The Transformation of Beaver Wetland Overtime

from Ge_Yubing_2023

02 | Invention of Beaver's River

Waterfront Park along Delaware River Summer 2021 Individual work

Instructor: Karen M'Closkey

"Our cultural ideal of the stream as a thin blue line is so different from the streams where beavers live: wide and sinuous, with irregular emergent zones."

--- Stacy Passmore, 2019

Beavera are Nature's Engineers

The riverbanks along Delaware River are in poor condition. The intensive river flow, which corroded riverbank, along with 6 ft everyday tidal change force the concrete use of bank.

After decades of disappearing, beavers come back to Philadelphia recently. As nature's splendid engineers, all they need are plenty of trees and water to bring life back to any dead place, and bring river back to all.

So, can we imagine tearing down walls and fences to live with other species?

Study Models

Existing

Opportunity Sites for Beaver along Delaware River

After beaver land: Iterative Early Design and Grading

Living With Beavers: A Plaza As Middle Zone

The amphitheater plaza facing the Delaware river serves as a middle zone between human activity and beavers. Between the two islands with so close elevation change, it creates a shallow pond area, which could be ideal for the beaver’s habitat in the first place, with calm water and abundant food reserve.

After Beaver Land: Islands As Beaver Habitats

Walking on the bridge, visitors are surrounded by islands as beavers' habits. With different topography and edge conditions of each island, they provide a diversified environment for beavers. Some of the islands allow being drowned with water-resistant plants.

03 | Design + Build: Community Engagement

Design Community Space for New Freedom District

Spring 2023 | Group work

Instructor: Aaron Booher, Anni Pan, Farasha Zaman & David Seiter

New Freedom District - Gateway and Lex Garden

To honor the living heritage and memorize the historical meaning of this area, we collaborate with PennPraxis to facilitate the future of the New Freedom District, West Philadelphia. Studio+ proposes the plan for the current vacant lots at Lancaster Ave & Lex St, aiming to build the first public space in this community. Dignifying the area and reinforcing the identity is the goal, we listened to the community and dedicate to the community.

After 4 weeks design and iterations by the whole studio, and 2 weeks of construction by students, the garden open to all the residents and public at May 4th 2023.

A Just & Resilient Transboundary Region for a Submerging Netherlands Summer 2022 Research Assistant | PennPraxis

Instructors: Matthijs Bouw, Simon Richter

Move with the Flow

The low-lying regions of the Netherlands are facing the danger of accelerating sea level rise nowadays and more. Naturally, there are a lot of plans going on on the West side of the Netherlands trying to protect the lands and keep up with the water defense system. But what if we consider the 'Retreat' plan and include the East side of the country, even beyond the borderline, taking Germany into consideration? What if we make room for the sea and look into the opportunities of the East?

In this early stage of the project, I'm looking into the region along the Dutch-German border and mapping the cultural, physical, and social attributes there. And to seek the possibilities of developing a new mage-region along the border area.

The Assemblage: Ink Rubbings of Barks and Fallen Leaves

05 | Garden of Duration: the Time of Trees

Garden at Hangzhou Botanical Garden, China Spring 2021 | Individual work

Instructor: Misako Murata

Two Durations of Tree's Life

Located at Hangzhou Botanical Garden, I saw the forest coming through winter to spring. Walking off the trail and steping on the piles of fallen leaves, the touch of tree is fascinating.

Trees with two durations at sametime, the seasonality and whole growing cycle of trees. Trees together as a forest is a mega-organism, the migration happened slowly but firmly. Finally, we let nature work and let garden grow out of it.