SWA | IDEAS | Page 23

Hidden from view in our day-to-day lives there exists a pattern and beauty much larger, much more comprehensive. From space these patterns reveal themselves as deep blue braided rivers and rich green plains, wetland patches, desert reds and yellows; all moving, all seemingly going somewhere. Amongst all our deep understanding of the natural sciences, and its relationships and complexity, there exists a simple beauty to it all. A secret that can only be revealed when we take a step back, and marvel at the tremendous scale of these natural systems.

When we design at a scale comparable to the vastness of these natural systems, the need exists to express as the earth does. When we design cities of 50, 100, or 1,000 square kilometer regions, we need to think as the earth does. There is an art to her work that needs to be present in ours. I am continually inspired by this interconnected beauty; a mosaic of oils and pastel that we can only hope to emulate in a small way. And so there must be an art to our ecology, both urban and natural. The two combined can form city patterns that can strive to achieve all those civic benefits that we speak so much of; be it interconnectivity, multiplicity, sustainability, and the like. We need to paint our cities as much as we plan them, aware that there is more to life and civicness than a land use plan and orderly density tabulation.

Our most beautiful cities were not afraid of an idea; be it Paris and her grand boulevards struck across its densely populated neighborhoods, or the genius of a simple but large park providing escape for the citizens of New York. Let us plan in bold strokes, weaving the natural and man-made into new urban forms worthy of the landscape they inhabit. Let our ideas guide us at any scale, from the smallest dwelling to the largest of all, planet earth.

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Posted by SeanOMalley
in Arts and Culture, Urban Ecologies
on 21 January, 2012

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As developers strive to find a balance between profits and environmental responsibility, many are looking to water resources as more than just a way to demonstrate sustainability. A connected system that starts at the small scale and eventually returns higher quality water back to the river, lake, bay or other body of water can become… Read more »

Posted by SeanOMalley
in Urban Ecologies
on 21 January, 2012

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The Victoria Street Community Garden is located on a formerly derelict parking lot in Houston, TX. Sixty individual raised plots, along with a community orchard, group demonstration beds and community gathering spaces were designed by SWA Group and installed by volunteers over a two day period. Scott McCready and Eli Lechter talked to me about… Read more »

Q. Can you describe the features of the garden?

A. The garden contains sixty 4′x 4′ raised plots for community members, group raised planters for demonstration and teaching, a natural play garden for young children, a shed and deck, a picnic lawn, community orchard and a community gathering space.

Q. Who will manage the garden?

A. The garden is managed by Volunteers of America (VOA), a non-profit organization. Identifying long-term personnel at VOA to be involved was one of the project’s challenges.

Q. What infrastructure was needed for the garden?

A. An irrigation system serves the primary public areas (shared use lawns and gardens) and individual plots were designed to accept future drip irrigation. Security concerns prompted a different set of infrastructure, including lighting, access control and an 8′ fence to keep out feral dogs.

Q. Were there any permitting issues?

A. The main permitting issue was related to the fact that we were relying on volunteer efforts and on an extremely tight schedule. The city did require a full project review and eventually the Mayor’s Office had to get involved to expedite the review process so that the project could stay on schedule.

Q. What did you learn about designing for agriculture from this project?

A. We had to consider proper solar orientation for the garden plots, the suitability of the materials and soil depth. The project would be built by volunteers and that affected the way we designed. We thought a lot about scalability of program to allow the garden to grow as it becomes adopted by the community, and realized how important community participation is for a project like this. The greatest cost for the project in the end wasn’t related to the program improvements (community spaces) but rather to site preparation and utilities and security. These items are much harder to fundraise for. Finally, we learned that middle school students work as hard or harder than adults!

Q. The images of the garden under construction show the use of a pre-fab system for the raised beds. Can you tell me a little about it?

A. The raised beds were installed using a product called Gro-Pod. It’s a pre-fab raised bed unit, with integrated irrigation and cedar plank edges, and it allowed us to just lay out the garden, rather than construct each raised bed. It also isolates the growing medium from any potential contamination in the site soils. The product is new on the market, and this is a good testing ground to see how it holds up in a public application.

Q. Any last insights on designing community gardens?

A. Volunteer projects need a simpler plan for layout and construction to ensure reasonable quality. Design considerations must take into account labor, access to heavy machinery and the uncertain nature of volunteer availability. Coordination of large groups is always a challenge, but the results are quite rewarding – despite all the problems, the project succeeded in transforming an eyesore into a vital gathering space for a community in need of such opportunities. With a bit of creativity and sweat, a lot of work can be accomplished without huge resources.

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Posted by EllenBurke
in Urban Agriculture
on 21 January, 2012

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The Organic Food Garden at Sacred Heart Preparatory in Atherton California is an 1,110 square foot garden designed in 2007-8 as part of the landscape for the new Michael J. Homer Science and Student Life Center. The food garden is so successful that it has been expanded to include an additional 9,000 square feet in another location on campus. The overall project is LEED platinum certified and has won several awards including the 2010 AIA Top Ten Green Projects. Marco Esposito was the project principal, and talked to me about his experience designing the garden, and lessons learned.

Q. What were the primary goals related to the agriculture program?

A. The garden is located in a high-profile area of the campus, so the concern was to have it look good whether planted, fallow or overgrown.

Q. Can you describe the design of the garden?

A. It is located in a sunny south-facing location, within a simple, tidy framework of walks (on sun side) and broadleaf evergreen hedges (backdrop on non-sun side). It is in a high-profile area, flanking the dining room and adjacent outdoor terrace, such that the food garden is highlighted but not in the way. We recommended that the least tidy crops, such as tall grains that can tip over, be planted in lower profile locations.

Q. Were there any concerns from the client about the agriculture program? How did you address them?

A. Sacred Heart had had a food garden before this project, but it was untidy and the leadership was concerned about creating a new un-tidy garden. We provided a simple framework for the food garden – a 140′ long rectangle of soil, 8′ wide, between a concrete walk and a waist-high broadleaf evergreen hedge – where 90 degree row crops of varying widths could be planted. Whether the soil is bare after harvesting, or whether the garden is overgrown, the framework is strong enough that any condition is acceptable.

Q. Who will manage the garden?

A. The garden is maintained and operated by students and faculty as part of its Environmental Science and Global Studies courses.

Q. Who will eat the food from the garden?

A. The food feeds the faculty, staff and students in the on-campus dining facilities, and is also donated to local charities.

Q. What infrastructure was needed for the garden?

A. 18″ of organic top soil, and pop-up spray irrigation.

Q. Were there any permitting issues?

A. There were no issues for construction. However, the school had to work the County Health Services to get approval to serve food grown on campus. According to a school press release “…the school is the first in San Mateo County to be approved by the Department of Environmental Health Services Division to use fruits and vegetables grown in its own organic garden for preparation and food service in its school cafeteria.”

Q. Any last insights on edible landscape design for campuses?

A. Keep it simple, and modest in proportion to surrounding permanent framework – having it look neat increases acceptance by all.

SWA Project Team: Marco Esposito, Lyn Liu, Travis Theobald

Project Lead: LMS Architects

Consultants: ISC – Irrigation

Photo Credit: Tom Fox, SWA Group

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Posted by EllenBurke
in Urban Agriculture
on 21 January, 2012

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The nationwide movement to include agriculture as a landscape amenity in some suburbs makes edible gardening the ‘new golf’ according to an article in the Wall Street Journal. Joe Runco, of SWA Group, offers his insights into planning for edibles in the suburban context. Read the full article here.

Posted by EllenBurke
in Urban Agriculture
on 21 January, 2012

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Two pro-bono projects at a local urban farm support community food-security efforts and explore farm ecology and aesthetics. The Alameda Point Collaborative (APC) Urban Farm sits on one-acre of a former Naval Air Station in Alameda, CA. Closed in 1993, portions of the military base have been converted to other uses, including the Alameda Point… Read more »

Two pro-bono projects at a local urban farm support community food-security efforts and explore farm ecology and aesthetics.

The Alameda Point Collaborative (APC) Urban Farm sits on one-acre of a former Naval Air Station in Alameda, CA. Closed in 1993, portions of the military base have been converted to other uses, including the Alameda Point Collaborative, a supportive housing community that provides homes, job training and other services to formerly homeless families.

The farm initiative grew out of a food community assesment that found widespread difficulty in obtaining nutritious and fresh food due to availability and cost. In 2008, following these findings, the farm was created on the site of a former park, and now offers a CSA style weekly produce delivery service, and sells at a farm stand and to local restaurants. In addition the farm produces and sells eggs & honey, and is developing two aquaculture ponds for raising fish. The farm is a highly successful example of a community food security project, leveraging local engagement and dedicated leadership.

Two new/upcoming pro-bono projects at the farm propose architectural and landscape solutions to increase productivity, integrate ecology and aid production.

Studios Archicture’s San Franciso office has designed a multi-purpose barn that will provide an area for vegetable washing, storage, office space and bike parking. The barn is designed using salvaged materials, including shipping containers from companies at the nearby port and metal panels recycled from the 2009 AIA convention. A butterfly roof allows for future rainwater collection. The barn project is awaiting funding for completion.

In collaboration with Studios and the farm managers, SWA designed a series of ‘farmscapes’, landscape projects that address aesthetic and ecological conditions on the farm, including a windbreak along the north fence and cover cropping in the olive orchard.

Along the street frontage, a narrow planting strip between the fence and curb was overgrown with weeds, and targeted for improvements. The physical constraints of the space suggested a ‘hedgerow’ – mixed planting of various heights that provides year round habitat and food sources for pollinators and beneficial insects. Based on research by the Yolo County Land Trust, the hedgerow design overlaps flowering periods, ensuring that something is always in bloom and thus supports native insects who will in turn support the farm’s productivity. On a weekend in early April, a volunteer group gathered to install the first phase of the hedgerow. It will be exciting to see it grow and to monitor the developign ecology at the farm’s edge.

These projects at the APC farm are one example of the ways that design professionals can engage and support the efforts of local, urban food production.

This is a slightly modified version of a post originally published on GrowCity, May 2, 2011.

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