Studio V Journal (2019-2020)

V io d Stu journal 2019/2020

Studio V is a student journal of Landscape Architecture at the University of Guelph. SV aims to support, stimulate and showcase excellence in LA student and faculty work.

G R O W T H

Cover Photo: Vines in Bali // Siena Turnbulll Disclaimer: Studio V is coordinated by students of the landscape architecture program. The journal wishes to provide readers with useful and inspiring resources and information. Studio V and University of Guelph assume no liability or responsibility for any inaccurate, delayed or incomplete information, nor for any actions taken in reliance thereon. The information contained about each individual, event or organization has been provided by such individual, event organizer or organization without verification by us. The opinion expressed in each article is the opinion of its author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Studio V or University of Guelph.

Inquiries: All inquiries may be directed to studio V Journal via email studiovguelph@gmail.com or by writing to Studio V Journal, Landscape Architecture, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1.

This Journal was printed in Guelph, Ontario on paper with recycled content.

2019/2020 Editorial Team: Editors: Emma Kirk, Siena Turnbull Content Manager: Jessica Karafilov, Quinn Howard Submission Reviewer: Winona Khuu, Carly Balestra Reporters: Quinn Howard Digital Manager: Emil Kovacevic, Kimberley Beech Production Designer: Amir Sadeghiesfahani, Sima Kuhail, Skylyssa Carville Faculty Supervisor: Nate Perkins

SV

Editors’

Letter

We are delighted to share the 2019-2020 edition of the Studio V journal with you. This publication marks the fourth release of Studio V. It is our pleasure to have the opportunity to highlight the amazing work that was completed by the University of Guelph’s Landscape Architecture students.

This publication, while themed growth, represents the resilience of the Landscape Architecture students. Completing and publishing the journal amidst a pandemic proved challenging, however our team handled the curve ball with grace and determination. Ensuring that we celebrated this year and all the hard work that was completed by the students was of the utmost importance.

Studio V was created to represent and showcase the talent that courses through U of G’s Landscape Architecture program. The journal is compiled of work completed by both our BLA’s and MLA’s. For this issue, we dove into the theme of growth. Growth occurs in all areas of life and landscape architecture. Growth comes through in many expressions: personal growth, plant growth, overgrowth etc. We were interested in cataloguing student and staff experiences of growth, and we are extremely excited with the expressions we received.

As this year’s co-editors, we would like to take a moment to say thanks. Thank you to our editorial team for your hard work, inspired ideas, creativity, and commitment. This publication would not have been possible without each and every one of you. We would also like to thank Nate Perkins for your continued support and guidance throughout this publishing process. As well, Diana Foolen for supporting our outpouring of emails and scheduling requests, your time is greatly appreciated. We would also like to thank the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects for their generous support and contributions.

Finally, a motion of gratitude to the students and staff for sharing your projects, photography, and expressions with us. This journal is intended to celebrate all of your hard earned accomplishments. Congratulations on a year of brilliance, creativity, and growth!

Kindest regards, Emma Kirk & Siena Turnbull

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Table of Contents

Article: The Landscape Architecture Community Navigating COVID-19

AMANDA PASSERO

p. / 5 Capstone Projects

MIRANGIZ HAMIDULLAH

Gaukel Green

p. / 9

JAMES DUNCAN Skate-Line

p. / 11

EMIL KOVACEVIC Toronto Island: Flood or Flourish p. / 13

SHARON WONG The EXO Project p. / 15

XINYI ZHAO The Light of Dawn p. / 17

MLA Thesis Projects

CHRISTINE PEDERSEN

The Parametric Process

‘Innovativeness, Versatility and Responsiveness’

p. / 19

BRENNAN GUSE A Waterfront Revitalization Strategy For Parry Sound’s Post Industrial Southern Waterfront p. / 21

Alumni Article: Notes on Tape

TATIANA ZAKHAROVA

p. / 25

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Magic // Emma Kirk

Student Development

KYLE CHAN

p. / 27

HILLARY CUDMORE p. / 28

YUMENG SUN p. / 29

Design Competitions

The Hive

Come Alive Outside

p. / 31

Discovery Play, Wrapping Education in Nature Come Alive Outside p. / 33

Memory’s Edge Ulmy Design Competition p. / 35

Memoryscape

OSSGA Design Competition

p. / 39 Award Winners

p. / 41

AMANDA PASSERO, JUSTIN LUTH, DAISY REID A Bug’s Life p. / 59

Article: Reflections from a First Year MLA

CAITLYN WEIR

p. / 61 A Celebration of MLA Work

SONIA JIN Animation

p. / 63

MATTHEW CANARAN Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care p. / 65

STEVEN SHUTTLE Patchwork: Cowbell Food Forest p. / 67

Editorial: The Forgotten Year

EMMA KIRK

p. / 69

Photo Submissions

p. / 43 New Faces: Interview with Professor Steven Clarke

QUINN HOWARD

p. / 51 A Celebration of BLA Work

MIRANGIZ HAMIDULLAH, XINYI

ZHAO, NATHANIEL HANNEMANN,

AVNEET HAYER

Edge Berg East Bayfront

p. / 55

JACK MOSQUITE

Empathy: A Dive into Emotional Design

p. / 57

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The Landscape Architecture Community Navigating COVID-19 What we experienced, how we reacted, what we learned. // Amanda Passero

The world we once knew has changed

of the Winter 2020 semester. Professors and academic support staff needed to begin preparing alternative means of delivering course content immediately. Along with the rest of the University of Guelph community, the Landscape Architecture (LA) faculty faced sudden challenges. For many, this has been an incredibly overwhelming and stressful time for students, professors, and the academic support staff, however, it also creates an opportunity for growth and innovation.

Although this virus is being experienced globally, we must be aware that although it seems we are all “in the same boat,” we are most definitely not. Yes, we are all in this together, but we sail these everchanging waters in very different boats; some more equipped for the journey than others; with some of us veering into the storm all alone. There is no doubt the COVID-19 pandemic has weighed many of us down with anxiety, stress, and uncertainty, but it also forced most of humanity to take a great pause.

Many students’ and professors’ initial reactions to the unfamiliar circumstances was that it would be difficult to continue classes via distant education, as the LA program relies heavily on a studio environment, as well as collaborative forms of learning.

dramatically. Our daily routines have come to a halt, commitments have been excused, events cancelled, and the parts of our lives we thought were crucial have been deemed non-essential. The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented time for humanity, and like most such events throughout human history, both negative and positive impacts have arisen.

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But Professor Steven Clarke, who was teaching Foundational Design Studio (LARC*2020) and Introduction to Landscape Construction (LARC* 3430), found himself surprised with the success of going virtual. Steven said, “overall students For some of us, we have been lucky to take this were more prepared for virtual critiques because time to rest, learn, and reflect. For better or worse it required them to send me their progress work we have all made extreme adjustments to survive beforehand which helped focus critiques.” Steven the current global climate. On March 13th, 2020, also said, “the screen sharing application on Zoom the University of Guelph officially announced there helped mitigate the difference between virtual would be no face-to-face classes for the remainder

// Photo by Ashley Millar

and face-to-face critiques, as I could see what they were currently working on and make comments in real time, allowing the process to run more smoothly than a series of emails.”

“I am very sad to end this chapter of my life this way. The pandemic took away our final pin-ups, presentations, and the celebration that would inevitably follow.”

However, Steven also reflected on how distant education affected the creative flow that comes along with design, stating “virtual critiques were not as impromptu or free flowing as pen to paper red lines. There was much more time and preparation involved that seemed to break up the creative process, that otherwise usually felt more innate.”

Many of the landscape architecture students and professors can relate to the kind of relationships you foster during the late-night studio hours, crunching out a project, and understand the significance of sharing those final moments together. “The landscape architecture program is such a family, we have all seen each other grow throughout the past four years spent together.

It felt strange to simply celebrate my own accomplishments at home” says Siena.

But by the end of our conversation Steven remained enthusiastic with his final thought being “technology is evolving so quickly — I think even five years ago we would have really struggled to shift to delivering virtual classes and studios from home in a week, and probably impossible to do ten years ago. It’s exciting to think about the opportunities of virtual tools and the opportunities they will provide for design education.”

For some Landscape Architecture students, this was a very pivotal year in their academic career.

Fourth year student Siena Turnbull spoke to the abrupt end of her undergraduate journey stating

In addition to graduating, fourth year LA students were in the midst of their final Capstone Design Studio (LARC*4710). This is the design project students look forward to, and prepare for, since first year. “Finishing my capstone virtually was such a weird experience. I pressed ‘submit’ via Courselink in my pajamas sitting in my room at home in Toronto. I felt both overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the completion of such a large project in my undergraduate career” says Siena.

Although it was a different experience than

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expected, Siena went on to say “We are very fortunate to grow up in an era where we are very familiar and comfortable with virtual conversations with each other. I still felt supported all the way through to the end.”

Third year LA students were embarking on new personal and professional adventures that had been substantially affected by COVID-19.

Many students were abroad in the midst of their exchange experience or interning for landscape architecture or multi-disciplinary firms.

Third year student Daisy Reid was living in Scotland as an international student at the University of Aberdeen. “I was in limbo about coming home for about two weeks. I finally made the decision to come home when it was officially recommended by the University of Guelph to return” said Daisy.

Many students choose to go on exchange to travel and experience cultures different from their own.

Daisy voiced her disappointment stating that “I felt lucky to have three months living in Scotland and traveling to different cities, but I didn’t get the European experience I was craving. It was also unfortunate that when the University of Aberdeen campus closed, all classes ended. I didn’t get the chance to continue learning virtually.”

Some students remain abroad and are experiencing this pandemic internationally, away from the comforts of home. Cara Lozano decided to stay put living in Spain attending the University of Málaga.

When I asked Cara why she chose to stay put she said “I was safe, healthy, able to speak the language, and could continue taking my classes online. I had this gut feeling that in a couple months I’d be able to go outside again and enjoy at least a month or so of my exchange.”

The internship experience intends to expose students to the workplace environment within 7

the field of landscape architecture for a period of four or eight months. This year many internship experiences were cut short, however some continue working for their employer from home.

Third year student Isaac Hendrickson was interning for IBI Group in Toronto when Ontario went into lockdown and the office was forced to work from home. “Working from home for IBI proved to be difficult in the first few weeks, as I was still learning the ins and outs of how they did things. I felt like I was taking an online class and winging it to an extent. But my advisor was extremely communicative so that helped” says Isaac.

Although many interns didn’t receive the anticipated office experience they were hoping for there are still many valuable lessons to be learned.

Isaac spoke to the positives of working from home as an intern stating “I felt very fortunate to keep my internship as many people didn’t have that opportunity. This also forced me to acquire better time management skills, and to adapt to a more independent learning style.”

Students and professors were not the only ones making major adjustments during this time. The academic support staff also faced a new reality while still needing to keep things up and running for the LA program.

Program assistant, Diana Foolen spoke positively about the transition stating “As a staff member, working remotely was relatively a smooth transition once I had my office equipment and necessities at home. I can gain access to all of my programs and electronic files at home. It really showed me how adaptable and flexible we can be.” Diana also spoke about learning how to communicate via Microsoft Teams, WebEx and Zoom.

Like most people Diana voiced how she missed

the social aspects of school saying “What I miss the most is human face-to-face interaction with students, faculty, co-workers, friends and family.

The hustle of campus life is also greatly missed. I hope to return to a normal work environment in the near future.� It is clear that the experiences of students, professors, and the academic support staff within the LA faculty, are diverse and differ from one person to the next depending on where you were mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Many of us faced set-backs and experienced major disappointments. We have had to sit in the discomfort of uncertainty and restrain from trying

to plan our way out of it. But we have grown in unexpected ways, advancing our skill sets allowing us to adapt to the new normal. Perhaps some of us have even surprised ourselves in doing things that we thought we could never do.

To the Landscape Architecture Community: We must take heart in our small successes, remain curious, and be willing to learn. Ask your peers and colleagues how they are, share experiences, and really listen to one another. We are designers, and we can be a part of building the new future that lies ahead of us.

Abrupt Endings // Emma Kirk 8

Gaukel Green Mirangiz Hamidullah (4th year BLA) Course: LARC* 4710 Capstone Instructor: Sean Kelly & Nadia Amoroso Project Description: Due to the increase of proposed high-rise and mixed-use residential projects in Kitchener, Ontario’s Downtown core, more gathering spaces are needed for the residents. Victoria Park, with its vast amount of green space will soon not be enough for the increased number of people in Downtown Kitchener. Therefore, certain streets temporarily or permanently turning into pedestrian only zones are a solution that can create a balance between the infrastructure and greenspaces and connect the community by providing enough social spaces for the residents. One street that can do this is Gaukel Street that connects Victoria Park and the City Hall.

The design proposes the closure of Gaukel Street of Downtown Kitchener to vehicles and turning it into a pedestrianized zone. It is a perfect location that can serve as a corridor between the two main landmarks, Victoria Park and the City Hall. The proposed design provides a diverse environment that welcomes various user groups of all ages, and is especially child friendly, through programming and site features. The goal is to create an urban street that values children and provides them

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with safe and accessible activities through the creation of natural playgrounds, safe crosswalks and safe streets. Additionally, the site is a space that gathers the community, neighbours and visitors through creating accessible and inclusive spaces that have comfortable microclimates during different seasons. Not only that, but the design also targets stormwater management issues through providing bioswales with vegetation that attracts wildlife. Lastly, it maintains the site’s rich history through being consistent in using site features such as furniture, paving, lighting and materials that complement the existing site elements.

HALLS LN W

N

EXISTING PARKING LOT

EXISTING PARKING LOT

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EXISTING PARKING LOT

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KING ST W

EXISTING PARKING LOT

HALLS LN W

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CHARLES ST W

JOS

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Plaza and Event Area

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Bike Lane

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Natural Playground

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Pop Up Park

3

Existing Plaza

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Urban Swing

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Bioswale

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Terrace

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Skate-Line James Duncan (4th year BLA) Course: LARC* 4710 Capstone Instructor: Sean Kelly & Nadia Amoroso

Project Description: Action sports participants such as skateboarders and BMX riders will continue to seek the need to appropriate public space due to the inherent perception of space and architectural form that is found within the nature of these sports. While the construction of designed skateparks looks to compile different participants’ needs to lessen the impact of street action sports within the public realm, the existing skatepark structure tends to further the disconnect between action sports and society, put borders on creative control and literal borders on movement, and lack arousal due to redundant colours, materials, and obstacles. Ultimately, designed deterrents don’t remove action sports from the city, they create a reason to escape to it. SKATELINE proposes the idea of implementing new site forms within cities that are action sport friendly to create a cohesive bond between the public realm and action sport participants.

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These spaces will be loosely connected through a colour system that brings users from site to site, mimicking the movement of a typical day riding street spots in the city. Due to SKATELINE’s nature, it must be phased into the general public slowly. In order to “sell” this new way of designing public spaces, SKATE-LINE aims to find solutions to another problem as well. Toronto has an extreme amount of vacant/wasted spaces and SKATELINE aims to tackle the problem at three levels of site selection. Three different sites requires three unique form systems to be created to activate space. By designing within a lane-way, underpass, and plaza the general public can see how adaptable the principles behind SKATELINE can be. These can be seen as “testing” grounds, as they won’t be impacting the current fabric of the city centre. The goal isn’t to overhaul the current urban fabric of cities, but to reclaim the spaces forgotten within that fabric. SKATE-LINE will challenge the perception of what is for action sport usage.

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Toronto Island: Flood or Flourish Emil Kovacevic (4th year BLA) Course: LARC* 4710 Capstone Instructor: Sean Kelly & Nadia Amoroso Project Description: For my fourth-year capstone project I wanted to extend and apply my research from my thesis on flood prevention and mitigation to a problem area close to home. I chose Toronto Island, specifically Centre and Olympic island to implement my idea.

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Through the implementation of various wetlands and marshes as well as dykes and breakwaters, future flood damage to the island should be drastically reduced. These new features not only provide a naturalized solution to flood prevention but also create visual interest creating a new attraction for the island bringing in more visitors.

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The EXO Project Sharon Wong (4th Year BLA) Course: LARC* 4710 Capstone Instructor: Sean Kelly & Nadia Amoroso MASTERPLAN

Project Description In the past four years of taking on the BLA program, my personal growth has been stark. Everything involving my perception of how people interact with their environments was in question. The growth from those first days in design studio, wondering if I’d been holding a pen wrong all my life, inevitably led to a point in which utilizing tools is no longer in the way of designing the bizarre ideas that are looming in my head. This growth is made tangible in the form of my final Capstone idea, titled The EXO Project.

The site is situated alongside the King’s Cross Railway in London, England, which serves as a connection from London to the rest of Europe. However, the location directly exposes the site and areas in proximity to high levels of noise pollution.

As part of my thesis research, I investigated soundscape design and noise mitigation in urban settings. In my research findings, biophonic sound was found to possess healing impacts on humans and fauna alike. Mitigating noise, while preserving sounds of nature and producing captivating soundscapes became a focal point in the EXO Project. The EXO project seeks to design and innovate with nature to elevate people’s awareness of and connection to the natural world, by placing nature’s treasures in the heart of London. The nature escape brings better access to healing landscapes for the people, from locals with high stress jobs to worn out tourists after a long day of exploration. By incorporating an accessible ‘third room’ framework for social engagement, leisure, and psychotopia, the EXO Project serves as a sensory wonderland for nature lovers, those who have limited access to nature, and those who have lost their connection to the earth’s gifts. The park uses principles of art and music in nature to emphasize the need for protecting the earth, improving environmental consciousness.

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ZONES 1. THE PEARL GATEWAY 2. PROJECTION PLACE- EVENTS/ FLEXIBLE SPACE 3. DESERT DUNES- SOUNDSCAPE EXPLORATIONS 4. FOUND MOUNDS- PLAY AREA, VEGETABLES AND HERBS

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5. EXO NEST- COMMUNITY VENUE AND LEARNING SPACE

10. THE THREE DOMES- INFO, EDUCATION, ART SPACE

6. WAVY WALK- URBAN GROVE PARK

11. BUZZING GARDENPOLLINATORS PARADISE

7. ENTOTUNNEL- INTERACTIVE STRUCTURE

12. PARAMETRIC PLAZAGATHERINGS & PERFORMANCES

8. RESONANCE WATERSFOUNTAIN AND POND

13. THE SEATED PIGEONRELAXATION SPACE

9. HIGHER FREQUENCY VIEWPOINT- BIRD’S EYE VIEW

14. TRUE NORTH GATEWAY

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The Light of Dawn Xinyi Zhao (4th Year BLA) Course: LARC* 4710 Capstone Instructor: Sean Kelly & Nadia Amoroso

Project Description:

Dawn is the time when the first sunshine comes after a long night of darkness, which represents a new beginning and a bright future. The project is named The Light of Dawn, meaning to bring light and life to the dark forgotten space under the Gardiner Expressway.

The site is an urban underpass at the intersection of Spadina Ave and Lakeshore Blvd W in the waterfront communities’ neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The approximate length of the site is 625m. The high demands on vehicular transportation influence the original site design to only favour cars, not pedestrians. Besides, the vast

amount of vacant underpass space is dirty, unsafe, and solely occupied by homeless people, which is a total waste of the excellent site location. Not only because of the site’s proximity to the waterfront, but it connects the Bentway, Rogers Centre, CN Tower, and more visitor attractions.

The Light of Dawn, sitting right at the entry point where most people enter downtown Toronto strives to become a new gateway to introduce Toronto to the world. Through the conceptualization of the significant features of the Ontario landscape, lake and forests, the project reminds people what the place was like before urbanization with respect to the high commercialization in the area.

Zoom in Plan

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1 Social Space

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2 The Lake

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3 Forest Poles

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4 Successional Art Walk

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The Parametric Process ‘Innovativeness, Versatility and Responsiveness The Parametric Process ‘Innovativeness, Versatility, and Responsiveness’

Christine Pedersen (4th Year MLA) Course: Thesis Advisor: Nadia Amoroso

Illustrated by Christine Pedersen, MLA

Simulations from the power of parametric technology These images provide a conceptual understanding of the performance qualities that parametric technology can empower to a landscape design. Each illustration displays three different site analysis simulations of ‘Branion Plaza’ using an Project Description: experimental design approach. The purpose of these models is to illustrate the efficiencies of utilizing parametric modeling for creating landscape designs. The first scenario focuses on modelling the spatiality of a densely populated site using These images provide a conceptual understanding in proximity with each other and for designing a ‘voronoi diagram’. This scenario is beneficial for testing a site’s pedestrian capacity. The second model simulates a of the performance qualities that parametric for pedestrians toThis safely navigate scenario of social distancingspaces using a ‘voronoi diagraming’ approach. simulation is useful for through. understanding the spatial relationships of objects in proximity with each other and for designing spaces for pedestrians to safely navigate through. The technology can empower to a landscape design.

The third scenario simulates how to design for an third scenario simulates how to design for an open landscape using a ‘voronoi diagram’. This approach is useful creating an organic free flowing design.

The ‘voronoi’ design approach an understanding of the spatial relationship Each illustration displays three different site open landscape usingenhances a ‘voronoi diagram’ . This between hard and softscapes by promoting hybrid mosaics of unique geometries. Furthermore, these models provide a analysis simulations of ‘Branion Plaza’briefusing approach useful creating an organic overview of the abilities that parametricis modeling can perform.

The extraordinary designfree tool canflowing promote innovative contemporary designs that are versatile, in terms of being able to adapt and be manipulated quickly, and responsive to both an experimental design approach. The purpose design. The ‘voronoi’ design approach enhances human and environmental conditions.

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of these models is to illustrate the efficiencies an understanding of the spatial relationship Softwares: Rhinoceros3D, Grasshopper Script, Adobeby Photoshop and Illustrator of utilizing parametric modeling for creating between hard and softscapes promoting hybrid landscape designs. The first scenario focuses on mosaics of unique geometries. Furthermore, these modelling the spatiality of a densely populated models provide a brief overview of the abilities site using a ‘voronoi diagram’. This scenario is that parametric modeling can perform. The beneficial for testing a site’s pedestrian capacity. extraordinary design tool can promote innovative The second model simulates a scenario of social contemporary designs that are versatile, in terms distancing using a ‘voronoi diagramming’ of being able to adapt and be manipulated quickly, approach. This simulation is useful for and responsive to both human and environmental understanding the spatial relationships of objects conditions.

Scenario 1

Scenario 2

Scenario 3

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A Waterfront Revitalization Strategy for Parry Sound’s PostIndustrial Southern Waterfront Brennan Guse (3rd year MLA) Course: Thesis Advisor: Brendan Stewart

Project Description: As Parry Sound shifts from an industrial economy to a more tourist-based economy, many of the properties along the southern waterfront have become vacant industrial sites. Although the land along the southern waterfront is now zoned as marine and resort residential, there has been little investment in decades due to concerns about soil contamination and environmental degradation.

This research aims to develop a waterfront revitalization strategy for Parry Sound’s postindustrial southern waterfront. The methods include an understanding of contemporary

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landscape practices in master planning, an analysis of similar conditions in other communities and a comprehensive case study of the Town’s southern waterfront. Results propose a landscape-based approach using a phased development strategy that will restore the site to the point that it is attractive to development and contributes to community amenity. This will help the Town conceptualize the future of the southern waterfront and bring economic investment and improved environmental quality to the region.

Contours

Contours

Buildings

Buildings

Contours

Buildings

Buildings

1890s-1920s

Contours Contours

1890s-1920s

Contours

Buildings

Buildings

Contours

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1890s-1920s

Contours 1950s-1980s

1890s-1920s

2m Contour Intervals

2m Contour Intervals

Existing Buildings

Existing Buildings

1950s-1980s

Vacant Properties

Vacant Properties

Private and Public Properties Private and Public Properties

1950s-1980s

2m Contour Intervals

2m Contour Intervals

Existing Buildings

Existing Buildings

2020

2m Contour Intervals 2m Contour Intervals

Vacant Properties 1950s-1980s

Vacant Properties

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Existing Buildings

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Private and Public Properties Private and Public Properties

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Private and Public Properties Private and Public Properties

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2m Contour Intervals 2m Contour Intervals

Existing Buildings

Existing Buildings

2020

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Vacant Properties

2020 Vacant Industrial

Private and Public Properties Private and Public Properties

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Public Property

Public Property

Vacant Commercial

Vacant Commercial

Private Property

Private Property

Vacant Residential

Vacant Residential

Vacant Industrial

Vacant Industrial

Public Property

Public Property

Vacant Commercial

Vacant Commercial

Private Property

Private Property

VacantResidential Industrial Vacant

Vacant Vacant Industrial Residential

Public Property

Public Property

Vacant Commercial

Vacant Commercial

Private Property

Private Property

Vacant Residential

Vacant Residential

Vacant Industrial

Vacant Industrial

Public Property

Public Property

Vacant Commercial

Vacant Commercial

Private Property

Private Property

Vacant Residential

Vacant Residential

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By focusing on landscape features in earlier phases of development, the site will be able to attract buildings in later phases. This allows the opportunity to set up desirable conditions to attract future investment. A landscape based approach also emphases vegetative succession, waterfront access, community amenity and stewardship on the land. This approach works well

for Parry Sound’s southern waterfront since the site is heavily fragmented with different property owners, landscape features and contamination, therefore a fixed timeline would not be well suited for the site. Instead, a phased development strategy can provide a flexible approach for revitalization efforts.

5 yrs Phasing Strategy Acquire Shoreline Access Initial planting of public lands Remediate brownfield sites Recreational/ park spaces Naturalize the shoreline Remove invasive species Acquire properties for sale Acquire brownfield properties Acquire private properties Initial planting of access agreement lands Primary trail network Access/recreation at key waterfront nodes Initial planting of private/ brownfield lands Interpretation opportunities Buildings/ infrastructure on remediated sites Secondary trail network Art/ cultural opportunities Water quality/ level monitoring Buildings/ infrastructure on public lands Buildings/ infrastructure on private lands

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Planting Environmental Land Acquisition Trail Network Buildings/ Infrastructure Cultural

Phase 1

15 yrs Phase 2

25 yrs Phase 3

1890

1950

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2030

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Notes on Tape // Tatiana Zakharova April 13, 2020

I am finding myself, these days, with the need

to date-stamp my writing, because the current situation, which on a personal scale of days seems to drag on, on a broader scale rapidly changes in directions I cannot foresee.

For the past several weeks, as I have been slowly labouring through school assignments and work projects in the isolation of my home office, I have been doing so under the directive to self isolate along with my immediate family.

Although this is not the most stringent limitation that a government can put forward (it could, for example, invoke the Emergencies Act and issue an order to shelter-in-place), it nonetheless draws our attention to place as, at the very least, a necessity for practicing the required safety precautions and responsibilities of a citizen.

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My place of writing has always been my home office, but have I been so used to its comforts that I have easily accepted a simple view of this place as a luxurious retreat, failing to see the multiple enactments that are converging here. In quarantine, these can no longer be overlooked.

Aided by technology, entering are the calls from family members living elsewhere, the constant selfafflicted flow of news reports, and messages from concerned friends and colleagues, turning me into a different kind of writer – more anxious and far less assured of the contributions that my own work can offer the world. When you are not looking for a COVID 19 cure, are unable to 3D print face shields for medical workers, and have no sewing skills for mask-making, is there a point? The little thinking I do is piecemealed as my children, free of school for the foreseeable future, put forth

a million “why” questions or act out dramatic performances of not getting along. I move around books stacked on the desk and bookshelves, organizing and making space for more – but I won’t need it as the libraries are closed and delivery services prioritize necessities.

I am living the realization that there is no such a thing as a rational self that always knows, and that I cannot rely on thinking to pull myself from a situation in a manner of Baron Munchhausen.

I also know that despite whatever sorrow and anxiety I am feeling, this place I am in is also a place of settler privilege. The virus has not changed that. I can stay away from inequities lived by those who cannot afford to shelter, or cannot afford a shelter.

One evening, when I cannot not take the slow and ever-so-distracted reading and thinking in this room that has apparently never been just my own, I ventured out to a local park. Accessing the space has been made difficult with roads blocked.

Still, I leave the car on the street and transgress. A playground designer breaking the rules, sneaking into a park at sunset – this is new.

I stand close to a border that keeps in the safety surfacing and watch the space. It’s empty of children, yes, but it’s not lifeless. The wind rocks the swings back and forth, and pulls on the caution tape that has been wrapped around the equipment.

In a desperate sudden tug, it unravels one end of the tape and throws it into the air. The tape hurls, spasms, yanks at the knot that keeps it from getting away, all in a rhythmic dance, hitting the ground and rising up, wrapping itself around my feet like a giant tentacle plotting to drag me down; or a dog doing a happy dance now that her person is home?

Perhaps neither. The analogies are too simplistic,

wishing to reduce this act of being to a singularly theatrical moment. Instead, this is an ongoing convergence of plastics, fears, winds, politics, viruses, transgressions, curiosities. Playgrounds have long been the manifestations of protection of innocence of childhood, maintained in separation from the “real world”. But the binary that humans have created and worked so hard to maintain has been rendered, overnight, an impossibility – the virus doesn’t care for boundaries we set up: be those international borders or edges of a playground. The plastic tape that weaves in and out of the plastic equipment tenses with reverberation of a musical string, sags as the wind subsides, and a moment later is thrown into tension once more, and again, and again, and again.

What I am learning, perhaps, in these days of the pandemic is that tension not only cannot be resolved, it cannot be ignored. As Ted T. Aoki

writes, “to be alive is to live in tension; that, in fact, it is the tensionality that allows good thoughts and actions to arise when properly tensioned chords are struck, and that tensionless strings are not only unable to give voice to song, but also unable to allow a song to be sung” (2005, 162).

As I return to my home, I try to capture the tensed play of wind and tape with thread and paper. As I work, the news pile up, with everything that is the “old normal” now in question of “when” or “if ”: research, design projects, construction permits, conferences, classes. I don’t have the answers of how things will be, but I want to spend time thinking about what kind of designer and writer I am becoming in-between the moments of what was planned and hoped for, and what is and will be.

I wish to resist, following a call put forward by Alexis Shotwell (2020) to “speed-up as a response to the pandemic”, but to dwell in questions. Who does the experience of staying in the closed park, and the wind and that tape obligate me to be? How do I acknowledge, in my work, the fragility or even impossibility of human-imposed boarders?

What will my work become when I see that the happenings of these past weeks can only be called a “violation” if I take an exclusively human perspective, and that they are otherwise a way for life to be, for the world to make itself.

References: Shotwell, A. (2020, April 10). On not writing about what we love. Blog. https://alexisshotwell.com/2020/04/10/on-notwriting-about-what-we-love/ Pinar, W. & Irwin, R. (Eds.) (2005). Curriculum in a New Key: The collected World of Ted T. Aoki. Mahweh, NJ: Erlbaum.

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Student Development

Kyle Chan

(2nd year BLA)

1st year: Perspective Project - Village of Yorkville Park LARC*2020 Design Studio Instructors: Nadia Amoroso & Nathan Perkins Student : Kyle Chan

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2nd year: Serial Vision - Old Quebec Street Shoppes, Downtown Guelph LARC*3050 Urban Design Studio Instructors: Larry B. Harder & Martin Holland Student : Kyle Chan

2n LA In St

Hillary Cudmore (1st year BLA) Lake Louise Banff My first year in the BLA program was filled with the best moments, the greatest projects, and meeting amazing new friends. I got to dive into the world of graphic design and explore the endless world that is Adobe Photoshop. I created a piece for my second semester studio class that currently is, and probably always will be, one of the things I can say I am most proud of. It is a digital perspective portrait collage that I created from one of my sketches based on Lake Louise in Banff, Canada. I have never been there, but there is something about the striking blue water that has always drawn me to it. The striking colour of the lake water is so distinct that I wanted the piece to be completely recognizable to anyone’s eye.

After working with Photoshop on a project this detailed, my perception of what Photoshop ‘really is’ has changed. I now not only see it is a tool I can use to express myself and my creativity, but a platform that has endless possibilities with the most magnificent outcomes.

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Yumeng Sun

(2nd year BLA)

First Year (LARC*1100) Design and Communications Studio Assignment: Perspectives By: Yumeng Sun

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Second Year (LARC*3050) Urban Design Studio Assignment: Serial Visions By: Yumeng Sun

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The HIVE Team: Grace Christie, Tomas Cortes, Jacob Gorveatt, Winona Khuu, Evelyn Yang Project: Come Alive Outside Design Competition

Project Description: The Hive is a playground redesign proposal that intends to capture the spirit of Archbishop O’Sullivan Catholic School (AOS) in Kingston, Ontario. Using honeycombs and a hexagonal form system, the hive celebrates and plays off the school’s mascot, the stinger. The engagement of the AOS community was critical in deducing elements and programming that inspire, excite and challenge all ages of students. Our design aims to incorporate outdoor learning through native planting and habitat promotion, along with other goals involving drainage management, physical activity promotion and practical phasing.

The school yard was divided into six zones with

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objectives specific to different age groups, student requests and environmental parameters. The multisport court can convert into the annual community ice rink. The surface is surrounded by a pathway that functions as a track and a connection between the tarmac and entry points.

Entry points are highlighted by large hexagon archways. A series of hexagonal log steppers integrated into a sequence of obstacles and seating provides fluidity from kindergarten (the honeycomb) through primary (pollination station) and into the forested main area (the stingers nest).

The obstacles become increasingly more difficult while linking all age groups through their unified evolution as students throughout their time at AOS.

Discovery Play, Wrapping Education in Nature Team: Shannon Dore, Lea Gagnon, Mirangiz Hamidullah, Jacob Tempan, Xinyi Zhao Project: Come Alive Outside Design Competition

Project Description: With this project, we have used the theme of Nature as our inspiration, drawing the students and teachers to interact with the natural habitat, appealing to the five senses, and encouraging habitat for birds, pollinators, and small mammals. The plan incorporates native, droughtresistant planting throughout the site providing unity and including all the senses. Some of the play elements proposed are climbing teepees for varied ages, live domes for quiet play, nature, and shelter. These features have been used throughout the school grounds, which also provides unity and a way to incorporate nature with play. By using simple materials and cost-effective approaches, the plan has addressed some of the areas of concern and provided varied play and educational opportunities. This design addresses the entire site through five phases, working with the existing features and natural areas.

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Memory’s Edge Team: James Hughes, Gabriel Boucher, Elizabeth Bray, Siena Turnbull, Devon Kleinjan, Natassya Lu, Amanda Passero, James Lamb Project: Vimy Design Competition

Project Description: The Vimy Design Competition was open to all Canadian students of a recognized university in the programs of Landscape Architecture, Architecture, Industrial Design and Fine Arts.

The competition was organized by the Vimy Foundation a Canadian charity that works to preserve and promote Canada’s First World War history. Teams were invited to submit design proposals for a water feature to be located at the Vimy Foundation Centennial Park in France, a park adjacent to the Vimy Ridge Memorial.

Along with a 3-D concept Illustration of the proposed water feature teams were also asked to create a full construction package and specifications for their designs. After five phases of the competition involving written proposals, budget amendments and presentations to the selection jury the University of Guelph’s submission Memory’s Edge was selected as a finalist.

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Memoryscape Team: Evan Wrigley, James Lamb, and Jingyi Yang (3 year BLA) Project: OSSGA Design Competition Project Description: In our short time on this planet, humans have quickly altered the appearance and function of natural systems and ultimately, the existence of all flora and fauna.

Biotic and abiotic elements have been relied on as natural resources. Often, this relationship between the resources extracted and how they are used in the built environment is hidden from plain view.

The proposed conceptual design is framed within the idea of a Memoryscape; where time and space are fused in the grounded memories of place. In order to foster stewardship within the general public, transparent use of resources should be presented in accessible and immersive ways. Offering an opportunity for visitors to engage with, and learn from, the past and present landscape. The earth is one connected, living organism and memories are forever present in whatever form we shape it. Even the smallest grain of sand used in glass and concrete or stuck between a child’s fingers, carries the memories of where it came from. Overall, Memoryscape hopes to create a sustainable, featurerich environment where transparency, innovation and community engagement with the landscape, are rooted in a strong sense of place.

UPLAND

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1:2000 (meters)

RIPARIAN EDGE

A transparent gallery wall within the discovery center provides a glimpse into the various layers of earth that have been exposed and extracted throughout the site’s operations.

The amphitheatre, a place for presentation and events, as well as providing an elevated view of the beach and surrounding lake area. The wall surrounding the stage is composed of rammed earth layers to enhance the audio quality of the space.

NATIVE MEADOW

BOTTOM LAND

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Award Winners Team: Jack Mosquite and Emil Kovacevic Project: Brains and Brawn Design Competition

Competition Description: Fourth year Bachelor of Landscape Architecture students, Jack Mosquite and Emil Kovacevic were participants and award winners from the Brains and Brawn Design Challenge hosted

by The Concussion Legacy Foundation of Canada (CLF) and iBoost Zone. The design challenge was a 24-hour event hosted by Ryerson University from February 7th to 8th with participants encompassing of teams competing from various South Ontario Universities. The design hacks ultimate goal was to produce and present a concept and prototype of a solution for minimizing and avoiding physical contact in youth sports with an emphasis on concussion prevention. In competition with engineering, kinesiology and business students, Jack and Emil were the only ones who came with a design background and mindset. This ended up being their strength making them and their idea stand out from the competition. Jack and Emil worked continuously through the entire 24-hour period and produced and presented an idea which earned them the major prize of the competition.

Following the 24-hour design competition, participants had one month to refine their ideas and resubmit for a fellowship opportunity under the CFL which was awarded to 4 participants.

Jack and Emil were one of the four lucky winners of the fellowship and now are conducting research for the CFL and have the opportunity to develop their initial idea with the support from both the CFL and iBoots.

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Emil Kovacevic (BLA student); Samantha Bureau (of the Concussion Legacy Foundation); and Jack Mosquite (BLA student).

Jack Mosquite (BLA student); Brian Bulcke (an organizer of the Brains and Brawn Design Challenge); and Emil Kovacevic (BLA student).

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Photo Submissions

Growth occurs in all areas of life and landscape architecture.

This year Studio V was interested in cataloguing your experiences of growth.

This year’s photo submission contest was centered around the theme of growth. Submissions could include all expressions of growth: personal growth, plant growth, overgrowth, etc.

We received a number of entries and thank all those who participated. Thanks for sharing your expressions of growth with us!

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Photo By // Dean Sadeh

Rice Terrace in Bali // Siena Turnbull

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Top: “Natural” Selection // Carly Balestra Bottom: Save our Earth // Dean Sadeh

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Photo By // Dean Sadeh Ankor Wat - Cambodia// Siena Turnbull

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Photo By // Amir Sadeghiesfahani

Resilience // Emma Kirk

Personal Growth // Carly Balestra

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Congratulations to all students and graduates of the SEDRD Programs at the University of Guelph!

Visit the OALA website to learn about membership options, access resources, job postings and upcoming events.

Membership is free for all students studying landscape architecture in Ontario.

oala_on

www.oala.ca

Interview: Prof. Steven Clarke // Quinn Howard

Steven Clarke, BCSLA, CSLA, is an

Assistant Professor and Coordinator for Landscape Architecture Community Outreach in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) at the University of Guelph. In addition to his role with SEDRD, he is a Core Team Member and Advisor to Globally We Design (GloWD), a global thought-leadership initiative exploring new design thinking, practice, and processes to confront critical issues facing humanity at large. Steven has a passion for design education and has been recognized for his outstanding teaching and dedication by the University of British Columbia SEEDS Program and University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) Creates.

A licensed landscape architect in British Columbia, Steven’s professional experience spans almost 25 years in design with a regional and global portfolio of projects in Canada, the United States, China, and Greece. A selected range of built works include the Queen Elizabeth Park Plaza, Vancouver, Village at Baytowne Wharf, Florida, and Evolution Phase I & II, Calgary’s East Village. He is one of the original contributors to the agricultural urbanism movement, defined in the book, Agricultural Urbanism: Handbook for Building Sustainable Food Systems in 21st Century Cities; he contributed to the development of the sponsored app, Vancouver Trees; and is the Project Landscape Architect for the Iklaina Archaeological Project in Greece. His strength is his ability to bring diverse groups together 51

to promote a shift towards regenerative and resilient communities through collaborative research, design, and action.

Prior to joining the University of Guelph, he served as the Director of the UNLV Downtown Design Center (DDC) in Las Vegas, Nevada where he established the first multidisciplinary, grant-funded studio programme at the School of Architecture. His award-winning work at the DDC included The HUNDRED Plan for the Historic Westside Community, a neighbourhood plan that is meant to capture the community’s voice and adopted by City Council to guide the area’s socio- and economic future. While in Las Vegas, he served as the UNLV Liaison for the ASLA Nevada Chapter and was appointed by Las Vegas City Council to the Citizens Advisory Committee for the Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency, where in his final term, he served as Chair. Steven is a graduate of the Environmental Design and Landscape Architecture programs at the University of Manitoba, holding a Bachelor of Environmental Design and a Master of Landscape Architecture.

A new face in the landscape architecture

faculty, we took some time to sit down with Assistant Professor and Coordinator for Landscape Architecture Community Outreach Steven Clarke to inquire about his transition to the University of Guelph and un-earth some little known facts about our new professor.

Name one thing about yourself that might come as a surprise to students.

I’m the project landscape architect for an archaeological project in Greece. The Iklaina Archaeological Project (IKAP) was recently named one of the top five Greek archaeological discoveries of the decade, with the finding of a Linear B tablet, the earliest known written text found in Europe. I’ve been involved in the project since 2000, and currently exploring the notion of the site being converted into a living archaeological park.

What has been the biggest challenge for you in your transition to UofG? One incredible aspect of our program is its sizable student body. Addressing large classes has presented my biggest challenge — I’ve really had to rethink how I could be an effective educator in the allotted time I have to teach.

My teaching experiences to date have typically been studios ranging between 10-25 students.

A big component of my teaching technique has been through mentoring and one-on-one critiques of a student’s design process and work.

With the larger class, I can’t engage in a 20-30 minute critique with one student, but only 3-4 minutes, which simply does allow enough time for meaningful discussion. As a result, I’ve had to adjust the way I engage with a larger class size by focusing on lecturing and structuring group projects and critiques. This way, I’m able to create efficiencies in time and be able to provide mentorship at a team level.

Iklaina Site // Steven Clarke

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What did you dream of becoming as a child? Are on your current dream path?

My story begins with LEGO. As a kid, I designed and built fantastic cities and places.

I had always dreamed about becoming an architect. Eventually, through architecture school, I discovered landscape architecture.

The depth of scale and context of this relatively young profession caught my imagination. The more I was exposed to landscape architecture, the more I was drawn to it. A second-year undergraduate studio with the late Garry Hilderman and a summer internship at his firm, Hilderman Thomas Frank Cram, that stretched into three years of employment established a clear career path for me as a landscape architect. Since then, I’ve gone on to complete significant projects in Canada, the United States, and China, working with a number of world class design professionals. By evolving into an educator with a background in creative practice, I have been able to bring my award-winning expertise back to the classroom to share with students. I have to say I feel lucky with my professional experiences and relationships in the field…you might say “I’m living the dream!”

How do you feel about changing program demands - such as the increased need for digital literacy and bridging gaps between school curricula and employment requirements?

These are issues that have always been part of my experiences as a student, practitioner, and educator so you have no choice but to adapt to survive the challenges that may arise.

For example, when it comes to the demands of understanding computer applications, I’ve observed through my career that software evolves and changes all the time. Upon the completion of a major commission three years ago, I reflected on the project — a mixed-use development in Calgary’s East Village that took over five years to design and construct, which is typical for a project of that scale. Looking at the 53

construction drawings, it was the first time that I felt that the digital methods for doing the drawings had become outdated by project completion. I had completed projects that had longer timelines, so this was intriguing to me as I had never observed multiple jumps in software technology through the life of a project. As a result, I tend to see these challenges as opportunities to improve in my career.

One piece of design advice you keep returning to?

It was my first year in architecture school and I had hit a bit of roadblock with my studio project. After a discussion with my studio critic, he disappeared into his office and returned only to hand me a video and say, “this should help.” I took the video home that night and watched it — a documentary entitled Portrait of an Artist: Eduardo Chillida. I remember watching the video and seeing imagery of the sculptor’s work and then he proclaimed, “the magic is in the material.” This resonated with me, and in that moment, I learned the importance of understanding and using materials to inform design decisions. None of his work would have been possible had he not understood the material he shaped. I realized I had been designing without understanding the opportunities of the materials I was considering.

To this day, I always return to this advice.

QE Plaza Day to Night // Steven Clarke

QE Plaza // Steven Clarke 54

Edge Berg East Bayfront Mirangiz Hamidullah, Xinyi Zhao, Nathaniel Hannemann and Avneet Hayer (4th year BLA) Course: LARC* 3070 Urban/ Community Design Studio Instructor: Nadia Amoroso & Shirley Hall

Project Description: Edgeberg strives to be a community that focuses on bringing the waterfront to the people whilst maintaining a strong connection to the landmarks of Toronto. In its current state, the waterfront as well as the adjacent lands, portray a disconnection from the people. In order to overcome this, Edgeberg proposes an ecologically centered design integrated along the waterfront

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to create a seamless transition from the water to a more urbanized settlement. Using many design principles illustrated in design precedents, this site will demonstrate a pedestrian oriented community feel with various public spaces for people to take advantage of. The blocks are designed in predominantly edgy and irregular polygon shapes to draw a strong contrast against the grid system of Toronto and were derived from extending lines from existing landmarks of Toronto; CN Tower, Distillery District, Eaton Center and Dundas, to

name a few. This community will also include elements of sustainability in building designs through green roofs, grey water systems and better transit opportunities to promote urban lifestyle and sustainable transportation.

Edgeberg will be a community that is made for the people with an innovative public realm and interesting building facades so that people all over the GTA and others can enjoy the spectacular waterfront to its fullest potential.

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Empathy: A Dive into Emotional Design Jack Mosquite (4th year BLA) Course: LARC* 4510 Honours Thesis Instructor: Nate Perkins

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Project Description:

Thesis abstract:

As an aspiring designer, I want my works to create a story, a message, a feeling and connect with everyone. I view design as a living breathing organism that embodies our everyday lives, we interact with it every day. Design has interested me since my first Tech Design course in grade nine and after years of continued studies, I finally have knowledge of my own to contribute.

Through my studies as a designer I have gained a new perspective on how our works can influence millions of lives. I have written my thesis to challenge all designers to see if their works make people feel something. My thesis will explain how I think we need to design and how important our jobs are.

Design is meant to be more than just a physical connection, it’s meant to evoke emotion. It is important to understand how people connect with a space if we are to be effective as professionals whom not only create functional places but memorable and meaningful places. This poses the question, does the general public empathize with a landscape? This thesis will assess and evaluate existing landscapes and public areas based off the concept of empathy. The goal is to understand how designers can better evoke emotion through their works to inspire and connect with the whole of society. Ultimately, a finer understanding of human connections and emotions to enhance landscape design.

Photos included are from Mosquite’s thesis.

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A Bug’s Life Amanda Passero, Justin Luth, and Daisy Reid (3rd year BLA) Course: LARC* 3060 Landscape Architecture II Instructor: Kendall Flower

Project Description:

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Introducing “A Bug’s Life,” an innovative proposal for the Ayr Pit rehabilitation. Through intentional site design and intervention, this design encapsulates the essence of childlike curiosity and appreciation for the natural world. The overall tone of the design is conveyed through a number of design elements. Meandering trail and boardwalk routes along differing topographies evoke adventure by slowly revealing different sights and vistas, urging the user to continue on to see what’s next. Large corten steel sculptural elements distort the visual reality of the space, while bringing attention to various native and at-risk insect species. The use of regionally appropriate rehabilitation methods creates an ecologically rich landscape, providing various educational opportunities. The Ayr Pit is situated

in a context of bedroom communities with a dense population of young families. The “A Bug’s Life” site serves as an educational adventure park that allows visitors to conceptualize a reality in which bugs live larger than people.

The project title “A Bug’s Life” further conveys a reality where the human is merely an observer, and a counterpart in another being’s lifecycle.

Furthermore, the inclusion of an education centre and amphitheatre-style outdoor classroom provide space for school groups to visit the site.

The study of endangered species, animal life cycles, and understanding features of animals like insects is a core portion of the Ontario Elementary Curriculum’s Grade 2 Science learning objectives. This site provides a valuable opportunity for the many surrounding schools to take what is learned in the classroom and experience it hands-on.

Reflections from a first year MLA // Caitlyn Weir hands-on experience, a mix of course work and research thesis, the combination of art and science, and the ability to build on my previous degree of environmental science and gender and women studies. It seemed perfect which made me think it was too good to be true. When I got my acceptance letter, I sat on my couch and cried. I hadn’t realized how badly I wanted to go to school, how desperately my subconscious had latched onto the idea of being a landscape architect. I was looking for a change, and boy were things going to change. I had agency in my life again. I was going back to school.

Two years ago, I didn’t know what landscape

architecture was, all I knew was I needed a change.

Over the course of a few years, I had worked up to a full-time job as a clerk in the provincial hospital system. It came with health benefits, a steady schedule, a livable wage, everything I needed in a job. But it also came with burnout, a hell of a lot of burnout. My spouse and I were coming out of survival mode after the sudden death of his parents. We were peeking around the corner to a brighter future, but day in and day out all I saw was a countdown. A countdown to the end of the workday, to the weekend, to vacation. Some of my coworkers were counting down twenty or more years until their retirement. I had to ask myself, did I really want to spend my time wishing my days away? I had to admit to myself that I wasn’t happy, that I needed more than job stability. And so the search for a career began.

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I mailed my application into the MLA program on the day it was due, doubting my decision every step of the way. On paper, landscape architecture fit my requirements in a master program: a professional degree with the opportunity for

It had been several years since I graduated from my degree at Dalhousie and I was confident I was prepared to go back to university. I packed a bag, left my spouse and dogs at home in Nova Scotia, and hopped on a plane to Guelph. I was determined to make the most of my time back in school with big plans outlined in endless lists.

First on the list, check out orientation. Free food and coffee drew me in as it had in my first degree, but there was also the dreaded small talk and a crowd of people. Sifting through the sea of eager faces with name tags of different programs, I spot someone with MLA on their name tag. A liferaft of common interest in the form of my first classmate, Stuart. Quickly, other first year MLA’s joined us and we begin to get to know each other.

A lot of us are a long way from home, away from loved ones for the first time. And so, our journey together begins.

I had survived my undergraduate degree, so I told myself going back shouldn’t be so hard. Oh my lanta, was I wrong. Coming back to school for an MLA was more intimidating than expected. I was alone for the first time in years, my support network of friends and spouse were back home in the Maritimes. I had set a goal of maintaining a

balance of schoolwork and free time, but free time felt isolating, so I spent more and more time in studio. I knew if I wasn’t careful, I would slip back into those dark days I had worked so hard to leave behind. So I did what my Granna Wood always did and brought people together. I found the other people far from home and invited myself over to cook dinner with them. We prioritized cooking together once a week and soon we drank wine and played boardgames, listened to each other’s worries, and laughed together.

We eventually became a unit, inviting in others who felt that same loneliness I felt in the early days, those who needed support. We had become friends.

My friends are what guided me through my first year MLA. I was confident I would grasp the material and concepts, but my classmates make it a joy to come to studio. We each brought something a little different to the program and put them into our communal pot of resources of perspectives, skills, and experiences.

I come from a science background, so the design portion is a huge learning curve. With Nadia, Karen and Martin as our studio professors as well as the critiques from my peers, I began to develop my skills from doodles and crafts to something resembling

Photos By // Caitlyn Weir

graphic communication. I still have so much to learn and practice, but it’s exciting to see the foundation being built. Much to my chagrin, I found out that I’m actually quite good at understanding grading. I did my first year of undergrad in engineering, perhaps I was too hasty in changing programs? My spouse and our chosen family are all mechanical engineers and through laughter they tell me that they’re starting to rub off on me. I assure them that they’re just bad influences.

Our first year seems to fly by. We redesign Yorkville Park, consult Cowbell Brewing for a food forest addition to their site, design an outdoor space for dementia patients at Yee Hong, among many presentations, papers and reports. I miss my spouse and dogs dearly, but I’m invigorated by the learning.

After years of survival mode, I have rekindled my passion and feel a direction in life. I feel homesick from time to time, but my friends are quick to bring me cookies and empathize. My designs are far from perfect, but I continue to learn and grow under the guidance of my professors and my peers. Going back to school has been one of the hardest things I’ve had to do, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

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Animation Sonia Jin (1st year MLA) Course: LARC* 6030 Landscape Architecture Studio III Instructor: Martin Holland Project Description: ‘Animation’ is a conceptual landscape architecture project aimed at re-designing a geriatric care centre for Asian-Canadians in Toronto, Canada. The scope of the project includes a raised terrace and an entry-level garden. The terrace features a barrier-free community gardening area, where residents can grow anything from the foods that are reminiscent of their homes, to flowers they can gift to visiting family members. The terrace also features a covered recreational/crafts area, as well as a physical activity zone. A quiet contemplation area features comfortable seating centred around a bubbling water feature. Meanwhile, the entry-level garden is planted with a cultural-sensitive selection of trees, shrubs and perennials, including a cherry blossom tree, yellow grove bamboo, rhododendrons and wisteria. There are plenty of opportunities for both physical and mental stimulation and learning on both sites.

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My inspiration for the project was drawn from a documentary film centred around the phenomena that surrounds Okinawa. The island, located off the coast of mainland Japan, holds the largest concentration of centenarians in the world. The inhabitants of the island credited their longevity to a healthy lifestyle, which includes nutritious food, routine work and exercise as well as regular social interactions with their friends and families.

Retirement is a foreign concept.

It was my intention to adapt this lifestyle, centred around the idea of kaizen - continuous improvement and learning, into a tangible idea for the geriatric care centre.

A weekly activity schedule offers classes ranging from gentles exercise such as yoga, tai chi and meditation, to more active sports such as Zumba, Wing Chun and traditional Chinese dance classes. Animation also offers mental and spiritual learning opportunities via literature classes, calligraphy and board games, including majong and chess. Few things can engage the senses more than a little bit a friendly competition. Seasonal activities such as lantern-painting, wonton-making and ping pong tournaments will provide the opportunity for the residents of the care home to engage in fun activities alongside their friends, families and caregivers. The idea of intergenerational activities is central to the concept of animation. Engaging in fun activities with the younger generation will remind the residents that they are still loved and important, despite their advanced age. Aging in a care home can easily become an isolating experience.

It is my intention to create an environment where continuous growth – physical, mental and spiritual - will allow the residents to retain their physical and cognitive senses for as long as possible.

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Gmail - Matthew Canaran, MLA 1 - Submission

Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care Gmail - Matthew Canaran, MLA 1 - Submission

l - Matthew Canaran, MLA 1 - Submission

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Gmail - Matthew Canaran, MLA 2020-04-20, 6(55 PM

Studio Vantage <studiovguelph@

Matthew Canaran, MLA 1 - Submission

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Matthew Canaran, MLA 1 - Submission To: "studioVGUELPH@gmail.com" <studioVGUELPH@gmail.com>

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https://mail.google.com/mail/u/3?ik=9a7d4779b7&view=pt&search=…msg-f%3A1664265297253865716&simpl=msg-a%3Ar124148762828409397

https://mail.google.com/mail/u

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Patchwork: Cowbell Food Forest Steven Shuttle (1st year MLA) Course: LARC* 6040 Landscape Architecture Studio IV Instructor: Karen Landman

Project Description: The purpose of this project was to design a food forest that shared a down to earth Cowbell Brewing experience through sustainable, meaningful and local flavours in the Huron County landscape. The planting design included master planning to achieve client goals while growing ecological and cultural value within the landscape. Five objectives were developed, including: Aspire - celebrate and better understand local agriculture and ecology; Connect - demonstrate and encourage natural processes and ecologies; Gather - create relaxing and inclusive social spaces for all ages and abilities; Renew - foster sustainability within and relationships to the landscape; and Share - strengthen relationships to local food sources and native plants.

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The Forgotten Year // Emma Kirk

As much as we might like to forget about this past year for

all the challenges it has brought, it is important to celebrate the accomplishments that were made. Studio V can be seen as a celebratory collection of the determination exhibited by students at the University of Guelph. 2020 brought many challenges, but the work that was created by the BLAs and MLAs alike has continued to flourish.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to thank our teachers and leaders who have guided us throughout this uncertain time while they too were feeling uncertain themselves. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to celebrate our community for the strength and creativity they have shared. I am very grateful for my experience here at the University of Guelph. As much as this may be a year many of us will try to forget, it will absolutely be remembered.

To my cohort, MLA 21â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, thank you for your guidance, support, and most of all your friendship.

Photos By // Emma Kirk

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