Publication Date
5-2009
Committee Members
Michael Davidsohn, Chair - Mark Lindhult, Member - William Mitchell, Member - Jane Thurber, Member
Abstract
This project proposes the design of a studio facility on the University of Massachusetts campus dedicated to the exploration and application of both traditional landscape materials (earth, structure, plants, water) and contemporary technical media (infiltrators, irrigation systems, green-roof systems) as a part of an interdisciplinary learning landscape committed to sustainability in built environments. At no time in history has the appropriate choice and application of materials for use in the built landscape been more significant. Today the use of materials and techniques that mitigate and, where possible, reverse the impacts of environmental degradation is vital. This mandate notwithstanding, the importance of beauty and aesthetics as an integral element of human sustainability is argued by both landscape professionals and theoreticians. This facility will be unique among university learning environments in that it will foster the convergence of ecology and design by providing a venue for researcher innovation, student exploration and public exhibition related to landscape materials and the built environment.