Landscape Architecture Commons^™

Living With Mega-Cavity, Ankang Xu

Masters Theses

With the future depletion of mineral resource, huge quarry pits will be remained in many areas in Massachusetts. They are like vast “scars” laying beside the urban fabric which create a sense of “urban sublime”. They exist abhorrently but definitely have significant influence on the region at many levels, such as ecology, hydrology, economy and society. Moreover, the abandoned mine pits have become a global environmental issue. How to deal with these “scars” will be a vital topic in the future.

In phase 1, the researcher focused on the study of quarries in Massachusetts and the recognition of “Urban Sublime” …

We Can Host! : Preparing Miami's Neighborhoods For An Amphibious Future, Dongning Huang

Masters Theses

HOST is a thesis investigation that seeks to understand the impact that rising water levels will have on the city of Miami. This investigation will take place within the larger context of global sea level rise and will examine a variety of events including flooding and hurricanes. The goal of the work is to promote a conversation about the types of adaptive strategies that can be applied to Miami, how they can be applied, and how to visualize the dynamic of the impact of rising water levels so that the people who live in, work in, or visit Miami will …

Living With Impoundment, Chuxiong Feng

Masters Theses

This research-based thesis uses Miami as a site to investigate how landscape intervention can contribute to adaptation to sea level rise (SLR) and shifts it will bring to this region in the future. The whole thesis is divided into three phases and each phase has specific objectives and builds foundations for research and experiments in the next phase.

Phase One: Possible Future of Freshwater Wetlands in Miami Depict a full picture of the impact that sea level rise has had and will have on the city of Miami with particular emphasis on wetlands. The investigations include overlaying sea level rise …

Providence Productivity Framework : Ideas For A Network Of Sites Rethinking Productivity In Providence, Patricia Noto

Masters Theses

This thesis attempts to answer the broad question: “How can designers have a role in creating or enhancing productive systems in cities?”

The focus is on rethinking the function of public and quasi-public space with the aim of building inclusiveness, ecological diversity, and productivity. The project explores the meaning of productivity and works to push the defi nition of urban productivity to include but also extend beyond community gardens. For example, a productive city might include a network of agroforestry sites, sites being remediated so that they can grow food in the future, a nursery on a capped brownfi eld …

Me Too Park : Inform, Connect, Heal, Xiao Chen

Masters Theses

This project creates an urban sublime experience at an abandoned railroad in order to foster a reflection and healing experience in terms of sexual violence. The big strategy is evoking an urban sublime in the landscape as a bridge to inform, to connect and to heal. The experiment of physical actions to materials and how that could achieve the sublime experience above is also addressed.

In Phase I, the investigation focuses on the definition of sublime and what the sublime is using for. Literature review, site analysis, interviews and experiments are done to clarify the relationship between sexual violence, site …

City In / Above Water, Jin Yan

Masters Theses

Sea level rise is a serious situation facing coastal cities in the world. In the United States, Miami is one of the most vulnerable cities as far as sea level rise is concerned. Floods in Miami not only come from high seawater but also from inland rivers and frequent storm surges. With Miami as a target city, this paper was prepared after taking care of its current political, economic, and cultural status, aiming to explore the way in which Miami responds to rising sea levels and proposes future urban visions. The new solution may also be applied partially or completely …

Floating Miami, Jiongye Li

Masters Theses

This thesis focuses on designing adaptations in order to reduce the impact of flooding in Miami, Florida. Flooding that is generated from stormwater, hurricanes and sea-level rises largely impacts upon Miami in terms of its transportation systems, eco-system and the daily lives of its residents. Even though a large number of adaptations have already been applied in some districts of this city, , such as improvement of pump stations and pipelines, the capacity and materials of those infrastructures still cannot resist the adverse impact brought by hurricanes or other natural disasters.

In order to understand the reasons why Miami has …

Poly Canyon Entryway Redesign, Antonio Emiliano Baldazo

Architectural Engineering

Persistence of Vision investigates the relationship between past, present, and future perceptions of place in the Poly Canyon area. Persistence of Vision takes up the Cal Poly mantra of “learn by doing,” and explores its pedagogical value by engaging with theory, design, engineering and implementation. This project is manifest in the form of a series of signs in the so-called “architectural graveyard” area; with an eye towards changing the name, perceptions, and narratives about this place. This project hopes to create a recognition within the minds of students that this place is, and was intended to be, a place for …

Recycled Substrates: Plant Biomass And Plant Cover Correlation, Richard K. Sutton

Landscape Architecture Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Green roofs extend roof membrane life and reduce waste to landfills. However, green roof costs must be reduced if their benefits are to accrue more widely. Use of recycled materials may reduce costs and also keep those materials out of landfills. Some work has been done on use of local recycled materials for green roof substrates, but none describe the characteristics, proportions and results of using an entire suite of blended recycled materials in admixtures (i.e., mixtures of very different materials) such as crumb rubber (CR), crushed used brick (CB) and compost (CPT) in concert with greens grade sand (#10), …

Radical Social Ecology As Deep Pragmatism: A Call To The Abolition Of Systemic Dissonance And The Minimization Of Entropic Chaos, Arielle Brender

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper aims to shed light on the dissonance caused by the superimposition of Dominant Human Systems on Natural Systems. I highlight the synthetic nature of Dominant Human Systems as egoic and linguistic phenomenon manufactured by a mere portion of the human population, which renders them inherently oppressive unto peoples and landscapes whose wisdom were barred from the design process. In pursuing a radical pragmatic approach to mending the simultaneous oppression and destruction of the human being and the earth, I highlight the necessity of minimizing entropic chaos caused by excess energy expenditure, an essential feature of systems that aim …

This Is Not A Memorial, Kaitlin Burger

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

After the Vietnam / American War, both lives

and land were left devastated and still remain

scarred, acting as a tangible memory of the

violence that occurred on Vietnamese soil.

Craters the size of lakes cover the countryside.

People live daily with the injuries and birth

defects resulting from malicious warfare. Though

the fighting is over, the suffering is not. Also

left behind were thousands of pounds of unexploded

ordinance embedded into the landscape, waiting to

resurface. In many unfortunate cases, the

curiosity of children has lead them to these

brightly-colored objects and, thus, their death.

My architectural installation will …

Surveilled, Rachel Swetnam

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Debord's "Society the Spectacle" and Delouze’s Deleuze's "Society of Control" both imagine a dystopian future for humanity in a world governed by excessive self-advertisement and mass surveillance. This thesis begins with the observation that, sadly, their two visions have become a reality. Current technologies log our movements through GPS satellite data, and photographs taken by closed-circuit security cameras, or by passers-by on a public street, are constantly cross-checked against databanks of previously-compiled biometric profiles. Every movement and transaction is digitized and recorded, accessible to ever-widening networks of information exchange and surveillance. These data-networks are altering the manner by which people …

Revival On The Stronghold, Katherine Evans

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This proposal is an architectural landscape that commemorates a cultural history while providing a cultural understanding for others of the unjust actions against Native Americans throughout history. Through a series of spaces sited in the South Unit of the Badlands, South Dakota for the Oglala people of the Pine Ridge Reservation, this proposal will be an experiential and spiritual journey echoing the religious practice of the Ghost Dance, which contributed to the Wounded Knee Massacre killing 250 Native Americans in 1890. The Ghost Dance was a ritual practiced and believed to encourage the coming Messiah to save the Native Americans, …

Repercussions, Rebecca Small

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

A redesign of the existing ferry system between the 5 boroughs with the addition of eco parks.

[Re]Defining Chandigarh, Dhruvee Patel

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Chandigarh is the first planned modern city in India as a symbol of nation’s faith in the future designed by Le Corbusier in 1951 in the East Punjab. Through investigation it became apparent that Le Corbusier proposed design principles for Chandigarh that were already theorized for Bogota in Colombia and Marseille in France following his concept of Radiant village that was never built. His design for Chandigarh was more of a prototype model, which failed to capture the spirit of Indian culture and community, making it harder to navigate and familiarize with the city. If architecture is a reflection of …

Hurricane Communities, Katie Masters

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Hurricane Communities: An Analysis of Florida Housing is a thesis that aims to reexamine how we can, as architects, design for hurricanes more effectively at the residential scale, through investigations of lateral forces, form, structure and site. The intent is to minimize the physical and emotional damages that are left behind. The thesis examines wind uplift and changes in water level as hurricane category rise.

[Re]Defining Chandigarh, Dhruvee Patel

KSU Journey Honors College Capstones and Theses

Chandigarh is the first planned modern city in India as a symbol of nation’s faith in the future designed by Le Corbusier in 1951 in the East Punjab. Through investigation it became apparent that Le Corbusier proposed design principles for Chandigarh that were already theorized for Bogota in Colombia and Marseille in France following his concept of Radiant village that was never built. His design for Chandigarh was more of a prototype model, which failed to capture the spirit of Indian culture and community, making it harder to navigate and familiarize with the city. If architecture is a reflection of …

The 21st Century Energy Hub, Farhaan B. Samnani

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Developing countries face problems like pollution, unsafe construction, poverty and lack of clean stable energy. These areas are the most in need of sustainable and net positive design since they lack the resources to design long-term solution. An architecture that can make energy affordable through onsite rapidly renewable resources, help reduce on site pollution and provide stable housing would be a welcome intervention. As we approach the new century, buildings will aim to become an energy hub. Cities do not look at a building as an energy source. Currently Energy production centers sit on the outskirts of the city. But …

Sustainable Sites Initiative Certification In Texas: Obstacles And Benefits Affecting Stakeholder Perception, Jamie Chism Leonie

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

The purpose of this research is to examine perceptions of key stakeholders involved in three SITES®-certified pilot projects in Texas to determine the obstacles and benefits they experienced in certifying the projects. The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES®) is a sustainability-focused framework that guides landscape architects, engineers and others toward practices that protect ecosystems and enhance the mosaic of benefits they continuously provide our communities, such as climate regulation, carbon storage and flood mitigation. SITES® is the culmination of years of research and development by leading professionals in the fields of soil, water, vegetation, materials and human health (GBCI, 2017). A …

Community Space In Little Russia, Kay Cassidy

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

What makes a public space really work? What is the critical mix/balance of elements that exist in places that are successful and obvious when missing? How can urban designers account for what will make it successful, especially when designing for a specific community? Kay investigates the "Little Russia" neighborhood of San Francisco with mapping and interview techniques.

Incremental Landscape At A Baton Rouge Oil Refinery: Temporal Framework For Phytoremediation In Louisiana Cancer Alley, Dahyung Yang

LSU Master's Theses

There is a rising need for clear guidance for phytoremediation applications in contaminated land, in anticipation of the severity of the pollution problem in the petrochemical industrial area. Results of a demographic survey of Louisiana neighborhoods adjacent to petrochemical plants indicated that both deep-rooted environmental issues and social inequity are an inherent part of many communities. This research simulated a temporal framework for incremental landscape at a Baton Rouge oil refinery and its surrounding neighborhood using phytoremediation principles with local plants and insects. Through this novel ecosystem, the site will become biodiverse, and community members will be able to explore …

Salvation Of Landscape: Landscape Remediation Of Desertification In China, Chenliang Ma

LSU Master's Theses

The evolution of human civilization has been accompanied by the replacement of the Earth’s natural landforms. The cities, oases and grasslands from 1000 years ago may have now been transformed into desert. Now, desertification has become a global environmental problem. Many regions and countries are facing development constraints and environmental challenges posed by desertification. Arid and semi-arid areas are extremely prone to land degradation leading to desertification. China faces the threat of a quarter of its land being degraded. Desertification is one of the most serious outcomes of land degradation. Ironically, the part of China with the most serious desertification …

Designing Peace In Hiroshima, Inmi Moon

LSU Master's Theses

The world’s first atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima on 6th August 1945, and after such a rare historical moment the place was enormously burnt and ruined. After 70 years of continuous reconstruction, it is a city full of green colors.

The target site of this thesis is located in central Hiroshima. It was previously a baseball field, and it was the symbol of rehabilitation for residents in Hiroshima city. In 1950, the local government decided to establish a Hiroshima-based baseball team as a part of the reconstruction process from the devastation of the atomic bomb. The …

Preservation And Reformation, Yedi Zhang

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT Taking the conservation and development of the Old Town of Luoyang as an example, this thesis explores the issue of largescale renovation and reconstruction of old city in the background of urbanization, and attempts to seek the balance between old town preservation and local residents’ life quality enhancement. It is needing to be aware that, as a result of the layering and intertwining of cultural and natural values over time, the urban historical heritage includes both tangible and intangible components. To protect historical heritage in the city, we should not only just imitate the history scenes, more importantly, it …

Vertex: A Compendium Of Research And Design, Alberto De Salvatierra, Alfredo Fernandez-Gonzalez, Samantha Solano, Josh Vermillion, Attila Lawrence, Dak Kopec, Phillip Zawarus, Glenn Nowak, Eric Weber, Rafael Armendariz, Nancy J. Uscher

VERTEX Annual Publication

From the foreword: Vertex was organized to showcase some of the UNLV School of Architecture’s most prominent areas of strength. Our multidisciplinary design foundation program is the initial building block that instills in students an ethos of systematic inquiry through making. Appropriately structured processes of experimentation and production using a variety of tools and media help students develop significant spatial understandings through the sequential act of drawing and making. The spatial understandings developed in the design foundation, supplemented by a culture of inquiry through making that is cultivated in our design studios, prepare our students to creatively engage in a …

Sylvan Dell Nature Park & Farm: An Innovative Approach To Recreation, Conservation, And Education, Brian Auman

Sponsored Events -- List

The Sylvan Dell Nature Park and Farm implements a comprehensive strategy for conservation, recreation, and education, while connecting residents with Williamsport's, and the region's, bountiful natural resources. The Sylvan Dell project encourages smart growth and asset-based development in its land-use ordinances and by connecting existing natural areas with a network of public access trails and parks. The park makes the most cost effective use of limited resources by achieving many ‘stacked benefits’, including high-quality recreation, innovative stormwater management, and accessible environmental education.

Places Of Faith: Architectures For Hospitality In The Italian Sanctuaries In The Early Modern Age, Silvia Beltramo

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The strong affluence of pilgrims in monasteries and sanctuaries since the Middle Era, determined a veritable culture of hospitality, which was manifested by the building of new spaces dedicated to guest quarters. This research investigates in detail some meaningful examples amongst the main Italian sanctuaries - namely: Vicoforte and Oropa (Piedmont), Tirano (Lombardy) and Loreto (Marche) - looking at the solutions adopted to host the wayfarers: the hospitality spaces which characterised architecture dedicated to pilgrims between the Middle and the Early Modern Ages. Throughout this period of time, the continuous increase in pilgrimages implied new definitions of the space within …

Re-Live Downtown Pine Bluff, Community Design Center

Community Design Center Project Reports

Once a prosperous cultural urban center in the Mississippi River delta, but now the nation’s second fastest shrinking city, Pine Bluff (population: 42,700) is Arkansas’ Detroit. Indeed, a study of black wealth conducted by famed sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois in 1899 found that Pine Bluff had the fourth highest rate of black wealth in the nation behind Charleston, Richmond, and New York City. The school’s community design center prepared a downtown revitalization plan, Re-Live Downtown Pine Bluff, a housing-first initiative focused on building neighborhoods around downtown “centers of strength”. While the revitalization approach is triaged around a …

Center For Farm And Food System Entrepreneurship, Community Design Center

Community Design Center Project Reports

The average age of the American farmer is 58. Since communities are not reproducing the next generation of farmers, universities are establishing training centers to model new concepts and technologies in farming. The Farmers Training Center is both an immersive program in the rhythms of farm life and a public facility for hosting gatherings that celebrate value-added food products. Part of the University of Arkansas’ farm operations near campus, the center is the public face of agriculture where farmers and the public meet. Student farmers learn by farming, from organic vegetable production in fields and greenhouses, to machine repair, marketing, …

New Beginnings Homeless Transition Village, Community Design Center

Community Design Center Project Reports

More than three million Americans experience homelessness annually. Emergency shelter capacity is limited while local governments are unable to provide even temporary housing. Informal housing involving interim self-help solutions are now popular adaptive actions for obtaining shelter despite nonconformance with city codes. Unfortunately, most informal solutions have resulted in objectionable tent cities and squatter campgrounds where the local response has simply been to move the problem around. Our homeless transition village plan prototypes a shelter-first solution using a kit-of-parts that can be replicated in other communities. Village design reconciles key gaps between informal building practices and formal sector regulations, creating …