Landscape Architecture Commons^™

The Development Of A Plant Database For Waterwise Plants Along The Intermountain West, Tyler G. Peterson

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis presents the rationale behind the importance of accurate 3D plant models. The research conducted provides logical explanations for why we should accurately represent plants in our 3D models, not only as landscape architects but as designers in general. In addition to this research, a database of waterwise plants was produced to provide designers with a resource to better represent landscapes. During the creation of this database, detailed process records were maintained to enable others to continue to add to and build on the work done within this thesis. It is hoped that this database, begun in this thesis, …

Faxes, Emails, And Cad: A Case Study Of The Changing Landscape In Born-Digital Design Records, 1994-2006, Julia D. Larson

Journal of Western Archives

The article examines the technological changeover from analog to born digital design records in the mid-1990s, and is a case study in how one San Francisco Bay Area landscape architecture firm navigated the paradigm shift. The firm retained extensive documentation of the project management/construction administration for large scale projects, and this case study shows how archivists can utilize the analog documentation (like faxes and printed emails) to gain a greater understanding of how design firms began using Computer Aided Drafting and how CAD changed design and the process of archiving.

Spirituality In Place: Assessment Of Spirituality, Place Attachment, And Locus Of Control In College, Chloe Armand

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to explore how spirituality in place shapes college students’ cognition. While spiritual development is recognized as an important aspect of student affairs, its influence on cognitive factors such as locus of control and place attachment remains underexplored. This study investigates the relationship between spirituality, place attachment, and locus of control, as well as students’ perceptions of spiritual design elements on UCF’s campus. To assess these perceptions, a Quality of Place Questionnaire for Spirituality was developed. This instrument aims to measure humanity, sensuality, and sustainability in the built environment. This research uncovers the connections between …

Beyond The Visual: The Impacts Of Urban Soundscapes On Landscape Design And User Experience, Beth Sipzner

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

The purpose of this research is to examine how visual stimuli affect an individual’s perception of the soundscape. Soundscapes are the acoustic environment perceived by people, whose character is determined by the action and interaction of natural and human factors (Maffei & Masullo, 2019), also understood as the overall sound environment perceived by people. By understanding user perception and preferences, designers can create more aesthetically pleasing spaces that align with the sounds of urban life. The research poses two questions: (1) What are aural and visual elements that impact urban soundscape experiences? and (2) How do aural and visual stimuli …

Designing Resilient Communities: Landscape Architecture Strategies To Counteract The Urban Heat Island Effect And Enhance Thermal Comfort In Vulnerable Neighborhoods In Dallas, Texas, Angelica E. Villalobos

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

As cities continue to expand and temperatures rise, extreme weather conditions become more frequent (Tan et al., 2009). This urban heat phenomenon significantly impacts the environment and the health and well-being of living organisms, including humans (Bullard, 2011). Unfortunately, those who live in poverty are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of urban heat island-induced heat (Balbus & Malina, 2009). To address this issue, this research evaluates landscape architecture design strategies that mitigate the urban heat island and enhance thermal comfort in vulnerable suburban neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas. Recommendations are provided for enhancing resident thermal comfort in single-family residential neighborhoods, …

Community Space Planning And Design Guide For Enhanced Wildfire Resilience In Heber, Utah, Devin Macfarlane

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The wildland urban interface (WUI) is the fastest growing land type in the conterminous United States. These areas are prone to catastrophic wildfire events. In response to rapid population growth, Heber City, Utah is planning a significant amount of development within the WUI. This thesis project is aimed at proactively addressing wildfire risk in the WUI of Heber through two main strategies: regional geospatial planning and public space design to create wildfire resilient communities. Researching principles of wildfire adaptive practice and planning for defensible space led to the development of a list of criteria. This list was developed in the …

Contemplative Nearby Nature: A Design Proposal For Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, Russell Corbin

Pomona Senior Theses

In this Environmental Analysis thesis project, I analyze what contemplative landscapes are, why they are important, and how to design them, and then implement those learnings in a design proposal for a contemplative landscape at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park. In addition to this writing component of the thesis, I created diagrams, drawings, section renderings, a plan, and two 3d models that all help inform the intentions, meaning, and components of my design. These elements have been woven into the writing and attached as additional documents. Five key contemplative design elements have been identified which I hope can prove useful for …

Designing Neighborhood-Scale Green Infrastructure (Gi) To Improve The Health And Well-Being Of Industry-Adjacent Communities Through Air Pollution Mitigation In Joppa, Texas, Lauren Wardwell

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

Ambient outdoor air pollution kills roughly 4.2 million people every year worldwide and is linked as a contributing factor to diseases such as asthma, cancer, infertility, and neurological disorders. In the United States, minority communities are more likely to live near sources of air pollution, such as highways and industrial sites, and therefore face higher risks of developing the associated health difficulties. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), people of color (POC) are exposed to disproportionately higher levels of ambient fine particulate matter (PM) air pollution, regardless of income levels or region. While the EPA monitors and enforces outdoor …

Playground And Garden Design: Troy Christian Early Childhood Education Center, Gabriella Spatz

Honors Projects

The following project is a result of a study of the existing playground and garden at Troy Christian Early Childhood Education Center (TC ECEC) in Troy, OH. The TC ECEC Director wanted research, marketing standpoints, and a re-design for their playground and garden which led to an academic and professional collaboration that crosses into multiple project typologies. The Director consulted with the researcher, Gabriella Spatz, to create a list of necessary inclusions in both spaces which led to proposed floor plans and visuals of the playground and garden respectively. The designs sought to answer two research questions:

1. “What playground and …

Reimagining Abandoned Community Space In A Post-Pandemic Environment, Julia Drooff

Scripps Senior Theses

Earlier this year, the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the demise of the Great American Mall by forcing temporary and permanent closures across the country. The low-end malls that remain are dealing with crippling debt and the closing of key department stores like JC Penney and Neiman Marcus[1]. With only super-luxury malls thriving, many of the standard malls set up in the eighties are just abandoned parts of a community. So, what should happen to these abandoned malls? And what role does that space now play in the post-pandemic community? Since malls began to shut-down pre-Covid-19 did the need for …

Chinese Gardens: Solutions For Urban Nature Deficit, Zachary K. Warner

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Research shows that time spent in nature is good for human health and well-being. However, as the world’s population becomes more concentrated in urban areas regular time in nature, especially extended time, is becoming more difficult to have. On the other hand, Chinese gardens can provide one solution to this problem because they have a unique way of providing a naturalistic space within a small area. Despite this fact, there aren’t many Chinese style gardens outside of China. Therefore, the objective of this thesis was to identify possible barriers to using Chinese garden design principles and construction techniques, then address …

Water, Waste, And Race: Designing For Change On The Shelby County Landfill, Elizabeth Peterson

LSU Master's Theses

Historically, landfills have been viewed through an environmental lens as sites for technical remediation, employing scientific or engineering strategies for testing, mitigation and capping. They are more rarely viewed as cultural landscapes, places with histories of habitation and use, or as potential sites for design. This thesis investigation examines the Shelby County Landfill in Memphis, Tennessee from a cultural landscape perspective, opening up a dialog and opportunity to think about this site and other waste sites in a more layered and culturally rich way.

This research contributes to discussions within the field of landscape architecture that present waste landscapes as …

Landscape Architecture Education: A Study Of Patterns, Tanya Rice

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research is focused on analyzing landscape architecture education of accredited bachelor programs in the U.S. The primary intent was to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the current state of landscape architecture education and the direction in which it is heading. This was conducted through an evaluation of each landscape architecture program’s course offerings. The objectives were to explore the degree of coherence and dispersion of course requirements among programs, compare similarities and differences and identify current patterns, trends, strengths and emphases of the programs. Then design course descriptions were analyzed for identification of word families and cluster networks to …

Evidence-Based Practices For The Design Of Inclusive Playgrounds That Support Peer Interactions Among Children With All Abilities, Courtney L. Fernelius

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Play is necessary for the social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development of all children. Although playgrounds are designed to support the play of children, children with disabilities are often unable to fully participate in play on playgrounds. In part due to the lack of awareness of evidence-based practices supporting the play of children with disabilities, playground designers continue to perpetuate this disparity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the evidence-based practices for inclusive playground design that support peer interaction between children of all abilities, and to demonstrate how they can be implemented into a playground design.

A …

Exploring The Value Of Interprofessional Collaboration Between Occupational Therapy And Design: A Pilot Survey Study, Amy Wagenfeld, Lori Reynolds, Tamar Amiri

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Consistent with the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Vision 2025, interprofessional partnerships between occupational therapy and designers is necessary to “maximize health, well-being, and quality of life for all people . . . through effective solutions that facilitate participation in everyday living” (2016, para 1). Occupational therapy’s knowledge of the person-environment-occupation fit appears to make us well suited to collaborate with design teams to create environments that facilitate optimal function and promote health and well-being (Ainsworth & de Jonge, 2014).

Method: Two short closed-ended online questionnaires were designed to gain an understanding of designer and occupational therapy practitioner impressions of …

Raaxo: A Post-Refugee Landscape, Bailey M. Riales

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

raaxo: a post-refugee landscape

sited in dadaab, kenya // raaxo is a transformation of the current landscape that works with harsh conditions of sun and wind to provide spaces of dwelling and gathering, improving refugee comfort by initiating a sense of community. tall, mechanical screens protect against the strong desert winds, while also creating a build-up of sand. overtime, the sand build-up forms an exterior barrier around the community and dwelling spaces, and creates a façade on the interior. Other designed screens are placed opposite the formed community spaces, providing shade from the desert sun for the refugees. throughout the …

Future Oriented Sustainable Design. Design Purpose: What Is Design And Who Is It For? [Please Note: This Is A Large File And May Be Slow To Download.], Barry Sheehan

Academic Articles

In November 2016 I was asked to make a presentation at the Future Oriented Sustainable Design International Conference in Wuhan in the People's Republic of China. My topic was Design Purpose: What is Design? And who is it for?

The presentation examines the wider aspects of design and its categories and asks who were are actually designing for.

I made a powerpoint presentation that I narrated in English whilst it was simultaneously translated into Chinese for the attendees at the conference. On my return to Ireland I created a soundtrack to accompany the presentation slides for people to watch the …

Sustainable Architecture Design: Environmental And Economic Benefits, Michael Babcock

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis examines the movement of environmentalism, and its impact on architecture and construction. During an interview with a professional architect, a basis for research of sustainable design was devised, when he explained that “good” architecture attempts to holistically integrate the external and built environment. Presently, the main measurement for sustainability is energy efficiency. Therefore, architects constantly implement new technology in an attempt to unify both the external and built environment in an energy efficient manner. Furthermore, this thesis provides an environmental and financial cost analysis of implementing sustainable design and build. Research shows that the life cycle and up-front …

Using Landscape Visualization To Inform Streetscape Design, Brent C. Chamberlain, Rebecca Liu, Jessica Canfield

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Faculty Publications

The streets of commercial districts play an important role in the social fabric of communities. A well-designed streetscape provides an opportunity for thriving commerce, aesthetic enjoyment and public forum. The purpose of this study was to investigate how different elements of streetscape design influence a person’s preferences for the space. Using 3D visualizations of existing and possible future conditions, we studied the effects that infrastructure design had on perceived safety and attractiveness. Our study site was a small college town in the US. Results demonstrate that green infrastructure, including trees and bioswales, improve attractiveness and safety. Parking strategies also have …

Mass Incarceration By Design: The Impacts Of Urban Renewal And Landscape Architecture's Absence On The Prison Industrial Complex And The Use Of Landscape Architecture As An Antidote To Mass Incarceration, Abigail P. Phillips

LSU Master's Theses

The work of landscape architects has both positive and negative social impacts and landscape architects can strive to intentionally design for positive social impact. This paper utilizes mass incarceration as a lens for discussing the social impact of landscape architecture. The crossroads of mass incarceration and design offer a unique opportunity for Landscape Architects to examine the impact of many urban renewal efforts on marginalized communities, the benefits of landscape architectural involvement in prison design, and the use of design as protest against inhumane structures. This paper is separated into three sections, one detailing the history of social justice and …

Community Perceptions Of Golf Course Landscapes: Lessons Learned From Arlington, Texas Case Studies, Jon-Michael Clothier

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

The purpose of this study is to identify the resident perceptions of golf course landscapes in communities around golf courses within Arlington, Texas. It specifically focuses on the residents’ feelings evoked by the golf course landscapes as well as any impact to the residents’ lives outside of actually playing golf. The study seeks to find connections between traditional golf course design and urban design around the edges of golf courses extending outward to the surrounding communities. The physical relationships between golf courses with their surrounding communities vary. Especially in suburban settings, there is a strong connection between the course and …

The Tendril, Nicole Flinn

Landscape Architecture

This modular vineyard took the traditional understanding of growing wine grapes and turned it on its side. A site that was once covered completely in vines is transformed into a tower-like form to maximize space and growing potential. By performing these practices in a controlled environment every element is carefully manipulated for desirability.

New Orleans, A City Of Layers Preventing Extinction, William Francis Reinhardt

LSU Master's Theses

Preventing the loss of New Orleans occupies the minds of many designers in Louisiana. Great efforts to preserve the city are targeting the slow return to naturalization of the engineered river to find a new balance determined by plan formulators of the Federal government. Throughout history, many experimental movements have been born from the landscape architecture practice, and may be key to the future of New Orleans. Separate chapters are devoted towards the movements created by William Kent, Fletcher Steele, and Jens Jensen to explore as inspiration to be applied to coastal living. Finally, the future of New Orleans is …

Low-Impact Infrastructure: Development And Design Potential For Surface Application Alternatives For Subsurface Infrastructure In Yellowstone National Park's Upper Geyser Basin, Michael R. Pace

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In sensitive and iconic landscapes, such as Yellowstone National Park’s Upper Geyser Basin, construction and expansion of visitor services is hindered, and often blocked, by the potential for environmental damage that could occur during the installation of subsurface utilities. These utilities, crucial to the success of development, require an alternative method of installation when placed in locations requiring special consideration and protection.

Yellowstone, in particular, is faced with the responsibility of protecting limited hydrothermal resources while also providing access to the general public. Sub-surface utilities threaten this responsibility due to the unknown nature of much of the subsurface

geology in …

Preserving Legacy: The Development Of The Design Workshop Archives And Digital Collection At Utah State University, Amanda J. Dunlap

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Though magazines, books, and slideshows have attempted to share glimpses of landscape architecture, its fixed geographic location inherently limits who can experience it. In a move to address this dilemma, Design Workshop has partnered with Utah State University's Merrill-Cazier Library Special Collections and the Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Department to capture the firm's definitive works. The creation of the Design Workshop Archives and Digital Collection conveys the firm's story, sharing it with a broad and diverse audience through the use of physical archives, a digitally accessible partner, oral histories, and online learning objects to be utilized in the classroom. …

Green Infrastructure Resource Directory, New England Environmental Finance Center

Sustainable Communities Capacity Building

Green infrastructure is an approach for managing stormwater that uses vegetation and soils to capture and treat rainwater where it falls. Unlike single-purpose gray infrastructure, green infrastructure realizes multiple benefits at once, including flood mitigation, improved water and air quality, community beautification, provision of recreational opportunities, and energy and cost savings. This resource directory is intended to help communities design, implement, fund, and monitor green infrastructure practices and programs. It was compiled by the Environmental Finance Center Network through the Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities program funded by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. …

A Critical Evaluation Of The Sustainable Sites Initiative's Guidelines And Performance Benchmarks 2009 As Applied To The Design And Development Of The Orem, Utah Intermodal Center, Jeffrey E. Dzikowski

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In 2006 the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, the United States Botanical Garden, and additional stakeholders joined together to form the Sustainable Sites Initiative^TM (SITES^TM), an organization dedicated to the promotion of sustainable land development and management practices. As part of this effort SITES recently released its Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009, a document which provides a voluntary guideline and rating system for the development, operation, and maintenance of sustainable landscapes.

This guideline and rating system is currently being tested through the Sustainable Sites Initiative pilot program, in which a select …

Conservation Design Guidelines For Botanic Gardens, C. Craig Houston

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Botanic gardens worldwide are asked to be centers of conservation. However, little is written about conservation-specific planning and design forms botanic gardens should use to fulfill this assignment. After looking at the history of botanic gardens, with a focus on the purpose/design relationship, examining design guidelines suggested in and inferred from the literature, and presenting habitat conservation principles and sustainable construction guidelines from other areas of practice, the author developed conservation design guidelines for botanic gardens focused on conservation. The guidelines address the following five categories: (1) Mission Statement and Site Character, (2) Presentation of Native Habitats, (3) Presentation of …

Loosening The Ties That Bind: Grangegorman Masterplan, Noel Brady

Articles

Interview with James Mary O'Connor, Architect and Masterplanner with Moore Rubel Yudell designers of the Masterplan for DIT at Grangegroman, Dublin

The Research, Process, And Design Of The Trout Creek Revegetation Plan, Daniel C. Bolin

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The Bear River is the largest tributary to the Great Salt Lake, with water volumes reaching up to 1.4 million acre feet of water. The river begin s in Utah 's Uinta Mountains and flows into Wyoming and Idaho before finally flowing south and returning to Utah. The river flows nearly five hundred mile s before emptying into Bear River Bay of the Great Salt Lake, ending only ninety miles from its origin (Utah History to Go, 2008).