transformed into a luxurious comfortable environment not only suitable but highly desirable for human habitation. As the boundaries of building and construction continue to be pushed, the definition of habitat expands and becomes much more adaptable and flexible. Rather than being tied to a natural existing environment it is only limited by our own imaginations and our desire to shape the landscape as we wish it to suit our needs.
Historically human habitats were similar to animal habitats, dependent on the availability of food sources, the ability to keep warm and stay protected from the elements and predators. In the present day, much has changed. People feel comfortable in environments that meet their desired cultural and personal preferences. Not only are people shifting their definitions of a suitable habitat to a wide range of cultural habitats, but we are also shifting the actual landscape to shape the habitats we want. Habitats are becoming less linked to places where we naturally live but rather places we choose to suit our needs.
Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, Visit Dubai. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
A great example of this is the artificial archipelago created in Dubai called the Palm Jurmeirah. The waters of the Arabian Gulf are certainly not a natural habitat for people. Only after extensive 116 2
"Palm Jumeirah - The World's Largest Man-made Island." Visit Dubai. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www.visitdubai. com/en/pois/palm-jumeirah.
Genna Kalvaitis ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
HIERARCHY Direct Definition 1: a division of angels 2a: a ruling body of clergy organized into orders or ranks each subordinate to the one above it; especially : the bishops of a province or nation b: church government by a hierarchy 3: a body of persons in authority 4: the classification of a group of people according to ability or to economic, social, or professional standing; also : the group so classified 5: a graded or ranked series <a hierarchy of values> -Merriam-Webster
Peregrine Falcon crushed eggs, www.arkive.com. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition In landscape architecture, the term “hierarchy” refers to a multi-tiered system that relies on the support of the immediate lower strata to function. This can be a physical system that requires support to resist physical loads possibly due to gravity, or perhaps the system is an abstract representation such as in the case of landscape ecology. As discussed in class, the food chain is an example of such “hierarchy” where the consumer species are dependant on those on a lower level, which in turn rely on the producer and decomposer species to survive. Through a particular “process” (a term that will be defined next), human intervention can drastically affect this natural system and upset the balance. An example of such an intervention occured around the time of World War II with the introduction of a pesticide called dicholorodiphenyltrichloroethane (or DDT for short). This pesticide helped to control pests such as mosquitoes and thus reducing the spread of malaria. However, DDT had adverse affects on the species at the top of the food chain; the peregrine falcon. This bird fed on the smaller birds who in turn fed on the insects that contained DDT. Through the cummulative sum of DDT in the insects,seeds, and small birds consumed, the peregrine falcon was vastly intoxicated by this pesticide. DDT affected the way that calcium was produced in these birds and caused the egg shells 117 2
of these birds to become extremely fragile. As the falcon mother went to sit on the eggs to incubate them, the shells crushed underneath the weight of the parent. The population of the peregrine falcons plummeted drastically, becoming an endangered species. This example demonstrates the effects of human intervention at the lower levels of an ecology’s hierarchy, and how this can create an amplified effect as the effects become multiplied through each level of the chain. The absence of the top predator of the food chain meant that the immediate lower level of the hiearchy system increased in population. This causes the next level down to be put under stress. Through the multiple levels of increase and stress, one can quickly see how this begins to affect the landscape on an impactful scale.
Marco Chow ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
HIERARCHY NOUN A system in which members of an organization or society are ranked according to relative status or authority (Oxford Dictionary) Hierarchy is the organization of landscape design by deďŹ ning a set of priorities. These priorities create stages in the design process and allow the designer to focus on one element at a time and design incrementally. Typically it begins with site, shifts to program and circulation, then material and tectonics, lastly to detailing.
This then becomes a criticism of hierarchy, for it denies change and adaptation. Landscapes are inherently systematic. The design of terrain affects tree growth which affects shadows which affect program. Landscapes should not be designed step-by-step and require constant revision and adaptation of previous decisions to be succesful.
This design process is best illustrated through the diagrams of Bjarke Ingels, in which the design is proposed as a process of step-by-step decisionmaking. Although these diagrams suggest a linear design process, the truth is far from it. The actual design involves a balanced and integrated approach in which all elements are developed simultaneously and adjusted to work cohesively.
Nevertheless, priorities and hierarchies are beneďŹ cial to landscape designers, but are most successful when permeable and open to change.
Daigrammatic, Lincoln Park Zoo, Studio Gang. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Hierarchies in landscape design are best illustrated as diagrams and axonometric drawings, where stacking and progression can be easily shown.
Conrad Speckert 118 2
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
hybrid Direct Definition 1. an animal or plant that is produced from two animals or plants of different kinds 2. something that is formed by combining two or more things Merriam-Webster, 2004
Interpreted Definition The word hybrid is derived from the Latin ibridia, meaning the offspring of a tame sow and a wild boar. The Latin word was influenced by the Ancient Greek word hubris, meaning pride or defiance of the gods; hybrid has the same root word as Latin ibrum, or mule. Despite the negative connotations its ancestry implies, in nature hybridization between plants often produces hardier seeds. Hybrid animals are less likely to produce fertile offspring, but in some cases an entirely new species is created, suggesting the possibility of hybridization as a mechanism for evolution and in turn, the future of landscape; the result is the shattering of the idea of nature as infinite and unchanging, replaced by a continually varying landscape which is bound and reacts sensitively to human activity within a complex system.
Spatiotemporal spread of hybridization relative to climatic changes, Nature Climate Change. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
In relation to landscape and architecture, hybridization is becoming increasingly popular, occurring as the mixing of different building typologies or spaces, such as the High Line, where a new ecological system was combined with the disused railway to create a new form of park. This strategy has evolved as the distilling of the most valuable elements of each typology and combining them to complement each other in an overall effect which is greater than the sum of its parts. However, the definition of the word hybrid is valid only when hybridism is uncommon; if all buildings 119 2
are a mixture of others, as they will inevitably become, it becomes temporal and eventually meaningless.
Natalie Kopp ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
HYBRID noun \’hī-brəd\ 1. an offspring of two animals or plants of different races, breeds, varieties, species, or genera 2. a person whose background is a blend of two diverse cultures or traditions 3a. something heterogeneous in origin or composition : composite ex: hybrids of complementary DNA and RNA strands ex: a hybrid of medieval and Renaissance styles b. something (as a power plant, vehicle, or electronic circuit) that has two different types of components performing essentially the same function - Merriam-Webster Online
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hybrid
The Moray Agricultural Terraces, Natasha Klink. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition In landscape architecture, hybrid refers to a project in which two or more areas of study are so intricately blended that no clear boundaries between the two; a hybrid project can fit into all categories of its traditional archetype or none. Hybrid projects can use a fusion of landscape and infrastructure, landscape and buildings, or landscape and art, among others. An early example of the hybridisation of landscape architecture and infrastructure can be found in the history of the Moray ruins in Peru’s Sacred Valley. Used by the Incas as an agricultural research station, concentric terraces dug into the ground create temperature variations of up to 150C from the top to the bottom. Using these microclimatic conditions, the Inca were capable of increasing the number of potato varieties tenfold. This site served a clear infrastructural purpose and was a carefully crafted landscape: the ‘stairs’ (protruding rocks spaced at regular intervals) were carefully and deliberately constructed. Moray stands as an early example of infrastructural landscape architecture. Later examples of hybrids between landscape architecture and infrastructure are Gustafston Porter’s Rose Kennedy Greenway (built over Boston’s Central Artery Tunnel) and Aro and Dland Studio’s A New Urban Ground, proposed for MOMA’s Rising Currents competition.
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Notable hybrid projects blending architecture and landscape until the two become indistinguishable include Peter Eisenmann’s City of Culture of Galicia, Morphosis’ Giant Group Campus, and Rafael Viñoly and OLIN’s Valleco Shopping Mall. Land Art is the hybrid between art and landscape, founded in the 1960s. These projects alter natural landscapes to distance artists from the commerciality of art. Typically using materials sourced from nature, site-specific interventions are created in landscape. Notable land artist Robert Smithson chose damaged sites to address topics such as renewal and rebirth; his project Spiral Jetty enhances the natural red colouring of the water by creating a mini-ecosystem in which bacteria and algae thrive. http://upcommons.upc.edu/bitstream/handle/2117/17997/Hybrid%20Architecture_ Object,%20Landscape,%20Infrastructure.pdf http://www.mofga.org/Publications/MaineOrganicFarmerGardener/Spring2012/ Moray/tabid/2137/Default.aspx https://lebbeuswoods.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/building-landscapes/ https://dirt.asla.org/2013/10/02/walter-hoods-hybrid-landscapes/ http://www.dezeen.com/2015/09/09/rafael-vinoly-reveals-plans-largest-greenroof-in-world-silicon-valley-cupertino-california/ http://www.theartstory.org/artist-smithson-robert.htm
Natasha Klink ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
HYDROLOGY HYDROLOGY hy·drol·o·gy
noun: the branch of science concerned with the properties of the earth’s water, especially its movement in relation to land.
Interpreted Definition
Kerr Dam, Montana. “Kerr Dam.” www.wikiart.org. Accessed July 03, 2016. https:// upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/2011-06-07_1717-11_996.jpg
University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
Hydrology is an interesting term to analyze under the landscape lens given that as its name suggest it is land we would examine. However land and water have an unbreakable relation to each other, especially when looking at landscapes. Perhaps it is their chemical relation to one another where water is one of the main elements found in soil and thus vital for its being or perchance it is instead their unlikeliness in physical properties which allow for a beautiful contrast between the two. Water is naturally embedded in our landscapes as part of a fundamental component for the flora and fauna, however it has also been present in man-made landscapes from the beginning of times, whether in the form of a pond, a fountain or a stream. Nevertheless, the ability to control and manipulate water has not always been as it is today, century-recent technology has allowed for massive scales of hydro-scapes to be developed and there is a great range for further improvement to these technologies. An example of this are dams, which originated as an animal creation yet are now very important to some cities in the world, large volumes of water are contained, altering the landscape that is now formed into this macro-scaled body of 121 2
water. There are different roles which water plays in landscapes, however I believe in the future water could potentially be the protagonist of a landscape, being composed of water elements alone.
“The Definition of Hydrology.” Dictionary.com. Accessed July 03, 2016. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/ hydrology.
Amanda Reyes-Martin ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
HYDROLOGY Direct Definition (noun) Study of the distribution, conservation, and use of the water on the earth and its atmosphere.
Interpreted Definition
No Closed Loop, Generated by author. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Hydrology is a complex and fascinating concept in the practice of landscape architecture with far reaching implications. Hydrology is commonly understood to be the study of water and fluids in relation to their immediate properties; fluid dynamics. One person interviewed went so far as to say that ‘hydrology’ is the study of hydraulic mechanisms. These interpretations (save the last) have bearing on the true meaning of hydrology but are limited in applicable scope and, as such, can lead to ecologically contrary landscape-architectural design. As according to the Collins Canadian English Dictionary, hydrology is the study of water as a closed loop system interlaced over the face of the entire earth and into the atmosphere. The realization of this definition of ‘hydrology’ immediately places a work of landscape architecture in a network much bigger than itself. All water systems, unless completely isolated in all regards from the surrounding environment, are dependent on the watersheds and hydrological atmospheres in which they are situated and, in turn, have systems equally dependent on them. Until quite recently, landscape architects were required to be aware of this hydrological interdependence for the success of their creations. Designs were impacted and limited or allowed by the hydrological situations of each project. This is no more dramatically seen than in the Persian 122 2
garden of Bagh-e Babur. This man-made oasis in the Afghan desert, was only made possible, by the comprehensive understanding of the garden’s architects, of the water cycles of the geology in which the garden is situated. The restoration of sensibility towards the hydrological system of the world will allow landscape architects to design projects that are much more responsive to the chain of hydrology and as such, much more convincing in their ecological situation and much more respectable of their hydrological dependents. Sources: Elizabeth van Weerden (Home-maker) discussion with author, July 1, 2016.
in
Gilmour, Lorna. Essential Canadian English Dictionary & Thesaurus. Toronto: HarperCollins Publishers, 2004. Holly van Weerden (High-school student) in discussion with author, July 1, 2016. Neil van Weerden (Mechanical engineer) in discussion with author, July 1, 2016. Sediqi, Abdel-Ellah. “Bagh-e Babur.” UNESCO. November 2, 2009/ July 1, 2016. http://whc. unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5469 Levi van Weerden ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
IDENTITY IDENTITY noun \ī-ˈden-tə-tē, ə-, -ˈde-nə-\ 1. sameness of essential or generic character in different instances 2. sameness in all that constitutes the objective reality of a thing: oneness Merriam-Webster Interpreted Definition Originally derived from idem or same, identity in landscape is the study of “how to revive an old, dormant civilization and take part in universal civilization.” (Paul Ricoeur, History and Truth, 1965) In the search for identity through reformation and Critical Regionalism, it is evident that “Critical Regionalism as a cultural strategy is as much a bearer of the world culture as it is a vehicle of universal civilization. And while it is obviously misleading to conceive of our inheriting world culture to the same degree as we are all heirs to universal civilization, it is nonetheless evident that since we are, in principle, subject to the impact of both, we have no choice but to take cognizance today of their interaction.” (Kenneth Frampton, “Towards a Critical Regionalism: Six Points for an Architectural Resistance”, 1983) The ancien régime gives rise to the cultural formations of the 1920s: Purism, Neoplasticism and Constructivism. “These movements are the last occasion on which radical Avant- gardism is able to identify itself wholeheartedly with the process of modernization.” (Frampton)
accept ideas. Imagination and intelligence are necessary for both.”( Frampton) On the other hand, “European Modernism met a rigid and restrictive regionalism that at first resisted and then surrendered. New England accepted European Modernism whole because of its own regionalism had been reduced to a collection of restrictions.” (Frampton)
Villa Savoye, http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/ fnart/Corbu.html
In the late 1920s California, modern European ideas met a still- developing regionalism, the “Regionalism of Liberation.” A region “in tune with the emerging through of the time… A region may develop ideas. A region may
January Muhua Chen
University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
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ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
IDENTITY Noun /ʌɪˈdɛntɪti/ plural 1.
2.
3. 4. 5.
a : sameness of essential or generic character in different instances b : sameness in all that constitutes the objective reality of a thing : oneness a : the distinguishing character or personality of an individual : individuality b : the relation established by psychological identification the condition of being the same with something described or asserted <establish the identity of stolen goods> an equation that is satisfied for all values of the symbols identity element
Merriam-Webster, 2016
One can identify the construction of identities as the acceptance of parts of a given culture and the globalized network. Contemporary architecture has been widely accepted as the medium in which we can construct, reconstruct and define identities, on an individualistic level or a national one. Identity in architecture may be linked with the idea of a passing and recurrence of traditions, from the use of various techniques and forms to various typologies. Norberg-Schuls states when talking about Prague,
The place is still there with its urban spaces and its character, beautifully restored with its Late Baroque polychromy, allowing for an orientation and identification which goes beyond the security of threat offered by the immediate economic aor political system. From the new residential neighborhoods people go to old Prague to get a confirmation of their identity. Without the old centre, Prague would today be sterile and the inhabitants would be reduced to alienated ghosts. Historically in time, architecture has always acted as the marker for national identity. Villa Savoye, le Grand Louvre, the Seagram Building and in specific in relation to landscape, the High Line in New York not only create recognizable symbols for the city they represent, but become at the basis of creating an environment in which we can find our collective identity. High Line, Iwan Baan. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
There is a common perception in modern day 124 2
about lost identity being associated with the built environment in cities, which is a current issue that will persist in the future as well. As landscape is continually dominated by growing development, and historical buildings and places of memories are torn down to make way for the new, the concept of identity on an individualistic level will most likely move beyond the current realm of definition we perceive today. Bound by the growing extents of the virtual world and technology, one can foresee the shift in identity to perhaps one that encompasses modes of identification we have never dreamt of – the labeling of one’s intellectual ability, psychological state, probability of success, an assigned rather than self-made identity.
Herrle, Peter. Architecture and Identity. Berlin: Lit, 2008. Waldrep, Shelton. The Dissolution of Place: Architecture, Identity, and the Body. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2013.
Cindy Cao ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
IDEOLOGY IDEOLOGY Direct Definition 1: visionary theorizing 2 a : a systematic body of concepts especially about human life or culture b : a manner or the content of thinking characteristic of an individual, group, or culture c : the integrated assertions, theories and aims that constitute a sociopolitical program (Merriam-Webster)
Image Title, Image Source. University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition An ideology is simply a system of ideas, views, and beliefs that form together a unique concept of human living. Mostly used in discussions about politics, ideologies can relate to landscape and architecture. Just as there are writers and leaders that aim to influence a people into a certain way of thinking, architecture is just as often used in the control of a set ideology. It is how a structure is designed, the thought of materials and layouts, lighting to openness, all create feelings dictated by the designer. Example, if a building displays its natural elements, perhaps through the use of exposed wood structure, it can highlight a more environmental ideology for the inhabitants. If there is sufficient day lighting, if would discourage overuse of the electrical lighting. If a unit requires that certain amenities be shared, it can encourage a more communal mentality. However, Ideology isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really about control, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the idea that certain characteristics of human behaviour and interaction could be more beneficial to all, over other social practices. Using architecture and landscaping, designers can create environments and greatly benefit from certain ideologies and continue to strengthen them. Other examples include recreational areas that are more welcoming and enjoyable, encouraging a healthier lifestyle. Or the use of public urban gardens, to build a greater sense of self determination within a community, returning natural elements back into an urban setting. 125 2
However, architecture has been used to oppress people and certain ways of living because of the accepted ideology of the state or belief, and so this indirect interaction between the designers and the occupiers can be a harmful one. Therefore, Ideologies are ideas of how one should live oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life. Architecture and landscaping uses these ideas in their designs to create certain dynamics within their environments.
Mikalai (Nick) Makhalik 20559331 ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
IDEOLOGY IDEOLOGY Direct Definition (noun) 1 : visionary theorizing 2 : a system of ideas or way of thinking usually relating to politics or society, or to the conduct of a class or group and regarded as justifying actions especially one that is held implicitly or adopted as a whole and maintained regardless of a course of events. Oxford Canadian Dictionary Second Edition, 2006.
Interpreted Definition Ideology is a concept and means, literally, the knowledge of ideas. (Eagleton, 2013) Ideological designs are those that are design to reflect a specific set of ideas through form, organization, symbolism, style or any method employed to portray the ideal. In the act of designing spaces the designer is inherently projecting their authority over the site. All touched spaces of a landscape have been planned and organized even if the nature of the design is to be disorderly. Ideology in landscape architecture can solely be the act of organizing the space. The designing of a space is a natural attempt to assert authority in a quest for order and the realization of an ideal within the space (Baker, 1992). Although the term ideology is generally thought of as being religious in disposition, the term is of Greek origin derived from the words; idea meaning form and pattern, and logos meaning ‘reason’ or ‘plan’, and has broader possibilities for definition than is commonly known. Following the definitions of the words idea and Logos and the common connotations of the term ideology as a guide it can be deduced that ideology is simply the organization and implementation of order, authority, and a rules of conduct over any system, such as; a person, society, political system, space or other entity.
Kiley Garden (Prev: Nationsbank Plaza), Dan Kiley University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Meaghan Mckinley 126 2
ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
IDEOLOGY IDEOLOGY noun ide·ol·o·gy \ˌī-dē-ˈä-lə-jē, ˌi-\ 1. the set of ideas and beliefs of a group or political party Merriam- Webster, 2011
Landscape can be seen as an ideology; a systematic scheme of ideas driven by particular social, political, and cultural groups, like a human intellectual construction. A wide range of ideologies can be found in historical and contemporary concepts of natural garden design. In the early 18th century, a style of landscape garden emerged in England and spread across Europe replacing ideology of formal and symmetrical gardens with more “natural” forms. It was influenced by landscape painting artists such as Claude Lorrain and Salvator Rosa – framed, idealized views of nature that used elements of background, midground and foreground to guide the viewer’s eye.
‘Stowe Landscape Gardens’, Pen & ink. Image Source: Stowe Landscape Gardens. July 5th, 2016. https://nanquick.com/tag/stowe-landscapegardens/ University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
Influenced by these works, the Stowe Landscape Gardens gradually took shape as an exemplar of the picturesque. The Stowe garden makes an exceptionally explicit statement about its own historical moments with statues, temples and villas that interpret the political situation of Britain in the 18th century and the history of how it came to be. Such intensity reveals an ideological tension in the period’s taste for gardens and historical context, influenced by number of architects including the first professional garden designer Charles Bridgeman, William Kent, Capability Brown, James Gibbs, and more influential designers; Charles Bridgeman still clung to the idea of geometric symmetries with straight lines, then Kent introduced Palladian style by adding more temples and “natural” landscape garden, and Brown continued to shape contours 127 2
of the lake and tree lines. The natural garden style became the symbol of the liberal philosophy and the enlightened way of thinking, and the series of English garden ideologies from influential architects and sharp critiques of 18th century society became emblematic cultural achievement of England. Resource: 1. Gunawa, Sarah. Is Landscape Painting?. Lecture at University of Waterloo, Cambridge, Ontario, May 2016. 2. Gunawa, Sarah. Is Landscape Photography?. Lecture at University of Waterloo, Cambridge, Ontario, May 2016.
Min Kyung Cho ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
IMAGE TERM 2: IMAGE Direct Definition A representation of the external form of a person or thing in art. A visible impression obtained by a camera, telescope, microscope, or other device, or displayed on a computer or video screen. A mental representation or idea. Oxford Dictionary
Interpreted Definition Image derived from the word ‘imagination’ are mental pictures of what we perceive to be of reality. (Hunt 2000) Whether it be the way we imagine something to smell, look, taste, feel, etc; we alter these senses in our mind and in doing so alter reality. During the romantic era, a popular trend of landscape painting swept through Europe. Artists expressed interest in illusionfilled landscapes that made spaces more desirable by enhancing the colour of leaves, flowers, light and sky. (Repton, 1813) These old techniques of enhancement developed into the widely accessible tools we now use today such as photoshop, filters, etc. The way we create images in our mind can be rooted from exposure to different elements such as physical location, culture and personal experiences. Consider imagining a garden, almost by instinct one imagines an area of lush grass, flowers, open space and sun. However, in reality the garden itself is comprised of weeds, dead plants, and flaws. This does not mean that the landscape is truly flawed; instead it does not meet the expectations of our imagination.
Unknown, http://rebloggy.com/ University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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The creativity of the human mind is one that can also bring new ideas and proposals. (Burke 1756/1990) In both architecture and landscape architecture, the art of design is comprised of series of images that we produce in our minds. What we extract from these images and develop in the physical world is the underlying gap between imagination and reality.
Citations 1. Burke Edmund. 1756. “A pholosophical Enquiry into the origin of our ideas of the sublime and the beautiful.” Oxford reprint 1990. Cassell, London pp. 21;50. Print. 2. Repton Humphry. 1813. “Plans for Sherringham in Norfolk.” Red Books, The Basilisk Press, London. Print. Jasdeep Multani ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
IMAGE noun / ‘imij/ 1. A representation of the external form of a person or thing in art 2. The general impression that a person, organization or product presents to the public 3. A simile or metaphor (Oxford Dictionary). Interpreted Definition
A James Corner collage in which cartographic mapping is combined with aerial photography. Image from: ‘Taking Measures Across the American Landscape’ by James Corner University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Derived from the Latin term ‘imago’ meaning “to imitate”, the term ‘image’ has been applied in various ways throughout time – and each time, with the same sole meaning. An image is a form of representation. In his essay, “What is an Image?” W.J.T. Mitchell describes the diverse list of things that we refer to as images, such as “pictures, statues, optical illusions, maps, diagrams, dreams, hallucinations, spectacles, projections, poems, patterns, memories and even ideas as images…” (504). He then organizes this ongoing list into a family of images, which consists of five categories: graphic, optical, perceptual, mental and verbal images. In doing so, Mitchell exercises the idea that image is no longer two-dimensional, scenic, or picturesque. Rather, the term ‘image’ is complex, multi-faceted and thought inducing. In the past, icons and images were often associated with each other, giving the term ‘image’ a singular and limited meaning. With Mitchell’s five families of images, it can be speculated that in the discourse of landscape architecture and it’s future, the term ‘image’ refers to something beyond the picture. In the future of landscape architecture, images represent ideas, innovations, analyses and realizations. James Corner is a landscape architect that practices a deeper form of imaging through his collages. The image shown from his book Taking 129 2
Measures Across the American Landscape depicts a cartographic mapping combined with an aerial photograph, provoking an idea through an image. This concept is reinforced in his essay “Eidetic Operations and New Landscapes” where he introduces the idea of eidetic imaging as a fundamental element to the future of landscape design. Corner states that “unlike the purely retinal impression of pictures, eidetic images contain a broad range of ideas that lie at the core of human creativity. Consequently, how one “images” the world literally conditions how reality is both conceptualized and shaped.” Both Corner and Mitchell reinforce the idea of using images as a tool to represent thoughts and ideas in the future of landscape architecture.
Mayuri Paranthahan ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
INFRASTRUCTURE The underlying foundation or basic framework (as of a system or organization) (Webster)
Infrastructure is what allows for the transport of goods, people, services, water, and energy. It includes not only roads, but power and sewage lines, water supply, communications, and so forth. It is the structure of the city. Infrastructure can be of national scale or local scale, and frequently the infrastructure of a local scale must accommodate that of a national scale. Freeways cut through roads and fragment the landscape.
While infrastructure is considered man-made, Nature also has an infrastructure. Nature also has systems to deal with the water from flood overflows.
Infrastructure is expensive to build and maintain, yet we humans of today are hard pressed to live without fresh water, waste disposal, or electricity. Infrastructure, historically, began with the construction of canals, small roads, aqueducts and sewers, and other irrigation systems. In the 1800s, railways and railway locomotives began to come into use in Europe and the United States, as well as the usage of electrical telegraphs. Phone lines had to be installed with the invention of the telephone, and electrical lines for electricity. Electrical plants would have to be constructed to serve the masses. In the 19th century there was a push to make water distribution and disposal safer and cleaner. In the late 1900s, there was infrastructure for the world wide web.
Infrastructure, MIT News. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Kelley Gu 130 2
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
infrastruCture noun | in·fra·struc·ture | ‘in-frǝ-strǝk-chǝr 1. the underlying foundation or basic framework (as of a system or organization) 2. the permanent installations required for military purposes 3. the system of public works of a country, state, or region; also the resources required for an activity - Merriam-Webster
Infrastructure is essential to society. For thousands of years, humans have invested massive amounts of time, space, and money into the infrastructural projects that make civilization possible. Although often hidden below ground or out of sight, infrastructure is the basis for modern life, though it often comes at great cost to the natural environment. Nature and infrastructure do not need to be opposed, though. In fact, much infrastructure is either based on, directly dependent on, or performed better by natural ecosystems. Wetlands, for example, naturally prevent flooding by mediating changing water levels through the soil conditions and plant life, often more effectively than man made alternatives such as levees and dams. As we disturb these natural systems, however, we become more and more reliant on artificial infrastructures to provide essential services such as flood protection, water conservation, and air filtration. Landscape architecture has a unique opportunity to utilize these natural systems as green infrastructure, providing essential services through landscape design.
Qunli Stormwater Wetland Park, Turenscape University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Turenscape’s Qunli Stormwater Wetland Park in Haerbin, China is a prime example of integrating infrastructure and landscape design. The park preserves natural ecosystems amidst a growing city, providing stormwater collection and filtration while also functioning as a beautiful recreational 131 2
amenity for Haerbin’s citizens. Utilizing public green spaces for both recreational and infrastructural potential gives urban environments potential solutions to problems of air and water pollution, flooding, overheating, etc. in a mode more conducive to human, animal, and plant inhabitation. As awareness of the benefits of natural ecosystems grows and societal values continue to shift towards an environmental mindset, it will be necessary for landscape architecture to see projects as infrastructural opportunities: a chance to celebrate the typically hidden framework of civilization. Integrated landscape infrastructure can provide green space and essential services while also conserving natural ecosystems. In the words of conservationist Mark Benedict, “Green Infrastructure is not a frill - it is smart conservation for the twenty-first century.”1
1
Benedict, “Green Infrastructure,” 17 Devin Arndt ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
INFRASTRUCTURE Direct Definition noun / in∙fra∙struc∙ture 1. the underlying foundation or basic framework (as of a system or organization) 2. the permanent installations required for military purposes 3. the system of public works of a country, state, or region; also: the resources (as personnel, buildings, or equipment) required for an activity (Merriam-Webster)
Figure 2: Bio-swale, Giulia Kiernan. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition Infrastructure, within the context of landscape architecture, is used as an abbreviation of the term ‘green infrastructure’. This infrastructure is created with the use of natural elements to perform the role of another traditional, more environmentally harmful infrastructure. The term is commonly used to refer to the management of water systems. For example, constructed wetlands are an alternative to the conventional water dam or water treatment facility. Green infrastructure can function at many scales. The simplest and easiest green infrastructure is the planting of trees. Also, the use of permeable pavement or the construction of green roofs are some green infrastructure methods that affect a single household or neighbourhood. Conversely, at the scale of the city, green infrastructure can have an impact on large systems, such as parks, forests and floodplains. As American Rivers outlines, the implementation of green infrastructures can have a positive impact on many aspects of a community, including “… energy consumption, air quality, carbon reduction and sequestration, property prices, recreation and other elements of community health and vitality that have monetary or other social value.”1 Figure 2 shows a bio-swale at the Vale Living With Lakes Centre in Sudbury. This linear depression, filled with specifically chosen vegetation, purifies 132 2
stormwater runoff. It is part of a larger green infrastructural design that conserves municipal water by collecting rainwater that falls on the site.
1. The Centre for Neighborhood Technology. “The Value of Green Infrastructure.” Accessed June 29, 2016. http://www.cnt.org/sites/default/files/ publications/CNT_Value-of-Green-Infrastructure. pdf. Giulia Kiernan ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
intent Direct Definition Noun: What one plans to do or achieve; an aim or purpose (Definition from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
Interpreted Definition
Diagram of Intent for Mountain Dwellings by BIG, Via ArchDaily. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Design and intent are inextricably linked – the act of design could be defined as “creating with specific intent”. For example, an architect’s intent for a building or landscape may include affecting the urban fabric, the specific experience of an individual in the building or to optimize profits for the client. Even prior to the establishment of “design” as an abstract concept, the vernacular architecture of people across the world had the intent of creating comfortable spaces for use and habitation. Each major movement of architecture can be defined by its intent separate from this – modernism’s intent to create efficient, minimal spaces; brutalism’s intent to generate monumentality and grandeur; classicism’s intent to proportion buildings mathematically to create harmony. The partner to “intent” in contemporary practice is the Diagram. To clients, the public or other architects, the Diagram acts as diplomat to a project’s intent. In today’s information-rich practice, properly communicating a project’s intent can be as important to success as a good project, illustrated by firms like REX, BIG and OMA. However an image can only make promises – a 133 2
completed project might not keep them. Built projects may perform entirely differently from the intent of the architect. The emergence of “bottom-up” re-appropriations of architecture in the 21st century is a response to instances throughout the mid-1900s where “top-down” building and planning failed to meet the needs of communities. In these cases, the intent of the architect was miscalculated, resulting in contrary results – blunt urban spaces, disparate communities and a loss of agency among residents.
Ihroom Eric Oh ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
INTENT Noun 1. the act or fact of intending : purpose; especially : the design or purpose to commit a wrongful or criminal act 2. the state of mind with which an act is done : volition Intent in an architectural context best describes the purpose taken into consideration during the design process. Design intent is the byproduct of the required function of a design. Current decisions from the ASHRAE Guideline Committee are revising the commissioning guideline of the term intent and are proposing to replace the term “design intent” with “owner’s project requirements.” There is a certain importance for the basis of the design to be based on real world requirements but for critical design, intent refers to the aim with the end goal in mind.
may become misconstrued. Such are the more ephemeral components of landscape practice.
Stum, Karl. “Design Intent and Basis of Design: Clarification of Terms, Structure, and Use.” Web. stanford.edu. Accessed July 5, 2016. http://web. stanford.edu/group/narratives/classes/08-09/ CEE215/ReferenceLibrary/Design Intent_Basis of Design/Design Intent and Basis of Design_ Clarification.pdf.
Design Record Document Structure, ASHRAE
Often the final architectural project be it landscape or urban, may differ greatly from the intended design. Interventions such as lack of consideration for climate and region may affect the idealized result. It is not the lack of meeting expectation but perhaps a fault in the process and administration required to carry out the completion of the design. For example, the implementation of visualization technologies such as Photoshop and virtual reality sets up an certain expectation for the intended design to look and feel upon completion. There is an ambiguity inherent in contracted shop drawings and master plans for a city where much of the design cannot be represented in strictly line drawings further muddying the distinction between intent and completed reality. Such inconsistencies can be mitigated on a smaller scale with the implementation of CNC technologies but dealing with landscapes on a large scale, intent
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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3. a usually clearly formulated or planned intention : aim
- Mirriam-Webster, 2015
If the design intent is at best, an attempt to rationalize the parti of a project, there must be consideration throughout the design process to keep consistent with the intended outcome. “Practicing ArchitectureKnowledge Communities.” AIA RSS. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www.aia. org/practicing/groups/kc/AIAB081947.
Steven Lin ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
intent noun 1. a) the act or fact of intending, especially the design or purpose to commit a wrongful or criminal act b) the state of mind with which an act is done 2. a usually clearly formulated or planned intention 3. meaning, signifficance, connotation
Intent is the focus and desire to acheive a particular outcome. Eric Lum of the American Institute of Architects describes design intent as something that should be the goal of all parties involved in an architectural project, not just that of the architect. In his article On Design Intent, he points out that one of the big issues with large architectural projects nowadays is the distance between the architects intent and the final build, because the project passes through so many different hands, many of them having no contact with the people who actually created teh design.
an intent. This works the same way as it does in an architectural project, to guide the design moves taken to achieve the overall desired effect.
In architecture the intention of a project can be related to program, form, and qualities of a space. Design with intent is making informed design decisions that will achieve the final desired space and its influence on peoplesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experiences, productivity, behaviour and health. In a project, intent is the planning of final outcome. It guides the actions of the project and eventually leads to its outcome, if the intent was strong and the actions were correct, the outcome will hopefully acheive the intent. In relation to landscape, intent can be present or absent. In wilderness and natural landscapes, there is no desired outcome so there is no intent. In the case of a landscape project, there should be University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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Nathanael Scheffler ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
INTERACTION Direct Definition 1. Reciprocal action or influence Source: Oxford Dictionary
Interpreted Definition What someone describes as landscape defers greatly in opinion from one person to another. As a result, our interaction with landscape and resulting influence differs based on these views. Currently the various views towards what landscape is and the magnitude of our influence, gives leave to numerous types of projects in response to our place. Our interaction is therefore a result of what we make of landscape. D.W. Meinig discuses ten views of the same scene and how the differences reflect in our interaction. People who see landscape as place versus people who view landscape as wealth interact with their environment differently. These interactions differ due to how we interpret what we see and its function in our lives. For example, people who see landscape as nature, tend to disassociate humans from the place where as people who view landscape as wealth tend to view the place in terms of future value as argued by Meinig in The Beholding Eye.
Downsview Park Competition by OMA http://oma. eu/projects/downsview-park. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Looking to the future, understanding the various outlooks people have toward landscape can help architects establish better relations to the surrounding place, and pose positions in relation to what we value. The way architects should plan on an urban scale should consider the built form and its relation to landscape based on a variety of interactions that can occur due to the variety of opinions as to what landscape is. OMA’s proposal 136 2
for Downsview Park begins to show the idea of how we interact with landscape and the variance that is needed in these interactions in order to create a stronger connection to place. The quality of our interaction with landscape can be enhanced once multiple opinions have been presented, studied and integrated into the planning phase of architecture. Sources: Oxford Dictionary. “Interaction.” Accessed June 28 2016. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ definition/english/interaction Meinig D.W., Ten Versions of the Same Scene, New York: Oxford University Press, 1979.
Monica Patel ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
INTERACTION Direct Definition Mutual or reciprocal action or influence.3
Interpreted Definition Interaction is a combination of the word ‘inter’, which is derived from the Sanskrit ‘antar’ and Latin ‘inter’ meaning “among, between, in the midst of”, and the word ‘action’, which is derived from Latin ‘actionem’ meaning “a putting in motion; a performing, a doing”.1 Interaction is the mutual connection between two or more objects through actions. Actions such as communication of any sort among people, animals, machineries, computers, organizations, nations, etc. result in mutual connections.
Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright
The coevolution and coadaptation of humans and landscape is the process of mutual adjustment and change between human social systems and the environment.2 Landscapes are altered by humans for various purposes such as culture, resources and shelter. Nature and landscape equally influence human activities. People react during natural circumstances such as storms and earthquakes which can be caused by human actions and which again force humans to respond to new situations.
“Fallingwater | Home.” Fallingwater | Home. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www.fallingwater.org/.
Landscape architecture is shaped by this
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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relationship between mankind and nature; how people experience landscape, how landscape influences culture and vice versa and how people and landscape respond to each other. These human interactions with nature have huge significance in the way architects design landscapes.
1) Harper, Douglas. “Online Etymology Dictionary.” Online Etymology Dictionary. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www.etymonline.com/index. php?term=action. 2) Lill, Alexandra, and Sarah Gräber. “HumanEnvironmental Interactions.” Human-Environmental Interactions. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www. uni-kiel.de/ecology/users/fmueller/salzau2006/ studentpages/Human_Environmental_Interactions/ index.html. 3) Merriam-Webster. Accessed July 05, 2016. h t t p : / / w w w. m e r r i a m - we b ste r. co m / d i c t i o n a r y / interaction.
Saadman Ahmed ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
INTERACTION Direct Definition 1. mutual or reciprocal action or influence Merrian-Webster, 2016.
Interpreted Definition
Works Cited
The relationship or bond between a person and the surroundings of nature or replicating nature.
“Steps on the Riverwalk.” Home Page. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://bettercities.net/ images/12938/steps-riverwalk.
Interaction is how a person experiences landscape. While interaction varies from project to project, it is important to take note on the synergy between person and space. This relationship ranges from how a person walks through the landscape, to how one feels in the space. In a non-cognitive approach to interaction, a theory by the Colorado State University states that one of the key principles to a successful landscape design is colour. Colour is considered to be powerful in creating feeling and mood. Thus establishing a disposition is integral to landscape architecture, as it creates interaction. Additionally, interaction can be on a physical level. The Riverwalk project showcases a tangible experience that transitions how you walk through a space. As opposed to regular stairs, incorporating water mimics the flow of a downhill stream and encourages interplay. Users are now changing the way they would walk down the stairs. This ‘splash pad’ approach is both palpable and perceptual as you are playing with water creating a fun, spirited vibe. Therefore, we must look upon both the physical and emotional elements between landscape architecture and people to understand interaction.
Riverwalk, Better Cities and Towns. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
“Water Wise Landscaping: Principles of Landscape Design.” Principles of Landscape Design. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www.ext.colostate. edu/mg/gardennotes/413.html.
Winona Li 138 2
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
INVASIVE Direct Definition 1: of, relating to, or characterized by military aggression 2: tending to spread; especially : tending to invade healthy tissue <invasive cancer cells> 3: tending to infringe 4: involving entry into the living body (as by incision or by insertion of an instrument) <invasive diagnostic techniques> Source: Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary
Interpreted Definition Invasive landscapes in an urban perspective are the intrusion of foreign typologies into the established vernacular fabric. Present in the urbanization, demographic expansion, and globalization of developing countries is the misinformed need to “modernise” traditional urban landscapes. In the cultural vacuum created by rapid growth of the empty towers of modernity, the traditional building type is lost. For example in the instance of the United Arab Emirates, a country thriving on natural resources, the new sea of obelisks to consumerism have little to no relation to the traditional courtyards of the middle east.
Dubai, Daniel Cheong University of Waterloo School of Architecture
While in an ecological perspective, invasive landscapes are created from human action of intended exploitation of landscapes for resources or the unintended introduction of invasive species. Through history the practices of clear cutting forests results in stark and barren landscapes. While the increasing of trade and movement between the continents, invasive species out competes the native flora and fauna. 139 2
Most invasive species are a direct result from the globalization of the world. With the increase of global consumption, a cycle of rapid economic expansion causes society, culture, and ecology to be unable to keep up. All instances of invasion brings significant change that outpace the ability for the local conditions to adapt.
Sources: “Invasive Aesthetics: A Manifesto for Reviving Architectural Identity in Developing Nations.” ArchDaily. 2013. Accessed July 05, 2016. http:// www.archdaily.com/385904/invasive-aestheticsa-manifesto-for-reviving-architectural-identityin-developing-nations.
Vincent Min ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
INVASIVE Simple Definition: 1. tending to spread 2. medical : involving entry into the body by cutting or by inserting an instrument Full Definition: 1. of, relating to, or characterized by military aggression 2. tending to spread; especially : tending to invade healthy tissue <invasive cancer cells> 3. tending to infringe 4. involving entry into the living body (as by incision or by insertion of an instrument) <invasive diagnostic techniques> (Merriam Webster)
Interpreted Definition This term originally referred only to when humans encroached and overtook other humans’ property. It has its roots in the mid-15th century, and stems from the Middle French term “invasive” and the Medieval Latin term “invader”, meaning to go into or attack. As such, initially “invade” was only used in terms of war and conquering. Though contemporary nations do not invade and conquer others as much as they did in the past, there is another form of international invasion at work. Globalization has without a doubt advanced the world much farther than it could have as isolated nations, but it has its pros and cons. While it may allow nations to collaborate, positive cross-pollination of ideas and resources, and developing nations to gain external support, it also further increases the power of already extremely powerful Western countries at poorer countries’ expense. Though borders may not be shifting as much as they did throughout human history, there is no shortage of human invading others’ property – culturally, economically, politically, and socially.
Kudzu, The Self-Sufficient Gardener. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
There are many ways in which humans are invasive upon the landscape they live on. Careless introduction of alien species into new habitats can have long lasting damage. This mistake has been made so often there is a term for it: invasive species refer to non-native animals and plants 140 2
that spread and cause damage to its environment. For example, from the 1980s to 90s, the US government imported kudzu vines from Japan and encouraged citizens to plant it. They had hoped it would be a fast growing and cheap way to provide food for cattle, prevent soil erosion, and even be used as herbs. Indeed it was fast growing – too fast. It can quickly engulf and kill an entire forest. Vast landscapes have been altered due to these human errors. Architecture itself can be said to be an invasion. It is not only an invasion of nature and wildlife habitats, but our own human habitats. It’s not uncommon to hear great displeasure from neighbours as constructions begins on a nearby house, or residents of an old building scheduled for takedown to make room for a newer complex funded by a richer corporation. Similarly, all public monuments face heavy criticism, not only from locals, but from the whole world. Architecture as an art is not like any other art – it cannot be avoided nearly as easily. It invades your space, your sight, and your very day-to-day functions.
Amy (Yun Ru) Bao ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
INVASIVE INVASIVE Direct Definition the act or process of damaging something so badly that it no longer exists or cannot be repaired : the act or process of destroying something 1. of, relating to, or characterized by military aggression 2. tending to spread; especially : tending to invade healthy tissue 3. tending to infringe 4. involving entry into the living body (as by incision or by insertion of an instrument) --Merriam-Webster
Interpreted Definition Invasive plants are defined as non-native plants that are introduced from other regions. They might unbalance the original landscape, out-compete the native plants, and eventually, dominate the area. The possible consequences could be the loss of the native species in the region, and influence he biodiversity.
we are species that overpower the nature and its resources.
Human activities have been bringing species from exotic areas throughout history. Before realizing that this would become a serious concern, people bring exotic species as ornaments or medicines. Unintentionally, transportation also accidentally bring seeds of vegetation or eggs of the animals to a different site. These lives then violently dominate the new area.
Plants_swordfern, Stanford News, “Alien plants attack using ‘resource conservation’ as weapon, researchers say”.
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2007/may2/plants-050207. html
University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
“The Study” published by the journal “Nature” suggests that humans are also invasive species to nature. We spread ourselves to different areas for settlement. Research says that “population grew exponentially when people first colonized south America… they over-consuming local natural resources and reaching continental carrying capacity.” The paper, “Post-invasion Demography of Prehistoric Humans in South America,” suggests that the population exploded between 14000 and 5500 years ago. As the resource run out throughout time, the population growth slows down to a constant rate. Just as invasive plants, 141 2
“Invasive Species and Biodiversity.” Conservation Halton. http://www.conservationhalton.ca/invasive-species-andbiodiversity “Populations of early human settlers gerw like an ‘invasive species,’ Stanford researches find.” Standford:News. http://news.stanford.edu/2016/04/05/south-americaearlyhumans-040516/
Zi Qing [CJ] Yang ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
LANDSCAPE
Quzhou Luming Park, Landscape Architects Network.
Direct Definition NOUN 1. All the visible features of an area of countryside or land, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal: the giant cacti that dominate this landscape a bleak urban landscape 1.1. A picture representing an area of countryside: [As Modifier]: A landscape painter 1.2. The genre of landscape painting. 1.3. The distinctive features of a particular situation or intellectual activity: ‘the event transformed into a political landscape’ 2. [As Modifier] (Of a page, book, or illustration, or the manner in which it is set or printed) wider than it is high. Compare with portrait (sense 2) VERB [with object] (usually be landscaped) Make (a piece of land) more attractive by altering the existing design, adding ornamental features, and planting trees and shrubs: the site has been tastefully landscaped (as noun landscaping) ‘the company spent $15,000 on landscaping’ From Oxford Dictionary Website
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition In the first lecture, landscape is described as “everything we see and sense around us. It has three dimensions at any single instant in time, and time does not stand still” and landscape architecture “is the production of systems and relations between “landscape” and “architecture” in which niether loses integrity, disappears, or becomes mere decoration for the other.” (Essay by Garrett Eckbo, 1983) Landscape is then something more natural as it could occur anywhere and everywhere around us. Landscape architecture is something more man made or conceptual where like my previous terms, it could be a natural softscape or a factory workshop filled with workers. A project where landscape plays a heavy role in the grand scheme of things is Quzhou Luming Park in Quzhou by Turenscape which was completed in July 2015. It houses “picturesque landscapes and abundant natural resources, both of which helped the city to be named a National EcoModel City” (Land Architects Network). This project consists of large sunflower fields with minimal structural presence. The project focuses on the human interaction between the viewer and nature, highlighting the importance of the landscaping done towards the site rather than the bridges and lookout points. One of the lookout points create a view out towards the fields, the lake and a strip of 142 2
high rise buildings. This view, through the use of landscaping, is a piece of landscape architecture. Landscape is everywhere and everything we sense, typically associated with natural, untouched and picturesque environments. Comparing with landscape architecture, the precedent that I’ve brought up is the perfect balance between the idea of a “natural” landscape and a designed piece of landscape architecture.
Hollie Sin ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
LANDSCAPE LANDSCAPE Direct Definition 1. an area of land that has a particular quality or appearance. 2. a portion of territory that can be viewed at one time from one place.
Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary, 2011 Interpreted Definition Landscape architecture is defined by Garrett Eckbo as, “the production of systems and relations between “landscape” and “architecture” in which neither loses integrity, disappears, or becomes mere decoration for the other.” This in combination with the definition of landscape from Merriam-Webster indicate that landscape is not only about the natural untouched view, but also can be balanced with the built human environment. A landscape can be viewed differently by every user and has the potential to vary. The range of a landscape can be from a populated city such as Toronto, to the image of Rome, and even to the groomed gardens in France. Although a city does not have much green space it is the pockets of void space near the built skyscrapers that can create a landscape. Gareth Doherty phrases landscape best as, “the design of voids between structures, the silence between the words of the city. Without space, buildings, like words without pauses, would have no meaning.” The balance between void and occupied can be recognized in not only built city environments, but as well as the natural.
Garrett Eckbo, 1983 Gareth Doherty, 2015
Rome, Italy www.wallpapersxl.com University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
Shevaun Mistry 143 2
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
landscape LANDSCAPE noun, often attributive | land·scape | 1. a picture that shows a natural scene of land or the countryside 2. an area of land that has a particular quality or appearance 3. a particular area of activity The term landscape arrived in England after the 5th century, which meant a system of human made spaces on the land. Around the turn of the 16th century, the term landscape referred to a painting whose primary subject was a scene of nature. The first part of the word, land, originated from the German language. The second part of the word, scape, which is the same as the suffix -ship which means to shape. The second meaning of the word was introduced in the 16th century as landscape which was used by Dutch painters to describe paintings of rural and natural scenery. The term landscape has evolved since the 16th century and is now more flexible in terms of definition. Landscape cannot be classified with a singular definition, it can range from rocky mountains, to a pile of garbage, to the desert. It is important to understand that whether one views a landscape in person or in a painting, the view is limited. It is either limited by the horizon, or physically by nature of a museum or gallery. This limitation specifies landscape through the specific community that is viewing it at that particular moment. Landscapes are constructed when a community interacts with a natural or unnatural world.
Wanderer , Malin Dybvad Trondheim | photograph University of Waterloo School of Architecture
At the most basic level, landscape can be understood as a specific area that can be seen from different perspectives, real or metaphorical. The term can be viewed from different frames: 144 2
political, historical, or spiritual. Since the perspective or the frame can change, so can the interpretation of the landscape.
citation 1. Waters, R.s. “The Origin of Landscapes: A Synthesis of Geomorphology.” Landscape Planning 2 (1975): 224-26. doi:10.1016/03043924(75)90025-8. Nitzan Farfel ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
MAP MAP noun 1-a : a representation usually on a flat surface of the whole or a part of an area b : a representation of the celestial sphere or a part of it 2 : something that represents with a clarity suggestive of a map <the Freudian map of the mind — Harold Bloom> 3 : the arrangement of genes on a chromosome — called also genetic map 4 : function 5a
Interpreted Definition Maps are tools used to record and analyse geographical, demographic, environmental and economical information through graphic illustrations. The author of the map could choose to provide or omit specific information that is meant to send an intentional message to the reader. Historic medieval maps such as the Mappa Mundi allowed us to have a glimpse of how communities functioned. Maps such as the T-O maps illustrated trade routes, religious sites and war escapades. Other maps were treated as scientific research documents. Egyptians and Greeks mapped the human anatomy through the dissection of human cadaverous. In landscape architecture, maps almost always contain topographical information of the site. Furthermore, it illustrates further information such as green space, waterways, urban sites (residential/commercial), ecosystems and other useful information that would allow the user to understand how the landscape affects and effects a site(s) in question. 1-“Map.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 4 July 2016. 2-Cowdrey, H. E. J. (1970) Pope Urban II’s Preaching of the First Crusade. History.
World Map 1689, http://www.helmink.com/ Antique_Map_van_Schagen_World/Scans/van%20 Schagen%20World/index.html. University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
Hagop Terzian
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ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
MAP noun 1.A diagrammatic representation of an area of land or sea showing physical features, cities, roads, etc. 2. A diagram or collection of data showing the spatial arrangement or distribution of something over an area:1
“The map is not the territory.” --Alfred Korzybski, Science and Sanity 2 “Every drawing is a lie.” --Chloe Town The map is a tool which can take many shapes and forms. Its prime function is the abstraction and representation of data, especially but not limited to spatial data. The key word is abstraction, as good maps must be able to compress a high density of complex information in a simple, legible format. Mapmaking is therefore an exercise in two key elements of design: revelation and omission.
London Underground Map by Henry Beck, https:// upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Beck_ Map_1933.jpg University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Maps often depict a physical landscape on a two-dimensional media, traditionally paper. The word ‘map’ derives from the Medieval Latin mappa mundi, meaning ‘sheet of the world.’ 3 The territory itself, being three-dimensional, must be simplified to a series of lines, nodes and contours, and the mapmaker decides which features of the physical landscape will constitute boundaries in two-dimensional space. Every map therefore contains its own specific narrative. and distorts the truth to some extent. For example, road maps plot the outlines of roads without showing the terrain on which the roads are built.
Technology has allowed the creation of maps to which can model territory with extreme accuracy in 3D space. These kinds of maps, like Google Earth, are closing the gap between physical territory and the amount of data that can be reproduced in their representation. However, the gap may never be closed completely, as a scale model of the Earth in virtual space is merely a ghost of its real-world counterpart. Maps are, above all, graphic methods of organizing information, whose utility depends not on their veracity but their legibility. REFERENCES 1. Oxford Dictionaries, s.v. “map”, accessed July 4, 2016, http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ definition/english/map 2. Alfred Korzybski, Science and Sanity: An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics 3. Oxford Dictionaries, s.v. “map”, accessed July 4, 2016, http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ definition/english/map
Philippe Fournier 146 2
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
MAP MAP Direct Definition NOUN 1A diagrammatic representation of an area of land or sea showing physical features, cities, roads, etc. a street map 1.1A two-dimensional representation of the positions of stars or other astronomical objects: she went inside to check a star map 1.2A diagram or collection of data showing the spatial arrangement or distribution of something over an area: an electron density map
Interpreted Definition Maps have come a long way from their original forms. Early cavemen documented the stars in cave drawings; other early map-like documentations included the representation of mountains, river, and routes of commute. The earliest maps which showed techniques of surveying were created by the Babylonians which showed rivers, plots of land, roads and most importantly, a cardinal rose. The art of cartography became very important to every region; although cartography was based off of documenting what is seen and experienced, every map created has a slight political, cultural and/ or religious influence, and was more so a representation of “truth” than “fact”. Around the 16th and 17th century, cartography was at its golden age; maps were booming from all parts of the world. It was no longer just a means of documenting land, but became its own art form. Cartography became a fusion of both science and art, as maps became more elaborate and ornamented.
Creative Mapping, Samantha Lee. University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
Cartography has yet again evolved into a new form of documentation. Creative mapping has become an important part of architecture and design. As architects and designer, mapping, is a way of revealing the “hidden”, and allows for the combination of the real and the conceptual. From an architectural stand point, mapping can simply be the act of creating a Nolli diagram of a city, or it can take the form of something more abstract like the works of James Corner. Mapping has become a way of not only outlining our existing world, but a way of putting down ideas from our heads onto paper. Creative mapping has invented a new graphic language in order to illustrate itself which takes form in collages, overlaid shapes, hatching, colouring, text and countless other mediums and techniques.
Alyssa Tang 147 2
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
MATRIX Direct Definition matrix: plural matrices something within or from which something else originates, develops, or takes form
source: merriam-webster dictionary
Interpreted Definition A matrix in essence is an underlying network (in the instance of landscape, underlying landscape) to which elements develop or originate from. Commonly compared to a mosaic, a matrix has similarities in its composition. Looking at the components of land it can be broken into three main categories, patches, corridors and background matrixes. Patches can be seen as woods, fields or housing. Corridors can be associated with roads, hedgerows, rivers and powerlines. Both of these originate from a background matrix. Practically looking at what a background matrix is in terms of landscape suggests it could be grassland, forest, rice culture or other larger homogeneous land uses.
Land Matrix, www.geospatialworld.net University of Waterloo School of Architecture
A matrix is the most extensive and most connected element type present in a landscape. Three main types of matrices exist, continuous (with a single dominant element type), Discontinuous, (with a few co-dominant element types), Web-shaped, (with connected corridors of prevailing functions.) Mosaics and by association matrixes area found at all spatial scales from submicroscopic to the planet and universe. Land mosaics are however at the scale of humans, much like the changing scales of mosaics/matrixes landscapes, regions and continents are three scales of land mosaics. What constitutes the matrix is dependent on the scale of investigation or management. Saying that 148 2
matrixes can be used in defining microchips (an artificial creation), and to large scale geographical rock formations that lay host the fossils of the past. If designated as a matrix, it should therefore presume that function and should not be included as another â&#x20AC;&#x153;patchâ&#x20AC;? element.
Joshua MacDonald ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
MATRIX noun /’mātriks/ 1. An environment or material in which something develops; a surrounding medium or structure: free choices become the matrix of human life 2. A mold in which something, such as printing type or a phonograph record, is cast or shaped. Example sentences 3. Mathematics A rectangular array of quantities or expressions in rows and columns that is treated as a single entity and manipulated according to particular rules.
- Oxford Dictionaries
Interpreted Definition A matrix organization structure is usually defined as one where there are multiple reporting lines – that is, having more than one formal authority. This may incorporate direct strong reporting, and/or weaker reporting relationships, but still indicating some formal level of ‘right’ to the individual’s time or it may mean multiple solid ties to more than one authority. A number of regularites have been observed suggestive of fundamental laws of ecosystem organization. Food web properties include many of those regularities. Recently, new theoretical approaches to the complexity of natural and artificial networks have emerged: the widespread presence of the small world pattern and the presence of scale-free distributions of connections. In ecological networks, these new topological properties give new insights into the consequences of the biodiversity crisis.
“Consequences of different aspects of food web complexity on a service typical of higher trophic levels in 19 natural-plant-herbivore food webs, the total mortality (i.e. parasitism) rate inflicted on each herbivore”. “Research Interests.” Accessed July 04, 2016. http://complex.upf.es/~montoya/research.html. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Landscape ecology is the science of studying and improving relationships between ecological processes in the environment and particular ecosystems. This is done within a variety of landscape scales, development spatial patterns, and organizational levels of research and policy. As a highly interdisciplinary field in systems science, landscape ecology integrates biophysical 149 2
and analytical approaches with humanistic and holistic perspectives across the natural sciences and social sciences. Landscapes are spatially heterogeneous geographic areas characterized by diverse interacting patches or ecosystems, ranging from relatively natural terrestrial and aquatic systems such as forests, grasslands, and lakes to human-dominated environments including agricultural and urban settings.The most salient characteristics of landscape ecology are its emphasis on the relationship among pattern, process and scale, and its focus on broad-scale ecological and environmental issues. The looming global biodiversity crisis has spawned intense research on the last decade on whether and how changes in biodiversity might influence the functions performed by ecosystems (e.g. primary production, nutrient fluxes, decomposition). “Research Interests.” Accessed July 04, 2016. http://complex.upf.es/~montoya/research.html. “What Is a Matrix Organization Structure? A Definition.” Global Integration RSS 20. March 2014. Accessed July 04, 2016. http://www.globalintegration.com/matrix-management/matrixstructure/matrix-organization-structure/. Kelsey Malott | 20564258 ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
METABOLISM noun / mıtabə|ız(ə)m / 1. The chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life.¹
The term metabolism derives from the Greek metabole, meaning change.² There are two main forms of metabolism: constructive and destructive. Constructive metabolism is the synthesis of proteins, carbohydrates and fats to form tissue and store energy, where destructive metabolism is the breakdown of complex substances to release waste and produce energy.¹
1. Oxford. n.d. Oxford Dictionary of English. 2. 2016. Metabolism. June 20. Accessed July 3, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Metabolism.
The first documented use of the term is by Ibn al-Nafis, a scientist, in 1260 CE. He writes, “Both the body and its parts are in a continues state of dissolution and nourishment, so they are inevitably undergoing permanent change.”²
Stages of Oxbow Lake Formation, BBC. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Based on that description of metabolism, one can extrapolate the definition and apply it outside of chemical processes. Nature is not permanent: rivers flow, carving away mountains and glaciers but building marshlands and swamps; fires destroy entire patches of forested land, but release seeds from pinecones and fertilise the ground. What a person sees outside now was not formed overnight, and does not look the same as it did even a decade prior. The metabolism of landscape is simultaneously constructive and destructive, because unlike the chemical process that either build up or break apart, nature takes land formations apart to build up new ones elsewhere, and the new ones that are built take apart others. It is an endless cycle of permanent change, as Ibn al-Nafis describes in the 11th century. 150 3
Lauren Nayman ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
METABOLISM METABOLISM Direct Definition
Interpreted Definition
The chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life: the metabolism of fatty acids in the kidney
Metabolism in landscape/ urban design refers to the processes in cities and large landscapes that sustain it, much like the chemical processes that maintain life. In the words of Scott Lash, a professor who spoke at the John E. Woltz Symposium, urban metabolism is the “life-sustaining, dynamic transformations within and between urban objects and urban forms of life.” He also said that these occurrences, “Being life-sustaining, allow the city to maintain structures, reproduce, and respond to the environment.” The term personifies urban environments and attributes natural tendencies to it, making it seem like the city is alive and functions in a causal relationship to human interference of small and large scales. The term metabolism can also be used to describe the functionality of specific industries in a city as well and how different infrastructures come together to create the working system. For example, diagrams by FABRIC and James Corner demonstrate different metabolic systems in Rotterdam such as those of goods, people, waste, water and energy. This diagrammatic method, and thinking of cities as a whole, functioning body can result in more efficient planning in newer cities, as older cities can act as precedence for efficiency or lack thereof.
Oxford Dictionary, 2016.
Sources: “Cities Have a Metabolism.” The Dirt. March 11, 2013. Accessed July 04, 2016. https://dirt.asla. org/2013/03/11/the-theory-of-urban-metabolism/.
Rotterdam’s Metabolism- WATER, Fabric and James Corner Field Operations. The following is a diagram depicting the water and drainage systems in a relational way.
JCFO, and .FABRIC. “IABR- Flow Animations.” IABR. Accessed July 03, 2016. http://iabr.nl/en/ projectatelier/stofstroom-animaties.
Shanze Shahbaz University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
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ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
METABOLISM METABOLISM noun
1. a. the sum of the process in the buildup and destruction of protoplasm; the chemical changes in living cells by which energy is provided for vital processes and activities and new material is assimilated b. the sum of the processes by which a particular substance is handled in the living body c. the sum of the metabolic activities taking place in a particular environment 2. metamorphosis metabolism. 2015. In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved July 4, 2016
Interpreted Definition In architecture, metabolism describes a movement in which built structures mimic the growth and adaptability of natural structures. Kawazoe, a writer for the metabolism movement, refers to this as the “symbolic … exchange of materials and energy between organisms and the exterior world.” Nature is inevitably changing. Landscape architecture should, by definition, change as well. The Metabolist manifesto’s opening page contains the following:
Metabolism is the name of the group, in which each member proposes further designs of our coming world through his concrete designs and illustrations. We regard human society as a vital process - a continuous development from atom to nebula. The reason why we use such a biological word, metabolism, is that we believe design and technology should be a denotation of human society. We are not going to accept metabolism as a natural process, but try to encourage active metabolic development of our society through our proposals.6
Filene’s Eco Pods, Höweler + Yoon, 2009 University of Waterloo School of Architecture
By describing the human position in the seemingly unending timeline of the cosmos, the Metabolists confront the affluence and exponentially developing technologies that allow for new methods of design. As biological and astronomical methods become more refined and we learn ever more about the galaxies that exist beyond ours, as well as the universe of at the microscopic (and now, even quantum) scale we should be able to apply these findings to the objects we create. 152 3
Though, what does it mean for a structure to adapt? To change? To grow? To respond? These answers can take the form of modular systems of occupation, in which users participate in upgrade, exchanges, and prospective innovations to said system. They can also exist through recyclable materials: building made from trees and vines, for example, that naturally return to the landscape from which they were born, with little negative impact on its ecosystem. It could be a building that is allowed to flood, or fall over, or dance gently in the wind: resilient structures. The philosophy of metabolism remains relevant in the face of today’s pressing issues: global warming, depleting resources, and drastic shifts in political climates (e.g. Trump, Brexit).What was once a formal ambition can now be realized with existing and upcoming technologies and bodies of knowledge. 6
Lin, Zhongjie (2010). Kenzo Tange and the Metabolist Movement. Routledge.
ien Boodan ARCH 225 ARCH 225| Spring | Spring 2016 2016
MODERNISM MODERNISM noun mod·ern·ism \ mä-der- ni-zem\ : a style of art, architecture, literature, etc., that uses ideas and methods which are very different from those used in the past (Merriam-Webster)
Interpreted Definition In the words of Richard Weston, being a Modernist is an affirmation of faith in the tradition of the new. Modernism is the umbrella name for an overwhelming array of movements - Cubism, Expressionism, Futurism, Dadaism, Serialism, Surrealism - most of which appeared shortly before or after the First World War.
Fallingwater, www.minimalist.com University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
Rather than looking at modernism as a set of stylstic ideals, it is important to also acknowledge several technological advancements that influenced the direction of landscape architecture today. The nineteenth century posed new and groundbreaking solutions to challenges that people were facing: greenhouses for exotic plants, railway stations, large open floors. Industry offered materials - iron, steel, and large sheets of glass - not previously available in sufficient quantities for building. In a perceptive analysis of “modern” architects’ stylistic dilemmas, the landscape gardener John Claudius Loudon suggested new needs, new materials, and ‘union’ with another art as stimuli, and specifically pointed to three developments - greenhouses, cast-iron construction and suspension bridges - as examples. These three inventions are heavily influential in the field of landscape architecture, as we can see in the bridges that shape and guide our experience of large expanses of land, and in the grandeur of glass architecture enclosing greenery.
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Futhermore, modern architecture is designed to blur distinctions between the indoors and outdoors, whether through exterior building materials of glass and steel, or the physical extension of square footage in a patio or atrium. Modern builds often incorporate the topography of the land it is built on, as is clear in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. In any case, the landscaping of the outdoor environment becomes an important and frequently viewed or interactive element in modern buildings and, thus, good landscape design becomes key.
Bianca Weeko Martin ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
MODERNISM noun 1: a practice, usage, or expression peculiar to modern times 2 : a tendency in theology to accommodate traditional religious teaching to contemporary thought and especially to devalue supernatural elements 3: modern artistic or literary philosophy and practice; especially : a self-conscious break with the past and a search for new forms of expression
Interpreted Definition Modernism, though first used in 1737, often refers to a philosophical era in the early 20th century, though it can also refer more generically to what is modern, new, or emerging. Within the Modernist era (1900-1950) landscape architecture changed rapidly, the romantic garden disappeared from style while minimal approaches and concern for the ecological and environment gained popularity (Benes). This era emphasizes the technical and social; a departure from everything that came before it; a departure from stylistic choices and the idealization of functionalism. The modernism that emerged in the 20th century was a response to the rapid modernization and industrialization that occurred in the 19th century (Imbert). Urbanism as the study of the city and its physical and social needs (Webster) is also result of Modernism and the growth of suburbia and cities within the 20th century.
The Transparent City, Michael Wolf. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Modern, modernism, or modernity as a more general term, refers as previously explored, to emergent –the process of coming into being or becoming prominent (Oxford), which makes the term modern or modernism relative. Each period of time is more modern than the period before it and thus less modern than the future periods. 154 3
With regards to this relativity, modern and present could be analogous. Modernism, although it refers to a specific period of time, can also refer to the present, or the present as it emerges. “modernism.” Merriam-Webster.com. 2011. Accessed July 03 2016. http://www.merriam-webster.com Mirka Benes. “Modernity and Modernism in Landscape Architecture, 1900-1970.” UTSOA [UT-Austin School of Architecture] |. Accessed July 04, 2016. http://soa.utexas.edu/ courses/spring-2014/modernity-and-modernism-landscapearchitecture-1900-1970. Imbert, Dorothée. Between Garden and City: Jean CanneelClaes and Landscape Modernism. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2009. “urbanism.” Merriam-Webster.com. 2011. Accessed July 03 2016. http://www.merriam-webster.com “modernism.” oxforddictionaries.com. Accessed July 03 2016. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/
Elizabeth Lenny ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
MODERNISM noun (OED) 1. a usage, mode of expression, peculiarity of style, etc., characteristic of modern times. Later more generally: an innovative or distinctively modern feature 2. modern character or quality of thought, expression, technique, etc.; sympath with or affinity for what is modern 3. a tendency or movement towards modifying traditional beliefs and doctrines in accordance with modern ideas and scholarship 4. any of various movements in art, architecture, literature, etc., generally characterized by a deliberate break with classical and traditional forms or methods of expression; the work or ideas of the adherents of such a movement
Interpreted Definition In the context of art, the word Modernism most commonly points to an era of philosophical movement that occurred between the 19th and 20th century. The core driving factors and foundations of the movement were based upon the transforming industrialization of the western world, as well as the effects of the First World War. It is speculated that the movement arose from a Romantic revolt against industrial revolution and the new arising bourgeois concepts. (Barth, 1979) For architecture, the purpose of the movement aligned more with the concept to address the rapidly growing changes of modernity and social values of that era. Many of the architects of the movement were focused on the ideas of “form following function,” and simplicity through removing unnecessary details. Within the scope of landscape, the word modernism’s roots in art and architecture intertwine to illustrate a motif of minimalism that caters to the rapidly shifting ideals of modern society. In landscape, modernism defines an array of design choices that carry an agenda to address the aesthetic as well as philosophical goals of an era that is defined by change. Peter Kwak
Modern House Landscape in Logan, UT, Ag-Trac Enterprises.
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
MOSAIC noun a surface decoration made by inlaying small pieces of variously colored material to form pictures or patterns a composite map made of photographs taken by an aircraft or spacecraft Mosaic in relation to landscape architecture seems to imply an aerial view. In this sense, the word may relate to landscape that are distinct in plan view consisting of various components. It can be said that the agricultural landscape is referred to as mosaic. This is especially true in terraced farming areas, where the division of farming sectors are divided into relatively small planes. Together these sections compose together a distinct landscape typography which is identified with this method of farming. Simultaneously, the terracing produces forms relative to the topography, and produce another form of topography lines. Outside of the primitive landscape infrastructures, the landscape architecture of Roberto Burle Marx may perhaps be seen as mosaic landscape. Burle Marxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s works is very much at an aerial scale, where the forms are best seen. Burle Marxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s works are often consisted of rings of color which together produce a piece as a whole. Likewise, it can be said that the mere presence of trees on a landscape can be seen as a mosaic component. At a micro-scale, it is the grains of sand, or soil that as a whole produce a landscape whether sloped, or flat. Together, the soft, hard and fluid materials as small pieces form together one landscape.
Terraced Farming in Yunnan, National Geographic University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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MOSAIC Direct Definition 1.0 A picture or pattern produced by arranging together small pieces of stone, tile, glass, etc. 1.1 A combination of diverse elements forming a more or less coherent whole origin Late Middle English from French mosaïque, based on Latin musi(v)um decoration with small square stones, perhaps ultimately from Greek mousa ‘a muse’ Oxford Dictionaries, 2016
Interpreted Definition In the previous definition, I specified the form of a radiating sphere as analogous to any given environment. Mosaics are also useful in describing environments. They exist as a group of divisible components which may or may not have significant individual value, but collectively produce a framework that we can attempt to evaluate or criticize. As technology continues to connect the human social sphere in spectacularly accelerated fashion, the homogeneous bubbles that insulated political figures, media conglomerates, and corporate leaders are failing under a public that perpetuates its own diversity of knowledge. What was once hushed and kept under wraps now has the opportunity to infiltrate the headspaces of people far faster than any newspaper or televised program, composing a general awareness that spans a vast amount of information.
detail of Alexander Mosaic, Wikipedia. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
This unprecedented level of variety is indicative of a contemporary culture which increasingly resembles a mosaic. Landscape architecture’s relationship to this culture relies on its ability to leverage heterogeneity, and this is clear with issues of resiliency or ecology. Multitudes of strategies are needed to mediate natural phenomena and human activity, singular solutions have proven to be incapable of handling natural 157 3
catastrophes, economic fluctuations, or attracting social engagement. Nature tends towards diversity as a function of sustaining complex life. Landscape designs most often include a high degree of relational mosaics as a necessity of nature, but addressing the mosaic as a hindrance or asset is indicative of the designer’s ability to keep pace with a culture that is increasingly aware of its situational consequences.
Jeffrey So ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
MOSAIC MOSAIC Direct Definition 1. a surface decoration made by inlaying small pieces of variously colored material to form pictures or patterns; also : the process of making it 2. a picture or design made in mosaic 3. something resembling a mosaic <a mosaic of visions and daydreams and memories â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Lawrence Shainberg> 4. an organism or one of its parts composed of cells of more than one genotype : chimera 3 Merriam Webster
Interpreted Definition The word mosaic is based on Latin root musi(v)um, decoration with small square stones, and perhaps ultimately from Greek mousaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;a meaning muse. When applying mosaic into landscape architecture the small square stones become whole lots of land, forests or mountain ranges.
wide area. Examples would be forested, suburban, cultivated and dry landscapes. Therefore, a repeated cluster of spatial elements characterizes a landscape/ mosaic. Richard Forman LandMosaics Part 1
When looking through the window of an airplane the land on earth tends to look like a mosaic. Even from if you were in outer space and saw the planet as a whole and zoomed into the earth until you only saw soil particles, you would see a mosaic, a heterogeneous pattern of patches and corridors, every point along the way. Three factors affect land mosaics; different soil types, hills, wet spots, causes of different vegetation patchiness, all also known as substrate heterogeneity, second would be natural disturbances such as fire and tornados create the heterogeneity, and lastly human activity, such as plowing fields and building roads, creates patches, corridors, boundaries and thus a mosaic pattern.
Drama City Macedonia. from trekearth.com University of Waterloo School of Architecture
A mosaic at any scale is simply composed of basic spatial elements of any pattern on land. Each ecosystem and community type have their own specific pattern and create recognizable land mosaic types. A landscape is a mosaic where the mix of local ecosystems or land uses is repeated in a similar form over a kilometers158 3
Mia Milanovic ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
NATIVE Direct Definition noun 1. A person born in a specified place or associated with a place by birth, whether subsequently resident there or not 1.1. A local inhabitant 1.2 [dated or offensive] A non-white original inhabitant of a country, as regarded by European colonists or travellers 1.3. An animal or plant indigenous to a place adjective 1. Associated with the place or circumstances of a person’s birth 1.1. Of the indigenous inhabitants of a place 2. (Of a plant or animal) of indigenous origin or growth
Interpreted Definition In landscape architecture, native is usually used in reference to vegetation that originates in the specific geologic or climatic locale, for example, a native flowering bush. The “nativeness” of a plant and how geographically broad its originating borders are can vary. Scientific descriptions vary based on how rare the flora is, and the scale of descriptions of origin vary from continental to regional to extremely specific, such as from a specific forest.
Oxford Dictionary, 2016
Conversely, the landscape architect Gilles Clement has a much larger sense of scale of the native. His concept of the Planetary Garden takes a different outlook on the borders that would define where a plant is native or originates, and states that the Earth as a whole can be seen as a singular garden.
Wildflowers, themother-hood.com.
His theory has implications both about the limits of human intervention in the landscape, and about the ecological concept of invasive species and native species. He is seeking to reframe the way landscape architects see their interventions in the world in a more holistic manner. He is also commenting on the idea that perhaps the mixing and intermingling of species from different locales may not be as negative of a process as it is currently perceived, and that the global mixing and flow of species is a natural part of the planetary garden. Thus, native can be interpreted in many
3(Of a quality) belonging to a person’s character from birth; innate
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scales, in relation to a place, country, continent, or even planet. Clement, Gilles. “The Planetary Garden.” gillesclement.com. Accessed July 4th 2016. http://www.gillesclement.com/art-461-tit-THEPLANETARY-GARDEN
Jenny Xia ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
NATIVE NATIVE Direct Definition a : grown, produced, or originating in a particular place or in the vicinity b : living or growing naturally in a particular region : indigenous -Merriam-Webster
Stowe Landscape Elegance, Light & Land
Interpreted Definition The encompassing definition of native generally refers to those elements that are place specific. In landscape architecture native refers to the natural origins of a species or human intervention in a landscape. More specifically it questions whether a anthropogenic or biological element originates or is intrinsic to a particular region. The anthropogenic nature of native can also be further extended to include vernacular typologies. In the biological sense native suggests that the species or ecosystem within a landscape are naturally occurring or belonging to that specific place. One precedent for the multifaceted definition of native is the gardens at Stowe. The grounds at Stowe are native in the anthropogenic sense as they mark the epitome of the English garden type particularly in later years as the gardens become less structured and seemingly more natural. Another precedent is the High Line. The High Line is native more in the biological sense as it is an architectural intervention that promotes flourishes in the local ecology through the reintroduction of basic regional flora and fauna. This project also redefines the biological meaning of native for its location as it restores an ecology that has been essentially absent for years as a result of dense urbanization.
Haley Gamble University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
NATIVE Adjective /'neıtıv/ 1. belonging to or connected with a person or thing by nature or natural constitution, not acquired or super-added 2.pertaining to or connected with one by the fact of one’s having been born there; that was the place or scene of one’s birth; belonging to one by right or reason of the place or country of one’s birth or of the nation to which one belongs 3. left ot remaining in a natural state; free from or untouched by art Resource: Soanes, Catherine, and Angus Stevenson. Oxford Dictionary of English. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Toad River Valley, Canada, Brown, Michael C. “Toad River Valley, Canada.” Toad River Valley Picture, Canada. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://photography.nationalgeographic. com/photography/enlarge/toad-river-canada. html.. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
an absolute definition since everything that is not native will eventually be native due to the power of time.
Interpreted Definition
Is native natural? The term Native comes from the Latin word nativus in which nat- means born. It is often associated with the country, region or circumstances of a person’s birth, or used to describe indigenous origin or growth of a plant or animal. (Oxford Definition) Native plants are considered easier to maintain due to the fact that they are more adapted to the climate and geography of local conditions after thousands of years of evolution. It is also regarded as an economically smart strategy to not only save money, but also water and other natural resources by the government.
Resource: Berg, Rhall. “Can Native Species Become Invasive?” IPM in the South. November 23, 2010. Accessed July 05, 2016. https://ipmsouth. com/2010/11/23/can-native-species-becomeinvasive/.
Native plants are usually followed by the term natural landscaping, which is believed to be the foundation of the local habitats, ecosystems and natural communities. However, there are cases where native or local plants have been radically altered, and thus cause harmful results to the ecosystems. Studies have indicated that under certain circumstances in which native species don’t have to compete for food and shelter, it is able to develop the same characteristics of invasive species, including “excessive reproductive capacity and aggressive tendencies”. As a result, native should not always be referred as natural. Moreover, it should not be viewed as 161 3
Janice (Ye) Chen ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
nAture [noun] 1. the physical world and everything in it (such as plants, animals, mountains, oceans, stars, etc.) that is not made by people 2. the natural forces that control what happens in the world 5. the inherent character or basic constitution of a person or thing
Interpreted Definition Originated from the Latin word, natus, meaning birth. Nature is the original character of the universe. This includes all the forces that control what happens in the world that is deemed natural, typically everything apart from human intervention. These descriptions of nature seem to state that humans are not considered a part of nature anymore and therefore, our creations are not considered natural. Human’s psychological separation from ‘nature’ became particularly romanticized in the 18th century during Romanticism. Nature became seen as pure, good and truly beautiful whilst the work of man became disorder and corruption. This led to human creations that tried to mimic and recreate the picturesque landscape. However, does nature not take part in our actions at all?
Central Park, untappedcities.com. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Although humans have a disproportionately large impact on the ecosystem compared to other animals, in the larger scheme of things, the power of the natural environment can quickly alter and diminish man’s work. An example is Central Park in New York City where all trees are planted by people, but the processes that make them grow are a part of the natural forces. Compared to the work of nature, man’s creations are miniscule, surficial, ephemeral and subordinate. However, what is to say that our will to alter our environment 162 3
is not part of the bigger system that makes up the universe as well? If humans are not part of the system of forces that make up the universe then we would not have any direct relationship with our surrounding. Yet human civilization remains closely linked to the environment through highly complex feedback loops. Therefore, our desire and act of creating Central Park can be seen as a part of natural forces.
“Living Large, by Design, in the Middle of Nowhere ” last modified August 15, 2005, http://www. nytimes.com/2005/08/15/us/living-large-bydesign-in-the-middle-of-nowhere.html. D.W. Meinig, “The Beholding Eye”, 1979, The Interpretation of Ordinary Landscapes: Geographical Essays. New York: Oxford University Press, 1979.
Tsz Kit Justin Ng ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
NATURE noun | na·ture | nā-ch r e
1. the physical world and everything in it (such as plants, animals, mountains, oceans, stars, etc.) that is not made by people 2. the natural forces that control what happens in the world 3. the way that a person or animal behaves : the character or personality of a person or animal
Interpreted Definition Is all nature natural? If a landscape garden is designed with specific constraints on species, textures, materials and programs, is it still considered nature? The English Garden was invented in the late 17th century as a more natural and organic alternative to the French Garden. The evident alterations were the removal of the rigid walls, parterres and boulevards of trees commonly seen in French gardens of the 16th-17th centuries. The English Garden instead consisted of vast manicured lawns, man-made lakes created by flooding the land, meandering footpaths and clusters of trees resembling forests. Although the English Garden was considered more natural, and was designed to resemble natural phenomenons found in nature, the gardens were just as maintained and manicured as the French ones.
Meadow Saffron, plantgenera.org University of Waterloo Waterloo School School of ofArchitecture Architecture University of
Modern parks, such as Central Park, were designed with very specific species of plants organized in specific ways, to create different experiences as one travels through the park. One way this was done was through the planting of trees in different densities to create a forest atmosphere or an open boulevard. When the park was first dreamt up, the designer, Frederick Olmsted imagined it would be manicured and maintained to remain true to its orginal plan, however, today we percieve the less 163 3
controlled and more wild growth of plant-life and nature to be more beautiful and more natural. The park still must be maintained today, but perhaps with less vigor, due to this altered perception of nature. Our idea of what is nature and the elements of nature that we consider beautiful have changed. Today, the more “untouched” and “naturally” beautiful a landscape is, the more we are attracted to it. However, many of the parks and landscapes that are designed to exude a wild aesthetic are still hyper-controlled environments, crafted to allow us to percieve them in a particular way.
Olivera Neskovic ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
NATURE NATURE Noun 1. The phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations6 2. The basic or inherent features, character, or qualities of something6
influence and say that they do not fall under the definition of nature or the natural.
Interpreted Definition We live in a world where you might look around and consider objects and landscapes that surround you as artificial. This idea comes from what we consider natural or made from nature. What I perceive as natural is influenced by what the social norm considers natural. Previously, something that was defined as natural or from nature was interpreted as something that follows the laws of nature; is pure, untouched or affected by humans, and made by the same forces that formed the organisms on Earth before humans interfered. However, it is also understood that the biological entities, and combination of elements that form our earth lie under this term. If this is true, then forests that are planted by humans have the right to be apart of nature, as they are composed of living organisms created by the forces of nature. The trees that compose this forest, although planted by man, are considered equal to the same type of trees that compose another forest that was not planted by man but by the â&#x20AC;&#x153;naturalâ&#x20AC;? dispersion of seeds that are shed from those trees.
ACROS Fukuoka Prefectural International Hall GreenRoofs.com
Therefore, it is not right to say that nature is defined as the plants, animals, and landscape that are untouched by human creation. Instead we must understand that the definition of nature is flexible to the terms and conditions of the entity which is being described, and cannot rule out things that are impacted by human
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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Shaina Coulter ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
NETWORK Direct Definition 1. A system of lines, wires, etc., that are connected to each other 2. A system of computers and other devices that are connected to each other 3. A group of people or organizations that are closely connected and that work with each other Interpreted Definition Network is derived from the combination of nett and work, where nett in Old English often refers to a spider web. The idea of a network focuses on the interconnection of multiple elements and how each of those elements are related to one another. With this connection, a single change in one element would cause a series of changes with its related counterparts. Like a spider web, a network casts an influence to those that are caught within it. Additionally, a network may not be visible to the ones that operate within it.
The Naked City, https://paulwalshphotographyblog.wordpress. com/2013/07/08/the-naked-city/.
In terms of computers, networks occur when multiple computers are connected together, all with the purpose of sharing information. With ability of sharing resources, all computers are acting in cohesion and this places a greater importance on the role of a single computer. With the Naked City, Paris is dissected into 19 sections, all of which is connected by red arrows that are mapped approximately from the walking distance between each site. This diagram places an implication that all these buildings are connected in a larger network. Landscape architecture never stands by itself. It is always connected with its surroundings with its existing context reacting to the design. In relation with how networks operate with computers,
University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
landscape architecture can be connected with not only the elements that inhabit its space, but its influence can be reached out further to other landscapes. Other implications can be made when viewing landscape architecture through a network. A greater importance is now also placed amongst the individuals that dwell within the space since everything is related with one another. Landscape architects now must consider their designs in conjunction with the microscopic and macroscopic factors to coordinate with its networks.
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“What is a Computer Network?” Study.com. Accessed July 04, 2016. http://study.com/academy/lesson/ what-is-a-computer-network-types-definition-quiz. html “THE NAKED CITY.” PHOTOWALK. 2013. Accessed July 04, 2016. https://paulwalshphotographyblog. wordpress.com/2013/07/08/the-naked-city/. Tristan Sito ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
network noun/nÎľt-werk/ 1. an arrangement of intersecting horizontal and vertical lines: a spider constructs a complex network of several different kinds of threads 2. a group or system of interconnected people or things: the company has a network of 326 branchesa trade network Oxford Dictionaries
Transit System Map, ttc University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Networks exist around us everywhere. Through networks, human beings are not only able to survive but succeed as the dominant species on the planet. Thus alongside the evolution of humans, the definition of a network evolves as well. Originally the definition of a network was in regard to the relationship between solid objects, it is now often used when referring to the Internet and other relationships between the intangibles like data streams. Likewise landscape architecture is deeply situated in networks. Much of the design of landscape architecture right now and in the past concerns how it builds off of or fits into the existing networks. For example, the design of access points are determined by the network of roads and a network of hahaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regulates the livestock in the composition of the English Garden. In the future the networks of the web will also dictate the design of landscape architecture. The idea, in fact, is already being toyed with, utilizing data collected in experiments or case studies so that the design can be regional and most effective. Landscape architecture will be more informed of the opinions and needs of the public than ever before with the help of the social media network. In order to deal 166 3
with such vast amounts of data, algorithms can be developed to help others understand the situation and intentions of the landscape architect.
Diana Si ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
Network
Interpreted Definition
Direct Definition
noun 1. an arrangement of intersecting horizontal and vertical lines. 2. a group or system of interconnected people or things.
Within any landscape we can often find a series of networks which relate several aspects and elements. Networks then are defined by the relationships and intersections of various elements within a landscape and can often be mapped by various branches, lines and points. A network may manifest as a system of visible elements such as pathways and rivers or may be the hidden infrastructure which allow other elements to operate for example the series of pumps which operate fountains or the machinery which is used to operate modes of transportation (of course these may also be a visible portion of the landscape.) Furthermore, objects within a network may be dependent on other objects or systems and thus form a hierarchy of functions within a network. For example in Dan Kileyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s NationsBank Plaza there is a network of water features which exists throughout the park which begins at the entrance with a constructed overhead steam and ends in basins within the park. Water from the stream runs through runnels which are then pumped by bubblers that cascade the water into the basins. If any member of the network fails to operate the successive members can no longer proceed, much like a string of Christmas lights.
NationsBank Plaza, Dan Kiley. Photo by Matthew Paulson. University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
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NON-HUMAN NON-HUMAN Direct Definition
Interpreted Definition
Non-human is any creature displaying some, but not enough, human characteristics to be considered a human. The term has been used in a variety of contexts and may also be used to refer to objects that have been developed with human intelligence, such as robots or vehicles. (wikipedia)
Our “dwelling”, the earth, accommodates a wide range of species and creatures. As human beings considered themselves to be prior to other creatures such as animals, plants, and microbes, they neglect the fact that these other species coexist with them to form an irreplaceable ecological system which keep the balance of the earth. Nowadays, landscape architects impose artificial and man-made architectural elements on the nature, intending to generate a more pleasant environment. Some man-made elements such as turfs, paving, and shaved tree blocks have been widely used as part of landscape design. As humans consider themselves to be the dominant of designing the landscape, they might have forgot non-human architects. Animals, microbes, and all sorts of plants should also be considered as “architects”. As beavers and ants construct their homes, microbes are shaping the physical and chemical quality of the landscape which could form a micro-landscape. The transformation of soil also involves in part of the design phase. Meanwhile, the non-human elements such as the existing trees, plants and topography should also be integrated into the design when architects are designing a landscape architecture. A successful landscape piece should reflect a harmony and coexistence between the man-made design and non-human elements. Only a state of coexisting between those two could generate profits, or otherwise, unexpected conflicts emerge.
Anonymous, Mikhail Viesel. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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NON-HUMAN adjective /,nän’(h)yoomen/ 1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a creature or thing that is not a human being
The term non-human is simple enough in its derivation - it’s anything that isn’t related to humans. This makes its etymological analysis become infused with the understanding of the relationship between the human and non-human. Non-human environment consists of anything from plants to non-human animals to oceans. This world is seen to be exempt from the human world, with conditions existing prior to the modern human landscape even though we have established that this “natural” landscape is heavily impacted by our interaction with it as all places have been shaped by human activity. This would mean that perception of the non-human is the direct opposite of the artificial.
Ex Machina, Image Source. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Our operations of design with these activities should work to fuse non-human forces to inform complex relationships between the two, building crossovers, which challenge ideas of the exisiting and the introduced. In this evolved ecological dimension, we are faced with an assymetrical confrontation between the two worlds. As the human narrative becomes more and more challenged with those seen as non-human, such as climate change, it would be natural for nonhumans to infiltrate human space. It also becomes our responsibility to orchestrate the inclusion of non-human elements, being able to consciously cross both worlds, and creating an open system as we continue to discover its importance to 169 3
landscape design - geological or anthropogenical.
1 Hutton, Jane. “Harvard Design Magazine: Substance and Structure I: The Material Culture of Landscape Architecture.” Harvard Design Magazine: Substance and Structure I: The Material Culture of Landscape Architecture. 2013. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www.harvarddesignmagazine.org/ issues/36/substance-and-structure-i-the-material-cultureof-landscape-architecture. 2 Perry, Chris. “A Folly for the Anthropocene.” ARPA Journal. July 04, 2015. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www.arpajournal. net/a-folly-for-the-anthropocene/.
Samiha Meem ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
NON-HUMAN Direct Definition 1. That is not of the human race; not belonging to or characteristic of a human being. 2. Not natural or appropriate to a human being. OED 3rd Edition, December 2003 Interpreted Definition A non-human landscape is any landscape out of the influence of humans. A cityscape would be something human – spaces that are designed and set out to be occupied by humans. Everything about a city is designed with humans in mind. Nature, on the other hand is indifferent as to whether there are humans or not. Until we influence nature it can exist entirely on its own without our assistance and would mostly prefer to be left to its own devices. For example, a fjord would be something entirely non-human. A fjord exists entirely out of the realm of humanity – it was created by forces of nature of a magnitude and longevity that transcend humanity entirely. If anything on the scale of a medium sized city was added to a fjord – or even a large skyscraper – it would lose its raw, natural beauty that it acquires from being non-human. These spaces and landscapes are there and humans perceive them as beautiful for their absolute lack of anything reflecting human scale. The draw of landscape is generally the absence of anything human which would lead to defining landscape as being something that is non-human. There are many places that are awe-inspiring and should be left entirely outside of the reach of humans, only being there to observe and appreciate, but never to be brought to a human scale.
Mountains at Patagonia, M. Martyn University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Another example of this is Torres del Paine in Patagonia, Chile. There are only about 10 buildings of a size larger that a shack that surround their base, most being further that a kilometer away. The complete lack of humanity and the sheer forces needed to create this natural anomaly make the space completely non-human. The only people who travel there are ones who wish to appreciate the pure beauty of something entirely free from human influence and creation. The occupation of a space by humans does not make something non-human, as long as the non-human element is respected, the space still retains this element and becomes even more nonhuman as it is more revered and protected.
Mitchell Martyn 170 3
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OPERATIVE Adjective 1a producing an appropriate effect : efficacious b most significant or essential <the operative word in a phrase> 2 exerting force or influence : operating 3a having to do with physical operations (as of machines) b working <an operative craftsman> 4 based on or consisting of an operation <operative dentistry> Merriam Webster
Interpreted Definition An operative landscape refers to functioning working landscape. A kind of landscape in the sense the landscape is not passive but active. James Corner argued for landscape to be Landschaft in Ediedic Operation and New Landscape which is landscape that foster collective sense of working landscape; It is along the idea that Landscape is actively â&#x20AC;&#x153;doingâ&#x20AC;? something as it create positive force while serving its purpose. For instance, Community Landscape and public spaces are a vital part of the operation of this type of operative landscape.
of invading mother nature, I would argue for that operative landscape can only be operative when it works in favour of humans for human purposes.
City skyline such as New York and Chicago can be viewed as operative landscapes that functioned and served a purpose while remaining to be a landscape. In modern context a landscape with a purpose has stronger capability and strength than landskip which are a lot more fragile. The collective sensory of the community of the space through time gives operative landscape power as all the interlinking association to the space keeps alive and functioning.
New York,Getty Image
Yet to what extent can landscape be operative? Can landscape becoming proactive and drive the man and force of nature to work in its favour ? As proactive landscape become more of a case Alice (Jie Jie) Huang
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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OPERATIVE Direct Definition, Merriam-Webster 1 a) producing an appropriate effect : efficacious b) most significant or essential<the operative word in a phrase> 2 exerting force of influence : operating 3 a) having to do with physical operations (as of machines) b) working<an operative craftsman> 4 based on or consisting of an operation <operative dentistry>
Compost Chimney Prosthetic, Sarah Gunawan
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition There can be two sort of delineations of the ability “to operate”, which is if it needs to be used through specifically human interaction or that of any living being. If any sort of living being can operate something then operative landscape begins to get more prevalent in the world of ecological and zoological interventions. Having landscape able to interact with and be operated by animals suddenly allows the built environment able to start to give back to the nature around it and allow for animals and humans to live in greater harmony. For example Sarah Gunawan’s thesis on her design for a compost chimney prosthetic allows racoon’s to operate a chimney turned compost tower to feed other raccoon’s and chimney swifts. It suddenly allows animals to live more fluidly and independently from the human made built environment around them. The very simplest definition of Operable is “to be used” so then we can move to the Arc Competition by Site, which allows animals to use a bridge over a freeway in order to seamlessly live around the humans intervention. I think the use of operable landscape will start to shape how humans and animals use spaces and how they interact to shape the crossspecies relationships. Having landscape not only be inhabited but also used allows for endless possibilities in efficiency, ecology, and zoology.
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Arc by Site, https://goo.gl/XwIkg8 Angus Dunn ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
OPERATIVE Adjective / ‘äp(e)rediv / Functioning; having effect. Oxford Dictionary.
Interpreted Definition
in social housing projects in order to prevent hunger and helped many self-sufficient families.
Every architectural building is operative in the way that the client intended. Functionalism is the principle that architects should design a building based on the purpose of that building.
At an even larger scale, the Congres International d’Architecture Moderne proposed urban designs that were meant for humans proportionally and supported four function of human settlement: housing, work, play, and transportation.
Louis Sullivans famous words to consider as an architect, “form follows function”. This is dependent on the building’s size, massing, spatial grammar and other characteristics that are only meant for the sole purpose of the function of the building. The intention behind this theory is that if the building function perfectly, the architectural beauty will naturally come with it. However, in the mid-1930’s, it began to take an aesthetic approach instead of design principles. And some architects do not agree with this term as Philip Johnson states “Where form comes from I don’t know, but it has nothing at all to do with the functional or sociological aspects of our architecture.” On the other hand, Functionalism started to become a parallel in landscape architecture with designing outdoor spaces for living and combining the house with the garden.
House S, Delana. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
A German landscape architect redefined it at a larger scale by staring to create edible gardens 173 3
Christy Cheng ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ORDER verb, or·der, \ˈȯr-dər\ 1. the arrangement or disposition of people or things in relation to each other according to a particular sequence, pattern, or method. 2. an athoritative command or instruction 3. a particular social, political, or economic system Interpreted Definition from Old French ordre, from Latin ordo, ordin‘row, series, rank.’ The meaning “a rank in the (secular) community” is first recorded in c. 1300s. It was a community of Catholic men and women in the world who’s belief is to pattern their lives after Christ in following Francis of Assisi. The term itself implies a sense of arrangement and organization into a consistent path. This was the first use of the term being seen as a system. The authoritative hierarchy approach was not taken until the 1540s, Although the beginning of hierarchy approach was seen in the use of the secular community, a sense of “command” and “directive” was added to the narrative of the term in the community of military and commerce during the 1830s. Its use was then further extended into the field of natural history as a classification of living things, which was similar to the firstly introduced meaning of the term as a rank in the community.
seeking their place in an existing system. In terms of landscape architecture, landscape architecture is merely a tool for humans to establish order in nature, which means implementing systems that allow us to find our place within our natural surroundings.
The current use of the term as a “condition of a community which is under the rule of law“ and a “system of parts subject to certain uniform, established ranks or proportions” was used of everything from architecture to religion starting form the late 15th century.
Image Title, Image Source. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
The development of the word established the notion of sequence and pattern within in the world. More importantly, it represents the act of species 174 3
Lucy Lin ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ORDER ORDER Direct Definition 1. a social class 2. a state in which everything is in its correct or appropriate place 3. a state in which the laws and rules regulating the public behaviour of members of a community are observed and authority is obeyed 4. [with adjective] the overall state or condition of something 5. a particular social, political, or economic system 6. the prescribed or established procedure followed by a meeting, legislative assembly, debate, or court of law 7. a stated form of liturgical service, or of administration of a rite or ceremony, prescribed by ecclesiastical authority 8. an oral or written request for something to be made, supplied, or served 9. a written direction of a court or judge 10. a written direction to pay money or deliver property Oxford Dictionary
Interpreted Definition Order refers to the composition of elements within landscape architecture. It is a necessary part of creating aesthetically pleasing designs because it leads to unity within a project. Humans generally find it pleasing when vegetation and built elements are balanced, both spatially and formally. The shapes, colours, sizes, and textures of the design all play a role in creating order. There is also often a central axis or point around which the elements are arranged (Hansen). A clear example of the central axis would be the Gardens of Versailles. It’s large central axis branches into various smaller axis due to the large scale of the project.
was carefully placed after much thought into its design, but it fools visitors into believing much of the landscape of the park had always existed in this way. Gail Hansen, “Basic Principles of Landscape Design”, last modified September 2013, http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg086. Kraft E. Von Maltzahn, Nature as Landscape: Dwelling and Understanding, (Montreal: Mcgill-Queens University Press, 1994).
Within the greater order of landscape composition, order can also be used to describe and classify the vegetation. In this case, order refers to the family that a group of plants can be said to belong to because they share similar characteristics and features (Maltzahn, 11). Knowledge of this order may be helpful in design of the larger landscape because it can aid in making decisions about the plantings.
Versailles, Wikipedia. University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
The natural order of a landscape can also be studied and mimicked in man-made landscapes. Replicating the natural order is common practice to create the appearance of natural, untouched landscapes. A famous example of this would be Central Park in New York City. Every tree and rock within the park 175 3
LING YI ZHENG 20569336 ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ORDER ORDER 1 2 3 4 5
a group of people united in a formal way a rank, class, or special group in a community or society the arrangement or sequence of objects or of events in time the state of peace, freedom from confused or unruly behavior state or condition especially with regard to functioning or repair
Merriam-Webster.
Order is important because it places landscape architecture in a certain spot in relation to the rest of the world. In the essay “The Beholding Eye” D.W. Meinig states ten different ways of viewing landscape. Each of these different standpoints places landscape in a different order or rank and therefore changes the relationship it has to other things in the world. For example, one way of viewing landscape is as nature, something at the highest rank: “primary, fundamental, dominant, enduring”. In contrast, viewing landscape as habitat, the act of “domesticating the earth”, places man at the top and landscape lower. One’s view of the landscape guides design upon it.
Trollstigen - Nature is the Highest Order, Trollstigen. Attraction along Geiranger - Trollstigen. From: National Tourist Routes in Norway, http:// www.nasjonaleturistveger.no/en/routes/geirangertrollstigen?attraction=Trollstigen (accessed July 5, 2016).
Carl Steinitz, “Landscape planning: A brief history of influential ideas.” (Harvard University: Graduate School of Design). D.W. Meinig, “The Beholding Eye: Ten Versions of the Same Scene.” The J. Paul Getty Museum. “Principles of Design.” Last modified 2011. https://www.getty.edu/education/ teachers/building_lessons/principles_design.pdf.
Another of the ten viewpoints of landscape is viewing it as a system, which appears to fit the thoughts of Patrick Geddes, a biologer and planner. He puts landscape architecture in the highest order because he believes that landscape is that, which determines the “primary structure of urban form”. Order can also be applied to specific projects. Order in the form of emphasis is one of the principles of design set by many institutions, including the Getty. Certain things must be emphasized while others hidden to capture people’s attention and then keep it. Merriam-Webster’s first definition of the word order also allows it to fit under the design principle of unity.
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Order in the form of unity is necessary for a project to feel complete.
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Liga Brammanis ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
PASTORAl PASTORAL 1. lAND or FARM - used for or related to the keeping or grazing of sheep or cattle. 2. associated with country life 3. ART - portraying or evoking country life, typically in a romanticized or idealized form 4. CHRISTIAN CHuRCH - concerning or appropriate to the giving of spiritual guidance 5. a work of literature portraying an idealized version of country life
Habitable, cool earthy tones, altostratus clouds, a soft rain, followed by sun. The portrayal of a consummate, vast open green space which includes lush foliage, grass surrounding fields rich with vegetation, and more, in their simplest, cleanest, most natural states. Synonymous with good health, calm, and happiness. Typically far from an urban area or large bodies of water with high levels of activity. Describing astonishing places to grow, be free and follow the ways of nature. Such conditions may invite animals to be bred or housed and landscapes to be maintained and organized in a way that does not interrupt natural productivity or growth. A landscape with smooth edges, rolling long grass and rich nutrients that revolves around nature in its purest state and program that uses natural elements to not negatively influence what is already there. Can contain structures such as homes, which are limited to being built with low-energy materials and nearly entirely made up of passive design strategies which minimally pollute the surrounding air. A perfected image of rural, prairielike terrain that changes slightly in altitude to create a gradual, undulating, boundless meadow.
Japan-Hokkaido-landscape, wallcoo.net University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
Mariah Palantzas 177 3
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PASTORAL Direct Definition Adjective. 1. (As of land) used for pasture (Collins) 2. Having the charm, simplicity, or other characteristics generally attributed to rural areas (Dictionary.com) 3. Portraying or evoking country life, typically in a romanticized or idealized form (Oxford)
Interpreted Definition Appreciation for the pastoral first appeared in Europe during the 17th century in the landscape paintings of artists such as Claude Lorrain. This sensibility materialized in landscape architecture in mid-18th century England when Capability Brown transformed the formerly formal gardens of Stowe into a naturalistic landscape reminiscent of England’s countryside. This remaking of Stowe was very successful and influenced the rise of pastoral gardens in England and America by landscape architects such as Frederick Law Olmstead. During this period, landscape architects wanted to escape the regularization and industrialization of the city by creating pockets of the clean air and simplicity of rural landscapes. These gardens were characterized by sheep, rolling hills, open fields, and groves of trees as found in rural England in the mid- 19th century. The pastoral park is most suitable where soil and climate are already suited to support grazing activities, because in those locations native grasses, trees, and soils are relatively inexpensive to place and maintain. Many pastoral parks, such as Olmsted’s Franklin Park in Boston, were built with this simple aesthetic out of economic necessity.
Sheep in Olmsted’s Franklin Park, dorchesterathenum.org No. 384: Boston, Mass. Sheep, Franklin Park
Interestingly, the formal legacy of American pastoral parks can be seen in golf course design
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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(Franklin Park actually became a golf course early in the 2oth century). Diverging from their thrifty origin, golf courses, because many are located in unsuitable (ex. desert) locations, are expensive to maintain and have become a show of wealth. Today, in North America, yearning for “country life” has waned as cities have become larger and cleaner. The large undeveloped spaces needed to create pastoral landscapes and the sheep which inhabited them have also largely disappeared from cities. Park users now desire local, ecologically sensitive, and programmatically dense parks rather than English, typologically narrow, programmatically sparse parks. In the future, designers should recall that pastoral landscapes also related to pastoral (i.e. shepherdly) care. Landscapes should show evidence of the care of those who inhabit them. Gunawan, Sarah, ed. ARCH 225 Case Study Database. 2016. Zaitzevsky, Cynthia. Frederick Law Olmsted and the Boston Park System. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, England: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1982.
Heather Friedel ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PASTORAL Direct Definition (Adjective) •
(Especially of land or a farm) used for or related to the keeping or grazing of sheep or cattle
•
(In the Christian Church) concerning or appropriate to the giving of spiritual guidance
Interpreted Definition
(Noun) •
A work of literature portraying an idealized version of country life:
Pastoral term comes into the landscape architecture from painting. It was born in the 16th century, and is in more than a literary style. Its purpose not only to depict the life of a shepherd, with its simple and natural benefits, but also to imitate the pureness of nature and. The ideal and flocks of sheep. Landscape painting has a significant role on the development of Romantic art movement, which has evolved in the 18th Century and reached its peak in Europe and America in 19th Century. Romantic art consists of the pastoral, the picturesque and the sublime has changed the relationship of man and nature. Pastoral and picturesque categories depicts nature as a comforting source of physical and spiritual sustenance. A pastoral scene is an idyllic place far from urban city life and put forward the beautiness of nature in the sense of a poetical painting of the life of simple, unpretentious people, such as shepherd and other people who lives close to nature.
Occasionally, Pastoral paintings shows the dominion of humankind over nature . One of the most common way to show this is using architectural components at the back of a scenes to emphasize the superiority of the people.
Landscape with Nymph and Satyr Dancing, Claude Lorrain,1641, http://paintingandframe.com/uploadpic/claude_lorrain/big/landscape_with_nymph_and_satyr_dancing.jpg University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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Roni Haravon ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PATCH Merriam Webster Dictionary Definition: A) A part or area distinct from that about it. B) A temporary connection in a communication system.
Aerial Nowhere, Kelsey Dawson. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
The patch is defined from that around it by contrasting substance, it exists in a three part model also composed of matrix and corridors (see terms elsewhere in book). Patches are most easily identified from an aerial view, for a patch to be recognized, it must contain a sameness that is unique to itself. Richard Forman identifies this sameness as a result of one of three processes; human activity, natural disturbance or substrate heterogeneity. Meaning all landscape exists as, or is changed by, one of the three processes and the result is a patch of land that is similar. Human activity can include; farming processes such as the planting of differing crops; natural resource extraction such as logging or mining; infrastructure such as roadways, parking lots, and buildings. Natural disturbances also create similar areas that can be identified as patches; fire, flood, tornado, and pest outbreak all can change a location materially and compositionally. Substrate heterogeneity creates patches out of the material and elements of the place rather than changes done to the site. Bodies of water, regions of extreme topography, and variations in ground elements such as different soil or rock types, all create patches themselves. The make-up of the land also influences the level of vegetation able to grow in the area, vegetation patches can be used to identify hidden water sources and rich soil. Forman identifies the patch in two scales, â&#x20AC;&#x153;a fine-grained landscape has primarily small patches, and a coarse-grained landscape is 180 2
mainly composed of large patches,â&#x20AC;? (forman). The elements in patches also create a grain within the patch based on size and density. Scale shifts depending on how these grains interact with one another when seen from above and can exist in multiple forms, miniature to massive scale.
Forman, Richard. Foundations; Mosaics and the Patch-Corridor-Matrix Model. Kelsey Dawson ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PATCH Direct Definition Pronunciation: / NOUN
/
1) A piece of cloth or other material used to mend or strengthen a torn or weak point: ‘The jacket was of well-worn tweed with leather patches on the elbows.’
2) A part of something marked out from the rest by a particular characteristic: ‘The bird has a bright red patch under its wing.’
3) A small piece of ground, especially one used for gardening: ‘They spent Sundays digging their vegetable patch.’
OXFORD DICTIONARIES
Voronoi Leaf, grasshopper3d.com University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition Even as architects of the early-to-mid twentieth century, such as the Corbusier, strove to effect their visions of fully realised, unified cities and landscapes of an entire people, it can be said that the work of a modern architect is that of a seamstress, assembling neighbourhoods, streets, and cities from the disparate work of many diverse people. Much as the Canadian view of multiculturalism is that of a patchwork quilt, with individuality adding to the greater beauty and vibrance of the whole, the modern city is much more a patchwork than the American melting pot. In New York, for example, modern curved metal structures nestle between contemporary Seagram Centre clones, are adjacent to soaring stone citadels of the twenties, and tower over ancient, Neoclassical libraries. No skyline of London is complete without the Eye as well as the Palace of Westminster. Beijing requires the Forbidden City just as much as the Bird’s Nest stadium and CCTV headquarters. Architects need their needle and thread. Patches are a tool, a space, and a metaphor. They are used to cover up, to repair, to delineate space, and describe it. Architects use them to rehabilitate crumbling alleyways, industrial lots, and overgrown parks. They can take the form of public squares, schools, playgrounds, and skyscrapers. Every masterpiece is a single patch in the urban 181 3
landscape of a city, or the rural landscape of the country. Every architect produces a patch that fits in beside one from an architect centuries prior, or decades later. Individually, they delineate their territory. They hide the parking lot they used to be. They effuse the values and styles that birthed them. Together, they produce a landscape of frozen moments, preserved ideologies, and hidden technologies. Together, they make the quilts we spend our entire lives swaddled in, and hand off to the next generations, bigger, taller, better, and more chaotic and intertwined with history than they were before.
Lubin, Gus. “Why Architect Le Corbusier Wanted To Demolish Downtown Paris.” Business Insider. August 20, 2013. Accessed June 29, 2016. http://www. businessinsider.com/le-corbusiers-plan-voisin-forparis-2013-7. “Canadian Multiculturalism: An Inclusive Citizenship.” Government of Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Communications Branch. October 19, 2012. Accessed June 29, 2016. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/ multiculturalism/citizenship.asp.
Sean Tong ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
TERM 3 PATCH PATCH noun 1. a. a piece of material used to mend a garment or to make patchwork, a sewn-on pocket, etcb. (as modifier) 2. a small piece, area, expanse, etc 3. a small plot of landb. its produce 4. a district for which particular officials, such as social workers or policemen, have responsibility 5. pathology any discoloured area on the skin, mucous membranes, etc, usually being one sign of a specific disorder 6. medicinea. a protective covering for an injured eyeb. any protective dressing 7. an imitation beauty spot, esp one made of black or coloured silk, worn by both sexes, esp in the 18th century 8. Also called: flash US an identifying piece of fabric worn on the shoulder of a uniform, on a vehicle, etc 9. a small contrasting section or stretch 10. a scrap; remnant 11. computing a small set of instructions to correct or improve a computer program 12. Australian informal the insignia of a motorcycle club or gang 13. to mend or supply (a garment, etc) with a patch or patches 14. to put together or produce with patches 15. (of material) to serve as a patch to 16. to connect (electric circuits) together temporarily by means of a patch board 17. (usually foll by through) to connect (a telephone call) by means of a patch board 18. computing to correct or improve (a program) by adding a small set of instructions CollinsDictionary
Edson, Kansas, USA Aerial View, Earthporm.com University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition The earliest recorded gardens date back to the 7th century BC and emerge in Ancient Persia, whose influence spanned the East-West trade routes. These gardens are probably the simplest form of patch which we observe everyday. The inspiration for these gardens seems to be a mixture of topography and religion. This man-made landscape has probably created the smallest part of artificial heterogeneity in terms of aerial view of large land areas. Cluster of houses, cloves, agricultural areas, rocks, individual trees, stones, roads, rivers and shrubs create the spatial patch of the land. What causes there patches? The key is solar energy. Over geologic time it produces landforms and today it grows different plants which provide heterogeneity to the land. Different mechanism creates patches, substrate heterogeneity such as hills, wet spots, soil types, vegetation differences; natural disasters such as fire, explosion and tornado and human activities such as cutting woodlands, building roads and creating boundaries. Therefore, a general way to understand the form of patch is to relate it to movement and change. They may be of natural or human origin and apply to the spatial pattern of different ecosystems, community types and land uses. The formality of land uses, the strong lines between corridors, the theatre of them, their sense of scale and above all their delightful colors inspire architecture. 182 3
Ornamental aerial view of land is a splendid creation of nature and human, both in overall effect and detail. You begin gazing the planet from a distance in a spaceship and notice the harmonical view of mountains, clouds, continents and different colors of lands. When you very slowly close your lens until you have a microscopic view, you catch different photos of same land, different patches in each different distances. Each domain exhibits a certain spatial pattern.
Bibliography
Paul Lewis, Opportunist Arcitecture (Princeton Architectural Press, 2008) Diane Lewis, Inside-Out (Charta, 2006)
Naz Ă&#x2013;zkan ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
PERCEPTION noun | per·cep·tion | \pər-’sep-shən\ 1 a : a result of perceiving : observation (see perceive) b : a mental image : concept 2 obsolete : consciousness 3 a : awareness of the elements of environment through physical sensation <color perception> b : physical sensation interpreted in the light of experience 4 a : quick, acute, and intuitive cognition : appreciation b : a capacity for comprehension -Merriam-Webster
Half Empty Half Full Glass, Tim Coffey University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition The origin of the word perception comes from the latin word percipere, which means to seize or understand. It is a late Middle English language from latin perception and english perceive. The scientific definition of perception is the method our body goes through in order to identify and decipher physical stimuli. It is all the sensory information we receive, the smells, the colours, the sounds, the feelings we experience through our physical bodies. Perception on one hand is the understanding and experiencing of the physical world around us. On the other hand, perception is just as important psychologically, its how we view the world not through our eyes but through our mind and our past experiences. Our mental perception is our point of view or stance on a certain something. It is deeply rooted in our fore knowledge, experiences, and culture, social conditioning as well as other influences. The way we think that causes us to make a judgment and take a side. Our personal mental perception will usually differ from some one else simple because no two people think and experience things in the same way. It works the same way just as an optimist sees a glass has half full while the pessimist sees it was half empty. Through many various visual techniques such as perspective, reflection, light and much more, architecture is capable of changing and playing 183 3
with our perception of space. The play of views and angles can also greatly affect how we view a certain landscape. However, just as mentioned above, our mental perception and understanding of the world around us is limited and can only go as deep as how far our knowledge and experiences extend to. How far reaching and deep our perception of the world is as future architects is critical because we conceive what we perceive
Chieh Hung ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PerCePtion noun \pər-ˈsep-shən\ 1. the way you think about or understand someone or something 2. the ability to understand or notice something easily 3. the way that you notice or understand something using one of your senses Interpreted Definition Perception is a state of mind during specific moments in time, where one can focus on a specific aspects of their surroundings and emotions. Perception in an individual can identify for example the different typologies underlying different landscapes across the world. One who visits a flower garden in one country then travelling to another may remind them of the existing surroundings and emotions of the previous. Perception, while useful in the understanding of our surroundings, can also be easily tricked. What results in this is an altered awareness of what happens around us. A repetitive example of this is by taking pictures of surroundings, then showing these pictures to other people. The viewer now has an altered understanding of what that place/thing is, as it has allowed the viewer to see through the camera’s eyes, and not their own. With virtual reality coming closer to mass influence of the developed world, questions start to rise about how future landscapes of our lives will be created. No longer will people have to visit each other in the physical, but vr will effortlessly replicate the surroundings. The physical enviroment will deteriorate and become irrelevant, and personal lives will be uploaded to a matrix of connections.
Field, Numen. 15.-17.6.2012 University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Sean Quach 184 3
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PERCEPTION noun / per’sepSH(e)n / 1. The ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses 1.1 The state of being or process of becoming aware of something through the senses 1.2 A way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something; a mental impression 1.3 Intuitive understanding and insight 1.4 The neurophysiological processes, including memory, by which an organism becomes aware of and interprets external stimuli. Oxford, 2016.
Perception, Direction Service. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition There are many definitions to the word perception, but one of the more commonly used meanings is “The ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses,” as seen in the Oxford University Press Dictionary. It could be deduced that the main idea of human perception is limited to what our senses can detect, but this is a somewhat limited statement in itself. Perception can be achieved by intuition as well as raw senses. For example within psychology, there is a concept known as social cognition. This concept recognizes that there is also the existence of social perception and in-depth interpretation of raw data taken in by our senses. Social perception allows people to understand the larger picture of social groups and communities. From this, it can be said that perception not only allows us to feel our immediate surroundings, but also allows us to understand a wider perspective of social networks through cognition. In terms of landscape architecture, it is clear that perception plays a large role in determining the design of a project. Typically landscape architecture dealt with the immediate stimulation of the “five senses,” but as time progressed, more and more opportunities arose for architectural projects to focus on. The idea of a widespread social network is relatively new in development, and its future in architecture is 185 3
promising. Landscape architecture must soon account for not only sight, smell, sound, touch, but also for a larger sense of social connections in a fast paced world. Architecture must be designed in a way that addresses all aspects of perception, but it must not be too explicit. The work must be perceived as good to a user, but in a way that the user will never perceive why.
Winston Yew ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PICTURESQUE Direct Definition Merriam-Webster Dictionary: 1a : resembling a picture : suggesting a painted scene b : charming or quaint in appearance 2 : evoking mental images Interpreted Definition
Sea of Fog, Caspar David Freidrich, 1817. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
The ‘picturesque’ pleases the eye and inspires the imagination. It appeals to our basic human instinct, as clearly and forcefully as paintings do. As a result, picturesque landscapes are often the subject of photographs and paintings. The term ‘picturesque’ appears during the Romantic period in English cultural discourse related to landscape and gardens. I noticed a connection between our discussions of the picturesque and of ‘landskip’ in this class and in Iconography class, in which we discussed the Romantic Period and the ‘sublime’ as it relates to landscape. The picturesque landscape is similar to the sublime landscape, in that it evokes powerful emotion and greatly inspires landscape art, as well as poetry. “Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs, Which on a wild secluded scene impress Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect The landscape with the quiet of the sky.” -William Woodsworth, Lines Composed Above Tintern Abbey The picturesque, like the sublime, are remarkable and often unique, which is why picturesque landscapes are so often depicted in paintings. It is also why the term picturesque applies to easily to landscape; it describes something vast and emotionally striking, like the sublime landscape. The picturesque deviates from the sublime only because the viewer experiences pleasure through the beauty of the thing, rather than the 186 2
repulsiveness. It follows then, that the picturesque would take landscape form, and that landscape, in turn, would inspire paintings.
Merriam-Webster. Accessed July 03, 2016. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ picturesque. Woodsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. 1798. November 25, 2011. Accessed July 03, 2016. http:// www.gutenberg.org/files/9622/9622-h/9622-h. htm. Note: I referred to information from lectures in his class and lectures from Iconography, taught by Val.
Daniela Lopes ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
picturesque adjective \,pik-ch -’resk\ 1. very pretty or charming 2. like a painted picture 3. telling about something in a way that makes it very easy to imagine 4. causing someone to have a very clear mental picture of something e
Merriam-Webster, 2016
interpreted Definition From the Latin pictor or painter, the original usage of the word was to describe a landscape that was felt as a natural instinct to be beautiful. To paint a landscape was to invest time and effort into replicating what you saw and felt. Ancient paintings featured natural vistas that were out of the reach of human creation, as our construction methods evolved we began to see our own work as picturesque. Historic paintings show a shift of lifelike replication of natural landscapes to those of human achievement and engineering. Through what artist’s deemed as picturesque we can see how people have altered the land, building castles upon the mountains we admired. Humans are attracted to places of beauty and enjoy documenting them to recall the memories.
Nuschwanstein Castle, Germany Image From: http://pastmycurfew.com/germanybucket-list-2/ University of Waterloo School of Architecture
As technology has evolved and given us the camera so have the landscapes of which are photographed. While some use this new technology to push the boundaries of photography, and take them to new heights. Others have used the familiar medium and strayed from the true concept of picturesque, only basing their images on aesthetic and not emotion. A photo from a plane a kilometre in the sky will give a breathtaking view not witnessed by many in their lifetime, capturing the outline of a city and the patterns carved into it can be related to the same image of a natural landscape with its form carved by glaciers and erosion. 187 3
“Picturesque.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Accessed July 05, 2016. https://www.britannica. com/art/picturesque. Ethan Schwartz ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PICTURESQUE 1 a: resembling a picture: suggesting a painted scene b: charming or quaint in appearance 2: evoking mental images Merriam - Webster
Originally attributed to a landscape arranged to please the eye, gardeners sought to impose on landscape what we had thought to be beautiful â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a desire founded on classical texts interpreted by painters and placed in hypothetical landscapes. However, the change of subject matter in paintings and the advent and progression of photography affect what is seen as desirable to look at. Even before the invention of photography, the trend to paint pastoral landscapes had faded as more realistic depictions of landscapes became more popular. The widespread accessibility of photography has led to the ability for almost anyone photograph that which they deem picturesque. As a natural progression of taste, many subjects of photographs now feature the urban landscape. The interconnected nature of the globalized world through the internet also accelerates this trend as people are eager to share photos of architectural landscapes taken from the exact same location. This pushes the scope of the picturesque to include the collective memory of pastoral landscapes as well as the common tourist destinations and vantage points. The most prominent examples of picturesque urban landscapes are iconic city skylines such as New York City, San Francisco, or Paris.
Stourhead Garden, Open Source. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
New York City Skyline, The New Yorker. 188 3
Ron Adriano ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PLACE PLACE
Interpreted Definition When considering the human-landscape relationship, it can be broken down into two modes, ‘space’ and ‘place’, where space is our biological relationship and place is our cultural/social relationship. A place is defined in a wide variety of ways. Sometimes it is cognitive, when we explore a new location we build ‘mental maps’ in our heads which are less representational rather than experiential. We orient ourselves based on our perspective views, time, and muscle memory. Sometimes place is defined by our own self-reflection, our memories of events (especially childhood memories) build emotional connections to certain locations, and the more time spent in these ‘special spots’ makes them more clearly defined in our minds. Place is also defined socially, sometimes the exclusion of others from a particular spot makes it a place of significance for an individual or group. But the constant between these theories is that a place is never a physical boundary, rather a temporal one. Place is always a concept in relation to events in our individual and collective history.
Direct Definition Noun; A particular position, point, or area in space; a location. • • • •
A particular area on a larger surface A building or area used for a specified purpose or activity A persons home (informal) A point in a book or other text reached by a reader at a particular time
(Oxford Dictionaries)
ht t p : / / w w w. ws l. c h / fe / w i s oz / p u b l i k at i o n e n / Publikationen_07-12_07_-_Space_and_Place_-_ two_aspects_of_the_human-landscape_ relationship.pdf
Reading Under a Tree, Matt Champlin. University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
Emma Moseley 189 3
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PLACE nous: / pleIs / 1. A particular position or point in space: “there were still some remote places in the world” “the monastery was a peaceful place” 2. A portion of space available or designated for or being used by someone: “they hurried to their places at the table” “he was watching from his place across the room” 3. A position in a sequence, in particular. 4. (In place names) a square or a short street: “Our new restaurant is in Hilliard Place” “Place,” last modified 2016, http://www. oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/place
Place Masséna, Caitlin Paridy. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition Place is derived directly from the Medieval Latin word, ‘placea’ (place, spot) which came from ‘platea’ (courtyard, open space; broad way, avenue), and from Greek ‘plateia’ (broad). Place replaced the 13th century English words ‘stow’ and ‘stede’ meaning a “particular part of space, extent, definite location”. The definition continued to evolve into a meaning for “position or place occupied by custom, etc.; position on a social scale”, and later defined a town or city. The word took on another layer in the mid 15th century as another way to describe something “happening” (take place). The French use of the word place is ‘place’, meaning a square typically located in and around town. Looking at the place Masséna in Nice, France, you can see the use of the word contains all of the various meanings. This is the main point in the city. All the roads that connect to the square feed in to the entire city. The place is surrounded on three sides by buildings, both commercial and residential. The restaurants open up their doors and let the tables spill out onto the square. On the fourth side the place faces directly on to the ocean, placing itself at the focal point of the beach. All events take place here, all main transport pass by here, and typically at least every day you will pass by here for some reason or another.
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Architects continue to try to create successful places that allow for safe and interesting public connections that allow people to have a meeting place in their city or town.
References: “Place,” last modified 2016, http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_ in_frame=0&search=place Caitlin Paridy ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PLACE noun \'plÄ s\ 1 a: b: c: 2 a:
physical environment : SPACE a way for admission or transit physical surroundings : ATMOSPHERE an indefinite region or expanse <all over the place>
b: a building or locality used for a special purpose <a place of learning> <a fine eating place> 3 a: a particular region, center of population, or location <a nice place to visit> b: a building, part of a building, or area occupied as a home <our summer place> ... 10: a public square : plaza 11: a small street or court
Interpreted Definition The term place refers to a specific location or surrounding, with each place being unique from another due to the particulars of each locality. Place can refer to something as big as a country or as fleeting as a hilltop at sunrise. Everything we do in this world occurs in a place. Every achievement, every fall, every protest, every birth, every death. Subsequently, every place is then different to every person based on how their individual experience has allowed them to perceive it. One person's regular early morning coffee shop could be the place where another person saw their partner cheating on them for the first time. A simple intersection could be monotonously passed by millions of people everyday, but for one person it is the place where they completed their first marathon ever. Every place then is an accumulation of experiences in a way. On a basic level, it could be distinguished by the physical features that define it, but even physical features change. In nature, storms blow through, fires scar the landscape, dams break, seasons change. In urban landscape, cities grow and diminish, people are constantly in flux, architecture changes with the times.
The Naked City by Guy Debord, Frac Centre. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Place begins to take on the richest meaning when it includes the human experience of the physical 191 3
locality. It is a combination of the sensations experienced in the location; what you see, smell, hear, feel, taste. Then layered on top of that, the place really truly becomes a place to each individual when they live in it. Guy Debord's "The Naked City" is a visual representation of place in a way that speaks to his own individual experience in Paris. It breaks down the city, only showing locations that had meaning to Guy, that became a place in his mind. The rest of the city is merely represented by arrows marking his passage through those locations but never truly becoming places in his mind and therefore not appearing on his map.
Rion, Gilles. "Guy Debord." Frac Centre. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www.frac-centre.fr/collection-art-architecture/ debord-guy/the-naked-city-64.html?authID=53.
Genna Kalvaitis ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PROCESS Direct Definition 1a: progress, advance <in the process of time> b: something going on : proceeding 2a (1) : a natural phenomenon marked by gradual changes that lead toward a particular result <the process of growth> (2) : a continuing natural or biological activity or function <such life processes as breathing> b: a series of actions or operations conducing to an end; especially : a continuous operation or treatment especially in manufacture 3a : the whole course of proceedings in a legal action b: the summons, mandate, or writ used by a court to compel the appearance of the defendant in a legal action or compliance with its orders -Merriam-Webster
Kern River Oil Field, www.InspirationGreen.com University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition This term is currently used to describe a continual repetitive act that amasses to something great over the course of time. The term “process” can be understood through the landscape phenomenon that are the oil fields of Bakersfield, California. The photo on the right was taken in 2004 by Edward Burtynsky, depicting The Kern River Oil Field, located in the Kern County in California. It can be observed that there has been a stunning change in the landscape in regards to topographic changes due to the human activity of mining for oil. As the site of excavation grew horizontally as well as vertically, this demanded more and more soil to be removed. The necessity of creating more and more pathways to traverse the pits and hills continued to grow as well. Throughout the years as paths were added and soil removed daily, these two acts thus created a manufactured landscape at a grand scale. Little by little, each path became less of a single entity and was instead integrated into a much larger network of circulation. Similarly, each pile of earth removed added to the depth and scale of the pit. By the end of 2006, 320,000,000 m3 of oil was extracted from the field. It is estimated that there are approximately 75,700,000 m3 of oil remaining in the site. At the moment the term “process” is very much a result that occurs with little thought of the future. 192 3
The process of creating these intricate networks and pits are simply a result of a necessity for the raw material of oil. As land becomes more and more valuable and rare, I forsee a more careful approach towards actions such as extracting, mining, or even garbage disposal that actually finds purpose for the landscape that is created after the initial objective is met. For example, Freshkills is an excellent example of getting rid of the garbage created by the city, while allowing for a secondary purpose to be found that comes after the process of garbage disposal.`
Marco Chow ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PROCESS NOUN A series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end (Oxford Dictionary)
Process is such an overarching term it is difficult to describe. In landscape design, process begins with the geology and formation of the site and essentially does not end. Process cannot be underestimated for its importance and it is vital to allocate sufficient time and energy to fully understand the forces at play when designing a landscape intervention. Process in architecture could be interpreted as a criticism of product in architecture. Product architecture being entirely motivated by the final result, whereas process architecture is motivated by the actions leading up to, during and after the result.
Installed Castelli Warehouse, Richard Serra, 1969. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
In laymans terms, focusing on process in architecture would suggest a closer connection to the specific site and context. It would also involve adaptability over time, design for disassembly, renovation, variable program and post-occupancy asssessment. Process can be applied similarly to artists, describing the work of Richard Serra for instance as process art. The emphasis of the work is not directed towards the final result, but rather to the process which created the result and the process the artwork undergoes upon completion.
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ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
resilienCy Direct Definition 1. The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties 2. The ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape Oxford Dictionaries, 2015
Interpreted Definition According to the American Psychological Association, resiliency is the ability to adapt well in the face of adversity such as trauma or stress; it is a common behaviour which any individual can acquire, mainly through the development of relationships. The more complex the social network of the individual, the easier it is to deal with difficult situations because of the support received from the individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s connections. Ecological resilience functions similarly, where the complexity of natural systems allows a response to or recovery from destruction, disease or disturbance. This is the astounding ability of nature to deftly reshape itself to patch holes in forests, to survive the threats of pesticide and to combat invasive species.
Mill Race Park, Indiana, City of Columbus. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
The natural resilience of a landscape can be incorporated into architectural projects to improve the usability and quality of an area, such as Mill Race Park, Indiana, where flood-resistant vegetation was added to transform a flood-prone area into a popular park and tourist destination. Unusable land can be altered to create beautiful spaces; although flooding and other natural disasters can be devastating, the resiliency of the landscape allows an opportunity to start over with a strategy to anticipate and prevent future damages to the space. With the ability to analyze and understand the resilient qualities of the 194 3
implemented ecology, it is possible to use nature as a design tool to better integrate the project into the landscape rather than attempt to combat it.
Natalie Kopp ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
RESILIENCY noun \r I - ‘z I- liən(t)si\: [uncommon] see resilience 1. the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress 2. an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change - Merriam-Webster Online
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resiliency, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resilience
Interpreted Definition Resiliency in landscape architecture requires understanding a site as situated in a larger landscape, taking into account natural and anthropogenic events the site is subject to, and helping it recover after an extreme event. These events include, but are not limited to, global warming and human exploitation. As anthropogenic climate change increases the global temperature, climate events are becoming more extreme. Infrastructural approaches to drought and flood management can look to landscape architecture for innovative solutions to community planning.
Site 1: Hackbridge, River Wandle, LifE Handbook (BACA Architects), http://www.baca.uk.com/LifE/. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
In zones at risk of flooding, bioswales, permeable paving, and flood channels can be integrated into the landscape to mitigate water damage to and build resiliency in communities. In the United Kingdom, BACA Architects has published a manifesto and urban planning tool integrating landscape design into communities situated in flood plains. Adapting the Dutch ‘Room for the River’ program, BACA suggests creating ‘green/ blue’ spaces in low-lying areas to serve as parks and playgrounds under normal conditions, but act as overflow basins for rivers in times of high precipitation and flood risk, keeping nearby homes safe.
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Other areas of the world are facing the opposite problem: water shortages. Communities worldwide are facing long-lasting droughts; California is particularly impacted. Landscape architecture needs to adapt through rainwater collection and retention and the use of endemic plants which do not need much water. In order to build resiliency, California needs to shift from its default use of turf as a landscaping material, instead capitalising on plants able to withstand extended periods of drought. Human land exploitation through strip mining, deforestation, and war has driven some species of plants and animals to near extinction. The Svalbard Global Seed Trust preserves seeds which can be reintroduced into the environment if eradicated, ensuring resiliency and diversity in the world’s landscape. http://www.stantec.com/blog/2016/landscape-architecture-on-the-front-lines-ofresilience.html#.V3hiW7grKhd Barker, R., and R. Coutts. Aquatecture: Buildings Designed to Live and Work with Water. RIBA Publications, 2016. Harlow, N., and East Bay Municipal Utility District. Plants and Landscapes for Summer-Dry Climates of the San Francisco Bay Region. East Bay Municipal Utility District, 2004. https://www.croptrust.org/what-we-do/svalbard-global-seed-vault/
Natasha Klink ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
RESILIENCY RESILIENCY Direct Definition “the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens; the ability of something to return to its original shape after it has been pulled, stretched, pressed, bent, etc.” Source: Merriam-Webster
Interpreted Definition A direct example of resiliency, both cultural and landscape, is the High Line in New York City. The renewal of something old which is allowed (and designed) to take on a new life, especially when something industrial becomes a landscape, describes it well. However, the entire scope of the definition of resiliency may not simply be that of renewal. It may also be relevant to mention the concept of replacement. For example, when a farmer implements crop rotation in order to balance the nutrients in soil, one crop is replaced by another in the ecosystem. This, in a sense, is a kind of resiliency (although manufactured), as the landscape can only maintain its delicate balance through the ‘swapping out’ of species. In terms of scale, resiliency also has a wide range. Speculatively, resiliency in landscape architecture is when a single plant or animal recovers from unhealthy circumstances, and when a whole ecosystem recovers from the same. In this sense, its scale in landscape architecture is vast.
Seeds of Resiliency, http://worldchannel.org/media/ images/canonical/SeedsofResiliency.jpg University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Resiliency can also describe when one ‘unfortunate’ thing happens in the natural world. Forrest fires, for example, appear dire and disastrous to the human onlooker, or to someone who owns a home nearby. However, they “are regenerative for the forest, revitalizing for the watershed, renew the soil, and reset the clock for the ecosystem. […]Many forests cannot sustain themselves without natural wildfire, including pine barrens, lodgepole pine forests, Eucalyptus forests and many more. These forests require canopy fires to regenerate because the trees in the forest are adapted to only produce seeds following a major fire event.”(Donovan) In this sense, resiliency is a kind of investment for nature; landscape knows that in order to embody resiliency it must first make a few sacrifices. Source: Donovan, Will. “Why Are Wildfires Good For The Environment?” Big Ideas. Accessed July 4, 2016. http://blog.suny.edu/2013/08/ask-an-expert-why-are-wildfires-good/.
Martha Trivett 196 3
ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
RE-WILD REWILDING re·wild
verb: restore (an area of land) to its natural uncultivated state (used especially with reference to the reintroduction of species of wild animal that have been driven out or exterminated). Rewilding: is large-scale conservation aimed at restoring and protecting natural processes and core wilderness areas, providing connectivity between such areas, and protecting or reintroducing apex predators and keystone species.
manipulative boundaries of the designer and rewilding itself.
Interpreted Definition
www.thetimenow.com. Accessed July 03, 2016. http://www. thetimenow.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/naturereclaiming-abandoned-places-18.jpg
The notion of preserving nature around us is an instinct we as human possess, which however, can be clouded by other motives and is often lost, resulting in not only neglecting it but actually destroying nature. Thus in the last decades developed countries have dedicated efforts to preserving our landscapes. Canada is a great example for this, they have dedicated national parks and the Greenbelt, as well as restrictive laws for fishing and hunting catering to the needs of the specific ecosystem. These, however, are methods of prevention and preservation; rewilding is somewhat more active than that. It is the idea of turning back an area of land which has been destroyed of violated and restoring it to its natural state or allowing it to shape itself to its new natural state. On the other hand re-wilding can be a term for allowing a landscape which had once been designed to grow to its own form and not taming it, and that re-wilding in itself would show the power nature has, this ‘definition’ of the term is used more as a statement against pollution and global warming, etc. Novartis Campus Park in Switzerland is a close example of allowing a designed landscape to overgrow on its own and create its own beauty, escaping the
University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
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unknown.
“The Definition of Rewilding.” Dictionary.com. Accessed July 03, 2016. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/ rewilding.
Amanda Reyes-Martin ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
REWILDING Direct Definition (verb) The practice of returning areas of land to a wild state, including the reintroduction of animal species that are no longer naturally found there.
Interpreted Definition Outside the realm of ecologists, the term ‘rewilding’ is used to describe a lifestyle shift of returning to an environmentally conscious way of life at the sacrifice of civility and social norm. This mis-understanding comes from a combination of the denotative definition of the word ‘rewilding´ and the connotative understanding of its’ root, ‘wilding. ‘Wilding’ was originally defined in 1525, as a specimen, particularly a plant or tree that is growing uncultivated in its native habitat. The word was first appropriated by mass media in 1989, to describe acts of aggression, assault and disturbance performed by groups of youth in public places. These two definitions of the word ‘wilding’ have little more connection to each other than the understanding of that which is not controlled by society and social norms.
Rewilding, Edies Eco-Adventures. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
With the introduction of the ecological movement, the word rewilding was created by ecologists to describe the restoration of native ecosystems as true to the denotative definition of the word ‘wilding.’ The success of an attempt of rewilding is measured by the ecosystem’s ability to sustain capstone or predatory species. The connotation of rewilding has become to insert human beings as the capstone species of an ecosystem. If an ecosystem is to be understood as a closed system, it is necessary that the 198 3
life of the human within the system is reduced to a paleolithic, pre-civilized human. This understanding of rewilding is now a hybrid of an uncivilized and anti-social way of human existence and the independence of a sustainable ecosystem.
Sources: Gilmour, Lorna. “Paleolitic.”Collinsdictionary.com. Last modified 2016. http://www.collinsdictionary. com/dictionary/english/paleolithic. Krigman, Eliza. “Go Wild: My Month as a HunterGatherer and How it Affected My Health.” Marie Claire. Last modified December 15, 2014. http:// www.marieclaire.com/culture/news/a12801/gowild/. Weiser, Benjamin. “5 Exhonerated in Central Park Jogger Case Agree to Settle Suit for $40 Million.” The New York Times. Last modified June 20, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/20/nyregion/5exonerated-in-central-park-jogger-case-are-tosettle-suit-for-40-million.html?_r=02014. “Wilding.” Merriam-Webster.com. Last modified March 2, 2016. http://www.merriam-webster.com/ dictionary/wilding. Levi van Weerden ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
RIPARIAN Direct Definition 1. relating to or living or located on the bank of a natural watercourse (as a river) or sometimes of a lake or a tidewater Interpreted Definition Riparian infrastructure has been suffering due to the incline of climate change. Society is intelligently developing modes of travel, urban organization and energy distribution however it has not put importance on the hydrological infrastructure. Due to climate change and the rise of water levels, many of society has neglected or disregarded the damage on cities and communities that are in close proximity of water. Communities such as the riparian settlements in Jakarta, Indonesia that been in constant battle of flooding which has severely damaged peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homes and brought danger to their lives. Due to these drastic changes of our natural landscapes such as flooding in riparian based communities, infrastructure should be implemented to provide such solutions that would adapt and utilize the excess volumes of water, such as water filtration or semi-permanent transportation platforms. These systems would then react and enhance the existing infrastructure such as the Lower Manhattanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Proposal for storm water protection that promotes public life and protects the city from high water levels. This is done by adaptable infrastructure that reacts to the severe storm conditions that will reshape the riparian conditions of the region, offering usable public spaces that engages the community. Investing into hydrological infrastructure that is adaptable instead temporary is highly beneficial due to the qualities it has to offer to a community and the landscape.
Indonesia Proposal Against Flooding, http://floodlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/jakarta-sea-wallUniversity of Waterloo School of Architecture
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Johnathan Subendran ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
RIPARIAN Adjective /rʌɪˈpɛːrɪən/ 1.
relating to or living or located on the bank of a natural watercourse (as a river) or sometimes of a lake or a tidewater
Merriam-Webster, 2016 The word riparian is derived from the same source as river, stemmed early in 19th century, from the Latin riparius, derived from ripa, meaning bank or shore. A riparian zone could be defined as the terrestrial biome and vegetation that acts as the interface between land and water. Closely related with another theory, riparian rights is a system that finds its origins in English common law. Landowners with property associated along water’s path have a right to make reasonable use of the body of water. In this sense, landowners are given the rights to manipulate with nature, and shadow the powers of an architect with rights to access to swimming, boating, fishing and erecting structures such as docks and piers. The ability to manipulate with one ecosystem is tied in relation to another, land vs. water.
Map of Nile, Piri Reis. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Riparian law can also evoke the question of ownership, as it states that water is in the domain of the public, owned neither by the government, state or individual. Yet a certain domain of water is owned by the state in the United States for example, and it brings us back to the question of rights to a fluid and dynamic body such as water, which can migrate from one area to another. Based on the English common Law, founded on it’s maxim. “Aqua currit et debet currere,” – water flows naturally and should be permitted thus to flow.
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The value of riparian ecosystems acts not only important in the role of landscape, but its former economic benefits are extant in nature, and closely linked with the field of architecture. Since ancient day, cities and metropolises have been built along the waterfront, and the role of riparian systems today brings a new world of possibilities including not only economic benefits, but social and biological ones such as the recycling and storage of nutrients and toxins, and corridors for species movement and refuge.
Malanson, George Patrick. Riparian Landscapes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
Cindy Cao ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
RIPARIAN RIPARIAN adjective \rə-ˈper-ē-ən, rī-\ 1. relating to or living or located on the bank of a natural watercourse (as a river) or sometimes of a lake or a tidewater Merriam-Webster
Interpreted Definition Derived from the Latin word ripa or shore, Riparian areas are corridors near bodies of water that support rich and diverse ecosystems. These areas are often on a low ground level, allowing water to flow down through gravity. This ideal ecological typology is emulated through the man-made. Diverse ecosystems are created through “land mosaics” of the landscape, region, and continental scale, and water supplies are sent downward in pipes and canals to agricultural and built landscapes. Human involvement in nature, and the formation of landscapes is among other mechanisms that create spatial heterogeneity: Substrate heterogeneity, natural disturbance, and human activity commonly modify and enhance the patterns.
Land Mosiac, (Rochester) https://services.land.vic. gov.au/maps/photomaps.jsp University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
dispersing animals.” (Richard Forman, “Land Mosaics”, 1995)
Like all living systems, “the landscape exhibits structure, function, and change… the spatial pattern of landscapes in a region is just as important functionally as the pattern of continents on the globe, local ecosystems in a landscape, or gaps within a woods. Some flows are concentrated, such as water, silt, and industrial pollutants in rivers. Some flows are dispersed, including erosion, seeds, and boundaries of landscapes are often filters or places where rates of movement change markedly, a distinctive pattern for fire or
January Muhua Chen
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ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
SCENIC SCENIC Direct Definition 1: of or relating to the stage, a stage setting, or stage representation 2: of or relating to natural scenery <a scenic view> 3: representing an action, event, or episode <a scenic bas-relief> (Merriam-Webster)
Interpreted Definition Scenic is the quality or relating of a view of a natural setting. It can be deconstructed to have a foreground, middle ground, and background within the limits of the view. The scenery is usually natural, with little to no visible and distinguishable human imprint. The view, because of usually enormous size, shows very little change over the course of the viewer (ie, around 30 min), as even the movement of clouds can blur together, or simply not even register to the viewer. Being scenic can mean that the composition of the natural landscape is aesthetically pleasing, and would often times be captured through painting, drawing, or photography. Scenic views are usually the type of subject to be featured in a landscape painting. The element that makes the view scenic is qualitative, therefore, to each viewer, the scenery can appear more or less desirable. It is not quantitative, and so what makes a certain view more scenic than another, is the preference of the viewer. However, for something to be scenic, there must be someone who can see the environment in front of them and comprehend it enough to find it visually appealing. Therefore, even if there is a naturally beautiful scenic view, the view does not exist until a viewer looks onto it. It can physically be there, but its scenic quality does not exist until someone can understand what they are looking at, and are selfaware enough to comprehend the natural scenery.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wallpapers, Scenic Pictures-21â&#x20AC;?, syderonlines.com University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Mikalai (Nick) Makhalik 20559331 202 3
ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
SCENIC SCENIC Direct Definition (Adjective) 1. a) (especially of natural scenery) picturesque; impressive or beautiful b) of or concerning natural scenery 2. Theatre of or on the stage (The scenic art) Interpreted Definition Derived from the Greek skēnikós, “of the stage” in the 17th century, scenic was originally used to describe theatrical scenery. Theater was prominent in ancient Greek society where the power of the spoken word was greatly valued. Plays were preformed on stages by small casts of actors and in the beginning relied heavily on the role of speech and the stage architecture or view to create scenes for the audience. Painted scene or background was introduced later in the history of theater, as is ascribed by Vitruvius to Aeschylus and Aristotle to Sophocles (Gardner, 1899). Scenic elements, such as painted backdrops or significant props, are used in the theatre to support and develop the key ideas in the text to frame a view of the imagined setting of the play (Rehm, 2002). This trait also lends itself to the picturesque style of painting which defines an object or view worthy of being included in a picture.
Greek Theatre Diagram, Unknown University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
The terms Scenic and picturesque are very similar in nature, both refer to an idea of a frame of time in nature that is being captured. In the contemporary time, the term “scenic” defines instances of nature that are particularly striking as impressive or beautiful. It is commonly used in the phrase ‘scenic route’ indicating a course of travel that provides prominent views of the landscape that are beautiful in nature. In this case, scenic is the quality of nature as an aesthetically pleasing view or moment.
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Meaghan Mckinley ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
SCENIC SCENIC adjective sce·nic \ˈsē-nik also ˈse-\ 1. of or relating to the stage, a stage setting, or stage representation 2. of or relating to natural scenery 3. representing an action, event, or episode Merriam- Webster, 2011
At Polson Pier Image Source: Cho, Min Kyung. At Polson Pier. February 18th, 2016. Toronto, Canada University of Waterloo School of Architecture
A sublime and scenic nature has acted like naturopathy for ills of contemporary society to humans for centuries. Such evidence can be found in Romanticism novels like the Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and the Sorrows of Young Werther by J. W. Von Goethe, where both protagonist turns to nature in their deepest despair. James Corner mentioned in his essay “Eidetic Operations and New Landscapes”, “That the scene itself displaces viewers, keeps them at a safe and uninvolved distance, and thus presents the landscape as little more than an aesthetic object of attention, escapes the attention of the gazing subject, as does the fact that the scenic moment literally transports viewers back in time, effectively decontextualizing them from the very real ills of present.” In other words, looking out to scenic landscape provides delight, pleasure, and even comfort to many. In other words, humans temporarily forget and escape from present difficulties, ills, sorrows, and stresses by simply surveying the nature. As we are more globally oriented in today’s society, the result of developments in communication and information technology and increased social and economic exchanges, has pushed the boundary of sharing information. We now live in a world with Internet, where pictures and information are easily accessible, which spreads idealized views of scenic landscapes in devoid of human influence, nature, and urban settings. People nowadays are easily exposed to scenic photographs, through 204 3
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchats, and even from their desktop background image of landscape. Therefore, the places in those photographs have higher chance of becoming more popular attractions, as amateur photographers will upload more pictures to social media with #hashtags like #travelgram, #landscpae, #cityscape, inspiring more viewers to be out there themselves to experience the landscape and to take a similar photograph to upload on their Instagram pages. One person’s share of his or her special experience of the place on the internet can be as influential as to end up on one of the lists like, “Scenic Places You Must Visit Before You Die” and “Breathtaking Places to See Before You Die” laid with astonishing photographs, that motivates viewers to make a bucket list of places to travel to. Scenic spots have become a place of tourist attraction and a trend in today’s society.
Min Kyung Cho ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
SUBURBAN SUBURBAN Direct Definition 1. a : an outlying part of a city or town b : a smaller community adjacent to or within commuting distance of a city c plural : the residential area on the outskirts of a city or large town 2 plural : the near vicinity
Interpreted Definition Historically, suburbs have been areas of planned and zoned regions consisting of neighbourhoods of single family homes which had comparatively lower densities than urban cores. Initially the suburbs in the 1800s were designed with connections to the electric railway which brought commuters to and from work in the core. However, as the use of the automobile was popularized, expressways were constructed, densities were reduced, segregated zones were exemplified, and public transit was neglected. Suburbanization was accelerated following the second world war as affluence and the demand for housing grew.
Torontoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Outer Suburbs, Toronto Transforms University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
Although growing issues of congestion, inaccessibility, and poor environmental impact have become apparent as a result of suburbanism, these communities continue to grow surrounding major urban cores across North America. As the sustainability of these dormer neighbourhoods become questioned, efforts have been made to introduce higher density and mixed-use developments as well as more extensive transit systems. However, these retrofits are limited in its impact as jobs are still 205 3
predominantly located in urban cores, transit development is slow, residents are reluctant to give up their cars for the daily commute, and built densities are generally too low for walkability. The sprawl of suburbia is also reciprocated by the rising prices of properties in the urban core. In general, suburbia can be classified into inner suburbs and outer suburbs. As a case study, the City of Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area offers a prime example of these classifications. Former boroughs within Toronto are inner suburbs which are generally older and are more diverse in its housing typologies while access to transit and amenities are reasonable when compared to the outer suburbs. These outer suburbs include the newer subdivisions of neighbouring cities such as Vaughan, Brampton, Richmond Hill, and Markham. As residential neighbourhoods sprawl further away from the major urban centre, problems with accessibility for pedestrian and transit commuters are magnified. Thus, as architects, issues of suburban sprawl must be addressed.
Felix TY Chan ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
SUBURBAN TERM 3: SUBURBAN Direct Definition An outlying part of a city or town, a smaller community adjacent to or within commuting distance of a city. The residential area on the outskirts of a city or large town. Merriam-Webster Dictionary Interpreted Definition
Unknown, http://www.mutantspace.com/amber-koroluk
The suburban villa-landscape had first originated in Rome and has since then spread globally to various regions. (Rogers2001) The movement from dense urban cities to rural lands influenced the creation of a middle ground in which the suburbs were created. Landscape became an opportunity for the regeneration of societies through green spaces as they correlated with the benefits of individual’s health. The desire to leave the condense lifestyle of the city in order to have more spacious surrounding influenced a widespread migration movement in the 20th century. (Ibelings, 1999) As the conception of owning property and green spaces grew in popularity, so too did the importance of landscape in the overall design of the suburbs. Here the landscape of picturesque parks and winding roads became sought out as valuable spaces. The creations of such suburban areas required a great deal of time, planning and design, much of which was influenced and dependent on culture and migration. The suburbs presented the ideal housing and social environment that created a sense of well-being. (Silverstone 1997; Rowe 1991)
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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Individuals in such neighborhoods were able to access resources and facilities that met the daily demands of modern life. The suburbs were situated outside of major cities, thus allowing individuals to reap the benefits of the city while remaining sufficient in their own community. (Barraclough, 2006)
Citations 1. Barraclough, Laura. “Rural Urbanism: Landscape, Land Use Activism and the Cultural Politics of Suburban Spatial Exclusion.” Ann Arbor: UMI Microform, 2006. Print. 2. Ibelings Hines. 1999. “Nederlandse Stedenbouw in de 20ste eeuw (i.e. Dutch town planning in the 20th century).” NAi publishers, Rotterdam. p. 6. Print. 3. Silverstone Roger. 1997. “Visions of Suburbia.” Jasdeep Multani ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
SUBURBAN adjective / se’berben/ 1. of or characteristic of a suburb - an outlying district of a city, especially a residential one (Oxford Dictionary).
Interpreted Definition The Oxford Dictionary includes a sub-definition of the term ‘suburban’, describing it as “contemptibly dull and ordinary.” While a suburb (noun) is defined as an outlying district of a city, ‘suburban’ (adjective) can describe not only an area or environment, but a culture based on social understanding, and driven by art, media and pop culture. In the discourse of landscape architecture, the term ‘suburban’ refers to a social understanding of the suburbs as mundane, banal and ironically ordinary in regards to what was once the ‘suburban dream’. In art, literature and film, this idea is reinforced through satire.
‘Suburbia’ by Beth Hoeckel (Collage) Image from: “This Must Be The Place.” RookieMag. http://www.rookiemag.com/2013/03/ this-must-be-the-place/ University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Vladimir Nabokov is a renowned novelist, often praised for his book ‘Lolita’. Nabokov’s extremely detailed and visual prose paints a picture of a rather ‘dark’ suburban dream in which beauty and happiness is achieved through consumerism. With the creation of the family car, kitchen appliances and ultimately the suburban home, the term ‘suburban’ can very much be associated with consumerism as leading to an empty, obscured happiness. In an essay, Heather Jones states that “in Nabokov’s American world of mid-century, such glittering snapshots of Lolita in wonderful clothes, on her bicycle, in her suburban home, and riding in her car, seem to shout, “I exist, I use things, I own things, and finally, I am something.” In America, to become a consumer is to proclaim one’s very 207 3
existence.” (58) Here, the term ‘suburban’ defines a culture obsessed with consumerism. Similarly, director Spike Jonze created a short film titled ‘Scenes from the Suburbs’. The short features fragmented memories of a suburban dystopia including scenes of teenagers riding on bikes across a stretch of repetitive houses, talking about girls, and playing pranks, contrasted with images of police officers, helicopters, gun shots and ultimately, a dark twist on the mundane scenes of suburbia. Overall, both Nabokov and Jonze represent the term ‘suburban’ as a dark, dull culture.
Mayuri Paranthahan ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
SUCCESSION a : a number of persons or things that follow each other in sequence b : a group, type, or series that succeeds or displaces another
Ecological succession describes the phenomenon of the reclamation of land through the successive population of species. Pioneer species are hardy plants and animals that first move in, and over time the space would attract more and more species to populate or repopulate the area. Best observed in vegetation, the gradual accumulation of dirt and hummus of smaller plants allows for the growth of bigger trees, until the succession reaches a climax.
of primary succession begins. Layers of dead plant matter increase the depth of the soil, and herbivores move in, followed by predators. Noticeable primary ecological succession of a single patch of land is on too large a scale to be observed, however all succession on a similar scale behave the same way. It is thus how we can predict its progress.
The ecological climax does not imply a static moment. Succession begins again in the wake of disturbances such as natural disasters (forest fires or floods), or even with the felling of a single tree. Depending on the scale, ecological succession may take a few hours (for microbes) or several hundred years (for forests). The time scale of humans is short compared to the succession of wildlife, which makes it important to plan carefully for the future.
Ecological Succession, ThinkTrees University of Waterloo School of Architecture
It is likely that ecological succession will take hold of our towns and cities, and over perhaps a millenia, climax species will dwell among the ruins of skyscrapers. Alan Weisman entertains such a view in his book, The World Without Us, where succession takes hold of abandoned New York, starting first with weeds and lichen that take hold and begin to form the soil. A process 208 3
Kelley Gu ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
suCCession noun | suc·ces·sion | sǝk-’se-shǝn 1. a number of people or things of a similar kind following one after the other 2. the action or process of inheriting a title, office, property, etc. 3. the process by which a plant or animal community successively gives way to another until a stable climax is reached - Oxford English Dictionary
Ecological Succession Over Time, Into The Garden.
Pre-Revitalization High Line, Friends of the High Line University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Ecosystems evolve over time, sometimes predictably, but often not. As plant and animal species inhabit an environment, cycles of life and death make way for new species until an eventual climax community is reached. For example, a barren rocky landscape begins with lichens and small bugs and animals. As these species die and form new matter and soil, gradually larger plant and animal species are able to grow and survive. Eventually, perhaps after hundreds of years, large trees and mammals will be able to grow in what was originally a barren environment. The cycles of life and death leading to the final climax ecosystem is ecological succession. Understanding ecological succession is vital to contemporary landscape architecture. As any ecosystem, natural or artificial, will change over time, it is important for landscape architects to be able to predict such changes in order to provide a space that will remain well maintained and effective over a long period of time. Landscape architects need to design a initial ecosystem that also accommodates and accounts for the stages of ecological succession and the climax community. If well understood in the context of a given environment and species, landscape architects can leverage ecological succession to their advantage, working with natural phenomena rather than attempting to fight against them. This means that landscapes will be inherently temporal; projects will not be the same from year 209 3
to year, or even day to day. New York City’s High Line, prior to its revitalization as a public park, is a prime example of ecological succession. The abandoned railway tracks had naturally developed wild grasses, plants, and shrubs. Left untouched and given time, the tracks would have eventually been able to support trees, providing a beautiful, albeit wild, green space without any human cost or interference. Such ecological succession within urban environments presents opportunities for the future of landscape architecture. By utilizing the principles of succession, harsher landscapes can be repurposed at lower cost. Old parking lots, airports, and other urban conditions can be remediated without the high upfront planting and longterm maintenance costs that would otherwise be required to immediately jump to a climax community of species. Instead, landscape architects can design with succession in mind, allowing projects to naturally unfold over time, slowly building to a stable, self reliant ecosystem.
Devin Arndt ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
SUCCESSION Direct Definition noun / suc∙ces∙sion 1. the act of getting a title or right after the person who had that title or right before you has died or is no longer able or allowed to have it; also: the process by which this happens 2. a series of people or things that come one after the other (Merriam-Webster)
Figure 3: Secondary Succession, http://www.fire. uni-freiburg.de/iffn/country/ra/ra_9.htm University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition
succession in a forest affected by fire.
In the context of landscape architecture, succession refers to the biological term of ‘ecological succession’. Biological succession is the fundamental process of the evolution of ecosystems. In a single day, or over hundreds of years, the species within an ecosystem are constantly adapting to survive. If they fail to survive in changing conditions, new species will take their place, which will in turn have their own unique effects on the ecosystem. Succession can be categorized into two categories: primary succession and secondary succession. Primary succession refers to the development of life in an environment that had never before supported life, such as new rock formed by the eruption of a volcano, or the land remaining after the formation of a glacier. In contrast, secondary succession occurs in an area which has previously supported life—a forest that was destroyed by fire, or an ecosystem affected by flooding. Many believe that species within an ecosystem will continue to experience succession until a certain point, their climax, at which they have evolved to their ideal state within the given habitat. However, as Richard Jefferson and Michael Usher point out, there is some speculation in the scientific community whether succession can in fact ever terminate.
Jefferson, Richard G. and Michael B. Usher. “Ecological succession and the evaluation of nonclimax communities.” In Wildlife Conservation Evaluation, edited by Michael B. Usher, 70. New York: Chapman and Hall, 1986.
Figure 3 diagrams the stages of secondary
Giulia Kiernan
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ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
sustainable Direct Definition Adjective: 1. Able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed. 2. Involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources. 3. Able to last or continue for a long time. (Definition from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
Interpreted Definition
30 St Mary Axe by Foster + Partners, Via Hufton and Crow
Despite its prevalence in contemporary architectural discourse, sustainability is a relatively recent concern of architecture. The idea that architecture and landscape must promote the longevity of the environment is something that has mostly gained traction in the past 2-3 decades. Prior to modernism, buildings had little environmental impact beyond the embodied energy of their materials and the removal of existing terrain elements, and at its advent, the ramifications of fossil fuels and the rampant energy consumption of modern buildings had yet to be seen. Only recently, with pressures from governments and the public, have architects begun minimizing the impact of their buildings on the environment, advantaging passive heating, cooling, lighting and ventilation, as well as using more efficient or renewable energy systems. Problematically, many contemporary practices have come under fire for dishonestly marketing buildings as sustainable. Projects like 30 St Mary Axe (aka “The Gherkin”) in London, England by Foster + Partners, are lauded for their supposed sustainability while closer inspection reveals
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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rising energy consumption and emissions. More problematically, systems like LEED encourage buildings to become more efficient to be marketable as sustainable, while their flexible system has come under fire for being misrepresentative of a building’s true impact both alone and within a larger context. More recently, as sustainable architecture becomes more diverse - exploring reuse, bio-mimicry, computation and more questions of cultural sustainability have risen. As sustainable, site-responsive design delves deeper, it becomes clear that vernacular styles of building and cultural paradigms are deeply tied to sustainability, whether it is issues of local materials, orientation or tectonics that they address. The cultural resonance of a building is also directly tied to its lifespan - as architect Shigeru Ban says, “If people love a building, it will last.”
Ihroom Eric Oh ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
SUSTAINABLE SUSTAINABILITY Noun 1. of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged 2. of or relating to a lifestyle involving the use of sustainable methods
- Mirriam-Webster, 2015
Oyster-tecture, Scapestudio University of Waterloo School of Architecture
According to the Brundtland Commission in 1987, sustainability is defined as finding the balance between the needs of the present and future generations. We can think of sustainability in its most basic sense as our abilities as human beings, to regenerate our natural resources we use at a comparable rate that does not exceed its depletion. Psychologist Abraham Maslow breaks sustainability into satisfying two of our so-called human needs. Deficiency needs (our most basic primitive needs for survival such as eating and sleeping) differ greatly from our growth needs that are essentially unlimited because of our potential as human beings to seek shelter, security, social stability etc.
Landscape as infrastructure plays a large part in reversing some of the damage we have done to the earth. The advent of new technologies and integrated design strategies introduce the usage of widespread solar and wind farms as well as finding ways to harvest the waves of ocean currents on a mega-regional scale. By furthering the conversation of sustainable design, building the environment can be part of the solution rather than the part of the problem.
The real problem with our needs as human beings is the ethical approach of using non-sustainable resources to fund our habits. Architecture and the building the environment, arguably one of the least sustainable human activities, plays a key role in contributing towards green house gas emissions and building waste. However, it is not enough to simply find the most efficient way of meeting our needs. Many environmental scientists also advocate for the protection of our ecology ensuring it is able to survive for many years to come. Architectural practice falls somewhere in between this spectrum creating opportunities to both shelter ecology and plan for the onslaught of demanding growth that our increasing population requires.
Vucetich, John A., and Nelson Michael P. “Sustainability: Virtuous or Vulgar?” BioScience 60, no. 7 (2010): 539-44.
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Ehmann, Sven, Robert Klanten, and Sofia Borges. Building Better: Sustainable Architecture for Family Homes. Berlin: Gestalten Verlag, 2014.
Steven Lin ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
sustainable adjective 1. able to be maintained at a certain rate or level 2. able to be upheld or defended
Something that is sustainable is something that is able to continue as it is, without external inputs or removal of waste. For something to be measured to be sustainable, it has to be in a closed system, creating the necessity that all of its processes become cycles that form closed loops. Any excess or deficite will ultimately result in a failure of the system, so sustainability is a very fine balance. In regards to architecture, the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada states that sustainable architecture “could be defined as the creation of buildings for which only renewable resources are consumed throughout the process of design, construction and operation... First Nations people were perhaps the last inhabitants of North America to have truly understood the meaning of sustainability and to have lived accordingly.”
and when it dies or is destroyed it returns to its elements through natural processes, to become a part of something else. However, sometimes the way that large imbalances are sorted doesn’t return things to the way that they originally were, or particularly how we would like to see them for human inhabitation. Because of this, it could be said that in the long run even the earth’s natural cycles are not always sustainable.
Sustainable architecture must also return its materials to the cycles that produced them. At the end of a building’s life, if the parts of the building remain as ruin they are useless because they do not become productive again. However, if a building can be recycled and its parts become productive again, it can truly be said to be sustainable.
Water Cycle, http://www.kja-artists.com/open.asp?p=2830 University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Landscape inherrently has an advantage over architecture in sustainability because it deals with natural cycles. When humans don’t interfere, the natural world always creates a way top sort out its imbalances. Everything comes out of the earth, 213 3
Nathanael Scheffler ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
SYMBIOTIC Direct Definition 1. Involving interaction between two organisms living in close physical association Source: Oxford Dictionary
Interpreted Definition In present day, our relation to landscape spans further than the natural but into the built as well. Urbanism and infrastructure begin to be viewed as landscape as well due to their vastness and impact on humans. People are unable to avoid forms of infrastructure such as highways and landfills specifically on the urban scale due to their prominence and importance to daily life for so many. We are closely integrating infrastructure into the urban fabric of the majority of people so much that we are inadvertently relying on these systems more than we realize. The urban realm requires these systems yet urbanism seems to expand based on the scale at which infrastructure grows. Pierre Belanger in Redefining Infrastructure talks about the importance in adapting infrastructure to meet the new and future demands of urbanism and to rethink how they in return are impacting the landscape. Our close proximity to infrastructure warrants this type of conversation in order for the complex systems to meet the growing urban demand.
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Fitzgerald_Kennedy_ Greenway. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Conversely, infrastructure must also take note of the environmental conditions and natural landscape as it develops. Our interaction with both types of landscape, the built and the natural, depends on not only the growing sprawl of urbanism but the evolving natural condition surrounding. It is not to say that one should dictate 214 3
the other but it is more about the understanding of how the question of integration of urbanism, infrastructure and natural landscape should develop moving forward. Sources: Belanger Pierre, Redefining Infrastructure, 2010. Oxford Dictionary. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Symbiotic.â&#x20AC;? Accessed June 28 2016. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ definition/english/symbiotic
Monica Patel ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
SYMBIOTIC Direct Definition The relationship between two different kinds of living things that live together and depend on each other. 3
Interpreted Definition “Symbiotic” is the adjective of “symbiosis”, which is derived from Greek ‘symbiosis’ meaning ‘living together with a partner, companion, husband or wife’. The term can be broken down to ‘syn-’ which means “together” and ‘bios’ which means “life”.1 Symbiotic relationship between species is a type of interaction that require the species to live together. This relationship can either be beneficial to many species as it allows them to live life by working together in a team, or it can be harmful where one organism benefits from the other. 2 Humans and nature have a symbiotic relationship which can be both beneficial and harmful. Nature provides human with essentials such as air, shelter, food, etc. Humans help nature by providing renewable energy sources, using technology to reduce pollution, restoration of deforestation, controlling wildfires, protecting native species, and so on.2 Natural phenomenon such as flooding and earthquakes, are examples of negative impacts that nature have on humans. Humans harm nature through air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution and global warming.
Nanyang School of Art, “Nanyang School of Art 1 - TheCoolist.” TheCoolist. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www.thecoolist.com/green-roof-design10-stunning-sustainable-works-of-architecture/nanyangschool-of-art-1/.
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
This symbiotic relationship between humans and nature influences landscape architecture. Understanding the concept of this relationship can not only help architects to design and create landscapes that would potentially be beneficial to 215 3
both humans and nature, but also have a positive impact on the future generations.
1) Harper, Douglas. “Online Etymology Dictionary.” Online Etymology Dictionary. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www.etymonline.com/index. php?term=symbiosis. 2) Patterson, Susan. “How Do Humans Affect the Environment?” LoveToKnow. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/How_Do_Humans_ Affect_the_Environment. 3) Merriam-Webster. Accessed July 05, 2016. h t t p : / / w w w. m e r r i a m - we b ste r. co m / d i c t i o n a r y / symbiosis. Saadman Ahmed
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
SYMBIOTIC Direct Definition 1. the relationship between two different kinds of living things that live together and depend on each other 2. a relationship between two people or groups that work with and depend on each other Merrian-Webster, 2016.
Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello Garden, The Enchanted Manor. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition
Work Cited
A relationship between the landscape, usually green spaces, and people or other living creatures that is mutually beneficial.
“Thomas Jefferson, ‘Founding Foodie’” Diner’s Journal Blog. Accessed July 05, 2016. http:// dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/22/ thomas-jefferson-founding-foodie/.
While relations vary, symbiotic ones usually occur among natural landscapes and living organisms that help each other survive. A bee, for example, collects nectar from flowers to eat. While doing so, the bee is also pollenating the flower in the process. This is a mutually beneficial relationship that requires them to depend on each other. While the bee symbiosis may take place in landscape architecture, a more tangible relation is with humans and gardening. The precedent image shown below is Thomas Jefferson’s Montichello garden. The garden is an iconic example of landscape architecture meets a symbiotic relationship. Albeit the garden is strategically designed in a picturesque and scenic format, the garden is also interactive and provides a shared advantage. Without the stewardship of the farmer, the garden would not strive and as a result the landscape will wither. Likewise, when the gardener takes care of the landscape, it provides vegetable and fruits in return. In general, this symbiotic relationship defines how landscape architecture works. Without the help and design of landscape architects, some spaces would cease to exist and we would not be able to enjoy what it has to offer. 216 3
Winona Li ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
SYNTHETIC Direct Definition 1: relating to or involving synthesis : not analytic <the synthetic aspects of a philosophy> 2: attributing to a subject something determined by observation rather than analysis of the nature of the subject and not resulting in selfcontradiction if negated — compare analytic 4 a (1) : of, relating to, or produced by chemical or biochemical synthesis b : devised, arranged, or fabricated for special situations to imitate or replace usual realities c : factitious, bogus
Olympic Sculpture Park, Weiss/Manfredi University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition Similar to the Kant’s synthetic philosophy, synthetic landscapes are consciously modified spaces that makes connections that are not naturally occurring. This synthesizing of methods and materials results in spaces that are distinctly in service to human needs. By not containing the imagination of designers within the conventional interpretation of landscape, a synthetic approach allows for a variation of design solutions. These solutions imitate aspects of existing realities but are modified by the combination of ideas. In Weiss/Manfredi Architecture’s Olympic Sculpture Park the condensing of different biospheres, combinations of program, and intersecting of infrastructure makes it a synthetic landscape. The project is a gathering of all different types of ecological situations of northwestern USA, from temperate evergreen forests to an underwater salmon habitat. Moreover, the park combines solutions for incorporating an art institution, pedestrian pathway, and brownfield remediation in a single move. In efforts to establish a waterfront condition while mediating the existing infrastructure, a borrowing of techniques from bridge building is combined with conventional 217 3
landscaping. By incorporating the different design strategies into a new synthetic typology, the project is able to find a balance between the different needs of the site.
Sources: Rey, Georges. “The Analytic/Synthetic Distinction.” Stanford University. 2003. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ analytic-synthetic/. Busquets, Joan, ed., Olympic Sculpture Park for the Seattle Art Museum.Cambridge: Harvard University, Graduate School of Design, 2008 Thompson, Jennifer, ed., Weiss/Manfredi: Surface/Subsurface. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2008
Vincent Min ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
SYNTHETIC Simple Definition: made by combining different substances : not natural Full Definition: 1. relating to or involving synthesis : not analytic 2. attributing to a subject something determined by observation rather than analysis of the nature of the subject and not resulting in self-contradiction if negated 3. characterized by frequent and systematic use of inflected forms to express grammatical relationships <synthetic languages> 4. a) of, relating to, or produced by chemical or biochemical synthesis; especially : produced artificially b) devised, arranged, or fabricated for special situations to imitate or replace usual realities (Merriam Webster)
Interpreted Definition The roots of this word originate from the late 17th century, when it only referred to a form of deductive logic. It came from the French term “synthétique”, Modern Latin “syntheticus”, and Greek “synthetikos”, meaning “put together, constructed”. Beginning in 1874, synthetic became synonymous with “artificial”, as products that attempted to mimic and/or surpass nature were made via chemical synthesis. The use of synthetic as a noun, as in “synthetic material”, began in 1934, after the commercialization of several groundbreaking synthetic products: rubber (neoprene) in 1930, and nylon in 1931. These materials were cheaper than, and as effective as, their natural counterparts. Nylon revolutionized the fiber industry and became the basis for the future of synthetic fibers – it was the first material to be fully synthesized with no plant base. Buildings make use of many man-made materials, but most are “edited” versions of natural materials, such as brick, metal, concrete, glulam, or glass. Certain materials such as foam, plastics, and certain fabrics are entirely synthetic. The tensile of synthetic fabrics far surpasses natural fabrics, making today massive structures that could not have been possible before.
Fake Lawn, Daily Mail Online. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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Something that dominates both contemporary society and without a doubt the future is “artificial intelligence”. But that term may not be very accurate. Just like synthetic building materials are not called artificial, neither should computer intelligence. Synthetic intelligence has already advanced beyond simply imitating human intelligence – it has real unique intelligence of its own. Like so many science fiction movies, it’s not a stretch to say that synthetic intelligence will soon surpass humans in every way. Ironically, the growth of such intelligence would become more lifelike rather than “fake”. Futuristic intelligence that develops consciousness, morals, and emotions would be far more natural than the synthetic intelligence of today. The distant future of architecture could take “synthetic” and “natural” to a whole new level. Using synthetic biology and programmable DNA, we might be able to eventually create houses that grow like plants, or even animals – starting off as a seed or an embryo and maturing into a full sized building. Operable elements like doors and windows would function like the “jaws” of carnivorous plants or the muscled joints of animals. These would be structures far more “natural” than anything we build today materialwise, but developed through entire synthetic means. Amy (Yun Ru) Bao ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
SYNTHETIC SYNTHETIC Direct Definition made by combining different substances: not natural 1. relating to or involving synthesis : not analytic 2. attributing to a subject something determined by observation rather than analysis of the nature of the subject and not resulting in selfcontradiction if negated 3. characterized by frequent and systematic use of inflected forms to express grammatical relationships 4. a (1) : of, relating to, or produced by chemical or biochemical synthesis; especially : produced artificially (2) : of or relating to a synfuel b : devised, arranged, or fabricated for special situations to imitate or replace usual realities --Merriam-Webster
Interpreted Definition A way of interpreting the role of synthetic material in landscape architecture is the use of synthetic surfaces in the landscape design. We produce our own material to achieve the desired effect of the material. For example, there is asphalt that creates city’s horizontal network, such as roadways and sidewalk. There is also geo-synthetic material that are “placed upon the unbound soil to prevent further erosion of the site.” It can take multiple duties such as preventing cracking, providing reinforcement, supporting pavement, or allowing for drainage. The manipulation of synthetic material allow us to create and control the desired experience of the designed space. The project, “MoistSCAPE” designed by Freecell in New York focuses on the manipulation of synthetic and natural material. It uses steel matrix as structures to create three dimensional floating structures, which represent an entirely new topography. The use of recycled rubber on the groundscape below the floating matrix creates a special experience with the ground texture. Floating steel planes carry mosses that encourage visitors to touch. The combination of artificial structure and natural material in this project creates a brand new experience of landscape.
MoistSCAPE, Freecell Architecture:
“About Geo-synthetic Material.” Landscape Planet. http://www.landscapeplanet.com/maintenance-1-geosynthetic-material.htm
Zi Qing [CJ] Yang
http://www.frcll.com/moistscape
University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
“MoistSCAPE.” Freecell Architecture. http://www.frcll.com/moistscape
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URBANISM Direct Definition 1. The way of life characteristic of cities and towns: ‘a lot of their songs are about cities and urbanism’ 1.1. The development and planning of cities and towns: ‘his interests include issues related to architectural design and urbanism’ From Oxford Dictionary Website
Interpreted Definition The idea of urbanism first originated from the early 20th century when the idea of creating cities to better support human development through a sustainable compact way. Urbanism is “the cooperation and mutual-support of large numbers of people in close proximity” (Emergent Urbanism), which in a way becomes landscape architecture. The settlement of people in terms of density, porportion and patterns affect the overall quilt in which the population becomes landscape architecture. Presently, the principles of urbanism could be separated into several pieces including walkability, connectivity, mixed use and diversity, mixed housing, quality architecture and urban design, traditional neighbourhood structure, increased density, green transportation, sustainability and quality of life (New Urbanism). Those principals are put together to categorize themes in which an urban setting considers during its evolution. Urbanism calls forward a lifestyle of efficiency where places of entertainment, work, private and social life could be achieved through a close knit community.
View of Millenium Park, greenroofs.com University of Waterloo School of Architecture
In Louis Wirth’s essay, Urbanism as a Way of Life, he states that the city “is the initiating and controlling center of economic, political, and cultural life that has drawn the most remote 220 3
parts of the world into its orbit and woven diverse areas, peoples, and activities into a cosmos”. This quote further explains the idea of how urbanism is a strong moving force in bringing towards individuals and how such a movement creates a landscape for its occupants. Louis With believes that cities affected by urbanism are unique in their own way through the personalities and interests of its own population. Each city becomes its own type of landscape architecture. (Urbanism as a Way of Life) Generally, Urbanism is connected to landscape architecture through the idea that the movement of individuals towards a more densely populated community formulates a new type of housing situation and lifestyle which in return illustrates a new type of landscape architecture.
Hollie Sin ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
URBANISM URBANISM Direct Definition 1. the way of life character of cities and towns. 2. the development and planning of cities and towns.
Oxford English Dictionary, 2015 Urbanism relates more to the user and how they occupy the space they are in. It has varied throughout history from the occupation of Roman cities, to villages, and now from city development to megacity regions. The Ancient Romans used a specific city scheme that entered around military defences. The city was comprised of a central forum, surrounded by a compact grid of streets, with an exterior wall surrounding the perimeter for defence. The roman way of life was focused on protection which caused their city to develop in a certain manner. The gridded development of the city can been seen today in some of out major cities today such as Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York. Although the size of these cities vary the principle idea of how to initially create them are the same. James Corner mentions, “landscape urbanism [has the] ability to shift scales, to locate urban fabrics in their regional and biotic contexts, and to design relationships between dynamic environmental processes and urban form.” This ties in landscape and diversity as elements to consider when building cities character. Urbanism can create a character for site. If a city’s focus is on tourism it would be best for their streets to be planned out in an organized manner, but if it’s being designed for local users in a neighbourhood creating small shops with a variety of program would be most beneficial.
A. Cesar Gonzalez-Garcia & Giulio Magli, 2014 James Corner, 2006 Shevaun Mistry
New York, Sergei Semenov University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
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urbanism URBANISM noun | ur·ban·ism 1.the characteristic way of life of city dwellers 2.a) the study of the physical needs of urban societies 2.b) city planning
The development of the term urbanism has often been linked with the emergence of state and society. Although a single definition of urbanism does not exist, patterns can be examined from different societies to trace its origins and to understand the meaning of the term.
Plan of the City of New York, wikipedia University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Every society has its own origin of urbanism that followed a growth pattern in population size, distribution and architecture which identified it’s culture’s shift from pre-urban to urban. An example of this is the development of urbanism in Ancient Egypt, through a study of Egyptian urbanism through settlement patterns in the Abydos-Thinis region of Upper Egypt. A survey was conducted to understand early traces of urbanism in 1982 in the Abydos-Thinis region to locate sites dating from the Predynastic Period through Old Kingdom. Both sites were mapped and then surface collected. The sherds recorded at each site were used to date each settlement or cemetery. After data collection, each sherds was plotted on a map in chronological order from earliest to latest date.These distribution maps were used to identify changes in population size and distribution in the Abydos-Thinis region over approximately 1600 years. After the study was done, there was a marked change in settlement patterns during the Predynastic Period, a formative time in the Egyptian cultural development. By the end of the Old Kingdom, the settlement pattern in AbydosThinis region, reflected the Egyptian state’s 222 3
necessity at the time which was a settlement hierarchy with most population in small rural towns and villages. Urbanism is about organizing individuals and their practices, interests and beliefs through planning a city. While keeping in mind social, economical and political relations within the city and outside the city . However, in 1938, Louis Wirth wrote that it is necessary to stop ‘identify[ing] urbanism with the physical entity of the city’, go ‘beyond an arbitrary boundary line’ and consider how ‘technological developments in transportation and communication have enormously extended the urban mode of living beyond the confines of the city itself.’
Citation 1. Patch, Diana Craig. The Origin and Early Development of Urbanism in Ancient Egypt: A Regional Study. 1991. 2. Mumford, Lewis. The City in History: Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1961. Nitzan Farfel ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
WATERSHED WATERSHED noun/ waw-ter-shed 1. Chiefly British. the ridge or crest line dividing two drainage areas; water parting; divide. 2. the region or area drained by a river, stream, etc.; drainage area. 3. Architecture. wash (def 44). 4. an important point of division or transition between two phases, conditions, etc.: The treaty to ban war in space may prove to be one of history’s great watersheds. adj. 5. constituting a watershed: a watershed area; a watershed case.
Interpreted Definition Watersheds encourage the existence of ecosystems. many specific plant and animals can be found growing and sustaining life in watershed deposits. Historically watersheds provided trade routes. The largest watershed in Canada is the Hudson Bay. According to the government of Canada, the quality of water is monitored, regulated and surveyed through the collaborative efforts of several federal, provincial and territorial governments to ensure that ecosystems are protected and drinking water is not polluted.
Watershed ecosystems are kept in good aquatic health through wetlands (filters pollutants), riparian buffers (greenbelts) and groundwater recharge.
Due to the trans-boundary scale of watersheds, international governments (such as the U.S and Canada) have cooperated with each other to remediate contaminated drinking water, develop sustainable technologies and practice Eco-friendly methods of water treatment to avoid negative impact on existing ecosystems and promote a safe environment for organisms to thrive.
Hudson Bay Drainage Basin, Image Source. NorthAmerica-WaterDivides. University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
American forester Gifford Pinchot said “The relationship between forests and rivers is like father and son” and perhaps in that case the watershed is the grandfather that connects these systems together. These watershed provide us with a naturally paved landscapes that have been integral for the existence of the three types of species. The three types are Producers (species that make their own food, e.g. plants), Consumers (species that rely on other species for food) and Decomposers (bacteria and fungi). 223 2
1-https://www.ec.gc.ca/eau-water/default. asp?lang=En&n=13D23813-1 2 - ht t p s : / / w w w. e c. g c. c a / e a u d o u ce - f re s hwate r / d e f a u l t . asp?lang=En&n=D72B6AF9-1 3-http://w w w.gtbay.org/wp - content/uploads/2010/11/ Watershed_Ecosystem.pdf
Hagop Terzian ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
WATERSHED WATERSHED Direct Definition noun 1. Chiefly British. the ridge or crest line dividing two drainage areas; water parting; divide. 2. the region or area drained by a river, stream, etc.; drainage area.
Yukon Watershed, National Geographic.
Interpreted Definition No matter if you are in the city or a rural outskirt, or simply outdoors in nature, you are standing on a watershed. There are two types of water sheds, open and closed ones. Open watersheds drain into the ocean while closed watershed eventually seep into the Earth or evaporate into the atmosphere. Watersheds are not just the visible surface water features, but also include the unique mix of groundwater, aquifers, wetlands, forests, farms, cities and even our very own backyards. A watershed can essentially be marked by an area which drains its water into one end point and can be bounded off by connecting all its highest points.
Architecture and landscape design has an important role in promoting healthy watersheds. Through the simple acts of being more site conscious, buildings and design can be more mindful of their wastewater treatment and water consumption. The integration of new systems which allow building to recycle its own wastewater or to collect rainwater to use for irrigation have allowed building to become more passive and less pollutive. Newer designs have also opted for more eco-friendly materials, making sure they are sourced locally, are free from contaminants and have lower embodied energy.
Watersheds are constantly being challenged by our rapid developments. Many manmade features are adding stress to watersheds; infrastructures especially pavements and roads are transforming the way water moves through land by forcing it to take longer paths before it gets filtered through the earth. By elongated the waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s travel, it also forces it to pick up more contaminants and pollutants along the way. The addition of more paving is also making it more difficult for aquifers to store groundwater, which is used as drinking water by over 20% of Ontarians
Alyssa Tang University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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WATERSHED noun 1. An area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas. 2. An event or period marking a turning point in a situation.1 A watershed, also known as a drain or a basin, is a territory of land from which water drains into a specific common body of water, such as a lake, river or ocean. Water enters the watershed via precipitation, then proceeds to run above ground or sink undergound to groundwater. All land on Earth is part of some watershed, and all water passes through the water cycle, meaning the boundaries between land and water are being constantly blurred as each pass through one another and change forms.2
REFERENCES 1. Oxford Dictionaries, s.v. “watershed”, NWT Water Stwardship, accessed July 4, 2016, http:// www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/ watershed 2. “Get To Know Your Watershed”, http://www. nwtwaterstewardship.ca/sites/default/files/ KnowYourWatershed_ENFinal_Web.pdf
The dichotomy is further complicated by human interaction. People tend to cluster in areas along coastlines, naviagble rivers and lakes, and make significant changes to the water and land systems. Sewage and industrlal waste becomes dumped into the water sytem and are drain by the watershed, rivers are diverted or dammed, shores are altered by landfill, canals are created, etc, all altering the course of the water and its effect on the greater ecosystem.
Watershed Diagram, http://www. savetheriversavethehills.org/ University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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WILDERNESS Direct Definition wilderness: a tract or region uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings. an area essentially undisturbed by human activity together with its naturally developed life community. Interpreted Definition In a world of ever present human development, there is becoming a constant decrease in what is known as wilderness. That is areas of land lacking the presence of roads, buildings and other artificial structures. Very few places on earth exist as pure wilderness. Such foundations as the WILD Foundation, define wilderness in two ways; wilderness is a place where biodiversity is intact, meaning the natural biodiversity of the place exists in some form. Wilderness is also defined as being legally protected, meaning government laws have been set in place to limit people developing wilderness. The greatest threat to wilderness is human population growth and development. Factors effecting wilderness can be direct and indirect. Direct factors being poaching and indirect factors resulting from climate change. Climate change can limit native plant growth or lead to growth of non-native species, damaging the conditions of a wilderness.
Grand Teton National Park, www.national-park-posters.com University of Waterloo School of Architecture
One of the primary ways to protect wilderness is by means of law, restrictions placed upon mining, logging or travelling by car. Preservation is the key. It has become the role of humans to protect wilderness from humans. One of the leading examples on how that is done is through the use of national parks, to help preserve the wilderness that remains. The unfortunate reality of wilderness preservation is that the only way to maintain their 226 3
current state is to introduce limited forms of human interaction. The age we live in today is one where the primary way to get people to care about the disappearance of wilderness is to frame it as a sublime object.
Joshua MacDonald ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
WILDERNESS noun \’wil-d r-n s\ e
e
1. a (1) : a tract or region uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings (2) : an area essentially undisturbed by human activity together with its naturally developed life community b : an empty or pathless area or region c : a part of a garden devoted to wild growth 2. obsolete : wild or uncultivated state 3. a : a confusing multitude or mass : an indefinitely great number or quantity b : a bewildering situation
- Merriam - Webster
“Wilderness was of a hostile and terrifying wasteland, and in one literal sense it used to mean the darkness on the other side of the wall of the Garden of Eden”. Expulsion From The Garden of Eden, by Thomas Cole University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Interpreted Definition One of the fundamental tenets of environmentalism is the holiness of wilderness. It is considered a pure, pristine environment, a landscape untouched by humanity. Just a few centuries ago, people’s idea of wilderness was of a hostile and terrifying wasteland, and in one literal sense it used to mean the darkness on the other side of the wall of the Garden of Eden. But more recently, we have seen it transformed into the very garden itself. In The Trouble with Wilderness, Cronon argues that there are two primary ideas that account for this transition: the sublime, and the frontier. The sublime is the Romantic conception of a landscape that evokes visceral emotions. Even this religious notion of wilderness was an evolving idea: William Wordsworth was terrified when confronted by the jagged sublimity of the Alps; later, Thoreau was awestruck by the lonely solemnity of Mt. Katahdin; and John Muir finally found rapture and peace in the Sierras. The second component is its relationship to the American frontier. Rousseau’s ideas of virtuous primitivism and the noble savage were born out to some extent in American frontier life, and helped to create the idea that wild lands and people were “freer, truer, and more natural” than those civilized. The closing of the frontier then led to a national nostalgia for this more rugged lifestyle, and a shift in which virtue came to be associated with those who could maintain frontier qualities in their lives, even in a post-frontier life. The remaining wild places in the United States became seen as vestiges of this original frontier, and so protecting them became ways of sustaining
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not only the possibility of frontier experiences, but also “the nation’s most sacred myth of origin.” But what all of these ways of looking at wilderness have in common is a notion of escape and distance. Wilderness embodies a dualistic vision in which the human is entirely outside the natural. This leads to several problems in the way that we understand our place in the world. By subconsciously identifying more with wilderness than with the consumer, mechanical world in which we live, we deny that we are culpable for the consequences of these actions and ways of life. Our current escapist conception of wilderness is thereby self-defeating, fostering the unchecked growth and unattended byproducts of the industrial world. Perhaps the most poignant part of Cronon’s argument comes when he takes the argument to its logical extreme: “if nature dies because we enter it, then the only way to save nature is to kill ourselves.” The problem is that we have identified humans and nature as incompatible opposites without room for coexistence. “The wilderness dualism denies us a middle ground in which responsible use and non-use might attain some sort of balanced, sustainable relationship.” Cronon, W. The Trouble with Wilderness. Shiplee, B, 2004. MacPhee, Riley. “The Trouble With Wilderness.” Johnston Architects. March 04, 2010. Accessed July 04, 2016. https://johnstonarchitects. wordpress.com/2010/03/04/the-trouble-withwilderness/. Kelsey Malott | 20564258 ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
WILDERNESS WILDERNESS (1) : a tract or region uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings (2) : an area essentially undisturbed by human activity together with its naturally developed life community -Merriam-Webster Interpreted Definition By this definition, wilderness becomes the void, the land that landscape architects and architects leave untouched. With an ever increasing population, more and more of this untouched, “Wilderness” is being developed. Because of this the public definition of Wilderness may need to be tweaked in the near future. It is becoming more and more
difficult to find regions of land that could truly be considered untouched by human beings. Today, a “region cultivated by human beings” could be considered as anywhere with cell phone service. In Ontario when we think about the word “Wilderness”, Provincial Parks where countless hiking and canoe trips take place each summer come to mind. Algonquin Park, one of the most iconic parks among Ontario’s Provincial Parks is considered to be a place where humans can experience true “Wilderness”. While this is mostly true, the boundary surrounding true “wilderness” becomes smaller as the parks popularity increases, cell phone reception improves, exterior access points and campgrounds grow and interior access points are developed.
become a very powerful one. The way that architects and landscape architects design to accommodate our increasing population could become a governing factor of the boundaries of wilderness. If designed effectively, the economic plans of governments world wide could be the answer to preserving wilderness. China’s “Great Uprooting” a plan to move 250 million rural residents into cities4, or even the development of mega-regions in North America5 are just two examples of governmental plans with great potential to create denser cities with controlled peripheries as a solution to the shrinking areas of true “wilderness”.
The relationship between the future of wilderness and landscape architecture have the opportunity to
Banff National Park, Zoe Goodman. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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SPECULATIVE
DEFINITIONS
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6-DIMESNIONALISM 6-DIMENSIONALISM
The easiest way to imagine the sixth dimension is to imagine the third dimension (length, width, depth) with temporal axes in lieu of spatial axes. Moving along the x-axis in sixth dimensional space allows one to transverse one’s timeline from one’s birth to one’s death. The y-axis exists as branches from, for example, the aforementioned vector in the x-axis (which is to be temporarily understood as the life you’re currently living). Perhaps instead of finishing reading this sentence you closed your eyes and took a brief nap. This possibility exists within the fifth dimension— that is, different realities you could have chosen to collapse but didn’t for whatever reason. In the sixth dimension, one can instantaneously circumnavigate the tesseract of would have’s, should have’s, and could have’s of one’s life (as opposed to reversing time, making different decisions, and then living out the new reality in “real-time”). This means you could “walk” to the reality in which you chose to study photography instead of architecture, and then return back because you realized how unsatisfying it was. In 6-Dimensionalism the myriad of possibilities of a built form exist simultaneously. It refers to process rather than product, and how, within the intersecting forms of an objects potentiality, new and old ideas, within the given set of data, can be drawn. It is a selective spatial mapping of transformative events of a particular object, of a particular phenomenon, of a particular temporal boundary. Further reading: Imagining the Tenth Dimension, Rob Bryanton. 2006.
ien Boodan
Sixth dimensional model of sunlight through trees which move in the wind through time and space. Ien Boodan. 2016 University Waterloo School of Architecture University of of Waterloo School of Architecture
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ien Boodan ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
AestheculAte
A mash up of aesthetics and articulate. It means to be particularly well versed on appearance, appearance alone and appearance for appearances sake. This is yet another word to describe the obsession that architecture student pick up while in school about line-weights, typefaces, colour schemes and general layout. Graphic communication is important in the profession of architecture, it is the only way to get concepts and ideas that are stuck in the grey matter between our skulls, out in the world. It is extremely important then, to be aestheculate in design and conception. To be aestheculate means to be the landskip part of landscape, to carefully chose materiality and to worry about composition of a building visually rather than functionally. It is a very important skill to learn and possess throughout a career in architecture but must exercised in moderation. Being aestheculate means nothing more than good at grunt work in an office or studio, a good architect is able to aetheculate his/her design rationale which should be rooted in site response, client needs and functionality of the space.
Section C, SkyscraperPage Forum University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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Diana Si ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
AETHERSWARM
Noun. From Greek aether ‘pure, upper air’ and English swarm ‘the collective motion of a large number of self-propelled entities’ (Wikipedia) from Sanskrit svarati ‘it sounds’. 1. Physical effects of wind. The sum of physical (typically pleasant) effects of a breath, gust, flurry, puff or waft of air on landscape elements (and the viewer within the landscape), containing: a. The ebbing movements of dust, grasses and leaves, b. The sound thus created, and, c. The smell, humidity and texture carried by the wind. Ex. The breeze brought a summer aetherswarm.
Aetherswarm provides a tool for designers to describe their experiences within landscape as well as their vision for projective landscape architecture. It encompasses sight, sound, touch and smell. Wind is invisible; aetherswarm describes the physical effects through which we know and judge it. Perception of aetherswarm can be heightened or lessened through placement and type of vegetation and water elements. Additionally, architectural elements can mimic the movements, scents, and sounds through which natural elements create aetherswarm to continue and heighten its presence and blur the boundary between natural and artificial.
2. A type of motion. More particularly, the wavelike motion created by wind on groups of small, clustered, flexible interfering elements. Ex. The leaves moved in an aetherswarm.
Wind Pavillion, Heather Friedel, 2016 University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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ANEWILDERNESS Interpreted Definition
Biello, David. “Is There a Future for Wilderness?” Scientific American Blog Network. September 03, 2014. Accessed July 04, 2016. http://blogs. scientificamerican.com/observations/is-there-afuture-for-wilderness/. Cronon, W. The Trouble with Wilderness. Shiplee, B, 2004. MacPhee, Riley. “The Trouble With Wilderness.” Johnston Architects. March 04, 2010. Accessed July 04, 2016. https://johnstonarchitects. wordpress.com/2010/03/04/the-trouble-withwilderness/.
“Wilderness,” last modified September 28, 2015, https://www.theodysseyonline.com/wilderness University of Waterloo School of Architecture
William Cronon’s, The Trouble With Wilderness, argues the need to change the way we think about wilderness. In the end, wilderness is a state of mind. The natural world can only persist now as a deliberate act of human will. “This is not really an ‘environmental problem.’ It’s a human problem,” writes environmental historian Roderick Frazier Nash of the University of California, Santa Barbara. “What needs to be conquered now is not the wilderness, but ourselves.” In a very real, legal sense, wilderness equals roadlessness. “A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” From the very beginning then, wilderness has been defined by what it isn’t: humans and the mechanization we increasingly employ, particularly mechanical transport, whether car, boat or aircraft. The Wilderness Act legislated against the American people themselves, looking to keep us out of certain places, so as to retain the “primeval” character of these places—their flora and fauna— and to reserve them for the enjoyment of fleeting human visitors. The Act represents a gesture of humility and self-restraint. Cronon doesn’t have a problem with protecting wild places, he has a problem with the way that we culturally conceive of these places. Instead of viewing wilderness as remote and massive, we need to focus on the wilderness and nature in our own backyards. Our current idea of wilderness “teaches us to be dismissive, or even contemptuous of such humble places and experiences.” There is 234 4
nothing different between the tree atop a remote mountaintop and the tree next door except the way we perceive them. The power that wilderness has is to remind us of this fact. “By seeing the otherness in that which is most unfamiliar, we can learn to see it too in that which at first seemed merely ordinary. If wilderness can do this – if it can help us perceive and respect a nature we had forgotten to recognize as natural – then it will become part of the solution to our environmental dilemmas rather than part of the problem.” But in order to do this we must abandon the wilderness dualism that sets what is human in opposition to that which is perceived as natural. If we want to successfully exist with nature, we have to recognize that we are a part of it. All organisms affect their environments, and we are no different. To live well in the world, we need to recognize the synthesis of nature and humanity, not set nature apart. We need to let wilderness into our daily lives, and learn to live with (and lessen) the effects we have on our landscape. What Cronon is describing seems to be the central function of the architect. Architecture isn’t, on it’s most fundamental level, about beauty or originality, it’s about establishing a human relationship to the landscape. Buildings are how people put down roots in a place, and as architects, it’s our responsibility to facilitate this union between humanity and nature. Wilderness is worth protecting, and it will be protected. We need to create a way of living that we are comfortable with within the urban framework we have become reliant upon. Successful architecture can help reconcile the wilderness dualism and bring focus (as well as nature) back to where we really live. Kelsey Malott | 20564258 ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ANTHROPLIDIUM Etymology: Anthrōpos: Greek (noun) Human being, classical connotation Aplidium: Latin (noun) ecology
Sources: “Civilization.”Collinsdictionary.com. Last modified 2016. http://www.collinsdictionary.com/ dictionary/english/civilization. Smith, William. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. London: John Murray, 1875.
The world is a closed loop of ecologies and, in reality, one large ecological system. Humanity has only begun to realize this relatively recently. This realization has led the emergence of the sustainable movement. Anthroplidium is the progression of humanity past the point of a conscious and deliberate effort to sustainability to a point in which civilization exists and continues to progress in a stasis with the global ecology. The term civilization (connotatively constituent of the Greek anthrōpos) is, of course, relative. The understanding, in this application, includes a (necessarily subjective) contemporary intellectual, cultural and moral refinement. It also includes amassed technologies, arts, and cultural awarenesses of previous civilizations. Anthroplidium does not imply a utopic existence but merely the continual progress of society. This is contrasted with the primitive man who, with a reasonably sustainable way of life, could have been perceived as in a state of anthroplidium save the absence of society or the progress of arts, sciences, and culture. The aplidium is the Latin understanding of an ecological network. This network is a matrix of interdependent relationships or flows of matter and thereby, embodied energy. All matter in this network was, traditionally, of biological origin and, more often than not, of biological use. Ecosystems
are sustained by balanced flows of these biological matters. Humans have radically interrupted these systems by the insertion of overwhelming volumes of biological and artificial materials that are of no use or are toxic to ecosystems chemical balances. Such disturbances can change or destroy ecosystems leading to extirpation and extinction of animals. The earth is covered with innumerable such ecosystems, all interconnected creating a global matrix. Humans can not exist on the planet without, in some way, altering this matrix. Anthroplidium, therefore, becomes a state of being. This existence is, necessarily, one, not of an individual but of a civitas or society. This society must operate in isolation from all non-anthroplidaeic societies. The necessity of this independence creates the likely reality that anthroplidium can only be a global social phenomenon. The insertion of this complex understanding of the civitas into the global ecological network creates, as challenge. Our social lifestyle is so completely un-sustainable, so impossible to void of all ecological imbalance (waste, garbage, overwhelming levels of toxic output) that it is improbable that any society will reach a state of anthroplidium within the next century. Levi van Weerden
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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ANTHROPOMEME
APOCALY-DESIGN
APOCALY-DESIGN APOCALY-DESIGN
Anthropocene refers to the current geological age in which the activity of humans have been the greater influence on the environment. Meme is an element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means, especially imitation. (Google Definition)
1: of or relating to a design with the purpose of a building or landscape being affected by time 2: designing for the structure to be returned to nature, creating a symbiosis of the artificial elements and the natural world. Human interaction optional. 3: designing a structure to appear damaged or destroyed for the purpose of visual intrigue or aesthetics. 4: designing an area with new program after it has been reclaimed by nature <Pripyat, Ukraine, recieves thousands of tourists each year because of the postapocaly-design of the area.>
Anthropomeme would be a noun for the grassroots cultural analysis of the state of the Anthroprocenic age as it pertains to the daily human life. Through the analysis of the preceding terms, I felt that it was necessary to integrate a pedagogical system that appeals to a basic form of human connection that exists in the immediate modern age. Memes push for a universal sense of relatability - by inserting anthropocenic concerns within the landscape, we can create a culture that everyday citizens want to be a part of without alienating the masses with purely intellecatual means. These memes have slowly evolved on social media but by creating a term to directly associate, we can more easily identify questions, problems, and answers.
Anthropomeme, Instagram.
Pripyat, Google Images.
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
236 4 of Architecture University of Waterloo School
Samiha Meem
Pripyat, Google Images.
Mikalai (Nick) Makhalik Samiha Meem
225 | Spring 2016 University of Waterloo School 4 ARCH of Architecture
1: of or rel building o 2: designin nature, cre and the na 3: designin destroyed aesthetics. 4: designin been recla thousands apocaly-de
ARBORALGIA noun | ar·bor·al·gia | origin: ARBOR + NOSTALGIA A specific sadness caused by remembering the neighbourhood tree that stood tall throughout your childhood, but was tragically felled sometime between your childhood and adulthood. This tree is usually much larger than its neighbours and is a common meeting place for young’uns and teens alike. May be used as a lookout for game of tag or as a safe place to make out.
The tree was a meeting place. The tree was a playground. The tree was a protector. But the tree broke. Cracked. It was ripped out by its roots. The soil was patched up and dirt piled and patted down over the void. Many of us can remember one or a few trees we grew up with and that have imprinted themselves in our minds. However, many of these trees had to be cut down at some point in our lives. Why? Common causes of tree removal include: ice storms, a lightning strike, roots growing into basement walls, housing development, disease, etc. For some reason, the loss of a tree can feel like the loss of a good friend. It can bring on real grief to those who climbed its trunk, sat on its branches, or took shade beneath it for years. And then, once the novelty of the loss wears off, and then perhaps a few more years after that, one feels a sort of nostalgia for that single, iconic tree that still stands tall in our minds.
The giving tree as a stump, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein University of Waterloo Waterloo School School of ofArchitecture Architecture University of
I call this very unique sentiment: arboralgia. It is defined it as a painful pang caused by remembering the tree one grows up with and which is taken 237 4
away from them within their lifetime. There a many stories and movies about the struggle for the protection of a neighbourhood tree. The loss of such a grand and majestic plant friend is emotional because we watch trees grow while we grow alongside them. But every cloud has it’s silver lining. In Toronto, as in many cities across Canada when we see an old neighbourhood tree go down, a new one is planted in its place. The following snippet of the Toronto Tree Removal By-Law supports and expands on this idea: “The most fundamental aspect of the Toronto Tree Removal By-law: If a permit is required for a tree to be removed, then the city requires at least ONE tree be replanted in its place, although sometimes the city will ask for two or three trees as replacements. This law ensures that every time a tree is removed, another one will be put in the ground to keep the urban canopy in balance.”
Olivera Neskovic ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ARCHISCAPE ARBORPHILIA ARBORPHILIA ARCHISCAPE
Emerging Urban Forest, Scenario Journal. The growing trend in landscape architecture and urban planning to treat the planting of a few trees as an adequate environmental offset for sizeable human damages. A romantic notion in which the addition of trees to a master plan or the artificial re-naturalization of small plots of land preserves the larger natural environment and maintains fragile ecosystems. This term suggests an overzealous tendency towards trees specifically and overestimations of their ability to lessen the environmental impacts of humans. An example is the 50,000 trees proposal in San Francisco in which the planting of 50,000 trees is intended to offset the effects of the massive freeway above the site. Aquatic Center in Medellin, LCLA Office. Haley Gamble University School of Architecture UniversityofofWaterloo Waterloo School of Architecture
ARCHISCAPE
The trend in landscape architecture The growing term archiscape is a melding of the and two urban to treatand the planting of a few treestwo as termsplanning architecture landscape. These an adequate environmental offset sizeable human terms are often viewed as twofor separate things, damages. romantic notion in which thelandscapeaddition of even whenAused consecutively to form trees to a master plan or the artificial re-naturalization architecture; The architecture must be designed, of plots of land preserves as small well as the landscape around the it. larger natural environment and maintains fragile ecosystems. This term suggests an overzealous tendency Archiscape is the design of the whole towards system, trees specifically and overestimations their ability rooted in the idea that you cannotof design one to lessen the environmental impacts of humans. An without other. As Gareth Doherty stated, example the 50,000 trees proposal San Francisco "withoutis space, buildings, like in words without in which would the planting ofmeaning". 50,000 trees is intended to pauses, have no offset the effects of the massive freeway above the site. The combination of the word, though at first perhaps seeming trivial, has a powerful meaning. Landscape architecture lacks the strength and unity to truly suggest that the two are more than just two parts of design. Archiscape implies their co-dependence.
The term archiscape is a melding of the two terms architecture and landscape. These two terms are often viewed as two separate things, even when used consecutively to form landscapearchitecture; The architecture must be designed, as well as the landscape around it.
As designers it is crucially important to design within a landscape, including cultural significance, natural and geological particulars and much more. Designing an archiscape is the whole picture and the future of all design. It allows our built structures to become more than just buildings. To interact with the world and culture around them and to become a successful contributing part of it. Designing an archiscape insists on the integration and understanding of the natural processes of a landscape, mandating positive integration with the Aquatic Center in Medellin, LCLA Office. environment ensuring a sustainable future.
As designers it is crucially important to design within a landscape, including cultural significance, natural and geological particulars and much more. Designing an archiscape is the whole picture and the future of all design. It allows our built structures to become more than just buildings. To interact with the world and culture around them and to become a successful contributing part of it. Designing an archiscape insistsOffice. on the integration "MEDELLIN / Aquatic Centre." LCLA Accessed July 05, Aquatic Center in Medellin, LCLA Office. and understanding of the natural processes of a 2016. http://www.luiscallejas.com/MEDELLIN-Aquatic-centre. landscape, mandating positive integration with the HaleyKalvaitis Gamble Genna environment sustainable future. University of ensuring WaterlooaSchool of Architecture Genna Kalvaitis
4 University of Waterloo 238 School of Architecture
Archiscape is the design of the whole system, rooted in the idea that you cannot design one without the other. As Gareth Doherty stated, "without space, buildings, like words without pauses, would have no meaning". The combination of the word, though at first perhaps seeming trivial, has a powerful meaning. Landscape architecture lacks the strength and unity to truly suggest that the two are more than just two parts of design. Archiscape implies their co-dependence.
ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016 4 ARCH
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BIO-CIETY BIOMEMECRY
BIOMEMECRY
The origin of bio-ciety combines the words bio- meaning life and society which means companionship and association with other when the word was developed in the mid 16th century. In todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world, the word is more associated with a community or organization of people. The society in bio-ciety is to be correlated to the meaning of companionship. The idea behind bio-ciety is to explore how society would grow based on the basic terms and functions of life in accordance with nature. Instead of such man made and constructed society like garden city, bio-ceity proposes an idealized society that is less structured and is not identified as an organization but as a group of human companions that goes through the processes of life together. Rather than a society that is driven by wealth goods, it is a society that is driven by the celebration of human life and human connections as well as the natural wealth that surrounds us.
The origintheofOxford bio-ciety combines the words According dictionary: bio- meaning and ofsociety which means Meme: (noun) Anlife element a culture or system of companionship withtoother when behavior passed and fromassociation one individual another by the word or was developed in themeans. mid 16th century. imitation other non-genetic In todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world, the word is more associated a community or organization people. Awith biomeme is a repeated typology of of plantings, The society in bio-ciety is to be correlated the such as gardens or sidewalk saplings to found meaning of companionship. idea behind across human settlements withThe slight variations. bio-ciety is toof explore society would grow To the whim human how fashions, biomemes are based on the basicand terms andsustainable functions of life temporary in nature are not in the in accordance with nature. Instead of such man grand scheme of ecology. made and constructed society like garden city, bio-ceity proposes an idealized society that is less structured and is not identified as an organization but as a group of human companions that goes through the processes of life together. Rather than a society that is driven by wealth goods, it is a society that is driven by the celebration of human life and human connections as well as the natural wealth that surrounds us.
According the Oxford dictionary: Meme: (noun) An element of a culture or system of behavior passed from one individual to another by imitation or other non-genetic means.
Image Title, Image Source.
Image Title, Image Source.
Chieh Hung Kelley Gu
Chieh Hung Kelley Gu
| Spring 2016 44 ARCH University of Waterloo 239 School of225 Architecture
ARCH 225 225 || Spring Spring 2016 2016 4 ARCH
Chieh Hung
University of of Waterloo Waterloo School School 4 of Architecture Architecture University of
A biomeme is a repeated typology of plantings, such as gardens or sidewalk saplings found across human settlements with slight variations. To the whim of human fashions, biomemes are temporary in nature and are not sustainable in the grand scheme of ecology.
PROJECTED TERM CITY-WITHIN-CITY City-Within-City
The term expresses the dissolution of particular regions and counties by cultural, geographical, demographical, architectural and industrial alteration into a large self sufficient organism within the broader city. The city divided into two realms: the big outer one where history happens and the smaller inner one where the concerete experience of life is centered. Whenever we think about The city of New York, initially with its entrancing Broadway theatre, bright lights, overcrowded streets and spectacular skyscrapers one center, Manhatten comes to our minds. The roots of this term could go through the emerge of city states which described as a very small country, with just one city in it. The success of this small regional units coexisting as autonomous actors in loose geographical and cultural unity, as in Italy (Vatican) and Greece (Athens), often prevented their disintegration into larger national units. While preserving its origins, these cities are often self sufficient and are rather secluded. In the sense of landscape architecture, the term could be used for manors which has its own gardens, agricultural fields and farms. These places are self contained such as Chiswick House, Stourhead, Stowe Garden Versailles Palace, . They are built to show their dominance and eminence towards surroundings like in the case of Vatican City.
Naz Ozkan
Vatican City, Vikipedia.com University of Waterloo School of Architecture
240 4
Bibliography
A. J. Lumsden, The Master Architect Series II (The Images, 2008) Leven Betts, Pattern Recognition (Cornell University Press, 2010) Burt W. Griffin, Cities within a city : on changing Clevelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s government (College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University, 1981)
Naz Ă&#x2013;zkan ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
COLLECTEMPORALITY COLLECTEMPORALITY noun A collective view of temporary moments.
A person can only ever view a piece of landscape architecture, or anything for that matter, in one moment. But if a person has experienced a space enough times in different conditions, they soon will have a collectemporality formed in their mind. This is a collective view of the temporary moments. Collectemporality is important to landscape architecture because a successful project will create this lasting image in oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind. Collectemporality combines both physical differences such as weather and immaterial differences based on experiences and feelings.
Overlays of multiple moments at the Freedom Monument in Riga, Latvia
Liga Brammanis University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
241 4
Liga Brammanis ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
COGNOSCAPE
Interpreted Definition The term cognoscape simply defines the psychological landscape created by cognitive perception. Drawing from the suffix of -scape denoting a specified type of scene, a cognoscape describes the perceived scene created in the mind’s eye. Landscape architecture can be created in many forms with the intention to affect a viewer in a certain way, but in the end the viewer’s perception of the landscape creates the ultimate landscape within their mind. An example of this is can be seen landscape paintings such as The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Japanese painter Hokusai. It is unclear as to whether or not the water conditions were as severe as they are depicted in the artwork, but it does not matter. The artist interprets the landscape as he pleases. The perceived landscape clearly has more impact on the viewer than the actual existing conditions.
The Great Wave off Kanagawa, Hokusai. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
The idea of a cognoscape exists because as much as an architect tries to prescribe a program to a user, the end result will always be determined by the user. The usage of a space will always hinge on what is being interpreted by a certain individual at any given time. For instance, a bench may be designed as a simply rectangular prism topping off above grade at two feet. The programmatic intent of the bench is clearly to be a sitting area. This will not be the case for everyone. An individual may pass by with a skateboard and deem the program 242 4
of the bench to be the designated location in which a “sick grind” would take place. In this case, the existing condition of the designed landscape is perceived differently by the user, and the individual thereby creates his or her own landscape within their mind. This is the essence of a cognoscape.
Winston Yew ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ative
DWELLER DWELLER DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT
ECOLUTION
ECOLUTION
It is commonly know that sites overtime develop as a city or landscape develops. A common example of dweller development is the homeless using enclosed pockets or unused storefronts as a place of shelter. The is a case where the builder of these storefronts and developers had intended for the space to be open and inviting, however without changing a single structural feature some turns that vacant floorspace into their shelter. on a larger scale there are districts being developed from factories to condominiums to adjust to the growing population of a city. An example of this development is the Candy Factory on Queen St W which is now used as housing. A more recent dweller development has occurred in Tokyo where professionals are renting out cubicles in internet cafes to use as their weekday house to avoid the hassle of a long commute to work in the mornings and evenings. This alternative is a cheap way to have a place in the city and a weekend escape to properly house their family. This recent change has led to the development of what the internet cafe offers. Their vending machines have gone from stocking snack to the addition of prepackaged clean underwear for the unplanned guest. This was clearly not the original intent of this space, however as more of the population began to catch on, the owners began to adapt to fit their needs.
It is commonly know is that sites develop as Ecolution the overtime combination of a city or landscape develops. Atocommon example of ecosystems and evolution describe, at first dweller development is the homeless using an ecosystems evolution over time. Dueenclosed to the pockets change or unused storefronts as a place ofover shelter. sudden to the global environment the The is a caseor where the term builder of these last decade two this specifi callystorefronts identifies and developers had over intended to be a systems change time for duetheto space the events open and inviting, however without changing a single of global warming among other environment structural feature some turns vacantimmerged. floorspace altering phenomena that hasthat suddenly into their shelter. on a larger scale there areofdistricts Historically ecosystems take thousands years being developed from factories to condominiums to even slightly change, but now everything is to adjust so to fast the growing of a city.have An changing that this population term will suddenly example of to thisbedevelopment is the Candy Factory the ability used now the ecosystems are on Queenso St drastically W which isinnow as housing. A changing suchused a short amount of more time. recent dweller development has occurred in Tokyo where professionals are renting out cubicles in internet cafes to use as their weekday house to avoid the hassle of a long commute to work in the mornings and evenings. This alternative is a cheap way to have a place in the city and a weekend escape to properly house their family. This recent change has led to the development of what the internet cafe offers. Their vending machines have gone from stocking snack to the addition of prepackaged clean underwear for the unplanned guest. This was clearly not the original intent of this space, however as more of the population began to catch on, the owners began to adapt to fit their needs.
Archdaily - Adaptive Reuse, 2016 Accommodation: Sleeping Internet Cafe, 2010
Archdaily - Adaptive Reuse, 2016 Accommodation: Sleeping Internet Cafe, 2010
Direct Definition 1. when city users take an already built environment and alter its use 2. using a building or space for an alternative reason then its original purpose.
010
Accommodation: Sleeping Internet Cafe, 2010
ure
University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School 4 of Architecture
Shevaun Mistry
AngusMistry Dunn Shevaun
4 ARCH 225 | Spring 2016 University of Waterloo 243 School of Architecture
4 ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ECONERGY
ecopathy
eco - nergy
Econergy is a hybrid word merging together ecology and energy. Ecology itself looks at the relations of organsims to one another. Econergy is a word to describe the effects of these relations. In the case of the interaction of humans with their natural environment, humans gain a sense of energy and greater wellbeing from their surrounding environment. Whether it is through the touch of raw materials of the effects of pure light rays on the skin. It can be a word that becomes a standard to reach when designing landscape architecture. The question can be “how much econergy does this environment generate for people?”
A combination Econergy is a hybrid word merging together ecology of eco, representing ecology, and pathy, representing the Greek pathela or feeling. and energy. Ecology itself looks at the relations of organsims to one another. EconergyEcopathy is a wordistothe term used to put a name to the idea nature talks to us. Ecopathy can vary in describe the effects of these relations. In that the case and is much stronger when in places of of the interaction of humans with strengths their natural picturesque environment, humans gain a sense of energylandscapes. The feeling brought on a picturesque landscape is caused by nature and greater wellbeing from their by surrounding you to environment. Whether it is through urging the touch of join it. When you hear a voice on the an on urge to go to parks that is nature trying raw materials of the effects of pure wind light or rays to boost its signal to your subconscious. the skin. It can be a word that becomes a standard to reach when designing landscape architecture. Children does are particularly vulnerable to the The question can be “how much econergy suggestion of nature, constantly succumbing to this environment generate for people?” natures messages to play in dirt. The highest levels of communication has been recorded near grassy hills, and it is apparent that nature is saying “roll”. During recesses children can be seen controlled by the will of nature rolling down hills, only to run back up and repeat. While nature does not mean us any harm, some situations that people end up in can be fatal. Those few who listen to nature about ascending mountains or climbing cliffs can be caught off guard. Ecopathy draws us in to nature but just be mindful of what nature is telling you to do.
Feeling of Econergy, chicagorelationshipcenter.comJoshua MacDonald
Children Rolling Down Hill Image From: http://tridadoffive.blogspot. ca/2010/10/some-thoughts-on-kona-musictraining.html
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
4 University of Waterloo 244 School of Architecture
Joshua Ethan MacDonald Schwartz ARCH 225 225 || Spring Spring 2016 2016 4 ARCH
eCo-phoria noun | e·co·pho·ria 1. the state of excitement, joy, or ecstasy induced by the act of relating to the natural environment 2. the feeling of pride or satisfaction that comes from the knowledge of acting in an environmentally conscious manner Eco-phoria refers to the state of excitement that comes from the act of relating to the natural environment. It is not induced by nature itself, but simply by the knowledge of one’s relation to nature. For example, a hike through the wilderness may induce a state of eco-phoria not because of the wilderness being experienced, but because of the primitive sense of joy one feels in knowing they hiked through wilderness.
Garden of Versailles, Andre le Notre
Central Park’s Ramble, Frederick Olmsted University of Waterloo School of Architecture
In a culture that is becoming continually more aware of environmental impacts, even simple acts such as recycling, taking green transportation, or buying organically grown foods can induce a mild state of eco-phoria. While this euphoric state can be positive, inspiring people to continue to act in an ecologically conscious manner, we have become conditioned that nature = good, and the resulting eco-phoria can be blinding. For example, one might experience eco-phoria through his/her beautifully kept garden, but because of the state of ecstasy may become negligent of the ill effects of the pesticides, fertilizers, and water use necessary to maintain such a garden. In relation to architecture and landscape design, eco-phoria can be induced by spaces that are, or at least appear to be, natural. An environmentally friendly building may induce a sense of eco-phoria through the inhabitant’s knowledge of the space’s relationship to nature. This eco-phoric state may even allow the inhabitant to overlook what would 245 4
otherwise be viewed as faults in the design. In regards to landscape, a seemingly wild space such as the Ramble of Central Park is more likely to induce a state of eco-phoria than the Gardens of Versailles because of its natural appearance, even though both are equally artificial spaces. Architects and designers can leverage the cultural phenomenon of eco-phoria to design spaces that will evoke and inspire particular reactions and interactions. As culture continually shifts towards an environmentally conscious mindset, will ecophoria become a defining factor of a space’s success?
Devin Arndt ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ENVIRO-SHELTER ENVIRO-SHELTER
EX-HABITAT
Living Structure, Ken Isaacs. Living Structure, Ken Isaacs.
Enviro: short for environmentalist, short for environmental Enviro: short for environmentalist, short for Shelter: a place giving temporary protection environmental from bad aweather danger, a shielded or safe Shelter: place or giving temporary protection condition; protection. from bad weather or danger, a shielded or safe condition; protection. In a world of dangerous environmental changes, our buildingsenvironmental may become changes, less and In a homes world ofand dangerous less permanent, changing afterless storms. our homes and constantly buildings may become and Therefore the use of environmentally friendly and less permanent, constantly changing after storms. proactive be our homes. friendly and Thereforeshelters the use will of environmentally proactive shelters will be our homes. These shelters should be built with regional materials due should to easy access cost These shelters be built withand regional effectiveness. frame of theand shelters materials dueTheto maineasy access cost should be adaptable with the changing effectiveness. The main frame of thematerials shelters found each landscape. be light weight shouldinbe adaptable withThey the could changing materials and open or secure and They closed off.be The choice of found in each landscape. could light weight permanence or movement is upoff. to the and open or secure and closed The individual choice of in regards to or their necessities. important to permanence movement is upIttoisthe individual remember though that shelterItdoes not mean in regards to their necessities. is important to ‘tent’, that this is simply a new methodology for remember though that shelter does not mean our future ‘tent’, thathomes. this is simply a new methodology for our future homes. More importantly than the physical structure however, is the ideathan behind enviro-shelter. It More importantly the an physical structure is a movement sustainable and efficient however, is the towards idea behind an enviro-shelter. It living that does not require all of the excess waste is a movement towards sustainable and efficient and energy. This is the an excess architecture livingembodied that does not require all of waste that landscape, and human and incorporates embodied energy. This culture, is an architecture needs into its design, instead culture, of a one and sizehuman fits all that incorporates landscape, type ofinto living. needs its design, instead of a one size fits all Caitlin Paridy type of living.
University of Waterloo School of Architecture University of Waterloo School of Architecture
4 246 University of Waterloo School 4 of Architecture
EX-HABITAT
Habitat noun hab·i·tat \ˈha-bə-ˌtat\ 1. the place or type of place where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives or grows Merriam- Webster, 2011 There can be several reasons to why animals leave their natural habitat; pollution, human invasion, poaching, deforestation, lack of food source and all these factors are primary threat to the survival of wildlife, and the word “ex-habitat” defines a place of habitat that has been abandoned by animals.
Caitlin Paridy Min Kyung Cho Caitlin Paridy ARCH 225 | Spring 2016 4 ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
EXURBATE
Urban spaces are constantly growing and replacing landscape, so much so that the English language does not have a word for the reverse phenomenon. The word ‘exurbate’ (verb) means to undo urban development, or to make urban spaces more rural, more like a natural landscape. The phenomenon I’m describing does occur though, for example the Novartis Campus Park in Basel, Switzerland (drawing on the left). VOGT Architects took a manufacturing/factory space and returned it to it’s natural state. They researched natural phenomenons that occured in the region and reintroduced them to the park.
Note: I reffered to information from lectures in this class.
However, one can exurbate urban areas on other scales as well. You could plant small trees or flowers on the side of the street, or you can take back whole urban areas that ‘leap-frogged’ over a greenbelt and exurbate them. We once discussed the Chicago Fire in class, an event that was incredibly tragic, but could have also provided an opportunity to exurbate and reintroduce landscape. The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Green in Boston is another example of exurbated urban space. In that case, the urban space (highway, roads) was brought below the ground, and nature and landscape was reintroduced above.
Novartis Campus Park, VOGT Architects, drawing by myself. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Daniela Lopes 247 4
Daniela Lopes ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
FABRICSCAPE FABRISCAPE FRAMEIDETIC
cosystem ons. The sedimentilometers a. During eau filled the ecoiver. This shape the hanges in engineers ng a high aped the cate and changed
NASA
Dynamic changes in the Yellow River Delta, NASA A landscape with an ever-changing ecosystem fabric due to human- modifications. The Yellow River in China is the most sedimentfilled river on Earth. It flows “5,475 kilometers from eastern Tibet to the Bohai Sea. During this journey, it crosses a wide plateau filled with fine soil, which deposits into the ecosensitive delta at the mouth of this river. This has historically allowed the river to reshape the coast.”(Katherine Butler, “Dynamic changes in the Yellow River Delta”, 2012) In 1996, engineers redirected the river northward, causing a high level of erosion that drastically reshaped the delta—causing eco- systems to relocate and change as the fabric of landscape changed radically.
FRAMEIDETIC
AThe landscape with an ever-changing term “frameidetic” is created ecosystem with the fabric due ofto modifications. combination the humanword “frame” and “eidetic”. The Yellow River in in this China is the most sedimentword “frame” context is defined as placing filled riverimage on Earth. It flows “5,475 a picture, or photograph into akilometers structure from eastern to the the content. Bohai Sea. During to enclose or Tibet capture “Eidetic” is this journey, it crosses a wide mental plateauimages filled defined as “relating to or denoting with soil, vividness which deposits into ecohavingfine unusual and detail, as ifthe actually sensitive delta the mouth of this river. This visible”. The twoatterms combined expressed the has historically allowed the riverconception to reshapethen the action of capturing a mentail coast.”(Katherine Butler, it “Dynamic changes in recreate or representing in a physical form. the YellowofRiver Delta”,architecture, 2012) In 1996, engineers In terms landscape this term is redirected the to river causing a high highly relevant thenorthward, development of the overall level of oferosion drasticallysince reshaped the concept “what isthat a landscpae?”, landscape delta—causing relocate and design orginiatedecofromsystems people’stoperspectives on change the fabricasofnatural landscape what wasasconsidered and changed beautiful radically. scenery, and their desire to reinterpert and craft into reality from design. The design process is intuitive, sensual and often intagible, therefore a frameidetic moment is what landscape architects would sought for in moments of their design.
Image Title, Image Source. January Muhua Chen
Image Title, Image Source.
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016 University UniversityofofWaterloo Waterloo School School of Architecture of Architecture
University of Waterloo 248 School 4 of Architecture
The term “frameidetic” is created with the combination of the word “frame” and “eidetic”. The word “frame” in this context is defined as placing a picture, image or photograph into a structure to enclose or capture the content. “Eidetic” is defined as “relating to or denoting mental images having unusual vividness and detail, as if actually visible”. The two terms combined expressed the action of capturing a mentail conception then recreate or representing it in a physical form. In terms of landscape architecture, this term is highly relevant to the development of the overall concept of “what is a landscpae?”, since landscape design orginiated from people’s perspectives on what was considered as natural and beautiful scenery, and their desire to reinterpert and craft into reality from design. The design process is intuitive, sensual and often intagible, therefore a frameidetic moment is what landscape architects would sought for in moments of their design.
January Muhua Chen Lucy Lin 4 ARCH ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
GENERATIVES
Process, Collage and Hierarchy are all terms to describe methods of landscape design. Hierarchy provides structure, collage provides composition and process demands effort and time. The term ‘generatives’ spawns from these terms and their association to design method. It relates to hierarchy and process in the sense that it is generational, suggesting a structured approach and understanding of stages. A generative is much like an iteration, in the sense that it is a version to be further developed in the next iteration. The distinction between iteration and generation, or iterative design and generative design, is the relation to the preceding version. When a landscape designer undertakes iterative design, he/she produces iterations which are each distinct from one another and propose divergent solutions. A generative design demands of the landscape designer also to produce many versions of the solution, however demands that each version be a critique of the previous. Essentially, generative design means creating versions in series, whereas iterative design means creating versions in parallel.
Parametric Facade Program, Phil Zawarus (Grasshopper Tutorials). University of Waterloo School of Architecture
This process can most effectively be applied to the production of massing models or parametric modelling. Where each version or line of code can be interpreted as an improvement upon the previous. The term is intentionally generic, much like process, hierarchy and collage, because it can be applied to such a range of situations. Nonetheless, the underlying utility of the term is to serve as critique of iteration. Architectural practice so often demands iterative design, in which interns are asked for instance to produce thirty massing models for the project manager to review and select from to further develop. It forces the intern to exhaust all options and provides little opportunity for intelligent design. A process requiring thirty ‘generative’ models would require a higher degree of intutition and understanding of the project circumstances, but would offer as a result more developed versions and a clear direction for the project.
Conrad Speckert 249 4
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
HETERO-IDEAL-ISM
HOMO-BIOSPHERE
o-ideAl-ism Hetero-ideAl-ism
HOMO-BIOSPHERE With globalization caused by mass production With globalization and ease of access to materialscaused the notion by of mass production modularity has taken on many negative criticisms. and ease of access to materials the notion of These critics favor the design and creation of modularity has taken on many negative criticisms. architecture, landscape and culture which is individual and different from the international These critics favor the design and creation of style which has spread and are quick to coin the term “McDonald’s Architecture”. Thus the and term culture which is architecture, landscape hetero-idealism is form by the combination of and different from the international theindividual prefix “hetero-”, the adjective “idyllic” and the suffix “-ism”: style which has spread and are quick to coin the “hetero-” - other; different. term- (especially “McDonald’s Thus the term “idyllic” of a time orArchitecture”. place) like an idyll; extremely happy, peaceful, or picturesque. hetero-idealism is form by the combination of “-ism” - used as a productive suffix in the the prefix “hetero-”, theoradjective “idyllic” and the formation of nouns denoting action practice, state or conditon, principles, doctrines, a usage suffix “-ism”: or characteristic, devotion or adherence, etc.
“hetero-” - other; different. “idyllic” - (especially of a time or place) like an idyll; extremely happy, peaceful, or picturesque. “-ism” - used as a productive suffix in the formation of nouns denoting action or practice, state or conditon, principles, doctrines, a usage Tracey Elasmar or characteristic, devotion or adherence, etc.
McDonald’s, Photo by Marc Lortie. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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by Marc Lortie.
oo School of Architecture
The term homo-biosphere was created to explain the ideal landscape that does not exist. Homo is derived from the word homogeneous which means “of the same kind, alike”. Biosphere was chosen because it “is a global ecosystem composed of living organisms (biota) and the abiotic (nonliving) factors from which they derive energy and nutrients”. It might seem ironic then that these two words were combined since homo is composed of the same material, whereas biosphere has such a mega scale of diversity that it is hard to comprehend all the different types of matter that make up our biosphere. However, the use of the word homo is not to say that everything is identical in a biosphere but to suggest that everything within the biosphere is the same and equal since everything within our biosphere was created by the same natural forces. Everything plays an important role within our biosphere, no matter the scale or the entity, and therefore everything is alike and equal, which humans need to realize in order to appreciate the world around them.
Tracey Elasmar 4
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Tracey Elasmar 250
Shaina Coulter ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
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HUMAND HUMAND
Humand is a result of the combination of the words human and land. This term has been created to describe land which humans have drastically and often irrevocably changed with technology which has no parallel in the animal kingdom. Landscapes change over time due to the forces of nature such as wind, rain, and natural disasters, but it also changes under the influence of animals. These changes are all natural transformations that occur over time and a region can still be considered untouched if only these factors have been present. Humans are animals as well and our contributions to these changes can be considered natural when no machinery was used or unnatural concentration of people occurred to ease the process of transformation. However, when humans begin work on changing the Earth with help from machinery instead of simple tools or with a greater number of people than would be expected to inhabit the area, it is turned into humand. An easier way of understanding the term would be to consider whether or not any other species in the animal kingdom is able to do something similar to what the human process can do. If not, then the result of that process is humand. This new term can be applied to various land forms which can currently be found on Earth but which didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exist several millenniums ago, such as mine fields and rice paddies. Ling Yi Zheng University of Waterloo School of Architecture 4 University of Waterloo School of Architecture
hydroscApe
Humand is a result of the combination of the words human and land. This term has been created to describe land which humans have drastically and often irrevocably changed with technology which has no parallel in the animal kingdom. Landscapes change over time due to the forces of nature such as wind, rain, and natural disasters, but it also changes under the influence of animals. These changes are all natural transformations that occur over time and a region can still be considered untouched if only these factors have been present. Humans are animals as well and our contributions to these changes can be considered natural when no machinery was used or unnatural concentration of people occurred to ease the process of transformation. However, when humans begin work on changing the Earth with help from machinery instead of simple tools or with a greater number of people than would be expected to inhabit the area, it is turned into humand. An easier way of understanding the term would be to consider whether or not any other species in the animal kingdom is able to do something similar to what the human process can do. If not, then the result of that process is humand.
Hydroscape is a response to the increasing importance of designing large bodies of water such as rivers and the sea. With global warming, the water level in the world is rising and the amount of land is decreasing. This along with a rapid increase in population means that we need to start learning to make use of the bodies of water around cities as extensions of the cityscape. Unlike waterscape, a aethetic landscape where water is a dominant feature. Hydroscape works beyond the aesthetics of a place and considers the hydrology and marine life to produce systems that can enhance human enjoyment. Therefore, Hydroscape is a treatment of water as hydrology while approaching it from a human habitation point of view. For the last few years, there have been many attempts at seasteading, the concept of creating permanent dwellings at sea. Ideas such as the Aequorea may appear utopian but they are driven by a realization of a necessity that is slowly arising.
LING YI ZHENG 20569336 Aequorea, Vincent Callebaut.
With dwellings at sea, we need to begin to learn how to create new forms of infrastructure that allow the supply of necessities since the conditions in the ocean is drastically different from the landscaping that we are used LINGto. YI ZHENG 20569336 Tsz Kit Justin Ng
4 ARCH 225 | Spring 2016 University of Waterloo251 School of Architecture
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This new term can be applied to various land forms which can currently be found on Earth but which didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exist several millenniums ago, such as mine fields and rice paddies.
ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
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HYDROSCAPE HYDROSCAPE
IMAGALIS IMAGALIS IMAGALIS Noun (i’majəlis) Noun
hy·dros·cape
noun: all the visible features of an area or body of water, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.
(i’majəlis) A ‘blend’ Imago (Latin): Image,IMAGALIS notion, concept A ‘blend’ Idealis (Latin): Ideal Noun Imago (Latin): Image, notion, concept (i’majəlis)
Humans are creative creatures who love to defy the known and are amused by these rebellions, valuing them much more then. Humans also want to control as much as they can, in beautiful and efficient ways. Thus, hydroscape, this is the idea of a landscape which is only composed by elements of water. The idea of creating a view where the water replaces grass, bubbles the bushes, streams of current replace hills and so on. This is something that can be imagined in the close future where perhaps it may start at a small scale which could be contained in a tank in a living room and some day it could be a man-made lake where kids play hide and seek in the turmoil of hydraulic-pumped streams. This term is a suggestion to re-analyze the idea of a landscape, or a space to play and ‘get back in nature’, while using current and future technologies and defying the definition of a landscape into its plausible parallel: a hydroscape.
Amanda Reyes-Martin University of Waterloo School 4 of Architecture
Idealis (Latin): Ideal A ‘blend’ Imagalis isImago the fantastical element in (Latin): Image, notion, concept Idealis (Latin): Ideal architecture that is demonstrated through the Imagalis is the fantastical element in Humans are creative creatures who love to defy architect/artist’s representation of space Imagalis is the fantastical element in as architecture thatareisarchitecture demonstrated through the that by is demonstrated through the the known and amused these rebellions, flourishing in an ideal way, showing all operations in architect/artist’s representation of space as as architect/artist’s representation ofHumans space flourishing in an ideal way, showing all operations in valuing them much more then. also action, such as plant growth, human interaction, and suchshowing as plant growth,all human interaction, and in flourishing in an idealaction, way, operations positive siteas relation. It is the picturesque, as itrelates relates want tosite control as much they can, inasbeautiful positive relation. It is the picturesque, it action, such as plant togrowth, human and the design of landscape interaction, architecture and is the and efficient ways. Thus, hydroscape, this is most ideal outcome of a project’s logistic planning. to the design of landscape architecture and is the the positive site relation.ItItisisrepresented the picturesque, it relates through thought, as renditions and most ideal outcome of a project’s logistic planning. idea a landscape is renditions only ascomposed words.which It is seen in artistic a combination to theofdesign of landscape architecture and is the of graphical elements such as collaged images, and It is represented through thought, renditions and by elements of water. The idea of creating filters. It is also seen in project summaries in the form a most ideal outcome of a project’s logistic planning. of idealized concepts. It is as where some designs fail, words. It is seen in artistic renditions a combination view where the through water grass, It is represented renditions and as the lackreplaces ofthought, relation between planningbubbles and desire of outcome isas experienced in the images, final product and of graphical elements such collaged and the bushes, streams current hillsof and words. It is seen in artistic renditions asagglomeration a combination the of Imagalis. Imagalis isreplace the the filters. It is also seen in project summaries form architect’s and motivation in as the they work of graphical suchdesires as collaged images, and so on. This elements is something that can imagined through the project. It can be a be thought, turned into of idealized concepts. It is where some designs fail, a drawing, a sentence, and can be in loosely to filters. Itclose is alsofuture seen in project summaries thetiedstart form in the where perhaps it may the between idea of a ‘parti’, which is the general concept of a as the lack of relation planning and desire project. of idealized concepts. It iscould wherebesome designsin fail, at a small scale which contained a of outcome is relation experienced in the final product and as the lack of between planning and desire tank in a living room and agglomeration some day it of could the Imagalis. is the the of outcome isImagalis experienced in the final product and be a man-made lake motivation where kids play hide architect’s desires and as they work the Imagalis. Imagalis is the agglomeration of the and seek the turmoil hydraulic-pumped through thein project. It canmotivation beofa thought, into architect’s desires and as turned they work astreams. drawing, a sentence, and can be loosely tied to This term is a suggestion to turned re-analyze through the project. It can be a thought, into the idea of a ‘parti’ , which is the general concept of the idea ofaasentence, landscape, a space to play a drawing, andorcan be loosely tiedand toa project. ‘get back nature’ , while the idea of ain‘parti’ , which is the using generalcurrent concept and of a
future technologies and defying the definition project. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
of a landscape into its plausible parallel: a hydroscape.
Street View of Auditorium, 2A STUDIO (My own) This image shows a highly idealized environment in the city of Cambridge, where this project is located. The idealization creates poetry and beauty in the scheme but remains a an ‘imagalis’.
Street View of Auditorium, 2A STUDIO (My own) This image a highly idealized environment Street View shows of Auditorium, 2A STUDIO (My own) in the city project is located. The idealization creates poetry and beaut This image shows a highly idealized environment in the city an ‘imagalis’ . project is located. The idealization creates poetry and beaut an ‘imagalis’.
Shanze Shahbaz 4
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Amanda Reyes-Martin
Shanze Shahbaz Amanda Reyes-Martin
252 University of Waterloo School 4 ARCH of Architecture 225 | Spring 2016
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University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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LAND-CEPTION
nception and LAND-CEPTION LAND-CEPTION landscape to describe combines the the ideatwo that words a landscape inception canand landscape to describe the idea that a landscape can combines the two words m Inception, characters exist within venture another through landscape. several In layers the film of Inception, dreams. inception and landscape to describe the characters venture through several layers of dreams. one can view landscape When taking as athis whole, concept but the intoexperience landscape, in one a smaller can view landscape as a whole, but the experience in a smaller idea that a about landscape can exist within hat is separatescale fromcan the bring original landscape. a new experience My immersive thatdrawing is separate from the original landscape. My immersive drawing another landscape. In theasfilm Inception, hows an ant traversing for studio through explores athis playconcept, structure. One the itcan shows viewanthe ant traversing through a play structure. One can view the characters venture several ever when examined play structure in a much as itssmaller ownthrough landscape, detail, each however detaillayers of when the examined in a much smaller detail, each detail of the perience and structure landscape can despite become originating its own separate from experience same object. of dreams. When taking thisthe concept intoand landscape despite originating from the same object. e various waysLAND-CEPTION landscape can takes be viewed into consideration aside from being the various a whole. landscape, one can view landscape as aways landscape can be viewed aside from being a whole.
ure
whole, but the experience in a smaller scale can bring about a new experience that is separate from the original landscape. My immersive drawing for studio explores this concept, as the it shows an ant traversing through a play structure. One can view the play structure as its own landscape, however when examined in a much smaller detail, each detail of the structure can become its own separate experience and landscape despite originating from the same object. LAND-CEPTION takes into consideration the various ways landscape can be viewed aside from being a whole.
University ofofWaterloo School 4 of Architecture University Waterloo School of Architecture
The Lonely Ant, Tristan Sito.
The Lonely Ant, Tristan Sito.
Tristan Sito
Tristan Sito
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LANdESCApE LANDESCAPE
LAND-GASM
The termand landescape is derived fromtothe two words Through current forward thinking of society, humans have intervened landscape in various ways, scholars artists have advocated truly express Through current forward thinking land and escape. The origins of the word land itself has their emotions towards beautiful landscapes, in some ways stronger than others. Humans have realized that these beautiful sceneries will not last forever of society, humans have intervened meanings such as ground soil, and space, due to our on-going disrespectful and selfish treatment of nature. Perhaps for the last time, they are ablemany to experience the natural beauties of open the world? landscape in various ways, scholars hitsensual home etc. The world escape comestofrom the two Land-gasm is the way humans can truly express maximum affection for landscapes in the most climatic to and and natural way known man-kind. and connection artists with have advocated toonly truly latin word of ex, meaning out and cappa, meaning This nature is rare and is evident when the human and landscape are one. express their emotions towards beautiful cloak.
landscapes, in some ways stronger than others. Humans have realized that these beautiful sceneries will not last forever due to our on-going disrespectful and selfish treatment of nature. Perhaps for the last time, they are able to experience the natural beauties of the world? Land-gasm is the way humans can truly express maximum affection for landscapes in the most climatic and sensual and natural way known to mankind. This connection with nature is rare and is only evident when the human and landscape are one.
Johnathan Subendran University of Waterloo School of Architecture
The word tends to have a different meaning to every human that experiences it. Landescape is more of a feeling or verb rather than a noun, it is when one completely immerses themselves into in a landscape that the location does not matter anymore. All of ones troubles and thoughts escape them and you are just left to enjoy your surroundings. Some may even experience landescape in the comfort of their own homes if the surroundings are designed well enough. Most landescape situtaions have been documented in places designed by the famous architect Mother Nature herself.
Tumblr source 254 University of Waterloo School 4 of Architecture
MiaSubendran Milanovic Johnathan 4 ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
LANDNAPPING
Projected Term A major component of experiencing landscape, other than appreciating the visual, is to feel the space with your body. Remember a space heavily relies on the tips and edges of the limbs and skins to be embraced by the atmosphere and the ambience of the landscape. Although a certain level of the experience can be reached through the duality of visual and physical stimulation, an alternate dimension can be discovered when the non-visual senses are heightened.
Girl Lying in Field, Reading Retreat. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
This can be best approached by the act of napping within the realm of landscape, the deďŹ nition of the word, landnapping. Whether that be on a park bench, aďŹ&#x201A;oat on the water, or under the shade of a tree, the process of complete relaxation and drifting into sleep provides an opportunity for the forefront of the landscape, the aggressive elements to be tuned out to the same level of the ambience elements. By not being fully active in the physical discourse between the landscape and the body, the subconscious immersion allows the body to fully interpret the non-visual qualities. As the physical form is subdued as a part of the landscape, the mind is allowed to immerse itself to an experience to explore and understand the space the body occupies, embracing the ambience and noise it is bound to remember.
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Peter Kwak ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
LANDSCAPE FORMATION LANDSCAPE PROJECTED TERM: FORMATION LANDSCAPE FORMATION
MA(SS)FACTURE
MA(SS)FACTURE
:
Unknown, pixabay.com/en/silhouette-landscape-birdstrees-240438
Landscape Formation derived from the words form and imagination is the creation University of Waterloo School of Architecture Unknown, of landscape images in their structural pixabay.com/en/silhouette-landscape-birdsappearance. Form meaning outward physical trees-240438 defines a shape, one that has no appearance association with human senses such as taste, University of smell. Waterloo School of Architecture texture and (Britannica) The shape itself appears as a simple
Landscape Formation derived from the words form and imagination is the creation of landscape images in their structural appearance. Form meaning outward physical appearance definesFormation a shape, one that has no Landscape derived from association with human senses such as taste, the words form and imagination is the creation texture and smell. (Britannica) of landscape images in their structural The shape appears as aphysical simple appearance. Form itself meaning outward silhouette in a solid colour. The human mind appearance defines a shape, one that has no uses the shape in addition with one’s past association with human senses such as taste, personal memories to determine the name of texture and smell. (Britannica) the object that it has created. Theasform itself The shape itself appears a simple carries no in meaning or importance unless it silhouette a solid colour. The human mind is combined with in anaddition individual’s uses the shape withimagination. one’s past Through memories the process of formation one of is personal to determine the name able to associate a shape into a physical the object that it has created. The form itself object and thus associating it withunless specific carries no meaning or importance it characteristics. is combined with an individual’s imagination. on the ThroughFortheexample, processthe of image formation oneleft is is comprised of a series of shapes a solid able to associate a shape into a inphysical black colour. The associating shapes themselves no object and thus it with have specific characteristics, however, it is our imagination characteristics. that manipulates the objects into a on deer, trees, For example, the image the left birds, etc. (Browder, 2002) the process of is comprised of a series of In shapes in a solid doing colour. so we The associate feeling and emotions black shapes themselves have no into the shapes and have itnow created a calm characteristics, however, is our imagination and relaxing landscape out of a series of that manipulates the objects into a deer, trees, 4 simpleetc. objects. birds, (Browder, 2002) In the process of Multani doing so we associate feelingJasdeep and emotions 256 4
The manufacture is derived Latina Manu into term the shapes and have now from created calm Factus meaning, landscape literally, madeout by hand. concept and relaxing of aThis series of of production of goods for sustainability is nearly simple objects. extinct due to the state of the population, economy, and infrastructure. The contemporary definition into the shapes and have now created a calm has adapted to the problems we have faced and and relaxing islandscape out of a mass seriesscale of manufacturing now associated with simple objects. production systems that are principally machine exclusive; hence Massfacture.
Citations 1. Browder, Olin. 2002. “Form, meaning. and expression.” In: Swaffield S. Landscape Theory. A Reader. The University of Pennsylvania Press, Citations Philadelphia. pp. 77-79. Print. 1. Browder, Olin. 2002. “Form,Jasdeep meaning. and Multani expression.” In: Swaffield S. Landscape Theory. A Reader. The University of Pennsylvania Press, ARCH 225 | Spring 2016 Philadelphia. pp. 77-79. Print. JasdeepMckinley Multani Meaghan ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
metascape METASCAPE noun | meta-scape
Guggenheim Museum, Wikipedia University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
The term metascape is composed of two terms: meta and landscape. Meta is a term used to characterize something that is self-referential. Landscape is a term describing the visible features of an area of land, When combined together the term is used as a noun to describe something, in this case a building, that represents its surrounding landscape or is an iconic building that mimics its surrounding landscape.
associated with monuments for their special form and presence in an urban city. In the book, Cities 10 lines by the Harvard School of Design, “ The idea of Monumentality, European in nature, has a North American counterpart wherein the vast scale of infrastructure, or the colossal nature of federal facilities, can have an iconic quality and, thereby, spawn successful forms of urbanism.” [ 97, Cities 10 Lines]
The desire for iconic buildings has become a significant urbanistic preoccupation. One of the best examples of a metascape building is the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain by Frank Gehry. Guggenheim brought worldwide attention to a riverfront restructuring process through the insertion of a singular building. By placing the museum at the riverfront, it transformed an industrial town into an important cultural destination.
It is evident that the most successful and iconic buildings are the ones that can deliver a highly innovative design while responding to surrounding buildings and landscape and goes far beyond their physical boundaries. A key building operates as an element catalyst for a physically influential set of actions for a city. If a building succeeds to do that, then it is considered to be a metascape.
The Guggenheim in Bilbao is a key example of how a building can be responsible for a transformation of a larger territory. The City of Bilbao is the home of Spain’s main metal factories. Most of the city’s buildings are dedicated to metal industries. Due to the large amount of land given to metal factories, very little space is given to buildings with a cultural or public program. As a result, a museum was built and its main material is metal, in order to tie in the architecture and the city together. Iconic buildings or metascape buildings are often 257 4
citation 1. Pagnotta, Brian. “AD Classics: The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao / Frank Gehry.” ArchDaily. 2013. Accessed July 04, 2016. http://www.archdaily. com/422470/ad-classics-the-guggenheimmuseum-bilbao-frank-gehry. 2. Busquets, Joan, and Felipe Correa. Cities X Lines: A New Lens for the Urbanistic Project = Ciudades X Formas: Una Nueva Mirada Hacia El Proyecto Urbanístico. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, Graduate School of Design, 2006. Nitzan Farfel ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
MISUARI
Under Staircase Bookshelf, Digs Digs. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Derived from the word misuse and sanctuary.
Works Cited
Misuari is the product of taking an unused, unconventional area, and transforming it into a purposeful space (usually a garden or sanctuary). Often times, architects, and landscape architects alike, tend to ignore the unorthodox, inconvenient spaces that form when they are designing. They see an idea and manifest that to the best of their ability, ignoring the ‘small stuff’ that is insignificant to the vision. When brainstorming ideas for the upcoming studio project I wanted to create a large cantilever casting over a lake. In most cases, underneath massive cantilevers that protrude over water the space is wasted. However, I chose to design my main program underneath the cantilever and incorporate the water element. Taking what would usually be a wasted space and transforming it into a specific program is an example of misuari. Albeit, not all misuari needs to be outdoors. Other cases of misuari can occur such as when the underneath of a staircase, usually a storage/empty room, is transformed it into a garden, like the precedent image shown below. In a broad sense, misuari is incorporating landscape architecture into the unconventional spaces that occur in building architecture.
“37 Smart Ideas To Organize Your Books At Home - DigsDigs.” DigsDigs RSS. 2016. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://www.digsdigs.com/smart-ideasto-organize-your-books-at-home/.
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Winona Li ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
MODERGENT
NUDESCAPE Landscape in its purest form. Architecture NUDESCAPE
NEO-FLORA
noun After identifying the links between the modern and the emergent, the word modergent, combines the two terms, in order to describe new trends that are a slight “step ahead” of what is currently going on in society. Modergent describes the new, modern trends, ideas, thoughts that are just on the cusp of After identifying the links between the modern realization. They have emerged, but are not quite and theoremergent, the word modergent, accepted cultural norms.
combines the two terms, in order to describe new trends that are a slight “step ahead” of what is currently going on in society. Modergent describes the new, modern trends, ideas, thoughts that are just on the cusp of realization. They have emerged, but are not quite accepted or cultural norms.
should not destroy nature but embrace it. Landscape in itsbe purest form. Architecture Buildings should designed to maintain the should not destroy nature but it. symbiotic relationship of humansembrace and nature. Buildings should be designed maintain the Nudescape architecture can betodefined as the symbiotic relationship of humans and nature. art of designing buildings that embrace nature Nudescape as the by providingarchitecture emphasis can to be thedefined surrounding art of designing buildings that embrace landscape through minimal strategynature and by providing emphasis to the surrounding design approach without sacrificing comfort landscape through minimal strategy and and other basic essentials in a building. design approach without comfort Our tendency change landscapes requires us to compile a pallet flora in ordersacrificing to serve specific functions or pur Our tendencytoto change landscapes requires Landscape inof its purest form. Architecture and other in but a building. would, in its simplest could beto grass, flowers, andessentials trees. However, neo-flora canit.serve a more us to compile a palletexamples, of flora in order serveperennial should notbasic destroy nature embrace their native habitat due their affinity for specific conditions, weshould utilize their characteristics to solve the a problem in our specific functions ortopurely for aesthetics. Buildings be designed to maintain to flood planes in order to prevent erosion of land and plants that assist in bio remediation of soil can Instances of this case would, in its simplest symbiotic relationship of humans and nature.be considere they then become the only plants able to survive in such conditions, becoming native to that region. examples, could be grass, perennial flowers, Nudescape architecture can be defined as the and trees. However, neo-flora can serve a more art of designing buildings that embrace nature specific role. By transporting flora from their by providing emphasis to the surrounding native habitat due to their affinity for specific landscape through minimal strategy and conditions, we utilize their characteristics to design approach without sacrificing comfort solve a problem in our proposed landscapes. and other basic essentials in a building. Trees introduced to flood planes in order to prevent erosion of land and plants that assist in bio remediation of soil can be considered neo-flora. Due to their specific affinity, they then become the only plants able to survive in such conditions, becoming native to that region.
Farnsworth House, Mies Van Der Rohe, “Farnsworth in Plano, Farnsworth FarnsworthHouse House, MiesIllinois.” Van Der Rohe, House. Accessed July 05, 2016. http://farnsworthhouse.org/.
Elizabeth Lenny University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Ron Adriano University of Waterloo 259 School 4 of Architecture
“Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois.” Farnsworth House. Saadman ElizabethAhmed Lenny Accessed July 05, 2016. http://farnsworthhouse.org/.
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
University of Waterloo School 4 ARCH of225 Architecture | Spring 2016
NIMECHAETHER OMNIMECHAETHER OMNIMECHAETHER
OMNI: all. OMNI: all.
OMNI: all.
MECH: mechanical - oftoor to do with machines. MECH: mechanical - of or having dohaving with machines.
MECH: mechanical - of or having to do with machines.
AETHER: the classical fifth element, originating in AETHER: the classical fifth element, originating in ancient Greece. It was said to fill the universe and ancient It was saidAETHER: to the the universe and classical was used to Greece. explain natural phenomena thatfill could not be understood. was used to explain naturalancient phenomena thatItcould Greece. was
fifth element, originating in said to fill the universe and not be understood. used to explain natural phenomena that could OMNIMECHAETHER: The phenomenonwas in which objects, whether of everyday usage or highly specified not be understood. equipment, become rapidly ingrained with technology
OMNIMECHAETHER: The phenomenon in which that advances exponentially - thereby creating a world that iswhether all at once of increasingly saturated objects, everyday usagewith or highly specifiedThe phenomenon in which OMNIMECHAETHER: technology, yet decreasingly understandable to the equipment, become rapidly ingrained with technology objects, whether of everyday usage or highly specified common man. that advances exponentially - therebybecome creatingrapidly a equipment, ingrained with technology
Humans surrounded with complicated things of saturated with world are that is all at once increasingly that advances exponentially - thereby creating a which they do not truly know the inner workings. It is yet decreasingly understandable to the atechnology, landscape of ignorance. Hardly anyone genuinely world that is all at once increasingly saturated with understands things work, and indeed, hardly common how man. technology, yet decreasingly understandable to the anyone NEEDS to understand for things to KEEP working.
common man. things of Humans are surrounded with complicated
i.e. When the wheel was invented, it did not take which they do not truly know the inner workings. It is much for a man to see its function, understand how Humans are surrounded landscape of ignorance. Hardly anyone genuinely with complicated things of itaworks, and even recreate it. That cannot no longer be said for today’s new technology. which they do nothardly truly know the inner workings. It is understands how things work, and indeed,
a landscape Hardly anyone genuinely KEEP anyone NEEDS to understand for thingsoftoignorance. understands how things work, and indeed, hardly Amy (Yun Ru) Bao working.
Circuit City, Think Alter. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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it works, and even recreate it. That cannot no longer be said for today’s new technology.
y, Think Alter.
City, Think Alter. y of Waterloo Circuit School of Architecture University of Waterloo School of Architecture
anyone NEEDS to understand for things to KEEP
225 |not Spring 2016 i.e. When the wheel was invented, it did take working.ARCH much for a man to see its function, understand how it works, and even recreate i.e. it. That cannot longer When the no wheel was invented, it did not take be said for today’s new technology. much for a man to see its function, understand how
Amy (Yun Ru) Bao
Amy (Yun Ru) BaoARCH 225 | Spring 2016
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Amy (Yun Ru) Bao ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
OREM O.R.E.M Obtrusively (OBTRUSIVELY r apid RAPID Environmental ENVIRONMENTAL Modifications MODIFICATIONS) OREM (Obtrusively Rapid Environmental Modification) suggests a direct approach to reclaiming land and re- generating ecosystems. OREM utilizes technological advancements and innovative methods such as drones to infiltrate into an existing ecosystem and force diversification. The technologies used aims to use destructive methods such as decomposing organic clay bombs seeded with new organisms to propagate accelerated change in the targeted ecosystems. As these environments become displaced due to the severe nature of the impacts, it causes the living pre-existing organisms to be dispersed or irradiated. OREM differs in the way it engages ecosystems over land versus under water. Underwater organic mines are proposed to aid in the introduction of new ecosystems. The authors of this system realize that OREM initiates a rapid change that might cause severe negative impacts if miscalculated or misused. OREM is applied once the appropriate government legislators and environmental groups sign off on its use, otherwise it is considered illegal.
Aerial Reforstation, Seed Bombing, http://www. emilycocarell.com/aerial-reforestation-seedbombing/ University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
Though in the short term OREM causes destruction, scientist believe that the setteled ecosystems will thrive in the longerun. Hagop Terzian 261 4
Hagop Terzian ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
OVERSCAPING
ParK-in-Lot
PARK-IN-LOT
This term is the state where one over designs the landscape around the project to the point where it is overbearring. In some situations, projects that are meant to be minimalist have conflicting connections between the building and the design of its surroundings. Sometimes it could be a good thing to “overscape” as that is the aesthetic of the overall building; a project where there are multiple points of interests. Overscaping could also be an idea where the landscape and architecture do not align in a way such that the two are complimenting each other.
Park-in-lots insist of the change of current concrete-scapes of the world. Sidewalks become forested paths and the asphalt into interlocked grass. Once personal automotive transportation becomes obsolete, the park-in-lot will continue to grow un-restrained, creating a new form of space for the public to wander.
The two ways where “over” is used could initiate the idea of going “over the top” or being “overlooked”. Both generally do not work well in most contexts.
Ugly Landscape Design Ideas, Pinterest. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Hollie Sin University of Waterloo 262 School 4 of Architecture
Hollie Sin Sean Quach 4 ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PHOENIXED GARDEN
As cities begin to hit their limits in terms of space, city planners and architects will no longer be able to purchase and amalgamate new land to convert into usable property to build on. Increasingly in large cities, this has already been happening with residential towers and office blocks. However, particularly in North America, space has never been as much an issue as in densely divided Europe, or fantastically overcrowded East Asia. Instead of building up, many people simply moved. Districts, neighbourhoods, factories, and Chinatowns, whenever conditions changed, economies went south, or new opportunities arose, the freedom of a still-developing nation allowed entire populations to go where the grass was greener. Two hundred years of this, as well as an industrial restructuring that Canada and the United States are still recovering from, has left most major cities with entire districts that are completely abandoned, factory lots as well as residential neighbourhoods crumbling and unusable.
Abandoned Garage in Ohio, Daily Mail. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Situations like this are untenable as cities have become set and are filling up rapidly. Especially with the recent shift to making modern cities more ‘livable’ by adding green spaces, these abandoned zones are increasingly becoming bought up and reused by city planners looking to introduce a new city park in this already-present break from the built-up regions around it. One example is the Berlin Templehof Airport. This former main airport servicing the German capital of Berlin has been 263 4
abandoned for nearly a decade, and has remained empty while the city entertained proposals to turn it into a park. Others include Millenium Park, in Chicago, built upon an old railroad pathway, and numerous areas in Toronto, including the old railyards, the waterfront, and most recently, whatever comes of the Gardiner Expressway. I believe a term will be required to describe these forms of landscapes, especially as a descriptor distinct from ‘reclaimed land’, which is used to refer to land crafted out of a body of water. As these new lands are reborn from old, disused, but already existing land, rather than brand-new property pulled up from the sea, I propose describing these inner-city parks as ‘phoenixed’ gardens. The use of the word ‘phoenix’ is a fairly blatant reference to the mythological bird that gives birth to the next generation out of the ashes of its forefathers. The word- a noun- in this context, is to be used as an adjective. As time goes on, I could foresee land that has been reused, fallen into disrepair again, and subsequently refurbished, be described as ‘twice phoenix’d’. It has a close parallel in ‘redeveloped’ land, but I intend this term to be used in a different context, particularly by people who live in or nearby such an area, rather than by marketing executives, which tends to carry very negative connotations- a shame for such a positive happening.
Sean Tong ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PHYLA-PORTATION
A whale to replace a boat, www.atrl.net. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
“Phyla-portation” is the idea that in the future, biomimicry can be taken to a further extent. Instead of our technology attempting to imitate qualities of the animal kingdom, society learns to symbiotically live with the various phyla within the kingdom and foster relationships that both benefit humans as well as the animal kingdom. As the progression of genetically modified foods as well as animals are becoming more and more advanced, being able to provide animals with a secondary motive other than survival may be possible. This would completely change the way that society views the other members of nature that occupy the earth with us. Currently, humans like to think that we are exempted from the food chain. We have completely become distanced from the animal kingdom, merely feeling entitled to take and destroy as we please. With the introduction of “phyla-portation”, the infrastructure of cities would completely change. For starters, there would no longer be the need for streets, which could simply be replaced by grass. Vehicular accidents due to human error would no longer occur. Furthermore, the current situation of waste produced by humans due to consumerism and the nature of our disposal products create problematic landscapes such as the picture to the right of tires. “Phyla-portation” provides a means to remove the need for such products as horses or even cheetahs do not require artificial objects to traverse the lands.
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Mountain of tires, www.discardstudies.net.
Marco Chow ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PLANNDSCAPE PLANNDSCAPE This is a combination of the word “planned” and “landscape.” It defines the landscape that is artificial, engineered rather than naturally formed. The inspiration comes from Parc des Buttes Chaumont in Paris. The park was originally a waste dump and a quarry site. In order to respond to the 1867 Paris Expo’s theme, “Art and Industry,” the landscape architect drew out a brand new This is a combination of the word “planned” and topography of the park. The topography of the park “landscape.” It defines the landscape that is was entirely different from what it was naturally. artificial, engineered rather than naturally formed. The technique used in sculpting the park was called, “Cut and Fill.” They have excavated the The inspiration comes from Parc des Buttes undesired parts of the land and filled concrete Chaumont in Paris. The park was originally a to create the designed form. Nowadays, many waste dump and a quarry site. In order to respond places are trying to bring nature back into the to the 1867 Paris Expo’s theme, “Art and Industry,” cities. These landscapes that are brought back are the landscape architect drew out a brand new not naturally formed, but rather carefully planned topography of the park. The topography of the park and built from a piece of construction document. was entirely different from what it was naturally. Therefore, “Planndscape” becomes the word to The technique used in sculpting the park was categorize all of these artificial, not naturally called, “Cut and Fill.” They have excavated the formed landscape. undesired parts of the land and filled concrete to create the designed form. Nowadays, many places are trying to bring nature back into the cities. These landscapes that are brought back are not naturally formed, but rather carefully planned and built from a piece of construction document. Therefore, “Planndscape” becomes the word to categorize all of these artificial, not naturally formed landscape.
PLANNDSCAPE
The Sculpted, Immersive Drawing for Parc des Buttes Chaumont, by Zi Qing [CJ] Yang. University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
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ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PLATIAL INTERACTION plantiCipation
PLATIAL INTERACTION
Direct Definition 1. The act of anticipating future obstacles in a landscape and planting vegetation accordingly
As a combination of two words crucial to landscape architecture, plant and anticipation, planticipation implies an element of organization and purpose. It emphasizes the idea that every element within a constructed landscape should primarily reflect the intent of the design, as well as an aesthetically pleasing form. By analyzing site context and understanding the complex systems which an intervention will impact, one can strategically planticipate where to place vegetation in a way that aligns with the project’s goals and minimizes future disturbances while providing a pleasing environment for its inhabitants or onlookers. Through careful study of the plants to be integrated on the site, each individual plant can contribute differently to the overall role of the landscape and its relation to its architectural elements. As these plants form a collective, resilient body, they can be used as a tool to resist erosion, flooding, and other potential natural or anthropogenic disasters. Planticipating a disastrous event uses plantings to resolve future problems before they occur, allowing the composition to be more successful as a whole.
While ‘spatial interaction’ describes the flow of Bibliography people, products, information, and services between locations in response to localized supplyBecome and demand, “Evolution Revolution: Two Species One, ‘platial describes flow Accessed of culture from Study interaction’ Says.” October 28, the 2010. July one to another. For instance, when people 2, community 2016. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/ travel to new countries they buy goods to bring home news/2005/07/0727_050727_evolution.html. with them, along with the items themselves they are trading social values that reflect place it was Felson,the Alex. “Constructing Nativethe Urban Forests originally made. Platial interaction is a conceptApril related as Experiments to Evaluate Resilience.” 8, to globalization and 4, how individual places influence 2014. Accessed July 2016. http://scenariojournal. each other at all scales to create larger cultures and com/article/forests-as-experiments/. smaller subcultures. Green, David G. and Suzanne Sadedin. “Interactions Matter—complexity in Landscapes and Ecosystems.” Ecological Complexity, 2, no. 2 (June 1, 2005): 117–30. Accessed July 2, 2016. doi:10.1016/j.ecocom.2004.11.006. http:// www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/ S1476945X0500022X.
Natalie Kopp
Emma Moseley
University School of Architecture UniversityofofWaterloo Waterloo School of Architecture
Rickles, Dean, Penelope Hawe, and Alan Shiell. A Simple Guide to Chaos and Complexity. 61, no. 11 (November 1, 2007). Accessed July 2, 2016. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC2465602/. Association, American Psychological. “The Road to Resilience.” 2016. Accessed July 4, 2016. http:// www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx.
Harper, Douglas. “Online Etymology Dictionary.” 2001. Accessed July 4, 2016. http://www. etymonline.com/index.php?term=resilience. Merriam-Webster. “Definition of HYBRID.” 2015. Accessed July 2, 2016. http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/hybrid.
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Emma Moseley Natalie Kopp ARCH225 225|| Spring Spring 2016 ARCH
PrediCtive regionalism
The Highline by James Corner Field Operations, via Friends of the Highline University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Critical Regionalism responds to the deeper, cultural conditions of a site, drawing influences from both historical and universal styles. However, in the dense urban centres of the 21st century, the idea of “culture” is not necessarily universal or shared. This is because of both the diversity of the populations, and also the accelerating change in cultural paradigms in cities across the world. In a situation of intense cultural amalgamation, the timeline of a typical building doesn’t accommodate for the amount that a culture will change by the time of the building’s completion. “Predictive Regionalism” addresses this problem, not only anticipating future cultural shifts, but directing them in both the final design and preceding marketing. The ability of architecture to deeply affect the urban fabric must be anticipated, seen in projects like Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Bilbao Museum and The High Line. This, combined with the analytical power of urban research and data form the core of a Predictive Regionalism. The seed of this principle can be seen already in certain emerging and reemerging trends like modular construction, data labs and adaptive reuse. Each of the 267 4
aforementioned trends either prioritize the possibility of a building adapting to future changes, or uses information to develop a predictive model of a site’s needs. Predictive Regionalism would only take this a step further, the intent being to develop cities with a “bottom-up” perspective, avoiding dictatorial planning in favour of constant dialog between current and future needs.
Ihroom Eric Oh ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PYROEROSION Merriam Webster Dictionary Definition: PYROEROSION Pyr: Produced Merriam Webster by or Dictionary as if by the Definition: action of heat Pyr: Produced Erosion: The gradual by or as destruction if by the action of something of heat by natural forces: the process by which something is eroded orThe Erosion: worn gradual away destruction of something by natural forces: the process by which something is eroded or worn away
Pyroerosion in Fort McMurray, National Post 05/06/16. Pyroerosion in Fort McMurray, National Post 05/06/16. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Wildfires take place as a regular form of natural cycles, they help to add nutrients to soil and plant life to regenerate Wildfires take and place practice as a regular its resiliency. form ofThrough natural increased cycles, theyfrequency help to addof nutrients this natural to soil and process plant life we find to regenerate the effects and of practice pyroerosion, its resiliency. a worn Through down landscape frequency increased by natural force. of this Pyroerosion natural process changes we the visual, find the effects chemical of pyroerosion, and material aqualities worn down of a location, and landscape by is natural both destructive force. Pyroerosion and regenerative. changes For example, the visual, chemical pyroerosion and ismaterial damaging qualities to a human of a whose shelter location, and ishas both been destructive devastated, andbut regenerative. life-giving to the For example, morel pyroerosion mushroom which is damaging only grow to a human after a forest fire. whose shelter Thehas government been devastated, of Canada butvalues life-giving fire ecology; they state, “the ongoing challenge for fire to the morel mushroom which only grow after a management forest fire. Theagencies government is how of Canada to manage values firefire to protect human ecology; they state, values “thewhile ongoing stillchallenge allowing for firefire to play its important management agencies ecological is howrole to manage in maintaining fire to healthy human protect forests.”values Pyroerosion while still is most allowing dangerous fire to to landscape play its important in its ecological cumulativerole effect, in maintaining when areas are so ravaged healthy forests.”byPyroerosion fire they areisnever mostallowed dangerous the time to landscape to recover. in After its cumulative a fire in the effect, Canadian whenBoreal areas forest, are so ravaged regrowthbywill firebe they apparent are never oneallowed year after the the fire, time to recover. but it takes After aover fire in one thehundred Canadian and Boreal fifty years for forest, regrowth the forest willtobe return apparent to its one previous year state after and fire, density. the but it takes over one hundred and fifty The concept years for the forest of pyroerosion to return towill its previous gain greater state importance and density. as forest fires increase, this will be especially The concept trueofin pyroerosion dry climates with will limited gain greater water such as in California. importance as forest Asfires fires are increase, more common, this will the be vegetation true especially has less in dry recovery climates time with to limited producewater new such asand in California. As fires are the more common, the foliage density, this makes next disaster a vegetation has less recovery time to produce new foliage and density, this makes the next disaster a 4
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much faster traveling fire. The pyroeroded forest is less dense and more dangerous unless it is able time much faster to traveling recover completely fire. The pyroeroded before theforest next fire. is less Pyroerosion dense andinsertions more dangerous will be implemented unless it is as wildfire able time tocontrol recover infrastructure. completely before Designers the next and scientists fire. Pyroerosion need toinsertions understand will how bewildfires implemented work to develop as wildfirepyroerosion control infrastructure. battling techniques. Designers and scientists need to understand how wildfires work to develop pyroerosion battling techniques.
“Fire Ecology.” Natural Resources Canada. February 01, 2016. Accessed July 04, 2016. http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/fire-insects“Fire Ecology.” Natural Resources Canada. disturbances/fire/13149. February 01, 2016. Accessed July 04, 2016. http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/fire-insectsdisturbances/fire/13149. Kelsey Dawson Kelsey Dawson ARCH 225 | Spring 2016 ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PLASTISCAPE
Plastiscape combines plastic and landscape to form a word that describes a built landscape of artificial materials. In modern society, people use plastic to create plants with which to decorate their homes and offices because real plants are too difficult to maintain. Plastic is virtually immutable: that plastic plant will not grow, nor die, nor change colour or texture over time. They require no maintenance, as opposed to real ones that require water, food (generated through photosynthesis) and sunlight. Plastic plants are used in fish tanks even, to create fantasised underwater-scapes for tiny colourful fish, even though those fish are living creatures that typically live among naturally-existing flora.
be plastic, but the use of plastic in plastiscape is akin to calling a person who has silicone breast implants and receives Botox injections plastic. Plastic as in artificial, not Earth made.
In the past, artists created fictional landscapes on canvas, but in the future, perhaps artists will take to creating fictional landscapes at a life scale, by using plastics and other materials.
Wall-E, Artificial Beach, Pixar. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Plastiscapes will evolve over time. They will start as any landscape that is created, meaning it does not exist as a function of natural processes but rather as a function of intentional plantings and carvings. Over time, as the planet becomes increasingly polluted and as spaces becomes increasingly scarce, landscape architects will use manufactured materials to create â&#x20AC;&#x153;green spacesâ&#x20AC;? that mimic the Earth-created nature that used to exist. The materials do not necessarily have to 269 4
Lauren Nayman ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
POLAR-NATURALISM
Naturalism: 1. (in art and literature) a style and theory of representation based on the accurate depiction of detail 2. a philosophical viewpoint according to which everything arise from natural properties and casues, and supernatural or spiritual explanations are excluded or discounted Oxford Dictionary, 2003
Controversial Naturalism, Sturges, Jock. “New Orleans Art Insider.” Jock Sturges’ Controversial “Naturalism” April 11, 2010. Accessed July 05, 2016. http:// www.insidenola.org/2010/04/jock-sturgescontroversial-naturalism.html.
The word polar-naturalism is used to describe the extreme belief that only nature is the right power, and everything should be turned back to its most natural state. Polar- naturalists are people who are against everything man-made, including clothes, technology and architecture. Thus naturalism is often related to animalism which holds the belief that humans who are essentially animals, should go back to their most natural/ animal state. In this theory, cities and metropolis are against nature and thus immoral. It also brings out a very important question about the rights of humans. It is true that architects shape the world. Humans are significantly influences by architecture around them, and as a result it also shapes how people view the world. However, to what rights do architects have to change the world? To what rights do architects have to act like the role of mother nature or even God? Instead of a real theory, polar-naturalism is more about re-exmine the relationship between human and nature, and trying to find out the balance between
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them.
Janice (Ye) Chen ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
PROBLITERATION
The prefix pro-, Latin for being in favor of, attached to obliteration, specifically the state of being rendered indistinct. This term’s applications focuses on the dissolution of existing logics as a means of reaching new conclusions. An extension of Post Modern ethics, probliteration aims to subvert conventions not as a desire to destroy existing practice but to enable softer inquiries, messier drawings, and indeterminate solutions. In practice probliteration is as simple as placing trace paper over an existing image, paying attention to the subtle blurring and nuanced suggestions of forms which were not present before. It can be as obscure as crumpling hundreds of copies of a drawing to observe linear complexities. It can be as spontaneous as doodling absurd creations of a vivid memory.
2014 S/S Campaign, Kenzo × TOILETPAPER. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Regardless, probliteration is a name for the intermediate actions taken when one is not sure of their own direction but needs to “work through” a solution. Most notably is the act of turning drawings and models upside down in order to see things with a fresh perspective. The mind’s ability to tease out existing properties and make new conclusions is far stronger than its capacity to form entirely baseless new decisions. It is within the patterns produced from probliteration that reveal subtle information about the designer’s 271 4
internal position on a given project which may not be apparent in the early stages of design. It should be noted that probliteration is not a justification of erasing physical architecture and landscape, but is based purely in theoretical exercises. Including but not limited to playing with forms, collaging seeming disparate ideologies, and controlled deconstruction, the agent of probliteration must remain conscious of the first inputs, for the elements of the new conclusion could not have existed without the original components.
Jeffrey So ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
RADIOSILENT
In the near future, the prevalence of radio waves has become pervasive and unavoidable even in previously disconnected wild settings. No longer can the excuses of lost or poor signal delay the immediate and alarmingly fast connection of communication between your device and millions of devices around the world. Thus, the emergence of radiosilent landscapes designed to completely block out radio waves in cities around the world in order to provide refuge from digital noise, providing similar relief that retreats to natural landscapes used to provide from the literal audible noise of cities.
Radio signals, Getty Images. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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Jenny Xia ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
REANTHROPOGENING verb \rē-an-thro-pə -’jēn-iŋ\ past-tense \rē-an-thro-’pə -jēn-īzd\ 1. the act of reappropriating a rewilded landscape for human use or exploitation 2. reinhabiting a formerly abandoned area - Natasha Klink Projected Term In landscape architecture, reanthropogening refers to the act of reappropriating formerly rewilded areas of land, especially surrounding former abandoned urban centres. In the 2050s, urban areas of Detroit and Florida were reanthropogenised after a mass exodus in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. After an extended period of abandonment, with the aid of environmental activists, the vegetation and animals began inhabiting the built environment, essentially rewilding large urban areas. Due to the population boom in the wake of the Third World War, President-for-Life Donald Trump decreed that these areas must be reanthropogenised to accommodate the growing population of Eastern European supermodels.
Reanthropogening can also refer to the act of reexploiting a formerly rewilded zone; for instance, the Área de Concervación Guanacaste in Costa Rica was originally rewilded beginning in 1999 to restore dry tropical forest and rainforest. When it was discovered that the rainforest was on a literal gold mine, however, the Costa Rican government disbanded the conservation area to buy its neutrality in the Third World War. http://rewilding.org/rewildit/what-is-rewilding/ http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36703037 http://www.acguanacaste.ac.cr/acg/historia http://costa-rica-guide.com/nature/ecozones/tropical-dry-forests/ https://worldinapapercup.wordpress.com/tag/detroit-in-ruins/
After the complete emigration of Scottish nationals to Andorra in 2018, environmental Brexit ‘Leave’ campaigners created the largest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty by rewilding the entire ex-nation, restoring its native population of wildcats and wolves. In the wake of Britain rejoining the EU, the reanthropogening of Scotland is causing debates on the fate of the reintroduced species and the ecosystems impacted by the influx of young workers seeking to re-found Glasgow.
Abandoned Spaces [of Detroit], Kevin Bauman. University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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RENDER-GAZM Projected slang term
If landscape and image are inseparable, to qualify a built project as a landscape, there must exist an image embedded or created as part of the design. We use image to envision and shape the built environment so frequently that certain aspects of architectural and landscaping practice has been dedicated to the development of rendering strategies. Effective visual communication is imperative in defining the intent and overall vision of a project.
Rendering vs Reality, 99percentinvisible
The problem that has emerged in the architectural community that affects the results of competition entries is finding the ethical line between altered photographic images and renders to win-over project bids. The final built result ends up being quite lack luster compared to the presented images that have been cleaned up and polished. Recently, Diller Scofiddio + Renfro has faced criticism for their Broad Museum in Los Angeles for its facade having an underwhelming appearance opposed to the presented image. It is the ability to modify and present an augmented reality of the project at hand that ruins the credibility of the final result. There is no current shortage of these types of images on-line, in fact, it seems that this has developed into a certain style. The Internet has an unbreakable infatuation with pretty pictures that barely scratch the surface of an in depth urban solution hence, render-gazm. This is especially problematic for the practice
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
of landscape design where the development of a landscape takes upwards of 15 years to near completion. With the importance of image as an eidetic mental conception for a built project, separating fiction from reality is imperative in restoring authenticity to our built environment.
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Steven Lin ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
SCHIZOPHRESSENCE SCHIZOPHRESSENCE Schizophrenia: “The mentality or approach characterized by inconsistent or contradictory elements, [...] faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, fantasy and delusion, and a sense of mental fragmentation.” Source: https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1EJFA_ enCA663CA663&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#safe=off&q=schizophrenia+definition
Essence: “The intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, especially something abstract, that determines its character; [...] an extract or concentrate obtained from a particular plant or other matter and used for flavoring or scent.” Source: https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1EJFA_ enCA663CA663&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#safe=off&q=essence+definition
The term “Schizophressence” came to me through reflection upon my immersive drawing for Design Studio 293, in which I imagined the experience of my chosen case study landscape and attempted to represent that feeling. I found a few intriguing and mysterious elements in the park, which led me to illustrate a dystopic view as if through the eyes of a lost child. More broadly, I sought to communicate the chill of wandering in an eerie wood, depicting the deceptive shadows and sounds that rise from nature and manifest in fear; put simply, a dizzying skewed reality or cartoonish panic attack.
Cat Sees Lion, http://compliancestrategists.com/ csblog/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Cat-Sees-Lion. University Waterloo School of Architecture University ofofWaterloo School of Architecture
The final iteration involved the use of scale and repetition to represent (repeat, and distort) certain realistic elements (statues, alien-shaped play-structures, and overgrown trees) in order to communicate a feeling of the natural world spinning out of control; a state in which landscape created an architecture of hallucination and a hazy reality with unending visual possibilities for the wandering soul.
I will now define the feeling as ‘Schizophressence’, in which the symptoms of Schizophrenia and the philosophical idea of ‘essence’ converge. To develop it further, Schizophressence is when landscape talks back; when you are alone in complete wilderness and you can’t possibly believe that the natural world around you has nothing to say to you, is not trying to tell you something. The departure from reality must be acknowledged, which is why I felt it necessary to partially define the feeling in terms of a mental disorder. However, the essence of things, although philosophical, is something arguably rather concrete and thus serves the purpose of rooting the feeling in some ‘mentally stable’ terms. In this sense, ‘Schizophressence’ is something I imagine to be more an imaginative mental state, triggered by the overwhelming presence of nature, in which a person feels they can truly communicate with nature, as opposed to simply taking drugs and hallucinating about talking trees etc.
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SERENTROPANCE SOCIO-PICTURESQUE
SOCIO-PICTURESQUE
Serenus - Latin, Clear, fine and calm Tropē - Greek, Transformation -ance - Latin, present state
This term is used to describe the feeling of a clear, calm mental transformation that a person is succumb to when they enter a landscape of purity. The natural landscape had the ability to allow people to feel a sense of serendipity, acting as a place to clear the mind. Our relation to this place is thus enhanced as we begin to understand the transformation we feel as we enter places such as these. This sensation can be triggered by our sensory connection to the landscape but could also be impacted by the connection we feel when we are situated within the environment through the use of built form. The sensory connection we feel to the earth can still be held true within the built form but is dependent to what we begin to process through feeling rather than thought.
Monica Patel University of Waterloo School of Architecture
Similar to the origins to landscape and the concept of a picturesque location, “Socio-picturesque” refers to the social component in landscape. With the emergence in more public parks around the world, the human interaction within a site and how it alters through time and weather becomes more important. Socio-picturesque implies the dynamic of social interaction, an active component worth documenting--much like how the landscape alone was picturesque if it is considered worth noting.
seems to draw attention and give the landscape a certain significance. On that note, the term suggests the idea of the role human inhabitance in a landscape and how it may produce certain significance to a setting.
Such situations may relate to Hong Kong’s Victoria Park, a major public space within the dense city. The park on its own may seem similar to many others around the city; however this particular park plays an important role in holding cultural, social and political events. It is a landscape which captures a spectrum of social interaction in various different ways. During the Chinese New Year, the park is transformed into a setting for night market with various festive goods. At the same time, the park is the starting point for the the annual democracy march, an increasingly significant event in Hong Kong’s strive for democracy. In these situations, we find photographers other than those of the media that document such phenomenons. Despite these events being expected annually, it is the interaction between people and the wholeness during the march that 276 4
Audrey MonicaLeung Patel ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
ecture
TOURSEWILD TOURSEWILD
CONSTRUCTION
(Tourism + “apart” -latin + wild)
In today’s golden age of technology, the fast-moving advancement of virtual reality and its extents are stretching beyond what we can imagine. Architecture has moved from paper to computer, and probably will move completely into the virtual, with design possible in the cyberspace. Not only this, the world of video games could evolve into the creation of alternate universes, operating at the scale of the real world, but in the virtual, blurring the lines between what is real and what is not. This will give the power of architecture, landscape or structural to the hands of the general individual, and the power to model at free will without impacting change on the current world’s landscape. This acts as the basis of this fabricated word, stemming from the combination of these words, virtual, construction of space.
Cindy Cao University of Waterloo School of Architecture 4
Systems of pathways through sensitive natural areas which concentrate and therefore minimize damage to natural environments caused by large numbers of tourists visiting natural attractions. i.e. Lake Louise in Alberta
Inspired by the National Tourist Routes in Norway1, I have been exploring the idea of specially designed tourist routes which would traverse wild areas of the world providing tourists with a beautiful pathway through natural sights, while protecting the wildlife in the area. After spending last summer living in Banff National Park, I noticed the profound impact human activity of all kinds can have on wildlife. Even the most obviously marked hiking trails in the park were lined with evidence of human destruction (garbage and trampled plants) on the land beyond the trail. Toursewilds would provide tourists with a manufactured pathway that separated them from fragile landscape, while still providing a beautiful natural experience.
The trail to Peyto lake in Banff National park is a prime example of an extremely popular tourist route that could use the hand of an architect or Peyto Lake, Zoe Goodman. landscape architect to design a path that is more suitable for both humans and local wildlife. Today there is a short rugged trail leading to a platform looking out onto a spectacular view. The trail bleeds into the surrounding forest allowing visitors to stray from the path leaving garbage and trampling over plants. A Toursewild would contain pedestrian traffic, protecting the surrounding landscape while also providing visitors with a more leisurely walk and would also open the opportunity for the view of Peyto to be accessible to people with disabilities.
Zoe Goodman
Cindy Cao University of Waterloo School of Architecture 277ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
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TRANSVERSIVE TRANSVERSIVE
Bamboo Terrace, The Canadian Encyclepedia
URBATYPE
The term Transversive Territories grows from the prefix trans-, and the word subversive. The prefix Trans- originates from Latin, and mean to go across a boundary, or symbolizes change. The word subversive means to overthrow or undermine an established system. It can be used to describe a person who adopts new principals and policies. Not to be mixed up with the verb transverse, which means to set crosswise, the term transversive territories is used to describe a place which reflects a mix of cultures, social classes, or time periods which have been jumbled and accepted as one over time. A second generation immigrant growing up in Canada, might experience the country as a transversive territory. Because they have grown up in this environment, it is natural for them to call it their home, however, they will never fully be able to , or want to, erase their roots from their motherland. A transversive territory embodies the culture of multiple places, and will always contain traces of them whether on the bare surface or in a more hidden manner. For example, experiencing China Town in Toronto can be a moment through a transversive territory. Within this contained bubble, there is an accumulation of very tradition Chinese household items and delicacies but also extremely westernized American Chinese restaurants. One may experience moments of nostalgia, romance, bashfulness, sadness, anger and frustration amongst many other emotions during the encounter of a transversive territory.
Alyssa Tang University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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Urbatype is a new geographical term used to Works Cited describe the classification of urban landscapes ranging from- Creative urban Mapping." to suburban on "Architecture Creativebased Mapping densities andComments. land uses of the July built Architecture Accessed 05,landscape 2016. as well as the population relative to the idea of http://www.creative-mapping.com/architecture/. walkability. A suite existing words can be used to describe urbatypes” The from urban, Encyclopedia. midtown, inner “Chinese Canadians. Canadian suburban, and05, outer suburban. Accessed July 2016. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/chinese-canadians/. Although the idea of an urbatype already exists “The Definition Mapping. ” Dictionary.com. Acconceptually inofcity classification and planning. cessed July 05, http://www.dictionary.com/ The addition of2016. this word in the English language browse/mapping. exemplifies relationships between parts of a city and its neighbors. Suburban sprawl can “The Definition as of Watershed. Dictionary.com. be addressed planers ”and architects begin July the 05, 2016. http://www.dictionary.com/ toAccessed minimize planning and social issues of browse/watershed. suburbia. As issues of urbanity are addressed, the characteristics of midtown and urban regions will “Urban Ecosystems. ” Accessed July 05, http:// become homogenous throughout a 2016. metropolitan www.thenatureofcities.com/2013/05/26/architecregion. The decentralization of jobs and amenities, ture-and-urban-ecosystems-from-segregation-to-inemergence of diverse building typologies, as well tegration/. as the accessibility of pedestrian and transit users will be the result. Thus, the idea of the urbatype “Whatbe Is adiminished Watershed?” Is a Watershed? would asWhat classifications of densities Accessed July 05, 2016. http://watersheds101.ca/ no longer exist in cities. learn-about-watersheds/what-is-a-watershed.
Alyssa Tang ARCH 2016 ARCH225 225| |Spring Spring 2016
VEGETATIENNE
Derived from the Latin term ‘vegetatio’ meaning power of growth and the female suffix ‘enne’, the term ‘vegetatienne’ refers to a newly proposed function of landscape architecture which combines gender, body disassociation, food and landscape. The novel ‘The Edible Woman’ by Margaret Atwood as well as Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ will be used to support this idea.
The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood (Cover) Image from: CBC Books. http://www.cbc.ca/ books/2013/07/ University of Waterloo School of Architecture
In ‘The Edible Woman’, the protagonist, Marian, struggles with gender and conventions of femininity as she slowly disassociates from her own body. Marian slowly rejects food throughout the novel as she distances herself further and further from her body. The concept of body disassociation is a common theme seen in girlhood, womanhood and the raising of young women due to societal standards and conventions, sexual assault, domestic abuse, trauma, etc. In regards to landscape architecture, and with this projective term, I am suggesting the practice of using food/vegetation and landscape as a means of healing the dissociative tendencies that come with girlhood and trauma on both minor and major scales. The act of gardening, planting, eating, and casual exercise are functions that can be implemented by landscape design, and can ultimately aid in reconnecting the female back to the female body. Likewise, in Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’, food is again used to depict Alice’s dissociation 279 4
with her identity in regards to femininity. Alice “rejects Maternity when the baby she’s nursing turns into a pig, nor does she respond positively to the dominating-female role of the Queen” (1). Dan Pieraccini goes on in his essay to point out that “except for two incidents, Alice does go without eating for the rest of the text. To be polite, she chokes down the dry biscuit that the Red Queen offers her and an equally dry piece of bread during the break in the Lion and Unicorn‘s fight. All other food she declines” (4). Therefore, with the two supporting texts, the proposal of using food and vegetation to heal female body disassociation can be described with the projective term ‘vegetatienne’.
Mayuri Paranthahan ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
VIELEGEIST
Zeitgeist translates from German to “time spirit” and represents the dominate set of beliefs that motivates society in a period. However, with the arrival of postmodernism, the loss of the zeitgeist is a reaction to the strict rules of modernism. The dissolution of the singular grand narrative brings the plurality to the contemporary condition. There has been a common difficulty to give a definition to this diverse and fragmented state. Vielegeist, which translates to “many spirit”, represents this change in social direction. Vielegeist is an extension of the meaning of zeitgeist. By modifying it to better suit the change of times, Vielegeist represents a deeper understanding of the original word.
Vincent Min University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
WASTE-SCAPE
Whether the current awareness of waste management has increased or not in the past couple of years. The current effect of waste created by mountains of garbage and disposables will nevertheless have an forever lasting effect on the earth. Mountains made up of tires may be read as landscape but what about mountains of garbage waste with plastic bag smelling like rotten animals and dead fishes? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a land with waste upon waste just not in the clear site of urbanity. Waste will becomes a part of history in sedimentary level as the problem of waste continues. Will the day come where we resort to building houses upon wasteland than soil. What is the future of waste? Will we end up one day instead of eating product produced by landscape but product produced by waste-scape instead? Staten Island in New York will become the precedent for multiple parks in the world for how to build park on top of waste. Eventually we will run out of budget for building parks and will the day come when we build houses among houses upon wasteland as common practice. They are toxic, forever-lasting and mostly buried. Will we accept waste as landscape as beauty? After all, the sublime toxic and radioactive beauty of this synthetic landscape that is just as eternal as the Swiss Alps.
Staten Island, NY TIMES.
Alice (Jie Jie) Huang University of Waterloo School of Architecture
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ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
WATERSCAPING
WILD-URBAN
WILD-URBAN
noun Waterscaping is the design, manipulation and arrangement of water, or objects within a body of water, for aesthetic or experiential reasons. It often involves manipulating the form of water and using its attributes of reflectivity, and motion to create desirable effects. Waterscaping is different from manipulation of water for utilitarian purposes, such as damming a river for hydro power.
Geneva Fountain, http://www.rentalcars.com/ images/seo_graphics/Switzerland/jet-deaugeneva-switzerland-800-533.jpg
Brooklyn Bridge Waterfalls, https://guenny.files. wordpress.com/2008/09/waterfall-brooklynbridge.jpg Philippe Fournier
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
University of Waterloo 282 School of Architecture 4
adjective
adjective
Wild-urban is a term which will be used to describe neighbourhoods in which the complete descruction of surrounding natural environments due to harmful human activities and expansion results in a condition in which wild animal species have infiltrated the urban or sub-urban setting. A wild-urban neighbourhood, or city, will have negative consequences, as human beings will be at a higher risk of encounter with dangerous species, which will then spur the rapid endangerment of these species due to extermination by humans.
Wild-urba describe descructio due to ha results in have infilt A wild-ur negative c a higher r which wil these spe
Washington Mall, https://upload.wikimedia.org/ wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Reflecting_pool.jpg Philippe GiuliaFournier Kiernan University of Waterloo School 4 ARCH of225 Architecture | Spring 2016
WOGITECTURE
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Sometimes these traditions are not implemented as well as they could architecturally, but at the end of the day, wogitecture is extremely interesting and the cause of much discussion.
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Bianca Weeko Martin Bianca Weeko Martin ARCH 225 | Spring 2016 ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
Bianca Weeko Martin ARCH 225 | Spring 2016
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