To notate
To communicate
This plan was created for the Lawrence Berkeley Labs Helios Energy Research Facility and the designer wanted to create a design that encouraged people to get together in small groups and create opportunities for them to run across one another walking from place to place. This is communicated very well in the ways the paths are designed because the pathways for the most part will come across one another and there’s are distinct areas for small groups to gather and hangout. The plan view in my opinion is the best way to communicate the designer’s intent because the design is clear in this view verses a section or elevation view.
To measure
Elevation plans are used to determine the elevation of the structure or ground plane. Here the designer is communicating the size and height of the structure using human figures and trees. The top image shows the ground plane and path through it in front of the main structure and the bottom image shows the backside of the structure. An elevation plan is key to communicate a measure because a plan view will only show a measure through contour lines, which can be difficult to visualize. Human figures are key in this image because their small size shows the dramatic size to these plans and it is really helpful that there are multiple figures throughout the plan.
l Cit ntia
Stone Edge Farm//Somona,CA//2007//STUDIOS//Photograph
Line, Composition and Color
Hatch
Cross Hatch
Elevation
To diagram
This particular diagram is showing the layout and materials of the courtyard and systems that are built within it. The designer is effective and to the point in this diagram because it separates the back building and the courtyard with the use of color. The most important part of this diagram is the ground system that is installed under the surface, which includes storm water infiltration, storm water retention, and permeable pavers with a retention basin below. The designer wanted to create a safe, sustainable area for a small community that may be a little rough on the other side of its walls. Diagram
Stipple
Bracelet
Scribble
Shade Solid
Cochran’s work is almost entirely digital and it is quite difficult to come across a sketch or drawing produced by her. With that being said, her line work is very organized and easy to understand because it has been down with time and thought. Her line work Hatching Composition sometimes creates patterns that are visually interesting to the eye. She tends to be very minimalistic as well, which doesn’t tire the eye when looking at her designs. I tend to enjoy minimalistic designs because it creates a sense of freedom or openness to a landscape, which is refreshing because a lot of things in life are very busy and cluttered. Cochran’s composition in her work is quite Stipple/Bracelet Composition beautiful. Her placement or organization of design is very modern and simple. She has a very pleasing way of making a landscape neat yet organic in a way. In particular her work at upscale private residences are absolutely stunning not only because there is a lot of landscape to work with but because she really understands how to work with the landscape in which she is in and echo it in a very adaptive way. The way Scribble Soild Composition
Lesson TWO Visual communication is not to be taken lightly in the field of design. Concept should not be either. Ones concept of a design is the most important element in a design and should be the driving force of the design. The designer should be passionate about the concept because those are the best designs that are created. When passion is involved, the designs visual communication is clear and understood.
Importance of Concept
Lesson THREE Cochran is very effective in her diagrams through the use of color. A busy diagram can become a confusing diagram and I’ve learned from Cochran’s work that color can be an easy way or organize a diagram of a design. Color should be the highlighting factor of the design and everything else that is not important to the diagram should be purely black and white or have a high transparency. Color in Diagrams
2015 San Francisco Civic Center Playgrounds project in progress...
2014 Recieved the National Design Award
2012 Maxivino Martinez Commons project completed
2012 Energy Biosciences Building project completed
2012 Buhl Community Park project completed
2009 Book Publication Andrea Cochran: Landscapes
2008 Ackley Residence completed
2007 Nueva School Project completed
2007 Inducted as a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects
2007 Stone Edge Farm Project completed
2006 Walden Studios Project completed
2000 Portland Art Museum Project completed
1998 Founded Andrea Cochran Landsca[e Architecture Firm
1989-1998 Principle at Delaney Cochran &Castillo Firm
1983 Moved to Athens, Greece and work for Saudi Arabian Architect
1979 Harvard University MLA, Landscape Architecture
1976 Rutgers University B.S., Landscape Architecture
Timeline 1952 // New Jersey
JAMES ROSE
ROBERT IRWIN
DAN KILEY
Inspired by
Attention to Craft
Lesson ONE A major lesson that has been learned from Cochran’s work is how important it is to focus on craft and the attention to detail on a design. The easiest things that can ruin a design is loose work. Every design presented should have excellent craft because the attention to detail in the design can make a different in the ending result.
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Andrea Cochran’s work plays a significant role in the landscape world and I believe her techniques are dignified and a forefront for the future of this industry. She is not only inspiring in the designs that she creates but also inspiring for being such a successful women in the design world.
Concept Sketch
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in which Cochran uses color is probably my favorite aspect of her work. She uses very soft organic colors (as you can see in the color palette drawing). Her choices of color seem very natural and unforced. I think some designers get a little carried away when it comes to color which in my personal opinion, can make or break the quality of a design.
This concept sketch is used to notate a path through a garden. The author is trying to communicate a sharp zig zag like pattern to emphasis the idea of an edge. The garden planters are edged with the shape of the path and it is clearly communicated in this concept sketch because not much else is emphasized as clearly besides maybe the entrance. Line weights are also used to notate the edges in the sketch because the darkest lines are defining these edges. The idea of a concept sketch it to notate what the designer is communicating in a very quick manner.
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landscape architect, she believes that in this field we are qualified to visualize change in or environment and are able to translate that vision into reality. Her driving motives are solving problems and working through some of the challenges that the landscape can present. Cochran has a great sensibility to create emotion through her work. She studies the environment of a site for a long period of time before even beginning the sketch work because she believes the climate is one of the main reasons why a project will be successful or not. Adaptability is also an important concept because it works best at a planning level and applies to the urban design. Cochran wants to create spaces for a wide range of people because she believes that these spaces that she creates, big or small can have a major impact in some people’s lives, whether it is a small rooftop garden or a peaceful sanctuary. Lastly, Cochran has high hopes for the field of landscape architecture in the future. She believes that this “field aims to alter conventions of how people relate to their environment by creating visually compelling landscapes that defy their expectations and contribute to sustainability; we do this by example”.
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a case study by Shelby Herbel
Andrea Cochran
San Francisco based Landscape Architect; Andrea Cochran has distinguished herself in the landscape world. Cochran unexpectedly found the field early in college and was instantly drawn to it because it combines her love for art and natural sciences. After graduating with a B.S. and MLA, Cochran began her career on the east coast and in Europe. After about ten years of collaborative partnerships, she established Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture, now a fifteen-person firm, in 1998. The firm tackles a wide range of project types such as private upscale single-family residences to commercial projects such as hotels, schools, institutions, and even affordable housing. The firm is known for its focus on attention to detail, sustainability, and has a great sense of intimacy within each project. These qualities the firm portrays has gained international attention and has received countless honors and awards. Cochran’s main influences come from early landscape architect modernists Dan Kiley and James Rose who reinvented the idea of space. Robert Irwin also influenced her with his reinterpretation of the perception of space. Cochran’s work is drawn to the mutability that comes from the interaction between space, time and light. As a